Cuomo Gives NY Schools Get The Go-Ahead to Reopen | NBC New York Coronavirus Update

Описание: Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the green light Friday to reopen New York's 750 school districts in person this fall -- a data-driven decision that mirrors the threshold-based calls he made on the phased economic reopenings for the state's 10 regions. But this decision is different. Cuomo says it's ultimately not up to him.

"Parents have to be included and believe the plan makes sense. Teachers have to be included and believe the plan makes sense. They are the ultimate determination," Cuomo said this week. "If a teacher doesn't show up, you can't open the class. If a parent doesn't send their child there's no child to educate."

The state still has to sign off on each of New York's 749 school districts' individual plans; if it doesn't, those districts don't reopen in September. Of those 749 districts, 127 have yet to submit plans for the 2020-21 school year, Cuomo said. Of the ones that have, about 50 have been deemed insufficient. The state Department of Health will review the individual school plans over the weekend and notify districts where it finds them incomplete, he said.

The governor's decision on reopening school districts relies solely on the seven-day rolling average positive test rate for the region where each is located. The threshold for the initial clearance he gave Friday was 5 percent. If positivity rates tick above 9 percent in a given region going forward, the district -- and all the schools within it -- will have to close. New York's statewide seven-day average has consistently been at 1 percent for a month. So too has New York City's.