Governor Cuomo Announces New York Schools Will Remain Closed for the Remainder of the Year

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all New York schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year and continue to provide distance learning to ensure students and families are best protected from coronavirus at his May 1 daily briefing. The state had closed all K-12 schools by March 18 and waived the 180-day requirement for high schools. Colleges and universities were closed by March 19 except to those who need housing. Cuomo said that summer school programming updates will be announced by the end of May, but for now, parents can breathe a little easier knowing meal assistance programs and child care programs for essential workers will continue.

The government will work with schools to develop reopening plans that consider the following:

• How to monitor the spread of the virus
• How to instill confidence in parents and reinforce student safety
• When and how extracurriculars will reopen
• How protocols for special student populations might change
• How housing, dining, and gathering will work on college campuses, and how public and private colleges will work together to share resources
• Which steps will be taken to ensure students are provided mental health resources
• Whether any alternative academic calendars would be successful

At the press conference, Cuomo estimated that the state’s social distancing measures have helped reduce the number of New Yorkers hospitalized by about 100,000 people. However, as of right now, approximately 1,000 new patients are still being hospitalized per day; the New York hospital system is still under duress.

Furthermore, New Yorkers are still under duress, Cuomo continued. The state has seen an uptick in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, isolation, and loneliness, increased alcohol and drug consumption, and a 30-percent increase in domestic violence reports for the month of April. The governor provided mental health resources and encouraged New Yorkers to reach out.