SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) ––New York schools are left scrambling to create their own COVID-19 safety guidelines after the state health department abruptly announced it won’t issue its own reopening rules.
The announcement came amid sexual harassment allegations against New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced on Tuesday he will resign.
Syracuse Board of Education President Dan Romeo said schools are lost after state health officials canceled plans to provide guidance, but that they will work to pick up where the health department left off.
Romeo said the schools “aren’t capable of making this decision alone” so they will be “partnering with the county, taking the guidance from the CDC, and other entities involved in the health industry” that they know they can trust.
Advice won’t only come from health experts, as Romeo assured parents and students will be involved in the reopening process.
“We’ll absolutely take input from the community,” Romeo said, “because there may be little nuanced things that we can do to make their experience better or to help the schools to be safer.”
Even with the new and unforeseen challenge, Romeo is determined to start the school year normally.
“Our ultimate goal is to be in five days a week, in person for as many students as possible,” Romeo said.
The first day of school is September 8th, only a month away for Syracuse public school students.
