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Mayor Bill De Blasio stated that all of the schools in New York City will be moving to online learning due to the rise in Covid-19 cases. The city recently exceeded the three percent positive test rate that was needed to close down the schools. Bill said that more restrictions could be coming in the near future.
Richard Carranza is the chancellor of the schools. He stated that schools will close on Thursday, November 19, 2020. They will be closed until further notice. It is important to note that this closure only applies to people who are in a public school. Private institutions remain open.
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Bill De Blasio stated that he was disappointed in the decision. He also said that he plans to open the educational institutions again as quickly as possible. He said that it is possible that the schools could open again the week after Thanksgiving. However, he has not given an exact timeline for re-opening the schools.
Bill stated that there are stringent standards that have been put in place to ensure that everyone stays safe. He also said that the standard will be raised even higher in the future open again. Additionally, Bill said that he will be announcing reopening plans in a few days.
There are 300,000 students in public schools in New York City. The parents are confused. However, Andrew Cuomo, who is the governor of New York State, stated that the confusion does not exist. He said that people had already been notified that the schools were closing.
Michael Mulgrew is the president of the Union Federation of Teachers. He stated that the three percent threshold was established in order to prevent Covid from spreading in the schools. He also said that everyone in New York City needs to do their part to prevent Covid from spreading. This includes things such as wearing face masks and social distancing.
Laura Curran is the executive of Nassau County. She stated that she strongly disagrees with the mayor’s decision. She said that the main places that the virus is being spread is at social gatherings. She also said that it is detrimental to young people to isolate them from their friends and teachers. Additionally, she said that low-income people will be hurt the most by this.
Scott Stringer is the New York City Comptroller. He is not happy about the school closures. He said that he is unhappy with the decision to close down the educational institutions. He also pointed out the inconsistency of the rules. The kids will not be able to go to school, but people can still go to the gym and out to eat.
Jumaane Williams is the Public Advocate for the New York City Comptroller. He said that there is absolutely no leadership. Corey Johnson, who is the city council speaker, stated that the closure of schools is devastating. He said that special education students, low-income students and people who live in homeless shelters will be hurt the most.
Parents have said put together a petition to keep the educational institutions open. It is never an easy decision to close down a school. However, this fight to stay open will continue until a Covid-19 vaccine is available.
