DON DOESN’T LEARN LESSON
ANDY SCHOOLS HIM ON HOW TO REOPEN ED. SYSTEM
The Queens boys are at it again.
Gov. Cuomo and President Trump locked horns Wednesday over how to reopen schools this fall amid safety concerns that allowing too many kids back into school buildings too soon could lead to a surge in coronavirus cases.
The schoolyard brawl between the two Queens natives jumped off after Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that don’t open their doors for the next semester.
“Threaten me? Threaten me? How many times have we been through this? I’m still here, right? You think the threat is going to work?” Cuomo said during a Manhattan news briefing Wednesday. “The federal government has no authority when it comes to reopening schools.”
Trump did, in fact, threaten to withhold federal aid. Whether he carries it out is a different story.
“In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS,” Trump tweeted. “The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!”
Federal health and education officials said at a White House event Tuesday that keeping students out of school for the fall semester would pose greater health risks than any tied to the coronavirus.
But Trump has not offered much detail explaining the stance.
Still, the president has no authority when it comes to how, whether or when local schools reopen, Cuomo said.
“Schools reopening is a state decision, period,” he said. “That is the law, and that is the way we’re going to proceed. It’s not up to the president of the United States. There is something called the Constitution that guides government power, and there’s a series of laws based on that Constitution, and the president does not have that authority to open schools.”
On July 13, the state will issue its finalized guidance on reopening schools this fall. The state’s 700 school districts will then have until the end of the month to make any adjustments to their reopening proposals.
The state will then make case-by-case determinations during the first week of August based on the submissions and current health data.
Mayor de Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza unveiled their most detailed plan yet for reopening for the city’s 1.1 million public school students — a more detailed version of which will have to be submitted to the state by the end of the month.
Under the version announced Wednesday, families would be able to opt into a completely remote learning configuration if they have safety concerns.
“They have every right to do that,” de Blasio said.
The mayor also seemed unfazed by the president’s threat, saying that Trump “seems to change his mind every day or two.”
“He does doesn’t really have a lot of bearing here,” de Blasio said.
He and Carranza said their reopening plan will take a safety-first approach and will be contingent on key coronavirus metrics as well as social distancing and cleanliness measures.
“Our buildings will be deep-cleaned on a nightly basis with electrostatic disinfectant sprayers,” Carranza said. “HVAC systems are being upgraded as we speak to ensure better ventilation.”
Students that physically attend class will be in the classroom either two or three days of the week, depending on the week. The rest of their studies will be conducted through athome, remote learning. The schedules will be staggered in a variety of ways, depending on a school’s physical layout and population number.
“This is meant to give parents some semblance of predictability for planning purposes,” Carranza said.
Face coverings will be mandatory, but Carranza said students will not be punished for not wearing them — that the focus will be on educating them until they do.
The city will also be working to identify locations outside traditional school buildings to conduct classes and will use underused space within schools — like gyms, auditoriums and cafeterias — for studies.
The plan will include limiting classrooms to nine to 12 students as well.
While other states continue to report skyrocketing infection rates, Cuomo said that of some 57,000 virus tests conducted in the state Tuesday, 1.2% came back positive.
“We’re making progress because we’re acting smart,” he said. “We have to continue to act smart.”
Cuomo emphasized that the increasing number of cases across the country remain a threat to New York, noting that airlines have agreed to help track passengers subject to a two-week quarantine if coming from one of 19 states with high COVID-19 numbers.
The governor slammed the Trump administration for not taking the pandemic seriously and attributing high infection rates to increased testing.
“The federal government still insists on perpetuating the myth, and they keep saying the cases are going up because we are testing more. That makes no sense whatsoever,” he said. “The American people are smart. You’re not going to fool them, you’re not going to con them.”