Gov. Andrew Cuomo said 28 school districts on Long Island blew last month’s deadline to submit to New York State a plan to reopen from the coronavirus shutdown this fall, but many local school administrators say they did submit plans and the governor is wrong.
The news comes after the governor announced Friday that schools statewide can reopen since the COVID-19 transmission rate is low and each school district must devise the plans in consultation with local parents and teachers. Most of the districts the state accused of not submitted plans say they have in fact submitted plans.
“How they didn’t submit a plan is beyond me,” Cuomo said Monday. “If they don’t submit a plan by this Friday, they can’t open.”
The 28 LI school districts cited — a fifth of the 124 on the Island — make up a quarter of the 107 districts statewide that are on the list of those accused of not submitting plans. Districts were supposed to submit plans by July 31 before the state announced its decision on how to proceed with the fall semester last week.
Districts must complete the three to five public Zoom meetings with parents and teachers and post their plans for remote learning, testing, and contact tracing on their website by August 21 to meet state reopening standards. The state Department of Health will review the plans advise districts if their plans are not in compliance.
But most of the Long Island school districts singled out indicate that they did in fact submit plans to the state. The districts that the state says have not submitted plans are below. Links to the district’s plans are in most of the names.
“The list is inaccurate,” the Plainedge-Old Bethpage School District said. “POB submitted its reopening plan to both the NYS Education Department and the NYS Department of Health on time. We have confirmation receipts for both submissions. The governor’s office has been notified of the inaccuracy.”
NASSAU COUNTY
Carle Place
Elmont
Garden City
Lawrence
Locust Valley
Malverne
Manhasset
Mineola
New Hyde Park
Plainedge
Plainview
Syosset
Uniondale
SUFFOLK COUNTY
Brentwood
Brookhaven-Comsewogue
Deer Park
Longwood
Middle Country
Mount Sinai
North Babylon
Oysterponds
Remsenburg
Rocky Point
Sachem
Sagaponack
Tuckahoe Common
Wainscott
Western Suffolk BOCES
Related Story: NY Schools Will Reopen This Fall, Cuomo Says
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