Governor Andrew Cuomo gave an update on Monday on the possibility of opening schools this fall. Governor Cuomo said that New York state officials are working on finalizing guidelines for opening schools, but no final decision has been made yet.

According to CBS2, Governor Cuomo said, “We’re not going to say that children should go back to school until we know it’s safe, right?” Each jurisdiction has been instructed to devise plans to reopen their schools safely.

The possibility of schools reopening in September can be good news to some parents and alarming to others.

Remote learning has been challenging and frustrating for parents and students alike. Teaching requires skills and patience that many of us do not have. A lot of parents are working from home with limited resources, such as devices or even the Internet for that matter. COVID-19 has shown disparities in communities. The need to provide breakfast and lunch for students was highlighted with the shutdown of schools. It is troubling to think that students from low-income families are at such a disadvantage and that the educational disparities will be even greater the longer students are without in-person learning. For these parents reopening schools would be good news if the opening can be done safely.

Most parents are concerned about their children’s health and safety. There are so many aspects that must be considered before schools can be opened safely. The health of the students, as well as the staff, are of utmost importance to everyone. For these parents the prospect of opening school in the fall is alarming.

We will be monitoring the situation carefully. I believe that we all want schools to open, and we want our children well rounded and educated. Most importantly, we want our children healthy. Do you think children should be back in school this fall?

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