Education

Schools In New York State To Reopen In September, Gov. Cuomo Announces

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Andrew Jose Contributor
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All schools in New York will reopen in September 2021 for the academic year 2021-2022, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

“Our children lost so much as COVID struck our state. A year of socialization, a year of memories, and even more,” Cuomo said in a press release. “While teachers and school administrators did an incredible job pivoting to remote learning with virtually zero notice, there’s no denying the discrimination students who did not have the right equipment faced.” (RELATED: California Teacher Trashes Parents Who Want In-Person Classes)

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New York state has seen a steady decline in COVID-19 cases after a peak in January 2021, and a smaller surge around late March, according to data from the New York Times

Around 45% of the state’s total residents are fully vaccinated, and approximately 54% have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, the New York Times’ data states.

The state has also seen a 44% drop in cases, 30% drop in hospitalizations and 46% drop in deaths between May 10, 2021, and May 24, 2021, the New York Times reported.

“With the way our COVID numbers are currently trending, there is no reason why our students should not get back to in-person learning as usual and we look forward to welcoming them back,” Cuomo said, adding that “[i]f there is a change in the trajectory of the virus, we will revisit the decision.” (RELATED: Mayor De Blasio Says NYC Schools Will Fully Reopen In September)

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. is vaccinating its residents at an average rate of 1.8 million vaccinations per day over the last week, CNBC reported. Roughly 49% of residents in the country have received at least one shot. Thirty-nine percent are fully vaccinated, according to the outlet.