ALBANY, N.Y. — New York's top educators are pushing back against the state health department's decision not to issue guidance on school reopening that districts had been waiting on for weeks.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the state education department appeared to cite the recent sexual harassment scandal in Albany as the reason school guidance was never finished.
"The circumstances enveloping the Executive Chamber this week should not prevent the Department of Health from the execution of its responsibilities to the public, as has been promised by the Governor's Office for months," the statement read.
While several superintendents 2 On Your Side spoke to agreed that the decision to leave control up to each district is a positive change, they've been advocating for it since the 2020-2021 school year.
After weeks of waiting for guidance, they wonder, why it couldn't have come sooner?
Salamanca Superintendent Robert Breidenstein likened the decision to the state "punting their responsibility."
"In one perspective, I'm pleased that Albany has turned over the control to the people who know exactly what needs to happen in individual communities. But I'd be remiss if I didn't say I'm deeply disappointed that Albany has left school districts and local communities hanging," Breidenstein said.
2 On Your Side has reported that the state, on several occasions, indicated that school recommendations were in the works. The late decision only leaves about three weeks of prep time before many districts hope to return to class. The state health department said districts should develop plans to open in-person this fall following CDC and local health guidance.
The Salamanca, Hamburg, and Niagara Falls superintendents all said Thursday that students will be going back to school five days a week for in-person learning.
"I think generally what you can expect is an opening of school that looks substantially like it did in 2019," Hamburg Superintendent Michael Cornell said.
Added Breidenstein: "We're gearing up for you know hundreds of thousands of students to return to our schools in about three weeks so any authority that we have over students we've been in active planning conversations and will let families know when it's finalized."
The Erie County Department of Health offered to help school districts finalize their plans.
Their letter to school leaders Thursday read in part:
"Given this news, our office of epidemiology and school team are reviewing existing school guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with lessons that our department has learned throughout this pandemic. We understand the extreme time constraints under which you and your colleagues are working, and we will share our next steps with this group as soon as we can."
Western New York's largest school district, Williamsville, added in a statement its plan to return to in-person learning remains in development.
"We will continue to plan and prepare for the upcoming school year using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools and the American Academy of Pediatrics COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools as a basis for creating an educational environment that is as healthy and safe as possible for all of our students and faculty and staff.”