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Buffalo superintendent criticizes Cuomo for his handling of closing schools

'This two-weeks hammer is creating an unnecessary anxiety on our children, and on our families, and on our staff,' Dr. Kriner Cash said Wednesday.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools, Dr. Kriner Cash has some strong criticism of Governor Andrew Cuomo and his handling of closing schools since the coronavirus outbreak hit the state.

Cash joined members of the school board Wednesday evening in a virtual work session meeting.

“This two-weeks hammer is creating an unnecessary anxiety on our children, and on our families, and on our staff,” Cash said.

Cash seems to indicate he spoke to the governor recently.

“I said, 'So stop giving us these two-week increments of when we’re going to come back to school, or we will be threatened with lack of school funding,' ” Cash said.

Two weeks ago, Cuomo ordered all schools in the state to close until April 1. Last week the governor extended that order another two weeks and ordered schools to still issue instruction to students, even if they were supposed to be on vacation.

“It is an insult to try to cut off a point politically of when we go back to school, or when we would be considering to go back to school because you think teachers are going to go on vacation. I said, 'What are you talking about?' I said, 'What vacation do you think anybody is going on right now?' ” Cash told board members.

A spokesperson for the Governor says in a statement: “During this crisis, Superintendent Cash’s comments are unfortunate and uninformed. These are the facts: The Governor is making decisions based on facts and science. In order to ensure a uniform statewide policy for all schools, the Governor’s Executive Order closed schools until April 14 and at that point will make a determination based on what the facts and science demand. This is about keeping our children and communities safe and flattening the curve. We encourage Superintendent Cash focus on ensuring that our students have meals, are receiving the best possible education, and that childcare centers are ready to support essential employees.”

Even if schools are brought back in a couple weeks. Cash says that won’t happen in Buffalo.

“I’m not going to bring back children, I’m not going to bring back staff in any two weeks. I don’t care what you tell us we should come back I’m not going to do it. I said you start getting in line with a month by month and that would be helpful to us,” Cash said.

Apart from criticizing the governor, Cash says there are multiple efforts underway to help kids who don’t have computers or internet access at home. He says there are laptop distributions in effect right now for 9th through 12th-graders and that there is a plan to offer them to 2nd-graders through the 8th grade next.

Cash says BPS has submitted an application to the state to try to get some funding for hot spots for students. The district is hopeful that this could come about in the next week or two and that laptops would be rolled out school by school, not all at once. Families will get a letter about this within the next week or two.

Cash also seemed to indicate he’s in quarantine.

“I’ve been cussing and fussing at the mayor for exposing me and their plot to do it, so I been in for two weeks when they brought me up to the press conference, and both of them knew. But anyway, that’s another story another time,” Cash said.

A spokesperson for the Mayor Byron Brown did not immediately respond.

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