Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday communities should keep some school buildings open to provide child care, especially for the children of first responders and healthcare workers, and meals for needy children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo said closing schools will help slow the spread of the coronavirus and the potentially deadly respiratory disease it causes, COVID-19.
However, the governor said districts should keep open some buildings to provide “qualified and safe” child care, especially for the children of police, firefighters and healthcare workers. The buildings could also provide school lunches for the children of low-income families, he said.
He suggested school districts discuss the issue with union leaders to work out a way to keep some schools open for child care and food distribution.
“You really just need the facilities from some schools or even parts of schools,” he said.
He also noted that less-than-wealthy school districts likely have many families who cannot afford child care and will need a place to send their children.
Many school districts around the state are closing because of the coronavirus. Cuomo said some have discovered only after closing that the action was preventing first responders and healthcare workers from going to work because they must stay home to care for their children.
They also are finding that needy children that participate in free school lunch programs are being forced to go without those meals when schools are closed, he said.
“Closing schools is great, as long as you anticipate and correct for possible consequences,” he said during a news conference with several downstate county executives.
List of CNY schools closing due to coronavirus pandemic concerns
Cuomo said he has the authority to order the closing of schools. However, he said he was leaving that decision up to local authorities because it is they, not the state, who must solve the issue of child care and food distribution.
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Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
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