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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday that he would keep the city’s public school system closed for the rest of the school year, but the state’s governor quickly challenged him on the decision.
The system, the largest in the nation, has been closed since March 16 because of the state’s coronavirus outbreak. It won’t reopen until September out of caution for students, faculty and staff, de Blasio said at press conference Saturday morning.
“Everything we’re doing is to protect our children, our families, to help end the pain and the trauma,” he said. “We’ve all been through so much, but we have to work constantly to make sure that this ends.”
Hours later, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said only the state has the power to extend school closures.
“There has been no decision. That’s the mayor’s opinion,” Mr. Cuomo said at a press conference.
The governor issued an executive order on March 18 requiring state approval for any local ordinances. He previously ordered all schools in the state to remain closed until April 29. He said Saturday that he would coordinate decisions about all schools in the New York City region and plans to reopen them at the same time.
In response to Mr. Cuomo’s remarks, a spokeswoman for the mayor said the city’s public-school system would remain closed and that de Blasio would be proven right about his timeline for reopening.
The city’s public-school system, which serves 1.1 million students, shifted to remote learning on March 23.
The mayor said Saturday that the Education Department will enact a five-point plan to help teachers, students, and their families adapt to extended remote learning, including an expanded parent help line and more creative programming.
All students who need electronic tablets like iPads will also get them by the end of April, city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said. In the coming days, the Education Department will also have a full plan for the 75,000 seniors set to graduate from high school, officials said.
Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents 116,000 city teachers, agreed with the mayor’s decision on keeping schools closed for the remainder of the academic year.
More than 40 union members have died from the coronavirus, Mr. Mulgrew said.
