Official website of NYS Governor, Andrew M. Cuomo. Provides current information on the NYS COVID-19 response, news releases, executive orders and breakdown of cases by county. Email subscription is available to provide/ daily updates to your inbox.

A summary of the 7/13/20 NYSED Board of Regents Meeting is now available on the NYSED website. The PowerPoint presentation: Recovering, Rebuilding, and Renewing the Spirit of Our Schools School Reopening Guidance provides key highlights of the guidance that will be released Wednesday 7/15/20.

You can find the PowerPoint under the Presentations heading.

You can view the PPT on the Regents page here.

The proposed NYSED emergency amendments for a waiver on screenings for vision, hearing, and scoliosis were approved by the Regents.

Regulatory Flexibility for the Reopening of Schools
"The Commissioner’s regulations are amended to provide that hearing, vision, and scoliosis screenings required to be provided by public schools are waived for the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 crisis unless the screening is otherwise deemed necessary."

This presentation is located on the NYSED Regents page here.

Universal SARS-CoV-2 testing of all students and staff in school settings has not been systematically studied. It is not known if testing in school settings provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of the virus beyond what would be expected with the implementation of other infection preventive measures (e.g., social distancing, cloth face covering, hand washing, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting). Therefore, CDC does not recommend universal testing of all students and staff. Implementation of a universal approach to testing in schools may pose challenges, such as the lack of infrastructure to support routine testing and follow up in the school setting, unknown acceptability of this testing approach among students, parents, and staff, lack of dedicated resources, practical considerations related to testing minors and potential disruption in the educational environment.

Consistent with CDC’s recommendations, individuals with COVID-19 signs or symptoms should be referred to a healthcare provider for evaluation on whether testing is needed. In some locations, individuals can also visit their state, tribal, territorial or local health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.

Read the entire document here.

K-12 Schools Readiness and Planning Tool (RAP Tool) is available online on the Considerations for Schools page.

This tool aligns with the Considerations for Schools, and includes the following:

• General Readiness Assessment
• Daily/Weekly Readiness Assessment
• Preparing for if Someone Gets Sick
• Special Considerations and Resources

School administrators may review and complete the general readiness assessment while working with state, local, tribal, territorial, or federal officials when making initial preparations to promote healthy behaviors, environments, and operations that reduce the spread of COVID-19. The daily/weekly readiness assessment can be used to monitor recommended practices. Planning tools are also included to help school administrators prepare to respond if someone gets sick and to identify special considerations specific to their school community.

Page updated 7/16/2020

On May 1, 2020, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that all K-12 schools statewide will remain closed for the rest of the academic year and continue to provide distance learning during that time. On June 5, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.37, which provided that “[n]otwithstanding any prior Executive Order to the contrary, special education services and instruction required under Federal, state or local laws, rules, or regulations, may be provided in person for the summer term in school districts. Any district providing such services in person must follow State and Federal guidance.” Read the entire memo on the NYSDOH website here.

This FAQ was updated on 5/03/20 to include additional information about the administration of peak flow meters in school settings.

This interim guidance is intended to inform employers as restrictions on private and public sector activities are scaled back in different regions of the state throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. This guidance is not intended for health care or nursing home professionals, which have separate protocols and guidance for staff to return to work. Specifically, this guidance provides protocols and policies for employees seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the employee had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19.