Lynbrook, East Rockaway superintendents react to school closings

Lynbrook Schools Superintendent Dr. Melissa Burak said she was disappointed, but understanding that remote learning would continue for the rest of the 2019-20 school year.

Courtesy Lynbrook Public Schools

School elections set for June 9

By executive order last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reset the school budget and trustees election statewide to Tuesday, June 9. Every voter will receive an absentee ballot with a postage-paid envelope to return it.

The order eliminates the traditional requirement that Board of Education candidates collect a sufficient number of petition signatures, but candidates must file their petitions 30 days before the election; that is, by May 10.

Also, any village election that was scheduled for March through June will be held Sept. 15. And any special district election other than fire, library, sewer or water will also take place that date.

–– Scott Brinton

Lynbrook Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak expressed understanding and disappointment after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that students will continue to learn remotely for the rest of the school year. 

"We are disappointed with the announcement that our school buildings will not reopen this academic school year, particularly for our seniors and all students celebrating milestone achievements," Burak said. "However, we understand the need to act responsibly and do our part to ensure the health and safety of everyone.  We look forward to the eventual reopening of our schools for the children."

East Rockaway Superintendent Lisa Ruiz said the announcement was sad, but the health and well-being of the community had to be put first.

"We are deeply saddened for our students over the loss of celebrating these milestones in traditional ways," she wrote in a letter to the district's students and parents. "And we are especially thinking about our seniors — graduation, the prom, as well as other rites of passage that traditionally occur at the conclusion of a student’s time in school. Our students have worked hard and their accomplishments must be celebrated. "

On Friday, Cuomo announced that students in kindergarten through 12th grade and college will not return to their schools in New York for the rest of the 2019-20 school year and will instead continue with distance learning to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The announcement came as Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths continue a steady decline, but the state is still seeing nearly a thousand new cases a day, which Cuomo said was unacceptably high.

The decision affects 4.2 million students statewide in 700 public school districts, 89 SUNY and CUNY colleges, and 100 private colleges.

For the first time in weeks, the number of overnight deaths dropped below 300 from Thursday into Friday — from 306 to 289, a 5.5 percent decline. New hospitalizations were also down.

The governor said social distancing practices, as mandated by the state, have prevented an estimated 100,000 Covid-19 cases, which he said would have overrun the hospitals and caused many more deaths.

“Our past actions changed the past trajectory,” he said.

Today’s actions will determine “the number of sick tomorrow,” he said — hence the need to keep school buildings closed and continue social distancing.

The governor said colleges and school districts across New York must begin developing reopening plans, which must be approved by state officials. The governor added there was no determination yet whether there would be summer school. That announcement would be made in the coming weeks.

Of the virus, the governor said, “The enemy is on the run.”

Now, however, state officials must determine more precisely why the state is still seeing nearly a thousand new cases a day. So the state is drilling down, looking at new cases by county.

New York County (Manhattan) had the most new cases overnight, with 167, followed by Kings (Brooklyn), Bronx, Queens and Nassau counties.

Nassau had 97 new cases, or roughly 10 percent, of the statewide total.

The state is also now looking at who is becoming infected. The governor wondered if essential workers were, or if other people were. Where are they becoming infected? At work? On public transportation?

Those are the questions the state is seeking to answer, Cuomo said.

People should continue wearing their masks in public and keep up social distancing to protect others, he said.