New York state association urges candidates not to go door to door

Board of Education candidates collecting petition signatures for what is currently the April 20 deadline to submit petitions are being urged by the New York State School Boards Association not to go door to door because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"At this point in time, public health is the paramount concern," said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider in a news release. All school board candidates, and especially those who are at highest risk to contract the coronavirus, would be putting themselves in harm's way by going door-to-door collecting signatures on their petitions in the midst of a pandemic. Likewise, they would also be putting community members at risk.

"We recognize that, at the current time, school board elections and budget votes are still scheduled to occur on May 19; however, we are working diligently with the State Education Department and the governor's office to move both school board elections and the school budget votes to a later date, or find some other alternative for this year.

"We urge those seeking a seat on their local school board to follow the guidelines, including those for social distancing, put forth by the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] and the New York State Department of Health, as well the governor's executive orders," Schneider stated.

The state association represents more than 670 school boards and 5,200 school board members. It provides advocacy, training and information to school boards in support of the mission to govern the state's public schools.