ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – With classes set to begin in a month, north country school districts have been waiting on guidance from the state when it comes to COVID precautions.
On Thursday, New York’s health commissioner told school districts to make their own plans.
Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker issued the following statement:
“With the end of the state disaster emergency on June 25, 2021, school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools. Schools and school districts should develop plans to open in-person in the fall as safely as possible, and I recommend following guidance from the CDC and local health departments.”
This means mask wearing and other precautions will ultimately be up to school districts and not the state.
One local school leader was caught off guard.
“We’ve been asking for this for months. So, if we would have known this back in March, we would have started to get answers back in March. But, we’re gonna be okay. We may not be able to keep everybody happy, but we will keep everybody safe. And if we can keep everyone happy in the process, all the better, but we are certainly going to keep everyone safe,” said Jefferson-Lewis BOCES Superintendent Stephen Todd.
Here are the new cases since Monday for the tri-county region: 8 in Lewis County; 36 in Jefferson, 24 in St. Lawrence.
Hospitalizations are ticking upwards too with 2 patients in Lewis County, 7 in Jefferson and 5 in St. Lawrence.
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