Assemblyman Colin Schmitt addresses local parents at a rally in Goshen to reopen schools on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Provided photo.
Assemblyman Colin J. Schmitt attended a rally held in Goshen on Wednesday seeking to fully reopen schools five days a week.
He announced that he sent a new letter to the New York State commissioners of Health and Education urging updates to state COVID-19 school guidance that would allow five days a week of in-person education to resume in alignment with CDC guidance.
Schmitt also launched an online petition effort for those who would like to support the effort to fully reopen our schools. The petition can be found at https://forms.gle/zqibiaEqCkErcH4V6.
“As I have said in the past, it is time to fully reopen our schools for five days a week in-person education,” Schmitt said in the press release about his efforts. “The recent CDC guidance shows that we can do that and do it safely. A major hold-up to get our children back in the classroom is the state’s six-foot distancing mandate. This mandate is unnecessary, and it is delaying our children’s return to the classroom. Today I formally requested that the State Departments of Health and Education modify COVID-19 school guidance to remove the six-foot rule and get our kids back in the building. The CDC Director herself has said ‘there is more spread that is happening in the community when schools are not open than when schools are open.’ Let’s get our kids back in school.”
The assemblyman’s letter to New York State commissioners of Health and Education appears on page 13.