“Many school administrators, teachers, faculty and concerned parents from our local schools have reached out to my office with concerns about acquiring PPE and hand sanitizer for the upcoming school year as New York State releases more guidance for reopening. As an advocate for public education, I understand the current fiscal situation for our local school districts and share their concerns about the affordability of PPE and hand sanitizer. There is no doubt that in-person instruction is important for our children’s wellbeing and mental health, but we must ensure the safety of our students and educators when considering schools reopening.

“With that said, whether school districts can afford PPE and hand sanitizer should not have to be a factor in this decision because these items are a necessity for school districts to reopen safely. Nothing is more important than providing a safe environment for our children and their teachers and the least New York State can do is provide PPE and hand sanitizer for our public schools. In the upcoming weeks, I will continue to fight for the State to provide PPE and hand sanitizer for schools to make sure that our local school districts have the proper equipment to keep our children and their educators safe.”