Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has signed on with Assembly colleagues to present a reopening plan for schools this upcoming fall. The plan, signed on by nearly all Minority members of the State Assembly, explores potential solutions for each level of education, as well as special education needs, and re-emphasizes that in-person education and social interactions are critical for the developing youth, according to child development experts.

“We’ve all been struggling with the new realities that the COVID-19 outbreak has given us, and our kids are no exception,” Hawley said. “They’ve been asked to completely adjust the way they go about learning, and in the process have lost many opportunities that are fundamental to youth development. The brilliant educators across our state are doing the best they can, and we couldn’t be prouder of them, but we need to give them and their students a fighting chance to not fall drastically behind.”

The question of schools reopening in New York has been up in the air since they were closed in mid-March. Gov. Cuomo’s administration has stressed public health comes first, but several advocates and prolific education specialists have been pushing for schools to return in the fall with appropriate safeguards in place. Not only are many students and teachers struggling with this particular change in lifestyle, but the lack of students being in the school physically has left many teachers unable to reach them at home. Many students across the state still struggle to get internet-accessible devices to do their work, or do not have another trusted adult figure to work with consistently. Additionally, many homes have a parent or parents working without adequate childcare.