Letter: Schools should add COVID-19 testing
to the editor
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FILE. Letter writer says, We’re at a critical juncture for reopening schools. But we can’t lose sight of the safety measures we need to protect the health of school communities. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)John Minchillo, STF / AP
The best way for educators to teach and for students to learn is to be in person in the classroom. To return to more in-person instruction, schools must stick with layered COVID-19 mitigation strategies as outlined by top public health experts, including those at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection. But far too many are missing a critical layer: Routine COVID-19 testing.
The distancing change, which follows federal guidance, is expected to allow schools to bring more students back to buildings and reduce their reliance on distance learning that has most students participating from home for at least part of the week.
President Joe Biden has made it a priority to fully reopen K-8 schools by the end of April, but superintendents in New York have been frustrated by the state’s delay in acting on federal guidance issued last month that says students wearing masks can safely sit just 3 feet (1 meter), rather than 6 feet (2 meters), apart in the classroom.
The revised state guidelines allow for at least 3 feet of distance between students in elementary, middle and high school classrooms in counties with a low or moderate risk of transmission.
New York State Is Facing A Teacher Shortage
There is a teacher shortage in the state of New York for various reasons, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation much worse.
According to MyTwinTiers, School districts throughout the state of New York have been having a difficult time finding dedicated teachers to fill their classrooms.
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Colleges throughout the state have seen a decrease of 50% in students enrolling in their teacher education programs since 2009.
According to Laura Franz, an Albany High School teacher, and President of APSTA, teachers are leaving the profession for various reasons. She says that teachers have been given a bad reputation over time and they are leaving because of the pressures of additional duties that are required to fulfill their position. Teachers feel the pressure of the increase in mandated testing, and data collection.
3:31
Five days into the new fiscal year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders say they have a “conceptual agreement” on a new state budget. If the deal holds, it would include $4 billion dollars’ worth of new taxes, including new higher income tax brackets on millionaires and a tax increase for some large corporations.
If the budget agreement is approved, New Yorkers who make more than $1 million a year will see their hiked by nearly one percentage point. Two new higher tax brackets would be added for those with annual incomes over $5 million, and over $25 million.
It would make New York’s combined state and local taxes on the wealthy the highest in the nation.
Apr 05, 2021
Conceptual agreement reached on state budget, but some sticking points remain
Five days into the new fiscal year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders say they have a “conceptual agreement” on a new state budget. If the deal holds, it would include $4 billion in new taxes, including higher income tax brackets on millionaires and a tax increase for some large corporations.
If the budget agreement is approved, New Yorkers who make more than $1 million a year would see their taxes increased by nearly one percentage point. Two new higher tax brackets would be added for those with annual incomes over $5 million and over $25 million.