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New York releases formula that will determine which schools can reopen, guidelines for reopening

Determinations to be made first week of August
First student school bus
Posted at 12:17 PM, Jul 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-23 08:55:24-04

ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday the state's formula that will determine which school districts can reopen to students in September.

The formula will be implemented between August 1 and August 7, based on COVID-19 data in each region. Schools in regions in Phase Four of their reopening at that time will be able to reopen to students if the region's daily infection rate remains 5% or lower over a 14-day average.

After August 1, schools will close if their regional infection rate is greater than 9% over a seven-day average.

Once reopening, schools must follow guidelines specific to their districts. The New York State Health Department has released its own guidelines, which will be used by districts to develop plans.

The health department's guidelines include masks and PPE whenever students or staff cannot maintain social distancing (six feet of separation). It also includes guidelines on cleaning, screening, tracing, transportation and food service.

You can read the guidelines here: