XPost: alt.education, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.coronavirus   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: nancy-pelosi-failures@speaker.gov   
      
   Topline: New York City’s public school system, the largest in the   
   country, will remain closed for the rest of the school year due to the   
   spread of coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday—a claim which   
   was immediately disputed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.   
      
   De Blasio’s announcement decrees that the nation’s largest public school   
   system, with more than 1.1 million people and about 1,800 schools, will go   
   without regular schooling for more than three months, until September.   
   The decision was made out of caution for students, faculty and staff, de   
   Blasio said, as the coronavirus continues to spread across the city and   
   state of New York.   
      
   In his own press conference later on Saturday morning, New York Governor   
   Andrew Cuomo was quick to dispute the claim, saying that “there has been   
   no decision” and that it was just de Blasio’s “opinion.”   
      
   Cuomo said he has the authority to reverse the move, and as far as he’s   
   concerned, the decision hasn’t been made: “I understand the mayor’s   
   position,” he said, but added, “it makes no sense for one locality to   
   take an action that doesn’t coordinate with the others.   
      
   Key background: As school systems around the country began to close last   
   month amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases, Mayor de Blasio had faced   
   mounting pressure from elected city officials, public health experts,   
   teachers and parents urging him to do the same. Despite being initially   
   reluctant, he eventually shut the public schools until late April on March   
   16, and has now extended that closure until the next academic year. New   
   York schools shifted to remote learning on March 23, but educators and   
   students have struggled to adjust: Attendance in online classes has been   
   an issue, de Blasio said last week, though the city is yet to release any   
   official data.   
      
   What to watch for: Closing down New York City’s school system presents   
   its own set of challenges, however, given that some 750,000 students live   
   at or below the poverty line. Many such students rely on free or   
   discounted meals at school, not to mention don’t have access to the   
   internet or computers at home.   
      
   Crucial statistics: New York state is the global epicenter of the   
   coronavirus pandemic, with over 170,000 cases reported so far—more than   
   any country in the world—and nearly 8,000 deaths. New York City alone has   
   almost 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus.   
      
   Crucial quote: “There’s nothing easy about this decision,” Mayor de   
   Blasio said during a press briefing.   
      
   https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/04/11/new-york-city-   
   mayor-de-blasio-says-schools-will-stay-closed-until-september-but-cuomo-   
   immediately-disputes-it/#2a360e303c44   
      
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