ALBANY, N.Y. Feb. 25, 2021 — NYSUT President Andy Pallotta issued the following statement today on the ongoing confusion over the standards required to safely return students to in-person instruction in New York districts:
“As educators, we want our students to return to schools as soon as it is safe. Contrary to recent reports, the safety standards surrounding a return to in-person instruction in schools have not changed, nor has the science behind those standards. The New York State Department of Health and the CDC all agree: the safety of our students demands mandatory mask wearing and six feet of social distancing or the use of effective physical barriers. Decisions must also still be made collaboratively with parents and educators. These standards have not and must not change.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.