New York State schools cancel spring break for K-12 students, while distance learning continues

(Photo from eachieve.com).

Public schools across the state of New York have been ordered to cancel the time off that was originally scheduled for spring break, and continue to provide distance learning/remote instruction to students due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. 

This new decision came as a requirement after New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that was recently updated to say:

Any school district which is closing pursuant to a local state of emergency declared as a result of the COVID-19 virus shall be required to first consult with local department of health and also exhaust any available time including snow days and vacation days.

All Cortland County schools (Cortland, McGraw, Marathon, Homer, Cincinnatus) were supposed to start their spring break on Monday, April 6th. 

School districts across the state were notified by the New York State Education Department about this new order late Monday in a memo that stated, "Districts must continue to provide remote instruction for students, meals for students, and child care for essential workers every weekday between April 1, 2020 and April 14, 2020, even if the district is scheduled to be on spring break during that time.”

"It’s unfortunate because the time that we have the teachers under contract is very specific with 185 days,” said Cortland City School District Superintendent, Michael Hoose. "We are not sure if they are going to shorten the school year, because the teachers are putting in the extra time. We have to comply with the executive order, so we don’t have much choice; and the teachers are doing a phenomenal job with it.”