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GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION TO INVEST $4 BILLION TO CLOSE GROWING EDUCATION GAP AMIDST CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation to invest $4 billion in educational funding in the next relief package to ensure students have access to technology and broadband in order to continue their education during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Research shows the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the “homework gap” experienced by an estimated 12 million students who lack reliable internet access at home. This problem particularly affects students in rural and urban areas, as well as lower-income students and students of color.

Before the pandemic, roughly 70 percent of educators assigned schoolwork that required internet access but, as schools have closed, remote learning is now required for the majority of students.

The Senate’s Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 would provide $4 billion in funding to ensure that all K-12 students have adequate home internet connectivity in order to continue their education during the coronavirus pandemic.

“This funding is critical to closing the learning gap and ensuring that every student can succeed during this crisis,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The coronavirus pandemic has forced students to continue their education from home, yet millions across the country lack reliable internet access and are unable to complete their homework. Far too often these are the students already at risk of falling behind. We must fight to close the pervasive digital gap in our country so that every student – no matter their socioeconomic status or zip code – can receive a quality education. I’m proud to work with my colleagues on this bill and will continue fighting for this critical funding in the next relief package.”

Research shows the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the “homework gap” experienced by the estimated 12 million students who lack reliable internet access at home.

A recent poll from the Education Trust of New York found that about 40 percent of families in New York State do not have access to an internet connected device or do not have access to reliable high speed internet at home.

And, at the start of the pandemic in New York City, there were at least 300,000 students in need of an internet-connected device in order to continue learning from home. 

With schools expected to remain closed beyond the current school year, the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 would address these inequalities and prevent students from falling further behind by ensuring they are connected. 

• Provide $4 billion in federal support for elementary and secondary schools and libraries, including tribal schools and libraries, to provide Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and internet-enabled devices (as well as internet service through such equipment) to students, staff, and patrons;
• Allow schools and libraries to continue to use the equipment after the emergency period; and
• Ensure schools and libraries prioritize support for those most in need, following the guidelines of the E-Rate program.

WPCNR GOVERNOR CUOMO TUESDAY CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. By John F. Bailey. May 12, 2020 UPDATED 11 PM EDT:

Governor Andrew Cuomo, speaking from Binghampton University today lead off his briefing today, urging parents whose children experience any of the symptoms above, should have their child or children (especially if they have been previously diagnosed as Covid-19 Positive .

All 100 cases of this new disease that inflames the blood vessels have occurred in children who have been diagnosed Covid-19 positive without getting the corona virus disease, but have developed this new condition. The Governor said there were approximately 100 cases. There were 93 yesterday. There have been 3 deaths, including two boys, 5 and 7 years of age, and an 18 year old girl yesterday.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in a news release late Tuesday afternoon, directed hospitals statewide to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children displaying symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome. The State is currently investigating approximately 100 reported cases in New York where children – predominantly school-aged – are experiencing these symptoms possibly due to COVID-19.

 Health care providers, including hospitals, are required to report to the Department of Health all cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome potentially associated with COVID-19 in those under 21 years of age.

The Governor said the New York congressional delegation has agreed to sponsor his Americans First Bill calling for massive state aid to avoid states having to fire workers, and not provide “bailouts for greedy businesses.”

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that members of New York’s Congressional Delegation – Representative Nydia Velázquez, Representative Thomas Suozzi, Representative Carolyn Maloney, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Representative Gregory Meeks, Representative Grace Meng, Representative Eliot Engel, Representative Paul Tonko, Representative José Serrano, Representative Joe Morelle, Representative Adriano Espaillat and Representative Yvette Clarke – will propose the ‘Americans First Law’ to help prevent corporate bailouts following the COVID-19 pandemic. First proposed by the Governor on May 10th, the law states that a corporation cannot be eligible to receive government funding if it doesn’t maintain the same number of employees that the corporation had before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his talk he said that New York alone needs $61 Billion to fund testing and tracing programs, and avoid cutting education, counties and cities and towns, and Hospitals 20% across the board. The $61 Billion is up from the $35 Million the governor stated Sunday.

Governor Cuomo clarifed in the “Q. & A.” with the press, that it was up to the local health departments in regions that are preparing to reopen after May 15 to enforce social distancing in business settings allowed to reopen, because as that is what the law says.

The Governor declined to answer directly if the hospitalization rate or community infection rate exceeds 1 person infecting more than 1.1 other persons would have to shutdown and retart the opening immediately. He said that was up to the Region Control Boards.

He said if Control Boards were monitoring the numbers correctly they should be able to correct the community spread before it got out of control.

The Governor named the Capitol Region as having met 7 of 7 metrics overnight and could choose to reopen after May 15

The Governor said, “The way you stop a community spread is with community unity.”