Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union the state Education Department July 16, released guidance on precautions schools should take when planning how to reopen in September. School officials still do not know if they will be able to open for in-person instruction, as cases of coronavirus are still present in communities throughout New York. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said this week his administration will announce if schools will reopen during the first week of August. In preparation, all schools and school districts are required to make comprehensive reopening plans and submit them to the state by July 31. The reopening plans must provide a schedule that includes in-person instruction, remote instruction or a hybrid of both, and are expected to be clearly communicated, and with advance notice provided to students, families and staff. Students and staff will be required to wear face coverings, in school and on the bus, with some exceptions for very young children and special education teachers. Students can bring their own, but schools must have a sufficient supply of masks on hand in the event students are without one. Under the guidance, daily temperature screenings of students and staff are required, and daily screening questionnaires must be administered to faculty and staff, as well. Staff will be trained to identify the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and districts must develop plans for isolating students who fall ill until they can go home. Reducing in-school density and ensuring students maintain six feet of distance from one another will be a more difficult challenge. The guidance contains a number of suggestions, including staggered arrival and dismissal times; assigning the same cohort or group of students to the same teacher every day; turning desks to face in the same direction; and, opening windows to improve ventilation. Read the full story in the Times Union.