New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that public schools will not fully reopen for the upcoming school year. New York City students will return to school on a limited basis with only one to three days a week of in-person education and remote learning the remainder of the days. Noliwe Rooks, expert in cultural and racial implications for education says Mayor de Blasio needs to immediately outline plans for supporting low-income Black and Latinx children, and their families, who will be greatly impacted by this plan.

New York City

Arts and Sciences

Industrial and Labor Relations

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Elizabeth Lamb, says even though there is a tree shortage, trees are still readily available in New York state.

New York State

New York City

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Rick Geddes, founding director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy and expert on infrastructure, says congestion pricing has proven successful in other cities around the world and could be beneficial to New York City on many levels.

New York City

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Amazon workers at four warehouses on Staten Island have filed a petition to form a union. Kate Bronfenbrenner says filing with only 30 percent of workers shows a lack of experience and likely won’t bode well for the campaign.

Industrial and Labor Relations

New York City

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President Martha E. Pollack comments on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed launch of the nation’s first public health corps to support New York's effort to vaccinate nearly 20 million people. As part of the effort, up to 1,000 fellows will be recruited to assist with vaccination operations and will receive an intensive public health training curriculum developed by Cornell University. 

New York State

New York City

Administration

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New York City officials are finalizing plans to relocate the famous Charging Bull statue from its current location at Bowling Green to a pedestrian area near the New York Stock Exchange. The proposed move, which the mayor’s office says is intended to protect safety and avoid traffic congestion, has been challenged by the artist Arturo Di Modica, who gifted the statue to the city in 1989. Robert Balder, the Executive Director of Cornell’s Architecture Art and Planning department in New York City, and Thomas Campanella, associate professor of city and regional planning, weigh in on the proposed move.

Architecture, Art and Planning

New York City

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Nearly 900 New York City inmates could be released prior to Christmas before the bail-reform law takes effect in January. The New York Office of Court Administration says they're developing a plan to stagger the release of defendants starting in mid-December. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with emphasis on families, health, and children. He says while the inmates’ potential release would be a victory for both the defendants and their families, it’s important to be mindful of those reacclimating to life outside jail during a sometimes-stressful time of year.

Law, Government & Public Policy

Human Ecology

New York City

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K-12 schools across the country are closing or moving to online education to help control the spread of the coronavirus. Jamila Michener, assistant professor of government says during times of public health crisis the consequences of inequalities surface and it’s going to be a huge challenge to support K-12 students facing school closures at home and also in their communities. 

New York City

Health, Nutrition & Medicine

Social & Behavioral Sciences

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Following Gov. Cuomo’s new coronavirus restrictions on schools, businesses and religious gatherings, Orthodox Jewish leaders have voiced criticism that they are being singled out for the new surge of COVID-19 cases. Jonathan Boyarin, professor of modern Jewish studies and an expert on Jewish experience and culture, is available for interviews. 

Arts & Humanities

New York City

Law, Government & Public Policy

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Christopher Wolf, professor of agricultural economics, says removing chocolate milk as an option in school cafeterias may limit sugar consumption, but also results in less students consuming milk.

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