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All nine districts in the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES were shuttered in mid-March to help stop the spread of the respiratory illness after Cayuga County Legislature Chairperson Aileen McNabb-Coleman declared a state of emergency. That closure was later included in a statewide order where buildings were set to remain closed until at least May 15.

On Friday, Cuomo delivered the update that many school district officials were expecting: School facilities will be closed through the end school year, with a decision on summer school programming to come by the end of May. Distance learning and meal programs for students will continue.

Weedsport Central School District Superintendent Shaun O'Connor said he believes the decision was the right move.

"I'm not shocked by the governor's decision, given his consistent message of putting people first and I'm appreciative of the approach that he's taking when it comes to the safety and well-being of not only the students but our staff and our community," he said.

O'Connor said he must consider issues such as the district's graduation ceremony and "how we will be able to honor our seniors" and how they will return the items that have been in students' lockers since March.

O'Connor is thinking about holding an exchange program where families would pick up their child's items and return any digital devices the district loaned them. Digital items for distance learning such as Chromebooks were given to students who requested them before the closure. This possible program would take place in June once the school year ends so students can continue distance learning until then, he said.

With learning continuing at homes, O'Connor added, "I would hope that our students and their parents will continue to do their best with the digital learning experience and that they all know that everyone at the school district, whether it's myself, the board of education, teachers, we miss seeing them in our schools.

"At this point, we are anxiously looking forward to the month of September and their return to our hallways," he continued.

Port Byron Central School District Superintendent Neil O'Brien said it did not appear that schools could "open in a timely basis based on where we are with the virus at this point."

A lot of work will need to be done before schools can open up again, O'Brien said, adding that there "are a lot of rules and regulations that have to come down from Albany, from the health department, the state Education Department to give us the guidelines" on how schools should go forward.

He noted students have reached out to the district about their emotional struggles under isolation and added that he is worried about them and district families.

"That's a lot of time (to be) separated, isolated, and that is a difficult position to be put in," he said.

Additionally, there is a question of when the current school year officially concludes, O'Brien said, since the contracts of district teaching staff and support staff stipulate they will work 187 days in the school year, which is poised to be up some time in June.

The district will also have to prepare for the possibility that the pandemic will reemerge in the fall or winter, thus clearing the buildings again.

"I pray that doesn't happen, but I think the summer is the time for us to also be ready and learn from what we just did, what we can to do to improve instruction, what are some of the steps we can take to make it better than we've had this spring," O'Brien said. "Throughout next year, we may be faced with having two different types of instructional models through the year. One is traditional and one is online."

O'Brien said there is time to plan things out and they will need clarity from the governor's office on expectations and legal requirements.

In a letter to Auburn Enlarged City School District families, Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo also spoke of awaiting guidance from the state on issues such as graduation ceremonies and grading for distance learning work.

"I cannot stress enough how much we miss all of our students!" Pirozzolo wrote. "We are already making plans for opening our schools back up in September. We have ordered many supplies including disinfectants, masks, and other pertinent items, and we are also figuring out ways to implement social distancing. We want to ensure our schools are safe for students and staff to return in the fall."