As we wait for a cure, we continue to see record numbers of Americans hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment. More than 101,000 people were in U.S. hospitals Sunday, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Experts say the rising numbers are putting intense pressure on our hospitals and health care workers.

We also know the pandemic is taking a toll on our children, and their education. Elementary and middle school students have fallen behind in math this year, according to NWEA, a nonprofit that administers standardized testing which looked at data from more than 4 million students.

The organization also noted a disproportionately large number of poor and minority students were not in school for fall assessments. NWEA said they may have opted out of the assessments, which were given in-person and remotely, because they lacked reliable technology or stopped going to school.

New York City schools reopened today for in-person learning. Nearly 200,000 students are heading back to the classroom. Older students are not going back to school. Parents were rallying, calling for middle and high school students to go back to building but right now they continue remote learning. Right now there is still no plan for students in NYC's middle and high schools to return to the classroom.

What needs to be done to bring some normalcy to our kids?

News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Liz Matheis and Lucille Iconis in this morning's the New Normal show.

Dr. Matheis is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified school psychologist. She has worked in the public schools as a member of the Child Study Team. Iconis is the superintendent of Massapequa Public Schools.

COVID-19 rates keep climbing. Superintendent Iconis discusses the mandatory testing in the schools:

This pandemic has left a lot of students feeling isolation from friends. Dr. Matheis talks about depression and anxiety in students:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote an op-ed over the weekend arguing that low positivity rates in schools show it is possible to control the spread of COVID-19 if everyone follows public health guidelines. He said that in every part of the state, infection rates in schools are much lower than in their surrounding communities.

Watch the full New Normal show below: