HARLEM VALLEY — After waiting for Governor Andrew Cuomo to offer guidelines for reopening schools come fall, school districts throughout the state received the latest data-driven guidance on Monday, July 13. Now they’re evaluating their options.
As published online at www.governor.ny.gov, Cuomo announced that schools in a region can reopen following the statewide shutdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic this March if that region has reached Phase 4 of reopening, and if its daily infection rate remains below 5% using a 14-day average. However, schools will close if the regional infection rate rises above 9% using a seven-day average.
“Everybody wants to reopen schools, but you only reopen if it’s safe to reopen, and that’s determined by the data,” Cuomo said at a press conference on Monday, July 13. “If you have the virus under control, reopen. If you don’t have the virus under control, then you can’t reopen. We’re not going to use our children as the litmus test and we’re not going to put our children in a place where their health is endangered. It’s that simple.”
The state, its Reimagine Education Advisory Council and its Department of Health (DOH) issued finalized guidance and guiding principals for reopening schools on the 13th, posted online. The guidance document has outlined the protocols and procedures that schools must follow in order to reopen, including requirements for wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing; implementing mandatory health screenings; increasing ventilation with outdoor air to the greatest extent possible; promoting hygiene, cleaning and disinfection; and notifying the state and local health departments immediately after learning of any positive COVID-19 test results. It also covers protocols related to transportation, food service, aftercare and extracurriculars, etc.
Additionally, all school districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), charter schools and private schools are required to develop individual plans for reopening and operating during the COVID-19 health crisis. Each plan must include details for in-person instruction; monitoring health conditions; containing potential transmissions of COVID-19; and closing school facilities and in-person instruction if necessitated by widespread virus transmission. All plans must be submitted to the DOH and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) by Friday, July 31.
The NYSED has offered guidance to school districts to develop their plans. In addition to addressing health and safety, NYSED offered to help with facilities, instruction, school schedules, nutrition and transportation; as well as special education; budgets; attendance and chronic absenteeism; social-emotional wellbeing; and so forth.
For in-person instruction, state guidance is prioritizing efforts to return all students to in-person instruction to ensure equity in education. Yet “based on the dynamic nature of local community transmission of the COVID-19 virus,” a phased-in approach or a hybrid model that combines in-person instruction with remote/distance learning at various times throughout the coming school year is being considered.
Aided by state guidelines, Harlem Valley school districts have been examining their options for the 2020-21 academic year and forming re-entry committees to evaluate possible scenarios and the various logistics involved.
The North East (Webutuck) Central School District created a three-pronged task force that meets on a weekly basis, with Webutuck Business Administrator Robert Farrier overseeing transportation, food services, custodial and maintenance; Webutuck Director of Student Services/Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Eraca working with health and mental services (including the school psychologist, nurses and social workers) and with principals and teachers to discuss instructional delivery; and Eugene Brooks Intermediate School Principal Matthew Pascale working on athletics, arts, music and extracurriculars. Following guidelines set forth by the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Webutuck Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani explained the task force is working closely with the district’s safety consultant, Needham Risk Management Resource Group, and evaluating what other school districts may be doing.
“We are going to be prepared with any form of guidelines that New York state puts out for us, including regular sessions, modified sessions, virtual learning or whatever else the state has asked us to do,” Castellani said in June.
Following the release of the state’s latest guidelines, Castellani said Webutuck’s goal is to get students physically on campus while following state guidelines. A survey is being prepared to ask parents how comfortable they are letting their children attend classes in person.
“It’s very difficult with the guidelines we’ve been given to bring the students back to school,” Castellani said. “We’re coming up with different options that we’re going to try to see what works best with the allowable guidelines from the state and from the DOH, and that may include in-person instruction as well as a hybrid model with distance learning instruction. We’re looking at what mixture works best.”
In the Pine Plains Central School District, its Board of Education (BOE) has dedicated several meetings to assessing which re-entry option seems most viable. At the BOE’s most recent meeting on Wednesday, July 16, the board engaged in a lengthy discussion of its options, examining what must be included in its reopening plan and the logistics that must be considered. From screening and transportation to classroom configuration at all three school buildings, Pine Plains Director of Curriculum and Instruction Brian Timm walked the BOE through what a typical day of school would look like after reopening, highlighting the factors, processes and procedures that are being examined.
The BOE created a Re-Entry Committee with 25 stakeholder members, including BOE members Chip Couse and Amie Fredericks, several parents and various key district staff members. Though the committee will make a recommendation for reopening, Pine Plains Superintendent of Schools Martin Handler affirmed that “ultimately, the decision belongs to the BOE.”
Now that the committee is fully aware of the state’s re-entry requirements, Couse reported on a later date that it is scheduled to meet on Thursday, July 23, when it will complete its review process and forward a recommendation to the BOE.
“The quality of the discussions is extremely impressive to hear,” Couse said. “All segments of the school have provided valuable insight on the challenges to be faced and limitations on various proposed solutions. Dr. Timm’s leadership of the committee has been outstanding in keeping the group focused and alert to the deadline. I can’t say I’ve been part of a more impressive discussion in my 21 years on the board.”
As BOE president, Couse added he will receive the committee’s recommendation “with the knowledge that maximum thought has been put into it and fully expect that there’s no plan that will make everyone happy,” adding that “student and staff safety has been the main theme while also recognizing that deviation from the normal school experience is upsetting to students and parents.”
The Millbrook Central School District has also developed a re-entry plan involving “strategic layers of teams and subcommittees,” according to a letter Millbrook Superintendent of Schools Laura Mitchell addressed to district families on Friday, July 10, posted at www.millbrookcsd.org.
Subcommittees include Transportation, Food Services, Teaching & Learning, Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services, Athletics, Extracurricular Activities and Social-Emotional Support — all of which are co-facilitated by building and district leadership and supported by experts in other departments.
Among the possible scenarios being explored, Millbrook is considering having 100% of its students and staff return with appropriate social distancing and other preventative measures as well as having 100% of its students learn remotely and/or instituting a hybrid model that involves a combination between remote and in-person learning. Mitchell assured families it will keep them updated on its decision, whatever that may be, once it gets more guidance.
“This wave of planning has most definitely been a team effort,” Mitchell stated, praising all involved with the planning. “I am very impressed with the ‘we are in this together’ approach by staff, parents and members of the BOE and community. It is truly an honor working side-by-side with such dedicated, creative, caring and motivated educators, innovators and problem-solvers.”
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