Schools Prepare to Send Re-Opening Plans To The State
by Doug La Rocque
All public and private schools in New York State have been ordered by Governor Andrew Cuomo to submit their plans to re-open by Friday, July 31. The Governor has said he will make a decision as to whether school buildings can re-open this fall, or whether the virtual learning that started in March and continued through the end of the school year, will continue. The NYS Department of Education laid three options before the districts
▪ a full in-person return to school with modifications to include the guidance set forth by the Education Department;
▪ remote learning exclusively;
▪ a hybrid of online and in-person learning with modifications to include guidance set forth by the Department.
The Eastwick Press reached out to the administrators of the four school districts within our coverage area for an update on their re-opening plans. In the Berlin Central School District, we were told the Reopening Task Force formed six subcommittees to deal with the many aspects of returning to school this fall. “It is with the utmost care that we prepare and plan for the upcoming school year, taking into account the many needs of our families, students, and staff,” said Berlin Elementary School principal, Tracy Kent. “Our top priority is the smoothest transition possible during this time of uncertainty,” said Committee member Jodi Sullivan, Berlin CSD Middle-High School principal. “All the task force committees are one hundred percent committed to accomplishing this task in a way that will do more than ‘just work,’ but will work for the families and students of Berlin.”
Considering the times we find ourselves in as parents, teachers, administrators and community members, the community’s emotional well-being is also at the forefront for the BCSD task force said School Psychologist Rachel Teplitsky, who facilitates the Social Emotional subcommittee. She said “The subcommittee is focusing on ensuring that the mental health needs of students, families, and staff members are supported no matter what form instruction will take in the fall. We’re using the opportunity to build up social-emotional learning and resources for everyone, with in-person and virtual means.”
According to the district, The BCSD Reopening Task Force will post its preliminary plans by the state’s deadline, Friday, July 31, on the district’s website, www.berlincentral.org. The preliminary plans will be subject to change based upon feedback and further guidance from the Education Department.
New Lebanon School District Superintendent Leslie Whitcomb provided The Eastwick Press with the following statement; With changing guidelines in response to the health community’s growing understanding of COVID-19, we consider the New Lebanon School Re-Opening Plan to be a living document that will be changing as guidance and situations change. I am very thankful for the families that provided feedback through our two online surveys. Their participation is invaluable as we all work to make the safest and most effective learning environment possible with the resources available.
The New Lebanon plan will be submitted on Friday to NYSED and we will be providing a link for parents next week, as well as a Q&A document. Our plan is informed by the guidance that we have received from Department of Health , NYSED, the CDC, the Emergency Management Division of the Sheriff’s department, input from local government, advice from our BOCES, parent surveys and our faculty’s experience with remote learning this spring.
The plan addresses each of 14 required areas, including sanitation protocols, transportation protocols, meal and safety protocols. Our instructional plan allows for in-person instruction 5 days a week for grades PreK-8. Grades 9-12 will be on a hybrid schedule of in-person and remote instruction. We await the governor’s decision, expected sometime next week, regarding a possible date for return to in-person instruction, or continuation of remote learning.
According to Brittonkill School District Superintendent Dr. Angelina Maloney, they are looking at something similar. In a brief statement she said “Although not finalized yet, we hope to have K-6 in person and 7-12 hybrid with both in person and remote instruction.”
The Hoosick Falls School District plans to unveil its re-opening plan at the Thursday, July 30 board meeting.
The Eastwick Press will have more on these plans after they are finalized, submitted and accepted by the Education Department.