New Hyde Park area schools announce reopening plans

Elliot Weld
Sewanhaka Superintendent James Grossane (right, pictured in 2019) announced Sunday that a staffer has tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo by Tom McCarthy)

Some school districts in the New Hyde Park area are determined to have all students return for in-person classes this fall, including the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school district. Others, such as the Herricks and Sewanhaka school districts, say they cannot safely accommodate all students for in-person classes at this time.

Schools in New York state submitted reopening plans to the governor’s office Friday that were required to contain plans for fully in-person classes, a hybrid learning model and online classes, if possible. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will decide this week whether schools are opening in the fall.

Reopening plans for districts on the North Shore generally followed a similar format, outlying overall goals and guidelines for the entire district to follow and diving into specifics of what a typical school day will look like.

A few themes are consistent in all of the reopening plans. Masks will be worn at all times when students are within six feet of each other, but they will be given breaks from wearing them each day. Schools will develop health and safety protocols which call for all persons entering school buildings to answer a screening questionnaire.

Schools must set up a system to accommodate students’ mental health needs and address the stress and toll of the pandemic. School buses will be cleaned regularly and keep masks on hand for students. Schools will provide an option for fully remote classes for families who don’t feel comfortable sending a child to school. 

The Sewanhaka school district is among those that proposes to will begin the year on a hybrid model at best, saying, “When social distancing requirements are relaxed, we will welcome all students back to school each day.”

In the meantime, the district will split the student body of each school into two groups. One group will attend classes in person while the other takes classes remotely, which will be provided via Google Meet, recorded lessons or project-based activities. The two groups will switch every other day.

Sewanhaka School Superintendent James Grossane said in a video about the reopening plan that approximately 15 students can fit into each room while the six-feet rule is in place. He goes on to say that during remote learning, there will be a method of taking attendance each day.

Earlier this month, Dr. Allen Singer, an education professor at Hofstra, told Blank Slate Media that chronic absenteeism had become a problem in remote classes when there wasn’t a method of taking attendance. 

Students from the same household will be put in the same groups. As much as possible, students will be kept in cohorts to limit the number of people each is exposed to and movement around buildings. Students will be dismissed from each period in a staggered pattern, so hallways are less crowded.

Some students will eat lunch in the school cafeteria while others will eat in their assigned classrooms. In Grossane’s video, a picture is shown of the cafeteria with desks spread six feet apart where students will be able to eat with masks off. 

Bathrooms will be limited to “usually two people at a time,” according to Grossane’s video, and will be enforced by hall monitors. 

Hand sanitizer will be provided in every classroom and all frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned multiple times per day. 

The Floral Park-Bellrose school district issued a plan for reopening that is dependent on the governor’s decision. The in-person model for the district would involve starting the day 40 minutes later and ending it 40 minutes earlier, but bringing all of its students back five days per week.

The district has not yet created a specific schedule for its schools but if in-person classes are allowed by the governor, the “schedule would be created by the classroom teacher to focus on all content areas on social and emotional skills,” according to the plan. Masks and social distancing would be in place. 

Under a hybrid model, students would come into the building two days a week and participate in remote learning the remaining three. Floral Park-Bellrose would make efforts to keep siblings in the same schedule. Under the remote and hybrid plans, physical education classes will be taught in a combination of live and recorded classes and schools will look into open spaces where recess can be held. 

The district posted a survey asking for parent feedback on its website and, according to an FAQ page about the reopening plan, the district received 788 responses. The district said its reopening plan will “remain fluid and flexible” depending on what the governor says. Floral Park-Bellrose, as well as other districts, say they have been exploring ways to improve airflow and ventilation in classrooms. 

The district has not yet made any decisions about extracurricular activities, including School Life Plus. The preschool program is currently under review as well. 

The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school district put out a plan saying it had determined that its schools can accommodate the full student body in each building and keep six feet between students. “Students may return to school via full day in-person instruction or full day remote instruction,” the plan said. 

Students will be required to wear personal protective equipment in school and on the bus but students can remove masks when seated at their desks and while eating. The plans said the youngest students will be asked to keep masks on as often as possible even when they are physically distanced. 

Announcements with reminders about COVID-19 safety measures will be broadcast regularly over the PA system and signs will be posted around the schools. Daily temperature checks for everyone entering the building will be required with the district’s screening questionnaire. 

Any student or staff member who displays symptoms of any “communicable or infectious disease reportable under the public health law that imposes a significant risk of infection of others in the school shall be excluded from school and sent home immediately in a safe and proper conveyance. The school nurse will immediately notify a local public health agency of any disease reportable under the public health law,” the plan said. 

The Herricks school district put out a 100-page plan saying its elementary students, grades kindergarten through five, will attend fully in-person classes to begin the year while the secondary schools will be split into cohorts and attend every other day. In the event that schools are forced to transition to fully remote learning, the daily schedule would remain the same and classes would be held through Google Meet or Infinite Campus. 

At the middle school and high school, the student populations will be split in half alphabetically by last name. Siblings will be kept in the same cohort. 

“The School District considers in-person services a priority for our youngest and high needs students,” the plan said. 

Students might make use of technology even when they are in school in order to gain familiarity with the online tools. 

The plan has methods for physical education to be held in all of the learning situations. If phys ed is held in person, 12 feet of distance will be maintained in all directions. The teacher will use a microphone and speaker when giving instructions to students and all activities will require no physical contact or proximity to other students.

Under remote learning, phys ed will be held over Google Meet and ensure that activities can be completed at home. In the hybrid model, the teachers will assign tasks for at-home completion and then have them “apply the knowledge gained in the school setting.” 

All districts provide special education and continue with services to assist students who do not speak English as a first language. Individualized Education Programs will continue to be provided and upheld. 

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has delayed the start of the fall sports season to Sept. 21 and canceled all state and regional championships. It is also encouraging all games to be scheduled so as to reduce travel and distance.

East Williston Athletic Director Michael Scaturro said last week that although the Long Island sports championships are canceled, there remains a possibility that a Nassau County playoff of some sort could be put together for some sports. 

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