The Herricks school district has announced that it has developed models for reopening in the fall while dealing with the effects and preventing spread of the coronavirus.
The district now awaits the decision of Gov. Andrew Cuomo on whether schools will follow an in-person model, a remote model or a hybrid of the two, meaning that students will spend half of their time in the school building and the other half remotely.
In all instances, students will be asked to wear face masks, and have parents check their temperature each day, with students who test over 100 degrees Fahrenheit asked to remain home.
A district-run task force, made up of over 50 parents, teachers, administrators and Board of Education trustees, worked to create the models, according to a statement issued with the plans.
“As we have said many times, the health and safety of all members of the Herricks school community is our highest priority,” the statement read. “Our plan includes numerous safety protocols that have been put into place. Because of the ongoing pandemic, we will not be able to operate as we normally do, and many activities we have traditionally enjoyed will have to change.”
For the hybrid model, the district says it “anticipates” that students in kindergarten through fifth grade, which encompass the entirety of Center Street Elementary School, Denton Avenue Elementary School and Searingtown Elementary School will return to in-school classes every day in September.
Students at Herricks Middle School and Herricks High School will attend school every other day and take part in so-called “eLearning” on the other day, which the district says is “necessary to ensure social distancing.” Grades will be split into four groups – Blue A, Blue B, Silver A and Silver B – on an alphabetical basis, which will allow students to be in the same cohort.
In the remote model, the elementary schools’ daily schedules will remain the same, with daily attendance taken through Google Meet or Infinite Campus. Instruction would be a mix of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities with classroom teachers, including special area classes.
For the middle school and high school students, the remote model will involve a truncated bell schedule, with periods alternating between live instruction and recorded lessons.
The district will announce its official plan once the state decides if schools will follow a particular model.
