A return to in-person attendance at school in September is a real possibility and school officials here are hard at work putting plans into place for such a reopening, but whether it will happen remains to be seen as Covid-19 numbers continue to fluctuate.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said this week that schools can reopen if their respective regions are in phase four of the N.Y. Forward recovery plan and the daily infection rate — meaning the percentage of new positive cases relative to the number of tests performed — stays below 5 percent based on a 14-day rolling average of cases. Schools in communities where the daily infection rate rises above 9 percent by Aug. 1 will have to remain closed.
The daily rate hit 2.1 percent in Suffolk County on Tuesday, fueled by Fourth of July parties and other factors, according to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. It had dropped back to 1 percent yesterday.
Concurrently with the governor's announcement, the New York State Department of Health issued a lengthy set of guidelines for schools to follow in developing reopening plans, which are due by July 31. The New York State Education Department published an outline of what schools should do and is expected to follow it up with more specifics this week.
"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," Governor Cuomo said Monday. "It's that simple. Common sense and intelligence can still determine what we do, even in this crazy environment."
In the meantime, most schools are putting together not one but three separate plans to address different scenarios: a continued distance learning model, a fully in-person education version, and a hybrid situation that falls somewhere in between.
Governor Cuomo is expected to announce further school reopening details during the first week of August. Health screenings, social distancing, social and emotional support, specific requirements for special education and English as a new language programs, more technology support, and a focus on equity in instruction are just a few of the contents of the guidelines.
"Everything is so fluid. You can have a plan as of July 31, and then the situation on Aug. 25 will be so different depending on the conditions on the ground," Jeff Nichols, the superintendent of the Sag Harbor School District, said on Monday. "We plan on proceeding as we have all along, which is in a thoughtful, measured way, so our planning will take into account that we might need to have multiple plans in case we have to change gears quickly."
Richard Burns, the East Hampton School District superintendent, said that "our goal is to have in-person instruction."
"We're trying to figure out how to keep all kids, pre-K through 12th, in cohorts," he said. "You want to isolate them as much as possible from each other in case something happens. We feel that's the best educational environment, but we also want to be very, very careful about bringing them back safely."
"It's easy to say 'take kids' temperatures.' How? What do we need?" Mr. Burns said. "The devil is in the details, and we're working out the details to the best of our ability, but we definitely feel strongly about this."
The "equity" question is weighing on the mind of Debra Winter, the Springs School superintendent. In her district, extra space is extremely hard to come by, yet Springs will have to follow the same social distancing outline as districts like East Hampton and Sag Harbor, which have ample space relative to Springs. Financial resources to make it all happen are another issue; Springs set aside $250,000 for Covid-19 expenses this year, but it's already been tapped to cover some costs and school hasn't even begun yet.
"We don't have space. We don't have the economics or commercial property, but I know I need to do something very similar, if not the same," Ms. Winter said. "We have to consider opening fully, even if the day is reduced. Think about my car line — if I have less kids riding on the bus, my car line is going to take me longer. Maybe first period is like a 'zero period' where kids have a chance to come in, get settled, do independent reading, and no instruction takes place."
"The C.D.C. guidelines say get outside as much as possible. Do we follow the Finland model of 15 to 20-minute breaks to get outside?" Ms. Winter continued. "I'm handicapped because I have a construction project going on. Going outside is going to have to be on a schedule. Parents might give permission to go to Pussy's Pond. We have the baseball field. I could consider buying more benches and picnic tables for outside."
All schools have a committee or task force charged with creating reopening plans — the school nurses are involved, across the board — and most of the districts have conducted public surveys to gauge parents' opinions. In the Amagansett School District, a task force tackling the reopening issue has been meeting since early May.
"Protocols have been developed for social distancing, use of personal protective equipment, [and] cleaning and disinfecting classrooms and school buses," Seth Turner, the Amagansett superintendent, said in a statement. "Air purifiers were ordered for each classroom, all plumbing fixtures in the facility are being transitioned to be touchless, and adequate supplies of masks and personal protective equipment have been ordered for all staff and students. . . . I honestly hope that through the diligent work of the reopening task force we can create an environment that is safe for students, teachers, and staff to return to the school."
There are more than 20 people on the task force at the Bridgehampton School. "At least we have documentation and a road map to follow," Robert Hauser, the superintendent, said. "Because we're so small, and our class sizes are very low in relation to square footage of classrooms, we have the ability to properly social-distance the students in the classrooms. It's just other logistics such as transportation, food service, common areas such as playgrounds, and physical education classes."
Alan Van Cott, the superintendent and principal of the Sagaponack School, said in a statement that "it is a little too early in the overall reopening process" to share specifics. In preparation, he said, he and the teachers, along with Jeanette Krempler, the district clerk, spent time "before the school year ended to begin to put some of our thoughts to paper."
At the Montauk School, Jack Perna, the superintendent and principal, is wondering "how can we distance? What about busing, masks, temperature checks? What if we have a positive student or teacher? Air quality? Lots of questions still."
"And even if we have plans with options one, two, and three, what if the governor [decides] something else? Yes, it's early, but we need to be ready."