As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact all aspects of life, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Aug. 7 gave schools in New York State the green light to reopen, pending approval of their individual education plans and the scheduling of open comment sessions with parents and teachers.
All regions in the state, Governor Cuomo said, have an infection rate below 5 percent — the threshold at which schools would be allowed to reopen. But there is no "one size fits all" solution to school reopening, he said, so specific decisions and policies must be maintained by the individual districts.
Many districts here are still awaiting final enrollment decisions from families before plans can be finalized, and many families were waiting for Governor Cuomo to announce his decision.
"Look at our infection rate," he said during a press call on Aug. 7. "We are probably in the best situation in the country right now, as incredible as that is. If anyone can open schools, we can open schools."
School districts in East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, Springs, Montauk, and Amagansett all submitted their plans by the initial July 31 deadline. Wainscott and Sagaponack received one-week extensions, until Aug. 7. Although Governor Cuomo sent out an announcement saying these two districts had not filed their plans, The Star confirmed this week they had indeed sent them in by the deadline.
Even though those plans have all been submitted, some districts are fine-tuning their proposals even more. For more than two hours on Monday night, the Springs School District fielded online questions and email inquiries from parents about reopening.
In Springs in particular, there is a divide between families who would prefer the school to cohort students into a Monday-Tuesday group and a Thursday-Friday group, mirroring what East Hampton High School is planning to do, and those who would prefer a Monday-Thursday group and a Tuesday-Friday group. There is also a contingent that wants five days per week of in-person instruction for kindergarten through fifth grade — which school officials determined was not possible because they would be four classrooms short — or at least kindergarten through second grade. Yet another faction wants all remote instruction.
"I do not feel comfortable sending my son to fifth grade being that we live with my parents, who are 75 [and] on oxygen," Kristen Morgan told the Springs School Board on Monday via the online chat.
Diane Shoemaker, another parent, said, "The younger students need to be in school five days for their well-being and ability to learn. [They do] not learn well remotely."
Some Springs parents demanded the district look into extra space, such as at Ashawagh Hall or the Springs Presbyterian Church. Debra Winter, the school superintendent, said she had already considered that option but could not find a suitable location. Related concerns would be the costs involved in leasing extra space — the Springs budget is already very constrained, school officials said — and issues such as busing, cleaning, and obtaining state approval for the additional facilities.
The Bridgehampton School is pursuing the latter option, applying for permission to erect five tents that would be used not as classrooms but as supplemental space for social and emotional programs. Robert Hauser, the superintendent, said yesterday the state has not yet approved the proposal.
Springs may also change its mask policy, which right now requires masks only for children in third grade and up. Some have expressed discomfort with that and want all students to wear masks.
"The word is masks 'and' social distancing, not either-or," Ms. Winter said. "Springs School is recommending to the board of education that we revise our plans so all students . . . wear masks, except when taking mask breaks outside and eating lunch."
School districts are also weighing whether to live-stream classes so that students whose turn it is to do virtual learning can still be part of the classroom. However, student privacy concerns are at stake, along with teachers' questions over who would deal with technology issues while classes are going on.
There was some confusion last week over whether it is the responsibility of schools to coordinate testing of students who are showing symptoms of Covid-19, and some school officials said this week they still need further clarification.
"Testing has been part of many districts' plans, and it is required" for symptomatic students, Jim Malatras, director of state operations, said.
The state further clarified its testing instructions to schools earlier this week. Keri DeLalio, a Springs School administrator, said now, if a student or staff member tests positive for Covid-19, that person must have a subsequent negative test result before he or she can come back.
Governor Cuomo is now mandating that districts break out their testing, contact tracing, and remote learning policies and post them publicly.
The state's Department of Health can still swoop in and declare a school district's plan incomplete or inadequate. Without an approved path forward, a school district will not be allowed to reopen. None of the districts from Montauk to Bridgehampton have seen their plans rejected or deemed incomplete.
"We've been smart from day one," Governor Cuomo said. "We do the masks, we do the social distancing . . . we can bring the same level of intelligence to the school reopening that we brought to the economic reopening."
The governor announced that school districts must plan three public comment sessions with parents (the "big five" districts, including New York City and Rochester, must hold five) and one session with teachers before Aug. 21.
In the East Hampton School District, Richard Burns, the superintendent, sent a letter to families this week saying the district "can accommodate" the governors' directives.
"I recognize that there are many different opinions on the reopening of schools, and many, many questions still remain," Mr. Burns wrote. "Our reopening plan aims to accommodate the needs of our entire school community as we move toward a return to teaching and learning for all."
East Hampton is giving families the option of in-person learning or all-remote. Families who choose the latter must commit for at least the first five weeks of school, and will have an opportunity to switch models after that time.
"We will continue to monitor developments of implementing the reopening plan and share updates so we can all prepare for the start of another successful school year," Mr. Burns wrote. "Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and most importantly, partnership. We all want what's best for our students, families, faculty, and staff. . . . "
Mr. Hauser said that at Bridgehampton teachers have been working on their own time this summer, when they would normally be off from work, by taking part in extensive meetings about reopening plans. "Without a doubt, they've all been stepping up," Mr. Hauser said.
Jack Perna, superintendent of the Montauk School District, said he is glad the governor gave the green light to schools reopening in New York, but he still has questions. "The plans were always supposed to be 'fluid' so changes can be made as needed," Mr. Perna said.