Cuomo: Some Schools Backtrack on Opening Plans as School Schedules Due Wednesday

Cuomo: Some Schools Backtrack on Opening Plans as School Schedules Due Wednesday: Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on his Monday presser that the New York State COVID infection rate dropped to a record low .66 – following several weeks of around 1%. The three-day moving average of deaths was 5.

Non-contact Youth Sports to start September 21

But no word on school reopening other than that non-contact sports such as tennis, soccer, cross country, swimming and field hockey can start practices on September 21. While contact sports such as football, wrestling and ice hockey can begin practice but are not yet cleared to play. Non-contact sports are prohibited from practicing or playing outside of their region until October 19.

On the school front, class schedules are due out on Wednesday, August 26. Check your school district’s website for full details. Cuomo cleared all New York State schools to reopen earlier this month but is leaving it to the 700 individual school districts to develop their own plans for scheduling, test and trace programs and how to determine if and when a school needs to shut down. All schools were required to submit three plans to the New York State Department of Health that included plans for 100% onsite classes, 100% remote classes and a hybrid plan incorporating remote and onsite classes to facilitate social distancing.

Some schools already hitting the pause button – shifting to remote

While most schools in our area are expected to start off with a hybrid plan, the Yonkers school district (the state’s fourth largest with 30,000 students) announced that they will open remotely – delaying their hybrid plan until October 5.  The Clarkstown school district in Rockland County, with more than 8,000 students, will also hit the pause button on their hybrid plan – delaying onsite classes until the end of September. They cited concerns related to masks, air-conditioning and how to disinfectant 3,000 computers after every school day as reasons for the delay. Mayor De Blasio, meanwhile is still planning to open New York City schools on a hybrid plan by mid-September. New York City is the nation’s largest school district with 1.1 million students.

For the Governor’s part, he offered no solace for DeBlasio, calling the reopening of New York City schools a “risky proposition”. When asked if he would send his own kids to New York City schools if they were still school age, the Governor wouldn’t commit one way or the other.

Below are snapshots of hybrid scheduling plans area schools submitted to the NYS DOH that we posted earlier this month.

Byram Hills: Grades K-5 would have four full-days in school with a half-day on Wednesday. Sixth grade students would be in-school for five full days. Grades 7-12 would be split into two groups, one group would be in-school on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other would be in-school on Thursdays and Fridays. The two groups would alternate in-school attendance on Wednesdays.

• Bedford School District will post their full plans online this week. In a letter to parents on July 28, Interim School Superintendent Dr. Joel Adelberg provided a sneak preview of the district’s plans opening in September. They include the possibility of full-time on-premise classes for students K-2. And a hybrid model for grades 3-12 with on-premise classes operating at 50% capacity five days a week. Students would be divided into two groups by alphabet with each group alternating with two days in-class one week and three days the next.
• Chappaqua: The district plan will be submitted by Aug. 7.
• Katonah-Lewisboro: The first days of school for students – whether remote or in-person – are September 10 & 11. Students in grades K, 1, 6, 9, & 12 will attend in person (½ of K & 1 on 9/10, the other ½ on 9/11, Grades 6, 9, & 12 Cohort A on 9/10, Cohort B on 9/11). All other students in all other grades will connect with their teachers remotely on those two days. The daily schedules will be provided by the individual schools.
• Mount Pleasant: K-5 students would be split for on-site classes on either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Both groups would alternate Fridays for on-premise classes. Students in grades 6-12 would attend on on alternating days, Monday through Thursday. Fridays would be remote learning for all students.
• North Salem: North Salem would also split students at all level into two groups with on group attending live classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, the second group would be in-school on Thursdays and Fridays and the two groups would alternate Wednesdays for on-premise classes. Student schedules would remain the same whether students are attending classes on-site or virtual, and all students would be issued a device to enable remote learning.
• Pleasantville: All students would have remote instruction on Mondays, followed by every other day in school attendance for grades 1-12. . When students are not in school, they would participate in self-guided work rather than live instruction. Kindergarten students would spend half the day in school.
• Somers: All K-6 students would attend school five days a week. Students in grades 7-12 would attend every other day, with classes streamed live when students are at home. All students would be provided a device to enable remote learning.