Glen Cove City School District prepares for next school year

School districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with the rest of the state, will be allowed to reopen, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Aug.7. He said he based his decision on low infection rates recorded in every region.

“Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established,” he said during a conference call with reporters. “If there’s a spike in the infection rate, if there’s a matter of concern in the infection rate, we can revisit . . . If you look at our infection rate, we have the best situation in the country right now as incredible as that seems.”

The State Education Department is leaving the specifics of how to reopen New York’s 749 school districts to the districts themselves. Districts are empowered to make decisions about what in-person learning will look like, how much remote learning will be offered and how to implement safety protocols.

Glen Cove City School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Rianna said there would be three opportunities for parents, guardians and the community to get more information from the district and to ask questions about the district’s reopening policies. And the decision was made that all Glen Cove City School District students K-12 would be on a hybrid learning model to start the new school year, combining in-school and remote learning.

Some parents are nervous about sending their children back to the classrooms, while others think that in-person learning is what’s best for their child.

Charlotte Washington, the mother of a Glen Cove High School sophomore, said that after battling a Covid-19 infection with her fiancé Lorin Roberts, her family is paranoid about getting it again.

“We already suffered our house catching fire on March 9 that rendered us homeless and that was the same day we got news that two bus drivers tested positive for the disease,” Washington said. “Three weeks later while standing among neighbors while firefighter put out the fire we became positive for Covid-19 while staying in a hotel March 31. We nearly lost our lives and my fiancé almost died in the ICU here in Glen Cove having two blood transfusions.”

She said that her fiancé is currently in the hospital now fighting complications from Covid-19 and to prevent her family from catching the virus again, she is going to opt her daughter for all remote instruction, which is an option that has been made available by the district.

Parent Michael Schenck said that he will also opt his daughter, who is going into her senior year, for all remote instruction until Covid-19’s grasp on public health across the country declines and more resources are discovered to fight the virus.

He said that he is high risk with multiple lung and heart conditions and does not want to risk his daughter bringing the virus home. He believes that for now, all students should remain learning virtually, as he fears that the school would not be prepared to start with one plan and switch over to distance learning in the case of another outbreak.

“Kids are going to be more prone to improper mask use and it’s hard enough to get adults to buy in on the importance,” he said. “Second to the primary infections, the rate of spread prior to showing signs of infection, in addition to a severe delay in test results, one illness will quickly explode to dozens and we’ll be forced to close schools down again.”

Meanwhile, Miriam Norensberg, who has a five-year-old son, said that she believes that in-person instruction is important for younger children. She said that she’s been sending her son to day camp and has not seen any issues as far as the virus is concerned.

“When I would sit down to work with him and do the homework that the school provided, he would tell me that I’m not his teacher,” Norensberg said. “And he couldn’t sit still to do any of the lessons on Google classroom. It’s very hard to get a 5-year-old to sit in front of a computer and be taught by someone.”

While she understands that some families would want to opt their children for safety and health concerns, she believes there should be an option for parents who want to send their children back. She said that she would likely have to hire a tutor if digital instruction continues so that her child will not fall behind.

“At the elementary level, as it stands right now, we are going to have two cohorts; one that comes on Monday and Tuesday and the others that come on Thursday and Friday,” Rianna said of the plan as it now stands. “Wednesday will be remote for all students [and] they will have instruction five days a week; two days a week [they] will be physically in the building and three days a week remote.”

Middle and high school levels will have a similar protocol; with three cohorts alternating between in-person and remote instruction.

Rianna said that all staff and students would be required to wear masks, and there with be mask breaks during the day. At the elementary level, all desks will have shields and throughout the district barriers have been ordered to help keep students and staff safe when social distancing is not available. “Social distancing is our main concern,” Rianna said, “and it is in place for all activities.”

Because there will be less students in the school buildings at a time, programs like physical education would continue, with an emphasis on having activities outdoors. Programs like music education would also resume at a safe social distance.

For the safety of students and staff, parents and guardians are also asked to check their children for their temperature and symptoms before sending them to school. There will also be daily temperature checks and health screenings at the school buildings.

“If parents want to be able to send their kids to school then they have to behave responsibly outside of the school,” Norensberg said, “and the same goes for teachers.”

Parents and guardians can review the reopening plans and address their concerns at virtual meetings on Aug. 13, 19 and 20. For more information, visit http://www.glencove.k12.ny.us/.