Today is the deadline for New York schools to submit their plans for in-person instruction this fall to the state. Overall, most school districts in central and northern New York are planning to move forward with a hybrid system that offers students an opportunity for in-person learning two days per week with remote instruction for the remainder.
Perhaps the greatest variation between each district is who can actually go to school. Oswego is only allowing elementary students to attend classes in person two days a week. Syracuse City School District recently changed their plan to also let high school students go one day per week. And Utica is starting with just elementary students, but will revisit a potential phase-in of older children as the year moves forward.
The process of actually getting into the building is involved. Students and staff need to take their temperatures prior to coming to school and will be screened upon arrival. Anyone exhibiting COVID symptoms, such as those with a fever of 100 degrees or higher, will be sent home. And in order to return, districts like Watertown will require students to present a negative COVID-19 test.
Districts plan to work with their county health departments on protocols when a student or staff tests positive after going to school that week and on contact tracing efforts.
"We're doing everything we can, pulling out all the stops so that districts have good options to educate kids so we can make up for lost ground and have a good school year," said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.
Inside the classroom, desks will be spaced six feet apart and students and staff will be required to wear face masks except when eating, which will be served in the classroom. On Wednesdays, all students will learn remotely so the buildings can be thoroughly cleaned before the second group of students return for the latter half of the week.
Despite these measures, some families don't feel comfortable sending their children back to school, which is why districts are offering an option for 100 percent remote learning this year and equipping those students with technology like laptops and WiFi hotspots to make that possible.
