Bay Shore Schools Plans Return To Full-Time In-Person Learning

BAY SHORE, NY — One year after being forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bay Shore School District announced plans to begin a gradual return to full-time in-person learning starting as early as next week.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Joseph Bond stated that in light of the recent decline in positivity rates and the rollout of vaccinations, officials are looking into having Bay Shore Middle School and Bay Shore High School students return full-time.

"This return must be and will be done in a way that is safe for students and staff," Bond wrote. "We will maintain fidelity with the health and safety guidelines that were given to us by New York State."

Sixth-grade students will be coming back for five days a week of in-person instruction starting next Monday, March 15. There will no longer be a hybrid option for those students beginning on April 5.

Also on April 5, the 12th-grade students will be able to return for full-time in-person instruction, however the hybrid model will remain an option for them.

Officials hope to have all secondary students return to school full-time by April 26.

Remote instruction will remain available for all grade levels through the end of the school year. All requests to transition to remote learning must be submitted to local guidance counselors.

"At times, it may be necessary to reduce social distancing to less than 6 feet in order to return students to in-person instruction," Bond wrote. "This will be done while requiring continued adherence to mask protocols and installing plastic barriers on desks. In the event we see an increase in COVID positivity rates in our schools or our community, Bay Shore will return to hybrid instruction for secondary students."

As of March 5, the Bay Shore School District has a total of 315 positive COVID-19 cases including 183 on-site students, 26 off-site students, and 106 on-site teachers or staff members, according to the New York State COVID-19 School Report Card.

All students are still required to wear appropriate masks in the school buildings that must cover both the nose and mouth. Parents are also encouraged to not send their child to school if they have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus.

What do you think? Are you comfortable sending your child back to school full-time? Let us know what you think in the comments below.