Lynbrook Outlines Early Plans For School Reopening

LYNBROOK, NY — At a virtual meeting on Tuesday, the Lynbrook Board of Education shared its early plans for reopening schools with the community.

According to Board President William Belmont, the district will submit its plans to the state on July 31. The governor will then decide on Aug. 7 how he will address those plans and the board will meet on Aug. 12 to present the plan to the community.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak shared further details regarding reopening. “There are many requirements and we, in Lynbrook, are doing our best to provide a safe environment for all staff and students,” she said.

She detailed different models that the district is reviewing. On the elementary level, the district is introducing a gold model and green model. The gold model would be full in-person instruction, every day. The green model would be the remote model for students who need to remain at home. At this time, the remote model will involve a live, digital interactive experience with a certified teacher.

Due to the amount of movement that takes place all day at the secondary level, the models that the district is looking to implement for grades 6-12 are different than the primary level. The green model will be for those who need to remain at home and will involve a live, digital synchronous experience. The blue model will allow for students to attend school in-person every other day, with the alternating day consisting of the live, digital synchronous learning.

The district is still exploring the logistics of classroom and large space utilization in all buildings. Health and safety protocols are being finalized, along with scheduling and the delivery of courses in the school buildings. Once the district’s plan is submitted to the state, families will be asked to submit a letter of intent indicating which model they would like. Families can change their decision at a certain point during the school year.

In addition, Burak shared the decisions that have already been made to properly clean and disinfect the buildings for the safe return of students. This includes:

• Postponing the adult education program until the spring semester.
• Postponing the before-school intramural program until November, at which time the district will revisit the status of the public health situation.
• Requiring PPE for all when social distancing is not feasible. At the very least, this means that face masks must be worn during any movement in the building between classes, in stairwells, hallways and during staff-student meetings.
• The elementary RAS program operating under the Department of Health guidelines; however, students must remain in their home school. This means that kindergarten students will remain at the Kindergarten Center this year rather than be bussed to another elementary school to be with siblings. The district understands that a staggered pick up time must be arranged for families that need to pick up in two locations.
• Delaying the fall sports season until Sept. 21 as per the state athletics association.

The community is encouraged to visit the district’s Reopening Plan page as information will be forthcoming.