Reopening NY Schools Amid Pandemic: Requirements, Flexibility

NEW YORK — New York State education officials issued pandemic-era reopening guidelines for schools on Monday after Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed a formula to determine whether schools will reopen and when they'd have to close.

Schools are given some flexibility over space, physical education, full- and half-day kindergarten, lab science and the like, according to the state education department, as well as choices about opening classrooms, remaining remote, or running a hybrid system.

"This framework and the guidance which will follow allows schools to plan for the upcoming school year under three different scenarios that aim to keep our children, educators and school personnel safe and encourages equitable access to high-quality services for all students," Betty Rosa, the Board of Regents chancellor, said in an announcement.

Schools opening buildings will be required to: perform health checks and screenings, per state Department of Health guidance, and recognize signs and symptoms of sickness in students and staff; develop plans to maximize social distancing; develop plans to manage and isolate sick people until they can be sent home; teach students and staff in proper hand and breathing hygiene; require wearing appropriate face coverings; and develop cleaning and disinfecting procedures for the school in accordance with guidance from both federal and state health officials.

Districts across New York have been working on their plans for weeks. SEE: Have Your Say On Lakeland, Somers School Reopening Issues

"At this time, Pearl River School District has 10 different subcommittees working to develop recommendations that address the items that the Regents discussed today," said Pearl River Superintendent Marco Pochintesta. "We are looking forward to receiving the guidelines on Wednesday which should help us focus our work and finalize plans over the next few weeks."

Schools with approved plans will reopen if the region they're located in is in phase 4 of the state's reopening plan and that region's daily infection rate remains at 5 percent or lower over a 14-day average. They'll have to close if the regional infection rate is above 9 percent on a seven-day average after Aug. 1. Decisions on the formula will be released Aug. 1-7, Cuomo said.

SEE: Cuomo Unveils Formula For NY Schools To Open — And Stay Open

As of Monday, the seven-day rolling average was 0.9 percent for the Hudson region and 1.1 percent for Long Island. Both regions are in phase 4.

In addition to the framework presented Monday, formal guidance will be distributed later this week, state education officials said.

The framework includes:

• Flexibility. To allow for schools and districts to adapt to complications caused by the pandemic, certain flexibilities will be authorized including: flexible student/staff ratio in prekindergarten; extended time for prekindergarten and kindergarten screening to be completed; a waiver allowing districts to convert universal pre-K seats from full-day to half-day; flexibility with the 180 minutes per week "unit of study" requirement; flexibility in the delivery of physical education; allowance for a blend of hands-on and virtual science lab experiences; and when appropriate, districts and charters may use remote or virtual work-based learning experiences for career and technical education, as well as career development and occupational studies programs.
• Transportation. Each district will be required to: perform regular school bus disinfection measures; train school bus staff regarding social distancing on the bus, at stops, and at unloading times; and train staff regarding the wearing of masks. Students will wear masks and social distance on the bus.
• Nutrition. Schools and school districts should include food service directors in reopening plan discussions so they are able to: provide all enrolled students with access to school meals each school day whether school is in-person or remote.
• Facilities. Schools may expand their physical footprint or change the way they utilize space. Schools may wish to consult with design professionals to increase ventilation and filtration.
• School schedule. Schools must create a comprehensive plan for a schedule that includes in-person instruction, remote instruction or a hybrid of both in-person and remote.
• Technology. Districts and schools must: have knowledge of the level of access all students and teachers have in their places of residence; to the extent practicable, address the need to provide devices and internet access to students and teachers who currently do not have sufficient access.

The framework was informed by four virtual Regional School Reopening Task Force meetings as well as a student forum hosted by the Board of Regents and Department last month to gather input. Each regional meeting included more than 350 experts and stakeholders from health and education fields. In all, more than 1,650 parents, students, teachers, administrators, school board members and stakeholders attended and provided feedback.

"The input we received from participants at our regional task force meetings and our student forum truly proved invaluable and, by working together, we will be able to ensure that the issues of health, safety, and educational equity are at the forefront of every decision," said Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe.

By July 31, all districts and schools are required to create and submit reopening plans at the school level which should be posted on their public website and must contain the mandatory elements outlined in NYSED’s School Reopening Guidance Document.

Officials said a web portal for submitting school reopening plans will open on Friday.