Lakeland Sets Date For Return To In-Classroom Instruction

SHRUB OAK, NY — Lakeland district officials have created a plan to reopen schools to in-classroom learning that they will present to the Board of Education Thursday night.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Brendan Lyons said the target is April 6 for giving students the opportunity of attending school in person four days a week. Wednesday would be a flex day.

"This evening, I will present the Board of Education with a series of considerations for increasing in-person learning for all of our students," he said. "Students would still have the choice to learn fully remote at home as well."

Lakeland has tackled what many school districts are talking about, and what many parents are pressuring officials to get done: get kids back in classrooms full time.

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Lakeland officials said they will reconfigure classrooms to provide 3 feet of space between desks and each desk will have a three-sided plastic barrier, a protocol permitted by the New York State Department of Health. In addition, every pre-K-12classroom will have an air purifier.

To make it happen, the district also seeks to meet two metrics:

• The coronavirus positivity rate must remain below 5 percent, using the 7-day rolling average for Westchester County.
• 70 percent of the faculty and staff must be fully vaccinated.

The district physician, Dr. Louis Corsaro, would certify that the metrics have been met.

"The logistics of bringing students in more frequently are complex and present challenges that will require flexibility from our families, students, faculty and staff," he said in the letter. "If COVID-19 conditions change and the district is no longer meeting the metrics, there may be a need to return to the hybrid model."

He told the community the plan represents Lakeland's best option under the current conditions.

"I am hopeful that we will see students four days a week at our schools after spring recess. In the meantime, I ask for the community’s patience and support in continuing to stay safe as we fight the virus together," he said.

The Board of Education's meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Lakeland High School. Click here for the agenda. The meeting will be live-streamed in its entirety and you can connect at this link. In-person capacity for the meetings is severely limited due to coronavirus restrictions. Also, masks are required and all in-person attendees will be asked to complete a COVID symptom screening form before entering.