The Shelter Island Union Free School District submitted its reopening plans to state officials on July 31. Under a directive from New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the district had to create plans for three possibilities: a full return of students to the building for in-person instruction; a continuation of remote learning, and a hybrid of some in-person and remote instruction.
[Editor’s note: We updated this post to move it higher up into our news feed and remind parents of a meeting Tuesday, August 25, 6 PM at the school to learn about the reopening plans outlined below.)
The governor has said he will decide, with input from a school reopening task force, under which scenario schools will operate. The decision, he has said, will be driven by COVID-19 data and may be different by region. Shelter Island is part of the Long Island region, which includes all school districts of all sizes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
The governor later said districts would be permitted to make decisions about whether to open for in-person instruction, all remote or hybrid learning based on local circumstances.
‘Substantive interaction’
The district plans describe how teaching and learning for all students at all grade levels will take place under the three scenarios.
“No matter which format, there will be substantive interaction between staff and students,” the district says. “Instruction must be accessible for all students. There also will be routine scheduled times for students to interact with and seek feedback from their teachers.”
The plans cover all aspects of services provided by the school to students and their families including health and safety, child nutrition, transportation, social and emotional well-being, technology and connectivity, and more. The plans also describe anticipated working conditions and expectations for faculty and staff, including how teacher and administrator evaluation systems are impacted under each scenario.
For special education students, the district says, “All the needs of all students will be met whether in-person, remote or hybrid” instruction takes place.
“We will protect the health and safety of all students with disabilities … all necessary accommodations, modifications, supplementary aids and services and technology (including assistive technology) will be provided to meet the unique disability-related needs of each student.”
The district will follow bilingual and world language protocols for all students, and will complete as quickly as possible the English Language Learning identification process as required by state law.
Parent meetings
The district will hold three meetings with parents/guardians to explain the plans on three consecutive Tuesdays, August 18, August 25, and September 1, at 6 PM.
The district will also create a video outlining the proposed protocols and will create and distribute printed materials in English and Spanish.
All staff members will be trained on new health protocols prior to the start of school on September 2, with access to training beginning August 15. Parents/guardians will be provided a link to new health protocols by August 21. Students will receive instruction and training on the new protocols by September 2.
Once the school year gets underway, “anyone who has any questions about anything at the school,” the district says, is able to email support@shelterisand.k12.ny.us.
COVID-19 coordinators
The district has, as required by the state Department of Health, designated three COVID-19 coordinators to check on “compliance with all aspects of the school’s reopening plan” and to handle confidential information relating to COVID-19 exposure. They are Superintendent Doelger, school nurse Mary Kanarvogel and director of personnel Todd Gulluscio.
The Plans
[Editor’s note: What follows is our synopsis of the district plans. The full document follows proscribed headings and information is repeated for each option. Read the full document on the district website.]
Option 1: Return to school building
The school will make accommodations regarding in-person attendance for people who are at high risk. Only essential personnel will be permitted to enter the school (although parents/guardians may drop off items at the front desk). Everyone entering the building must wear a mask.
Faculty and staff will be subject to daily screening. Students will have their temperature taken upon arrival and those a temperature of 100 or higher must return home. Students who refuse to follow safety guidelines will be sent home. Anyone who becomes ill during the day will be isolated from others and sent home.
- Traffic on School Street will be designated one-way beginning at 7:40 AM
- Students in grades pre-K through 7 will report to the gym entrance for screening; students in grades 8 to 12 report to the main entrance for screening
- Students in grades pre-K through 7 will remain with the same group throughout the day; special area teachers will come to the classroom; lunch will be served in the classroom, and recess will be with the cohort — no co-mingling with other classes
- Students in grades 8 to 12 will have access to grab and go lunches and will eat in the auditorium or off-campus with permission (accommodations for in-classroom eating will be made for secondary students with no designated lunch period)
- Dismissal for students in grades Pre-K to 7 will be from the gym; students in grades 8 to 12 will be dismissed in a staggered schedule by grade level
- Students will spend the first week learning how to follow new COVID-19 protocols including hand hygiene, face covering, social distancing, and respiratory hygiene
- The district will follow a room capacity calculator to determine how many students will be permitted in each room, in accordance with CDC and NYSED guidelines
- To allow for social distancing, classrooms will be cleared of non-essential furniture, and spaces will be converted to create extra classroom space as needed
- Everyone in the school will be required to maintain social distancing (currently six feet) wherever possible, and wear masks at all times upon entering and exiting the building, when in hallways, and bathrooms
- Arrows in hallways and stairways will show the direction of traffic (with a one-way flow where possible)
- Bathroom use is by one person at a time; students will sign a log in the classroom before using the bathroom (these rooms will be cleaned and sanitized at least twice a day)
- Hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment will be available in each classroom; teachers will remind students to use them
- Students may remove their masks only with a teacher’s permission if they are seated in a classroom and able to maintain social distancing (spots will be marked on floors, where possible, to support this)
- Mask breaks will be provided
- Teachers are encouraged to take students outside and can sign up to use designated outdoor desks and chairs
- Students will be provided with a school-issued iPad or Chromebook, or may use a personal device that has been certified by the school IT department (at-home internet access will be provided as needed)
- Students must bring their Ipad or Chromebook to all classes (to limit sharing of physical materials and support the quick transition to remote learning if it becomes necessary)
- Classrooms will be equipped with extra device chargers
- The focus should be on digitally sharing materials using technology whenever possible
- The district will also provide other educational materials, including textbooks, packets, and workbooks (with materials sent home as early as possible in the school year to support the possible transition to remote learning)
- Any member of the school community who presents with COVID-19 symptoms or exposure will be sent home
- Students who present COVID-19 symptoms will be sent to an isolation area at the school nurse’s office while awaiting pickup by parents/guardians
- COVID-19 coordinators will notify the appropriate department of health officials of any possible exposure within the school and follow recommendations regarding cleaning, disinfecting and/or imposing self-quarantine of others who may have been exposed
- Rooms throughout the building will be disinfected and cleaned according to CDC guidelines and a log of these activities will be maintained
- Any changes or additions to the building due to COVID-19 will comply with state codes and be submitted to the state’s Office of Facility Planning, including any off-site locations that may be used (none have yet been identified)
- MERV 13 and HEPA filters will be used in ventilation systems throughout the building
- Plastic separators will be installed, as required and in accordance with code
- Buses will be cleaned at least one time per day, with high contact areas wiped down after each run
- Buses may not have hand sanitizer and school bus employees may not carry hand sanitizer (the high alcohol content makes these products a fire safety hazard on buses)
- Students must wear masks at all times on buses (accommodations will be made for students with documented health conditions that prevent them from wearing masks during bus travel)
- Meetings, among faculty and between faculty and parents/guardians, will take place via Google Meet
- No field trips and no use of school facilities by outside groups until further notice
Option 2: Remote Learning
In order to ensure a seamless transition to a remote environment (in case of short or long- term closure): all teachers should be proficient in using Google Classroom and Google Meet by the first day of school; teachers must keep their Google Classroom accounts current; and items of importance (textbooks, materials, etc.) will be distributed and sent home for the year as soon as possible.
- Students have a school email account; teachers will primarily communicate with students using this email
- Students have access to Google Classroom, a platform that combines a learning management system, and a grade book, enabling teachers to post assignments and instructional materials as well as receive assignments from students
- Students and their parents/guardians also have access to Powerschool, where attendance and grades are posted
- Teachers will provide individual and/or group instruction via Google Meet
- Assignment packets will be sent home and/or emailed from teachers (in the event that elementary school students are missing assignment packets, please contact the school at support@shelterisland.k12.ny.us to schedule a pick-up or drop-off
- Teachers will take attendance in Powerschool; students will be marked present for synchronous classes when they attend a session live and they will be marked present when assignments are completed for asynchronous lessons
- Students with 4 or more absences in any class per quarter will be referred to the COVID-19 Student Support Team for evaluation
- Excessive absences may result in class failure and/or grade retainment
- Assignments will be posted in Google Classroom
- Assignments will be graded and entered into Powerschool
- Assignments turned in late may be subject to deducted points at faculty discretion.
- An appeals process will be in place in the case of extenuating circumstances
- Teachers may provide live video lessons using Google Meet when needed, typically during the student’s regularly scheduled class time
- The district recommends a minimum of 1 to 2 live classes per week per class
- Students will be informed of the live sessions at least 24 hours in advance
- All teachers will provide remote office hours each week to meet with students in small group sessions or on a one to one basis; these office hours will take place during the regular school day
- Meals will be delivered to the homes of students who qualify to receive them
Option 3: Hybrid Instruction
Should enrollment remain at current levels, the schedule and protocols will remain the same as under Option 1. However, should enrollment change, the district may divide students into two groups:
- Group A — On Monday and Tuesday attends in school, and on Thursday and Friday attends remotely
- Group B — On Monday and Tuesday attends remotely, and on Thursday and Friday attends in school
- Wednesday would become a school cleaning and teacher prep day
Group determinations will be made alphabetically, and consideration will be given to families to send siblings to school on the same days.
- All students attend school on their scheduled day following all in-school guidelines outlined in Option 1
- On their distance learning day, students must attend class virtually following all remote learning guideline outlined in Option 2
- Special considerations for as much in-person school will be made for special education students
- Meals will be delivered to the homes of students who qualify for them on school days when they are not in the school building
Survey results
In researching its options, the district questioned the school community about preferences in a survey that recorded participation by 45 people, including 36 parents, 8 students and 1 responded who did not specify.
When asked which of the three options for schooling was preferred, 59.09 percent expressed a preference for a full return to in-person instruction; 40.91 percent selected a hybrid model, and 2 percent chose full distance learning.
In all, 71.11 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the district’s response to the pandemic; 4.44 percent said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, and 24.44 percent said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
Asked about the district’s distance learning program, 60 percent of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied; 22.22 percent said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, and 17.78 percent said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
