At the recommendation of state and county health officials, Shelter Island School will close Friday, along with all schools on the North Fork east of Cutchogue, local officials said Thursday night.
The announcement follows news earlier in the day that the number of COVID-19 cases in Suffolk County rose to 21, up from six yesterday. The local officials, speaking via livestream from Shelter Island Town Hall, said there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on the Island, contrary to rumors.
School Superintendent Brian Doelger said there are no suspected cases of infection in the school community. The only personnel on site Friday will be administrators and the custodial staff, he said.
“The day and weekend will be spent thoroughly cleaning the building and we’ll make further determinations on days next week as we receive more information,” he said.
Information session panel
In addition to Dr. Doelger, the panel of speakers included Town Supervisor Gerry Siller, Chief of Police James Read, school nurse Mary Kanarvogel, and School Board President Kathleen Lynch.
“I think the message our whole panel would like to convey to everyone watching is that we would love for everyone to remain calm, but also to take certain precautions and know that we are taking certain precautions as well,” Dr. Doelger said.
Earlier this week the school held assemblies with students to discuss the virus and how to stay safe, Dr. Doelger said. And, he’s been in regular contact with Shelter Island officials and with Suffolk County Health Department officials.
“We have already held faculty meetings with all of our teachers … to prepare them to teach remotely,” Dr. Doelger said. “All teachers will have the capability to teach from home in the case of a sustained period of absence through various digital media resources.”
They will also be able to communicate with students and assign work via email, he said. For students who depend on school for food during the day, the school will implement a program to deliver breakfast and lunch to those students at home, he said.
“For students who need some extra checking in on,” Dr. Doelger said, the school guidance counselor, social worker and psychologist will share caseloads to make sure all needs are met.
The building will also be shut down to outside visitors, including the FIT Center. The S.A.T. exam scheduled at the school for Saturday is also cancelled.
Once the school reopens, Dr. Doelger said, any parent/guardian who does not feel safe sending their child to school will be granted an excused absence.
They will not be penalized at all and I’ve asked teachers that those students who are not comfortable coming to school will receive their work at home.
“This is obviously a difficult situation that we are dealing with but I would impress everyone to remain calm,” he said. “We will get through this as a school district and as a community.”
A prolonged event
In addition to closing the school, the Town is taking precautionary measures, including closing the Senior Activity Center and the Youth Center.
While these closures will certainly disrupt schedules, Chief Read said that Islanders must begin to change their mindset about the response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“This is a storm-hardened community,” Read said, accustomed to handling bad weather. But the advice he’s getting from county, state and federal authorities is to prepare for a prolonged event that could last three to six months.
“We aren’t looking at a winter storm,” he said. “We’re looking at a winter.”
Slow the virus
Chief Read said the measures are part of a concerted effort by officials all around the region to slow the spread of the virus.
“We are making efforts to slow the virus because we know we can’t stop it,” he said. The goal is to keep medical facilities from being overwhelmed by a surge of COVID-19 patients. “That is why we are here today.”
Nurse Mary spoke about the virus and symptoms to watch for. The majority of those who are infected, about 80 percent, may have few or mild symptoms. These include a fever, cough and shortness of breath.
But senior citizens and those with chronic health conditions appear to be especially vulnerable to the virus, which can cause severe respiratory complications.
Social distancing
For this reason, the Town is also following recommendations from state and county health officials regarding social distancing.
For example, the Town runs a senior nutrition program called The Dinner Bell, which serves hot meals on Mondays and Fridays in Fellowship Hall at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. Starting Monday, staff will deliver meals to seniors instead of having them assemble for a communal meal.
There will be no change in service for home-delivered meals, which go to infirm or homebound seniors on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you have questions about the senior nutrition programs, contact Karin Bennett at Town Hall, 631-749-0291.
At the Senior Activity Center
There will be changes at the Senior Activity Center, too, the officials said. Regular programming will be cancelled, Chief Read said. But the center director, Laurie Fanelli, is working on a plan that may allow the weekly Silver Circle group to continue to meet on Wednesdays. And, she’ll coordinate with staff to boost efforts at outreach, so that vulnerable seniors aren’t isolated, Chief Read said.
Supervisor Siller, who thanked all Town staff for their efforts in coordinating the response to the outbreak, said that the town will make every effort to see that no employees will lose their jobs because of changes in services. Instead, he said, they may be repositioned to assist with the implementation of new strategies.
Library will close Friday
The Shelter Island Public Library trustees agreed at their most recent meeting to follow the school schedule regarding closures, and Chief Read said he expected the library to be closed Friday. Previously, the library had announced it would suspend programs and gatherings through March.
Library Director Terry Lucas has encouraged library patrons to take advantage of the many services available through the library’s website, like free book downloads and movie streaming. Find out more at shelterislandpubliclibrary.org.
Other cancellations/closings
Out of an abundance of caution, these Shelter Island organizations have made the following changes to their calendars:
- American Legion Mitchell Post 281/Shelter Island Fire Department — cancelled St. Patrick’s Day dinner, March 17
- Mashomack Preserve — cancelled programs, but trails are open 9AM to 4PM except Tuesday and Visitor Center open noon to 4PM on weekends, and 10AM to 4PM Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Shelter Island Democrats — cancelled meet your Congressional candidates, March 21
- Shelter Island Fire Department — cancelled annual steak dinner, March 21
- Shelter Island Friends of Music — no April concert
- Shelter Island History Center — no events or programs, but the museum is open Wednesday to Saturday 10AM to 2PM
- Shelter Island Lions Club — cancelled the monthly dinner meeting for March
- Shelter Island Presbyterian Church — cancelled the Juniata College Concert Choir, March 22
- Sylvester Manor Educational Farm — concerts and gatherings postponed, but the grounds are open for walking and you can sign up for summer CSA farm shares at sylvestermanor.org
Watch the meeting
You can watch the full meeting on Channel 22, the Town’s public access.