Baldwin schools to reopen in September

As a parent of an incoming high-schooler, this is a very difficult decision for me and my husband.”

Karyn Reid, school board Trustee

Baldwin Board of Education trustees and school administrators discussed reopening plans at a virtual school board meeting on Aug. 5, when Schools Superintendent Dr. Shari Camhi said the district had sent commitment forms to be filled out by parents designating whether their children would choose remote learning, in-person learning or a hybrid approach for the school year.

“We were asked to plan for everything from health and safety, to facilities, to teaching and learning, to social and emotional well-being of our students, technology, special education, transportation, to every minute detail,” Camhi explained at the meeting.

While school districts have been developing alternate plans and protocols since June, they could not focus on the specifics until the State Education Department released its 145-page set of guidelines on July 13. Each district then had until July 31 to submit a final plan to the state.

During the spring, school was not closed, Camhi said. The buildings were closed, but learning went on.

“People were not laid off,” she said. “We were mandated by Governor Cuomo not to lay off a single person, and we did not lay anybody off. In a new kind of way, life went on. Learning looked different, but it continued for us.”

The commitment forms asked parents at the elementary level to choose between two options: either all-in face-to-face or all-out remote learning. At the middle and high school levels, students will either learn remotely or come in for half the time, five days out of 10.

When parents asked why they had to commit to a full year, Camhi said the district was being as flexible as possible with the number of students attending Baldwin schools. About 1,600 students attend the high school; 1,100, the middle school; and across the elementary schools, 3,000.

“As a parent of an incoming high-schooler, this is a very difficult decision for me and my husband,” Trustee Karyn Reid said at the virtual meeting. “We did make the decision to do the hybrid model . . . There’s no magic in why we made the decision — we made the decision based on what we thought was best for our daughter. I hope that everyone would do the same, whether it is to do the remote learning or do the hybrid model.”

Trustee Annie Doresca, who has young children attending schools in the district, said many parents came to her to ask her thoughts on the situation.

“Everyone’s situation at home is very different, so just because I may decide to allow my children to go to school, I don’t want people to think that that’s what everyone should do,” she said. “It’s more important to know what your situation at home is, make that right decision.”

Camhi also said students at the middle and high schools will be paired up: One doing remote learning will be partnered with a student in the classroom as a way for students to process what’s happening in the classroom.

Sept. 8 is the first day of school for students, Camhi continued, adding that parents would receive detailed information from building principals about staggered entrances and which doors to use.

For more information about the Baldwin School District’s reopening plans, visit www.baldwinschools.org/reopening.

District officials also announced at the meeting the new bus company that will transport students to and from school. Guardian Bus Company was the successful bidder after Baumann Bus Company went out of business in the spring. The new company also works with neighboring districts, including Oceanside and Freeport, Camhi said, and Assistant Superintendent of Business and Administrative Services Dr. James Robinson is working with the company to ensure that service will be up to par.

Additionally, the planned Wellness Center at the high school will not open in September as originally planned. The pandemic has slowed progress, although, Camhi said, the district is still working toward opening it, and the date is to be determined.

Trustees at the virtual meeting also discussed a new potential date for the Innovation 2020 bond vote. March 18 was the original date scheduled for the vote on the bond referendum, but the pandemic prevented it from taking place. Innovation 2020 entails proposed renovations for a district-wide capital improvements project. Trustees and administrators are considering rescheduling the vote for Oct. 1.