Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District will open to hybrid model

Students will be back in school next month

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Schools statewide will be allowed to reopen for in-person learning next month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week, and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s three reopening plans — in-person learning, online learning and a hybrid of the two — were approved by the State Education Department.

Central District schools will reopen Sept. 8 using a hybrid model, in which students will alternate between in-person and remote classes. The goal is to ease into eventual full in-person instruction, as teachers, students and staff adjust to new safety protocols, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Mike Harrington said.

“Our hope is to move toward a full in-person opening,” Harrington said. “However, we’re going to do that smartly and safely.”

The hybrid model will be in effect for the first two weeks of school, dividing the student body between alternating schedules. If routines are perfected and it is safe to do so, the district has a tentative full in-person reopening date slated for Sept. 21. The final decision on a full reopening will be made by Sept. 16.

District officials sought parents’ feedback through a survey that was mailed to homes. Out of 5,200 families contacted, 4,600 replies indicated that if there is a return to normal, in-person schooling, 82 percent of parents would send their children to school, while 18 percent would keep them home for a virtual experience, Harrington said. Under a hybrid model, 91 percent indicated they would send their children to school, while 9 percent said they would keep them home.

Those parents who prefer to keep their children home will have that option. The district will have an alternate remote option that will allow students to virtually connect to their classes while they are in session at school. The technology introduced in classrooms in preparation for remote learning made the option a possibility, Harrington said. Those parents will be contacted for a final commitment before the school year begins.

For students who will be in school, classrooms and hallways will look very different. Signs will line the walls reminding all to follow social-distancing and safety guidelines; furniture such as shelves, tables and teachers’ desks will be rearranged or removed; students’ desks will have plexiglass walls; many hallways will be limited to one-way paths; and locker use will be prohibited (see box). The district is looking to purchase drawstring backpacks for all students, while teachers will require fewer physical materials for student use day to day.

Students and staff will also be required to use an app that will ask whether they are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, whether they have been in contact with anyone who has had Covid-19 recently and whether they have traveled. If they answer “no” to all three, the app will display an “access color,” Harrington said, which will allow entry into the school after a temperature screening. Juniors and seniors’ temperatures will also be monitored after off-campus lunch breaks.

All buildings will be disinfected daily, and additional workers are expected to be hired with additional pay for the longer hours, Harrington said.

“I’m grateful for the work that’s been done by everyone,” Harrington said. “We feel confident we have a good plan. Now it’s just putting the plan into practice and doing it as safely and smartly as possible.”

Cuomo said he based his decision to reopen schools on the low infection rates recorded in every region in New York. “If you look at our infection rate, we have the best situation in the country right now, as incredible as that seems,” he said. “We’ve been successful because we’ve been smart.”

The State Education Department has left the specifics of how to reopen New York’s 749 school districts to the districts themselves. Like Bellmore-Merrick, all are empowered to decide what in-person learning will look like, how much remote learning will be offered and how safety protocols will be implemented.

He emphasized that communication between school districts and their communities is essential to address concerns of families and teachers. In following state requirements, BMCHSD officials have posted outlines of their plans on the district website.

“The more communication the better,” Cuomo said, adding that he is also “asking districts to set up at least one discussion with teachers.”

Cuomo is mandating that every student wear masks and have one with them at all times.