What's up ahead for O.B. and L.V. school districts with schools closed for the remainder of the term?

This story was updated on May 6.

Dr. Tom Dolan, interim superintendent for the Locust Valley Central School District, said it has been pretty lonely at work since schools were forced to close due to the coronavirus. He can still remember saying in February, when talk of Covid-19 began to first surface, that Gov. Andrew Cuomo would never close the schools.

“Then it ended up that we had to close before everyone else on March 9, when we found out that two of our bus drivers tested positive for the virus,” he said. “The next day the staff came back in for a superintendent’s conference so we had a chance to tell them to take everything with them because we didn’t know when they would be told they couldn’t come back. That ended up being the next day.”

But there was still a small hope among educators that they would be back, while the governor considered whether to reopen the schools. But on May 1, he made his decision. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade and college will not return to their schools in New York for the rest of the 2019-20 school year and will instead continue with distance learning to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

It was sobering news but not unexpected. “Given the status of the pandemic and the many different protocols and practices that are likely necessary to get schools up and running again safely, I was not surprised by the governor's decision to keep schools closed until the end of the academic year,” said Dr. Laura Seinfeld, superintendent of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District.  

The announcement came as Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths has continued a steady decline. For the first time in weeks, the number of overnight deaths dropped below 300 from April 30 into May 1 — from 306 to 289, a 5.5 percent decline. New hospitalizations were also down. But Cuomo said on May 6 that the state is still seeing 600 new cases a day, which is unacceptably high.

The decision to close schools affects 4.2 million students statewide in 700 public school districts, 89 SUNY and CUNY colleges, and 100 private colleges.

Seinfeld said she has worked hard to keep parents informed. She and other members of the administration update parents using an automated messaging system that includes emails, robocalls and texts.

“We are sharing messages and news on social media as well as on our website and our administrators also use apps, such as Remind, to contact families,” she said. “We continue to value two-way communication and the partnership with our wonderful learning community.” 

Dolan said foremost in his mind has been an effort to find a way to make the governor’s decision less painful. “How do we do as much as we can to advance the curriculum without exerting undue stress on our students, parents, teachers and administrators,” he said. “This is possibly the most stressful thing anyone has ever experienced.”

Before the governor made his final decision the district immediately decided to have a flexible remote learning plan that did not duplicate the school day, period by period, Dolan said.

“Students can do the work when they are available,” he said. “Some families have more than one student. This plan allows for people to do work on a schedule that they can set themselves.”

The governor has justified social distancing practices, as mandated by the state, and closures with preventing an estimated 100,000 Covid-19 cases, which he said would have overrun the hospitals and caused many more deaths.

Today’s actions will determine “the number of sick tomorrow,” he said — hence the need to keep school buildings closed and continue social distancing.

The governor said colleges and school districts across New York must begin developing reopening plans, which must be approved by state officials.

Dolan said he has attended meetings that included parents, students, teachers and administrators that have been productive. The discussion has been about graduation and prom. No decisions have been made yet, he said, adding that within the next couple of weeks the district should have some ideas.

The seniors that are a part of the meetings were upset to hear that a remote graduation was being considered. “The seniors are very anxious to find ways to replicate events,” Dolan said. “They want us to help them find a way to get them together for graduation. A couple said that a remote graduation is not what graduation is about.”

Seinfeld said she is looking ahead to September considering safety precautions, including proper social distancing. “Reconfiguring the use of space and schedules all may be parts of this plan,” she said. “I am also in very close contact with colleagues across the county as we examine guidance, research, and best practices in order to provide meaningful learning experiences for all student while keeping our students, families, and staff safe.”  

During a May 6 press conference, Cuomo said Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths continue to be on a steady decline. But 232 people in New York died of the coronavirus on May 5. So, people should continue wearing their masks in public and keep up social distancing to protect others, he said.

Dolan said he is not enjoying the new-normal at work. He misses what is typical at the Locust Valley School District this time of year. “The parking lots are empty,” he said. “I smell in the air what I associate with spring. I was thinking of our baseball team. They should be playing. This all makes me sad.”