Elmont school district releases re-opening plan

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Elmont school officials are proposing a hybrid learning model for the 2020- 21 school year, under which kindergarten through third-grade students would attend class in-person Mondays through Wednesdays, and fourth through sixth-graders would attend class in-person on Thursdays and Fridays. On days they are not in school, students would learn remotely.

Under the district’s plans, which Superintendent Kenneth Rosner released to the public Monday night, each class would be divided into two cohorts, with classroom teachers and special-area teachers alternating between the two group. Classroom teachers would teach one group literacy, math, science and social studies, while special-area teachers, intervention specialists and other faculty that provide supervision and instruction would work with the other group.

When they are not in school, the students would complete reinforcement materials, and would meet with teachers virtually.

Pre-school students and those in self-contained special education classes, meanwhile, would attend school in-person every day, and any parent who does not want to send their child to school can fill out a form enrolling their child in a full virtual learning program that “would mirror” the work being done in school, according to Rosner.

“Everything is on the table,” he said in a Zoom meeting with district parents about the plan on Monday, adding, “We have to do what we have to, to get children back in the classroom.”

The average classroom in the school district could only accommodate 13 students with social-distancing measures in place, he explained, and all staff and student would be required to wear a mask when social distancing is not possible, unless they are unable to medically tolerate one.

To ensure compliance with this rule, the district has ordered two cloth masks for every staff member, and the disposable ones for all students to last 180 days.

The schools would also be sanitized with electrostatic disinfectant sprayers — which use a specialized solution that is combined with air and atomized by an electrode to adhere to surfaces and objects — every day after school, and high-touch surfaces would be sanitized throughout the day. Additionally, the district installed partitions between urinals, mounted hand sanitizing stations in classrooms that do not have sinks, and touchless sinks to all bathrooms. Hallway and bathroom monitors would make sure that students wash their hands and keep a safe distance from one another, and, Rosner said, he would encourage teachers to schedule hand washing times for their students.

“Our sleeves will be rolled up, our masks will be on, and we will be in the buildings everyday to make sure thee protocols are being followed,” he said, noting that the district would have to return to a full remote program if Long Island’s coronavirus infection rate rises above 9 percent.

That is why, he told parents, “We’re all in this together,” asking them not to send their children to school if they are sick.

Anyone with questions about these plans is encouraged to send an email to September2020@ElmontSchool.org.