CLINTON — With some questions yet to be answered by the state, including the criteria for proper masks and protocols for testing, the Clinton Central School Board of Education expressed unanimous approval for the district’s hybrid model reopening plan at the Tuesday, Aug. 18, board meeting held virtually.
Dr. Stephen L. Grimm, superintendent, focused the majority of the more than 2 1/2 hour meeting on answering any questions and receiving feedback from Board of Education members. While the decision was up to the board, Grimm recommended that the hybrid model go into place at the start of the school year — the same plan the district submitted to the state Education Department on July 31.
Under circumstances when there is extreme change, such as those faced by students, parents, teachers and faculty in the fall, Grimm said there may be a perception that “life is more chaotic and there is less order,” and that things will “run less smoothly and communication will be broken down.” But he assured that by taking “small steps,” operations will become more systematic and less chaotic.
The superintendent said that it should be taken into consideration that some changes can take years — such as the Vision 2025 plan taking a year to develop and talks about changes in school schedules/times taking place over the last couple years — and that the district had to move considerably quicker to develop its re-opening plan.
“We’ve packed this into five months,” he said.
Grimm then outlined the overall concerns that have been addressed during community “town hall meetings” hosted by the district and Parent Teacher Association. They include: cleaning, contact tracing, filtering the air conditioning system (HVAC), lockers, lunches, masks, school schedules, screenings and temperature checks, and streaming.
The superintendent said that school districts have also not gotten much direction, thus far, from the state as to the number of students who may develop the virus and what that will mean for schools remaining open. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has stated that schools can reopen as long as the positivity rate is below 5%, using a 14-day average, according to reports. If a certain number of students end up testing positive for the virus, that could mean that a district is forced to close buildings and revert to a completely online, or remote, model of learning.
“We haven’t gotten direction on the number,” said Grimm. He later mentioned that the infection rate of the school district must remain under 5% or they will need to go to total remote learning.
As for sanitization and contact tracing, Grimm said all students will be required to sanitize their hands when they leave a classroom and once they enter a new classroom.
When it comes to masks, the superintendent said the district hopes to have more answers soon as to what masks should look like, their vortex, size, type of cloth and thickness. “We want to make sure there’s a clear understanding of that,” he added.
Board of Education Vice-president Melinda Leising asked about making sure students who live in areas without strong internet signals have access to hotspots.
If internet access “is a challenge, we will make sure they have hotspots,” said Grimm.
During a discussion about ideal work spaces, Grimm said the district is looking into whether tech staff can provide a “force down background” for students so that not everyone’s households are exposed during online learning. And in order for students to have a proper, quiet space to learn, he said the district is allowing parents to sign out desks and chairs to take home and create a quiet working environment.
Leising then asked if the school district was consulting with area hospitals about re-opening protocols, including the type of masks to be worn. She said during a recent visit to a local hospital, visitors were required to wear a surgical mask provided by the facility and that homemade cloth masks were not allowed.
“We haven’t talked to such institutions,” Grimm said. “We’ve been dependent on the health department on guidance for the district.”
Board of Education member Megan Burdick then asked what the state Education Department was recommending on masks. She expressed concern that if the district developed a certain policy for masks provided by students, and that the district purchased a certain type of mask to provide to students who don’t have one, that recommendations would change. She wondered whether that would open the district up to liability.
“I’m concerned that if the district takes a stance” on mask protocol, “that 3-9 months into it, we find out that they were the wrong masks based on how fast things have been changing,” Burdick said. During a hospital visit, “they didn’t feel that the cloth mask was sufficient.”
Grimm said the district is currently relying on regulations provided by the CDC. “We figure there should be a minimum standard of what students should be wearing,” he said.
The superintendent reiterated that as a district there has to be a standard, versus what is being seen in the public.
“We want to try and get as many people as we can to cover their faces properly,” he said, adding that districts must meet certain criteria for mask wearing, such as its fit and making sure it’s covering the nose and mouth. As for certain types mandated or recommended, “I will do some research on that,” Grimm said.
Board member Dr. Luke Perry said overall, he supports the hybrid model and students returning partially to school, however, he’s concerned about asymptomatic cases — as 40 percent of positive COVID-19 cases have been asymptomatic.
Grimm said the district is asking parents to keep their children home if they feel they are experiencing symptoms and to monitor them daily. Additionally, the district will follow disinfection protocols, mask wearing and social distancing. As for testing and tracking, “that’s not (part of) our guidance” he said, adding that’s why the importance of wearing a mask, social distancing and sanitizing is of great significance. The county health department is keeping track of contact tracing, the superintendent said, as well as positive cases. He said districts will obviously need to know how many cases they have to track their infection rate, but they don’t know if they’ll be able to reveal that.
Grimm explained that he’s been monitoring developments in Onondaga County where the county executive has encouraged teachers, faculty and high school students to get a newly FDA-approved saliva test before heading back to school. The county plans to have saliva tests ready for schools before students and staff head back.
It was also asked at this point, how many students/parents supported an onsite-hybrid learning model compared to those who supported remote only, and according to reports, between 77 and 78 percent support onsite, versus about 22 percent online.
If any staff are concerned or considered to be part of the high-risk population, Grimm said the district will have a process of adhering to requests for plastic shielding so that proper protection is available for employees, or teachers have the option to teach online. A board member asked if that meant there would be any staffing issues, and the superintendent replied, “We have some, but we haven’t heard much at all” as to teachers not being able to report or those not wishing to, “and we just had our second staff meeting. There’s not a lot we can do for the folks who are compromised, other than not to have a physical presence.”
Toward the end of the meeting, Perry expressed that he wished re-opening guidance for primary education matched, or was more closely aligned, with that of higher education.
According to the state Health Department’s interim guidance for re-opening institutions of higher education, in regards to testing, “Plan for screening and diagnostic testing students and faculty for SARS-CoV-2 upon return, especially any individuals with recent international or long-distance travel, particularly from areas with widespread community transmission of the virus. Plans should indicate if individuals will be tested, who will be tested, the frequency of testing, the method of testing, notification of test results, and the process for those arriving to campus untested. Plans may determine whether to quarantine students upon arrival until they receive testing and a negative test result.”
At this time, testing is something “We can’t mandate, but we can say is available,” Grimm said.
Other topics included busing and how students will adhere to a window-aisle model for seating. Board member Samuel Catterson encouraged parents to transport or walk their children to school, if possible, to help alleviate the numbers being transported by bus.
For those entering kindergarten, Elementary Principal Ellen Leuthauser said staff wanted to host a Visitation Day, and plans are in the works for that. Screening for kindergarten “will not be conducted in the traditional sense,” she said. “It will be modified so teachers will get to know each child and what students will be with what teachers.”
Overall, Grimm said the district is ready to return to school on Sept. 8. Board of Education President Mary Lou Lauchert said any lingering concerns will be addressed by the district to the best of its ability as time progresses.
Lauchert said it’s beneficial for the “social and emotional health of students to be able to come to school.”
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