Hempstead monitor says school 'model may change as the year progresses'
The upcoming school year will be like no other, and parents should remain adaptable and ready to emotionally prepare children for possible changes, a panel of experts said Tuesday during a Newsday Live webinar.
"Kids want to come back to school, their families want to send them back to school, and a lot of the decisions are risk versus reward," said William Johnson, retired Rockville Centre superintendent who recently was appointed monitor of Hempstead schools. "Parents have got to understand that we are going to have to work cooperatively with them and that the model may change as the year progresses, and what we start with may not look exactly what we finish with."
The webinar, "School & COVID-19: Deciding What's Best For Your Child," was held three days after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's announcement that schools can hold in-person classes. He left the decision to districts on whether to bring students back to buildings, continue with remote learning, or take a hybrid approach.
The webinar also featured North Babylon Superintendent Glen Eschbach, Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Gabrielle A. Carlson, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
In North Babylon, children in grades K-6 will attend school five days a week, spread through several classrooms, while 7-12 students will be served by a hybrid model. Masks will be mandatory, but breaks will be allowed. Students will be distanced on buses, and the district will have outdoor learning stations, Eschbach said. Plans could change over the school year, he said.
"We want to make sure our kids are being instructed with high-quality instruction, but we also want to make sure that our kids are in a healthy and safe environment," Eschbach said.
Nachman said she expects students to adapt to wearing a mask. Children who have had medical issues have attended school wearing a mask before COVID-19 and "everybody managed fine," she said. She recommended parents send children to school with several masks so students can change into a fresh mask during the day.
Carlson said parental attitudes can help prepare children for a return to the classroom.
"If a parent supports and feels pretty confident it is going to be OK for the child to go back to school — you have two wins there," she said. "You have somebody that is going to make something be successful, and you have a child who is less likely to feel skittish and uncomfortable."
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
