Pandemic learning losses worry parents, educators
Parents, educators worried about kids making up losses
Melanie Baker, outside her Brentwood home with sons Joshua, 17, Jonathan, 15, and James, 12, said she's worried most about her children's emotional and social well-being during the pandemic. Credit: Howard Simmons
Many parents and educators have worried students would fall behind since the pandemic originally forced students into at-home, hybrid and in-person learning.
Educators said they’re most concerned about students missing out in math, reading and writing, since these skills build upon one another.
A national discussion is underway looking for solutions, with strategies including targeted tutoring and weekend learning academies, expanding summer school and adding teachers, counselors and reading specialists. The learning loss will be hard to measure before the fall, and may vary from district to district, educators said.
"A lot of students are not prepared. They’ve missed a whole year, or they’ve barely been in school," said Caren Gough, a regional co-director of a state master teacher program at Stony Brook University. "I think the schools will be shocked by the amount that kids are behind."
Read more from this story by Newsday's Craig Schneider.
NY targets low vaccination areas as new infections decline
New York marked its 64th consecutive day of declining seven-day average COVID-19 positivity rates, as the state pushed to offer vaccination options in underserved areas.
Eleven new pop-up vaccination sites — including two on Long Island — will open this week in New York State in ZIP codes where the vaccination rate is lower than the state average, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.
COVID-19 indicators continued at low levels in test results from Monday. The seven-day average posivity rate was 0.51% statewide, 0.45% on Long Island and 0.43% in New York City.
Statewide, 68.9% of adults 18 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, state data showed. Cuomo said on Monday that when the level reaches 70%, many restrictions will be lifted, though some will remain in effect, such as the mandate to wear masks inside schools.
The number of new positives reported today: 27 in Nassau, 32 in Suffolk, 221 in New York City and 442 statewide.
This map shows the concentration of new cases across Long Island.
This map shows the concentration of new cases in Long Island communities, with data as of Sunday.
Search a map of new cases and view charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
LI lifeguard shortage leaves pools, camps scrambling
Instructor Miriam Pincus, center, teaches students in a class at Lifeguard Training NY in Rockville Centre on Sunday. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
On Long Island — and nationwide — there’s a shortage of certified lifeguards. And managers at local swimming pools, beach clubs and camps say it’s the worst they’ve seen.
The pandemic has a lot to do with it for several reasons, including training classes being shut down last year, experts told Newsday’s Tory N. Parrish.
"I have never in my life — and I’ve been doing this 10, 11 years already — seen such a shortage," said Motti Eliyahu, owner of Lifeguard Training NY, a Valley Stream-based business that charges $395 for a 20-hour lifeguard class.
Some pool facilities will not be able to open, or their hours of operation will be cut, because they can’t find enough lifeguards. To better compete for lifeguards, employers are raising wages, paying for training and certification, and even paying for room and board on occasion.
Showing students' 'thank you' to frontline workers
Twins Rebecca and David Syers Jr., 11. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Janice Syers teared up when she saw her children’s drawings of a nurse on a billboard — they were part of a display of 10 billboards showing 1,026 patches of artwork schoolchildren made to honor frontline workers.
Syers’ twin children, David Jr. and Rebecca, 11, drew a female nurse wearing blue scrubs. One was decorated with pink hearts and both included a handwritten "Thank You." The siblings are fifth-graders at St. Aidan Catholic School in Williston Park.
"I was so astounded," recalled Syers, an emergency department nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park. "I was, from the bottom of my heart, so happy with all these pictures and these children wishing us luck and being safe. It was just very touching."
The billboards at Michel J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park were installed by North Hempstead Town, which collected digitally submitted artwork by students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Keep reading this story by Newsday's Dandan Zou.
More to know
More than 10,000 motorists cited for moving violations in Suffolk County since late last year have now resolved their tickets through a virtual plea bargain system that county officials say is the first of its kind in the state.
"Springsteen on Broadway," rocker Bruce Springsteen's live show based on his 2016 bestselling memoir "Born to Run," will return to Broadway from June 26 through Sept. 4.
The Patchogue Theatre is getting ready to reopen this fall, and its first new booking will be Toad the Wet Sprocket, headlining on Oct. 2.
News for you
Diana Biancospino, of Floral Park, plays Frogger at an event at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City last month. Credit: Howard Simmons
Finding retro arcade games on LI. Gamers are keeping the art of retro arcade and video games alive on Long Island. And people want to play in the past — here are 11 places you can find retro games like Skee-Ball, NBA Jam, Galaga and more on Long Island. There's also this 1970s-themed restaurant and arcade in Patchogue that you can check out.
A new cruise ship on the Great South Bay. You can experience a sunset on the South Shore while aboard 52-foot vessel, Running Wild, for a private cruise around the Great South Bay, courtesy of Shoreline Trading Company in Bay Shore. Read more details, including about the pandemic-related restrictions still in place.
Live entertainment at parks, PACs. For Long Islanders looking to explore beyond the area, here are some events were you can catch live music, comedy shows, festivals and more this summer at state parks and performing arts centers.
Madison Square Garden concerts coming back. And it starts with the Foo Fighters on June 20, which will be the venue’s first 100% capacity concert in more than 460 days. Fans attending must show proof of full vaccination. The Eagles will kick off the "Hotel California 2021 Tour" at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 22 and 24.
Plus, a reminder: Join Newsday for a webinar at noon on Wednesday focused on traveling during the pandemic. Where can you travel and which restrictions remain? Register here to watch and find out.
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Commentary
Masking confusion. Some activists and parents on Long Island are loudly decrying what they see as the state’s foot-dragging on dropping school masking requirements. But behind the scenes, many school officials said they would not, and quite likely could not, drop their masking rules even if the state quickly got the changes straight, writes the most recent edition of The Point, Newsday Opinion's daily newsletter.
Last week, the state appeared to give guidance saying New York would stop requiring masking in schools on Monday, though it would still "strongly encourage" them for unvaccinated students. But over the weekend, thanks to confusion over guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control, schools were informed the changes would not come so quickly. Some districts are champing at the bit to drop the requirement, and in those communities anger is growing over the delay.
Then Monday, Cuomo said the masking requirement would stay in effect indoors in schools because the federal CDC would not loosen that rule for at least a few weeks.
With just a couple of weeks to go in the school year, some officials say plans in place that were vetted by district stakeholder groups in accordance with state guidance could not be changed without going through that whole process again anyway — an impossibility in the time left.
"Nothing has changed since last year," Nassau BOCES Superintendent Robert Dillon told The Point. "The districts are operating under the plans they had to vet with parents, faculty and staff before they reopened to in-person learning, and they cannot change those plans without going back to those groups."
Erin Serpico is an assistant web producer who joined Newsday in November 2018. Originally from New Jersey, she now covers community events and produces local content for newsday.com while also helping run the homepage.
