Elwood School District School Reopening Plan
July 2020

Elwood Continuity of Learning Plan
Elwood School Reopening Plan Presentation
Reopening Plan Quick Highlights

“The race for excellence has no finish line, nor does it pause during a pandemic or cease in a virtual environment.”

This plan will likely change as updated information becomes available and as we continue to follow the latest guidance of public health officials. We will notify all stakeholders when the plan is updated. Last update July 29, 2020.


Introduction

On Monday, July 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that school districts in New York can follow plans to reopen for in-person schooling in September if COVID-19 infection rates stay at 5% or lower in a given region.

Determinations will be made by region about opening and closing schools as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. If a region is in Phase 4 and has a daily infection rate of 5% or lower over a 14-day average, schools in that region could hold in-person instruction. If daily infection rates exceed 9% over a seven-day average, however, schools in that region would not reopen. Similarly, should a region see such an average after reopening, schools in that region would also be directed to close.

While districts have been instructed to prioritize efforts to return all students to in-person instruction, the district is also planning for remote/distance learning as well as a for a hybrid model that combines in-person instruction and remote learning. Parents will always have the choice to remain in the remote learning model.  The district will provide parents with a comprehensive instructional plan and then give parents the opportunity to have their child participate in the in-person instruction offered or remain at home and receive remote/distance learning opportunities.

The plan outlined here is for the reopening of schools in the Elwood Union Free School District for the 2020-21 school year, following the building closure related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan includes procedures that will be followed in the following schools:

- Harley Avenue Primary School (K-2)
- James H. Boyd Intermediate School (3-5)
- Elwood Middle School (6-8)
- John H. Glenn High School (9-12)

The safety, health and welfare of our students, our staff and their families is our top priority. We want students and employees to feel comfortable and safe returning to school campuses. Our reopening plan incorporates recommendations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED).  All guidance and resources regarding reopening procedures can be found on the district’s website at: http://www.elwood.k12.ny.us/studentsparents/reopening_resources

It is possible that we may need to alternate between in-person and remote learning throughout the year due to recommendations and guidance from the County/State Department of Health and/or NYSED, and stay-at-home orders from the Governor. The level of infection, the spread of the virus and response to the disease in our community will be at the forefront of our decision making as we move to open our schools.  Safety and health will be prioritized.

Dr. Bossert, the Superintendent of Schools, will serve as the district’s COVID-19 Coordinator. Each building principal, Mrs. Millan (Harley), Dr. Toscano (Boyd), Dr. Sapienza (EMS) and Mrs. Burzynski (JGHS) will serve as a central contacts for schools and stakeholders, families, staff and other school community members and will ensure the district is in compliance and following the best practices per state and federal guidelines. Each principal’s contact information is prominently displayed on their designated school’s page of the district website: http://www.elwood.k12.ny.us/

The district administration and Board of Education would like to thank the 110 stakeholders that assisted in formulating the reopening plans. Each of the four sub-committees: Facilities, Transportation and Food Service, Distance Learning, and COVID-19 Accommodation. The insight, perspectives and expertise provided helped to effectively shape the plan that follows.


District-Wide Reopening Task Force

The district administration and Board of Education would like to thank the 110 stakeholders that assisted in formulating the reopening plans.  Each of the four sub-committees: Facilities, Transportation and Food Service, Distance Learning, and COVID-19 Accommodation.  The insight, perspectives and expertise provided helped to effectively shape the plan that follows.

Guiding Principles

Making provisions to ensure the safety, health and welfare is of paramount importance throughout our reopening planning.  With the assistance of our district-wide task force, we identified priorities to allow for excellence in our instructional model:

• Students/Faculty present in our buildings to the greatest extent possible.
  
• Ease of transition between live and virtual instruction.
  
• Standard of excellence of live instruction to be transitioned to virtual platform.
  
• Ability to modify plan as the need arises based upon student/parent/faculty feedback or changes to the regional infection rate.