Editor's Note: This article has been updated (below in Italics) to include cleaning and
disinfecting plans the District is taking.
The Brewster Central School District today released it preliminary plan for re opening come September. The plan still has to be approved by the state and Governor Cuomo has said he and his team will review al plans and make a final decision on reopening by August 7th.
Brewster’s plan calls for breaking the students up into 2 groups they call Cohorts (A&B) by last name of the student. Cohort A will attend in-person instruction on Mondays and Thursdays and Cohort B will attend in-person instruction on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will rotate between cohorts in order to ensure an equal number of in-person attendance days. days will be fixed on the calendar and will not be impacted by unplanned days off (i.e. - emergency closure days). Feedback from our subcommittees included the need to identify these days well ahead of time for the planning of our families. A DRAFT version of this plan can be found here.
On days that a child is to report to school, the parent or guardian will be required to submit a health questionnaire attesting that the student does not have an elevated temperature and that they are not exhibiting any symptoms of illness. This will be required for each student each time they attend in-person instruction. School officials have also said that every c=student will be subjected to a temperature check every time they enter a school building and the exact details on this procedure are still be worked out at this time. On the days in which students are not attending in-person instruction, they will be expected to participate remotely. The school day will look significantly different than it did from March on, with increased synchronous student-teacher interaction. Once each building’s schedule is finalized we will share it with you.
On Districts busses the students MUST must wear a mask beginning with the moment that they enter the bus and every student will be assigned to a seat that ensures six feet of social distance from other students.
In order to comply with social distancing guidelines, two tiers of transportation runs will be necessary for each school. The buildings will accommodate students and will adjust their schedules as needed.
Students will be required to wear a mask whenever they are in school but “mask breaks”, with adult permissions and in designated areas ,will be taken in designated areas and not required while eating breakfast or lunch. While the particulars of each building’s schedule is still being determined, we know the following at this time:
- Students will be cohorted as much as possible in an effort to reduce the number of transitions during the school day.
- The student day could be slightly shorter in order to accommodate our transportation needs. If a student is dropped off on the earlier tier, they will be dismissed on the earlier tier as well.
- There will be substantive and regular interactions between teachers and students, regardless of the mode of instruction.
For further explanation, the first week of school will look like this:
- Tuesday, September 8th - Cohort B in-person, Cohort A remote
- Wednesday, September 9th - Cohort A in-person, Cohort B remote
- Thursday, September 10th - Cohort A in-person, Cohort B remote
- Friday, September 11th - Cohort B in-person, Cohort A remote
The plan still needs to be approved by the state and is subject to change.
Social media has been buzzing this afternoon with parents wondering how will the district disinfect the buildings and classrooms if there are staff and students in the building every day?
As of press time the School district has not responded to HamletHub’s telephone inquiry for comment on their disinfecting procedure plan(s).
Today, Monday August 3rd, the Brewster Central School District responded to HamletHub's inquiry to their cleaning and disinfecting plans.
According to Michelle Gosh, the Districts Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for K-12, all the classrooms are on a regular disinfecting schedule using methods which include the use of Clorox 360 degree foggers. The nurse's office and bathrooms will be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected nightly.
Visit the Brewster Schools District Website for more information.