Schools facing a new worry
Some educators fear that spring break travel could be followed by a COVID surge
As school districts in the Capital Region prepare to bring more students into the classroom, some school leaders say they are also bracing for a potential post-spring break coronavirus surge.
The state’s quarantine mandate for outof-state domestic travelers will end April 1, right before schools begin spring recess, so school officials are asking parents — and employees — to take extra precautions. Currently, only travelers who are vaccinated are exempt from New York’s quarantine requirements.
“We continue to stress that while the quarantine has been lifted, it’s important to remember to continue to strictly follow all the safety guidelines and measures and that, while not required, quarantine is still being advised as an added precaution,” said Karen Corona, a spokesperson for the Schenectady school district. “Our faculty and staff have been diligent. Everyone has
been working hard and smart to keep our schools safe. It is our hope, and we are confident, they will continue to make good decisions.”
Watervliet Superintendent Lori Caplan said the district is most concerned about teachers and staff traveling during the break. Most have been vaccinated thanks to an in-school vaccine clinic, but the district has set up its own protocols for unvaccinated employees who leave the state.
“I have been very clear with my communication to teachers and staff that you absolutely have the right to travel, but if you are not vaccinated, you have to quarantine for three days and present a
negative test,” Caplan said.
Nearly every school district in the region saw a significant uptick in infections following the December holiday break, according to COVID -19 data analyzed by the Times Union. The virus was more likely to spread among adults than among young children.
Some local schools elected to keep students fully remote for a twoweek period after the winter break in order to prevent a post-holiday outbreak. Others were forced to close within days of students returning to the classroom because of in-school exposure.
According to Rotterdam-mohonasen Superintendent Shannon Shine, worries about spring break travel are tempered by the fact that much of
the faculty and staff have already been vaccinated. The district has also found masking and social distancing effectively controlled the infection during the last post-holiday COVID -19 outbreak.
“As far as I am aware, every Mohonasen faculty and staff member who wishes to be vaccinated has had the opportunity to do so,” Shine said. “So while I realize it’s a general concern I believe that concern, or at least a high level of concern, is unwarranted in terms of at-school spread.”
To avoid a post-holiday surge, colleges and universities in the Capital Region have elected to cancel spring break.
Most local districts have had middle and high school students fully remote or on a hybrid model since the start of the pandemic.
The Biden administration has pressed districts to bring students back to the classroom at least one day per week this spring.
This month, hundreds of middle and high school students in Schenectady and Albany returned to the classroom for the first time since the pandemic started.
Albany schools spokesman Ron Lesko said the district has ordered dividers to separate desks as part of its middle and high school reopening plan. The district also conducts regular surveillance testing of on-site students and staff.
“In spite of the hopeful signs we are seeing with a reduction in COVID -19 cases and increasing vaccination numbers and availability, we continue to be very mindful and aware of the fact that the
COVID -19 pandemic has not gone away,” Lesko said in a statement. “It is still a serious health threat . ... We will be prepared to take any precautions necessary if we do experience another surge following spring break next month.”
One of the biggest hurdles to bringing more students into the classroom is the state’s social distancing mandate; districts lack the building capacity to keep students seated at least 6 feet apart in accordance with state Department of Health guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control on Saturday released a study suggesting that 3-foot social distancing in school may be just as effective as the currently recommended 6-foot distancing mandate, but the state has yet to adjust its guidance for schools.