Rensselaer City School District plans for reopening
RENSSELAER, N.Y. » The Rensselaer City School District released its proposed reopen plan for the fall.
Based on the voluminous guidance, the district does not have the space or resources to bring back all students full time while practicing social distancing. Hence, the district is planning for a hybrid model that combines in-person instruction and remote learning.
The plan outlined includes procedures that will be followed in both schools:
• Van Rensselaer Elementary School
• Rensselaer Junior Senior High School
Their 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).
It is possible the school district may need to alternate between this hybrid plan and remote learning throughout the year due to recommendations and guidance from our partnering agencies, and stay-at-home orders from the Governor.
The level of infection, the spread of the virus, and response to the disease in the community will be at the forefront of decision making as they move to open our schools.
Resources and limitations
• RCSD neither has the space nor number of adults to bring back all students and safely socially distance.
• Officials do not believe that they could sufficiently clean the school daily that would allow for cohorts of students to switch daily.
• Our city has several community partners to help parents in a hybrid learning situation.
• Officials said the district will have 1:1 laptops for grades 5-12 and over 150 devices available to students in early primary grades as necessary.
Instructional rigor
• Grades administered in conjunction with NYS Learning Standards
• Attendance will count for remote learning
• Training will be available for teachers, students, and parents to better utilize communication tools and increase the effectiveness of remote learning.
• Communication will be structured and uniform based on survey feedback
• Instructional changes to minimize exposure:
• Favor classes held outside when possible
• Class size and spacing • Specials in elementary classrooms (music & art)
• Block scheduling for grades 7-12 to minimize hallway travel
Transportation
• Encourage parent transportation or walking when possible
• One student (or household) per seat
• Masks required • Temperature taken prior to boarding bus
• Windows down and hatches open when temperature is above 45 degrees (weather permitting) • Always use the same seats • Buses disinfected between runs
• Each household will be assigned to the same week to allow consistent schedules
Building access
• All students and staff will be screened prior to entry
• Students screened prior to boarding bus, when getting out of vehicles, or when entering walker door.
• Staff screened at point of entry
• No parents or visitors in the building without an appointment
• Anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees will not be permitted to enter • Restricted Access • Masks worn at all times in the building with the exception of:
• Seated to eat a meal while properly socially distanced
• Seated to receive instruction while properly so
cially distanced
• Alone in a room or office
• All students and staff are expected to bring their own mask. Schools will have masks available in case one is forgotten, lost, soiled, or otherwise unusable.
Building traffic flow
• Time in hallways will be minimized
• One person at a time in the bathrooms
• Lockers will not be used; personal items should be kept to a minimum
• Floor tape to mark direction and appropriate social distance will be applied
throughout the building
• Sneeze guards installed in high interaction office areas
• Visitors will be restricted to the two vestibules
• Elementary lunches will be staggered to avoid classes crossing over • Fewer class changes • Time outside is encouraged
Sanitation
• Washing or disinfecting hands throughout the day
• Sanitization stations will be installed throughout the building
• Increased daily cleaning and disinfecting
• Minimized sharing of objects and disinfecting when necessary
• Deep clean weekly to prepare for change of cohorts
Communication
• Plan will be posted on the school website when ready.
• Updates will be emailed/texted home
• Training and instructions will be integrated in the plan and available online
• Digital translators, student leaders, and community partners will be utilized to provide communication in native languages
whenever possible.
Help needed
• We need help to reduce the number of students on buses (driving or walking)
• Younger students need an adult with them at the bus stop in case a student does not pass the screening. We need a safe way to send them home.
• We need to wear masks on buses and when moving in the building for the safety and peace of mind of each other.
• Plenty of hand washing
• Please be patient with us. Our team is working
hard to keep everyone safe.
Superintendent Joseph Kardash will serve as the district’s COVID-19 coordinator.
Kardash wi l l work closely with the local health department and will serve as a central contact for schools and stakeholders, families, staff, and other school community members and ensure the district is in compliance and following the best practices per state and federal guidelines.