Charlton School practices distanced learning
BURNT HILLS, N.Y. » The Charlton School recently held a “pandemic practice day” simulating remote classes in the event the school ever needs to immediately pivot to a distance learning model.
“Given the current state of the COVID pandemic and the highanxiety the idea of remote instruction brings to all of us, this day of practice is more important than ever,” said Education Director Tina Crego.
Charlton is both a NYS approved high school and residential treatment center for young women between 12 and 18 years old, from all over the state. Most of the 41 students there are coming from psychiatric hospitalizations and experiencing a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, selfinjurious behavior, and more. Many stay year round at Charlton in a boarding school setting and receive 24/7 care from staff. Distance learning presents a different set of challenges for residential treatment centers as opposed to standard day schools. On its “Pandemic Practice Day,” all Charlton students were expected to participate in a full day of virtual learning. Day students were expected to participate from home, and residential students had the option of participating from home, from their dorms on campus, or from designated classes in the school building.
All students logged on for classes from their assigned Chromebooks. The simulated day included 8 blocks of classes and scheduled breaks for homeroom and lunch from 8 AM to approximately 2:30 PM. All Charlton students have been using Google Classroom in-person in the majority of their classes. Therefore they did not have too many difficulties connecting with their classes using the distance learning platform. Prior to the break, each teacher reminded students where to find the links to each class’s Google Meet site. Because participation is a part of students’ grades in class, students were expected to participate in each class for the entire period, with their videos on at all times.
“The teachers reported a highlevel of student engagement from students who are on campus and at home,” said Crego. “We asked our staff to send us creative pictures of their afternoon as well as students and families so we could see the day from their perspective as well.”
“We are making a commitment to continue to use all we have learned throughout the pandemic,” said Executive Director Alex Capo, LMHC. Charlton has remained open throughout the pandemic due in part to its thoughtful planning and flexibility. Since December 2020, the
school has conducted COVID-19 saliva testing right at school. They spent approximately $6,000 to buy the materials for pool testing and asymptomatic testing. Capo says every staff member, every student and every family was on board. “As a 24/7 residential treatment center, we don’t have the option of going fully remote,” said Capo, “Our goal throughout this pandemic has been to remain open for students who rely on our critical services.”