Saranac Lake looks to "hybrid" reopening schedule this Fall

SARANAC LAKE | School district officials here are working with parents, teachers, and staff to develop a hybrid reopening plan for the Saranac Lake Central School District. The largest school district in New York, SLCSD covers about 600 square miles. It is one of the first to publish their work-in-progress. School Superintendent Diane Fox last week released a tentative version of the school reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. It hasn't rearranged vacation dates, but it does propose to stagger school arrival and dismissal times for various grade levels. "While the school will look different in the 2020-21 school year, the commitment of the staff of the Saranac Lake Central School District remains steadfast as we all strive to develop resourceful students who are productive members of society," she said in a letter to students, their families and guardians. "That will mean ensuring that we work as a school community to adhere to all the processes put in place to greatly decrease the spread of COVID-19 and increase our students' opportunity for in-person learning." SLCSD established a transition committee that has been meeting since early June. "The ultimate goal is having students attend in-person as much as possible, prioritizing the attendance of our kindergarten through sixth-grade students while ensuring the safety and wellness of students, families, and employees," Fox said. STAGGERED ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL the tentative reopening in Saranac Lake Schools looks to start grade blocs at different times. In addition to high school, there are two additional school buildings: Petrova Elementary and Bloomingdale Elementary. High School students will attend classes in the high school building. Students in grades K-three would attend in-person four days a week, from approximately 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., with remote instruction on Wednesdays, Fox said. Students in grades four-six would attend in-person four days a week, from approximately 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with remote instruction on Wednesdays. Students in grades seven-12 would attend in-person two days a week, from approximately 10:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with remote instruction on the other days. "Students receiving specialized services would be individually scheduled and may follow an altered schedule. "We know this is far from ideal for families, especially those with elementary children. Again, this is a tentative plan that may be altered as additional information becomes available over the next several weeks," Fox said. The district would evaluate the situation after a few weeks and make adjustments if possible. HYBRID: SOCIAL DISTANCING Saranac Lake is looking to implement a hybrid schedule with Wednesday a day for remote learning. Fox said the mid-week distance learning day on Wednesday would allow for co-teaching and professional development. "The unusual circumstances of next year require additional work to ensure students are educationally advancing. In addition, although all areas will be cleaned and disinfected daily (and high touch areas disinfected throughout the day), remote instruction on Wednesday allows the district time to provide any additional deep cleaning that may be needed." There were several reasons for choosing a "hybrid" schedule, Fox said. "We are being conservative in our application of all health and safety guidelines. This means we will require masks, will have everyone separated by a least six feet, and arranged into consistent groups (cohorts)." But the classrooms at Petrova Elementary School are relatively small, Fox said. And that limits the number of students who can safely occupy any one room. "Therefore, it will take the entire building to house our kindergarten through sixth-grade students. "Bloomingdale students will continue to attend Bloomingdale and will follow all of the same guidelines. "A hybrid model allows instructional staff to be flexible as we enter the unknown of the next school year. We all worked hard to make remote instruction work last year, but we all also readily admit that we can do better. "Our instructional plans include using Google Classroom while providing in-person instruction so that -- should we have to change to remote instruction at any time -- the adjustment will be minimal." Saranac Lake district officials have asked families to complete a 2020-21 School Year Facilities Reopening Survey which will update all contact information and seeks input on the proposed plan. The survey is online here. A final, formal plan with any updates will be filed with the New York State Department of Education on July 31. Schools in the North Country Region can reopen as long as the entire region is Phase 4 and COVID-19 infection rates are at or below 5 percent. Parents with questions about the schedule or concerns about their child's needs can contact their school administrator.

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Saranac Lake looks to "hybrid" reopening schedule this Fall

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