Area education officials request full reopening of schools

WARRENSBURG | Superintendents of 31 area school districts want their students back in school. They sent a letter to state health department officials March 18 asking for a change in state regulations that would allow them to bring all their students back to school full-time, rather than depending on remote learning or a hybrid of in-classroom and home education. The letter requested, in part, permission to place each student a minimum of three feet apart rather than the prevailing six-foot distance. The request was based on a recent study that concluded that three feet of separation were just as effective as six feet in protecting from the transmission of coronaviruses. The superintendents said that partial in-person learning or lack of classroom instruction was causing more students to fail academically than ever before. Warrensburg School District Superintendent John Goralski said that his high school's hybrid learning program — two days of in-school instruction followed by two days of remote learning — was causing many students to fall far behind in their studies. He said that since the pandemic, almost five times as many Warrensburg Central students are now failing one or more classes than during a typical year. The letter was signed by the superintendents of all the school districts in Warren and Washington counties and several districts in Saratoga and Hamilton counties — those that belong to the regional BOCES district. Copies of the letter were sent to all the counties' public health officials, and area state representatives. The letter states that: • Not only are "at-risk" students failing, but also many others who are typically in good academic standing. • Many students are facing "significant mental health challenges" due to the lack of social contact. "Students are craving a return to a normal school environment," the letter says. • Many remote students are not participating in instruction, particularly those who can least afford to miss school. • Students that are now avoiding remote learning may not successfully integrate back into the school setting once the pandemic is over. • Remote instruction is a less effective method of teaching reading and writing skills to young students. • Many students involved in art and music programs have become disinterested in school because remote instruction in these subjects is difficult and not as engaging as in-person experiences. • Remote or hybrid instruction has prompted many graduating students to take a year off before attending college, and such a gap prompts a high percentage of them to bypass college entirely, which is detrimental to their future. • Remote instruction prevents teachers and school staff from determining and reporting physical and sexual abuse of students, putting many of them at risk. Goralski told WNYT-TV that bringing the students back to school, if approved, could be accomplished safely and without delay. "If the state health commissioner told us tomorrow that we could go to three feet between students, we would work over the weekend to get all the desks and furniture back in rooms, and have all of our students in class on Monday morning," he said. Goralski added that if such a change isn't approved by the state, the school district might bring the pupils back, but install plexiglass barriers between students, which is expensive and which would intrusive to the classroom experience.

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Area education officials request full reopening of schools

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