Garden City Schools Reopening Plan: What You Need To Know

GARDEN CITY, NY — Late Friday, the Garden City School District unveiled its plans for reopening schools in the fall in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan includes many facets the district believes will help keep students and staff safe, as well as promote learning for the students. The plan has been submitted to the state for approval.

The district developed plans for entire in-person learning, a hybrid of in-person and distance learning, and entirely distance learning. Many of the plans share similarities when it comes to social distancing and other health measures.

Here are some key facts about the district's plan:

• Even if schools are open, families will have the option to keep their children home for distance learning. But if they chose that, they will have to stay distance learning for at least the first semester.
• All students, staff and visitors must wear a mask whenever in school buildings. Students will have to wear masks during class.
• Everyone on the bus — students, drivers and aides — have to wear masks while on the bus.
• Students and staff must check their health every day. The district will release an app where staff can check in to assure they're symptom free, and parents will be able to do the same for their children. Staff and students will have to have their temperatures taken every day before leaving. Any visitors will have their temperatures taken when coming to the building.
• Bathrooms will have limited capacity. Secondary school bathrooms will be at 50 percent occupancy, and elementary bathrooms will be limited to the number of stalls they have.
• Social distancing will be maintained in classrooms. This means some classes will be split, and the district is hiring more teachers to help with the overflow.
• Students will be able to order lunch in advance, or pick up “grab-and-go” options in the cafeteria. Regular cafeteria tables will be replaced with normal desks spaced six feet apart so students can remove their masks while eating.
• In the hybrid program, elementary students will attend in-person classes every day. Students in middle school will alternate every-other day between in-person classes and distance learning. High school students will be on a three-day schedule, also rotating between in-person and distance classes.
• Sports are currently scheduled to start on Sept. 21. Extracurricular activities will continue either remotely or in person, depending on the activity. Large gatherings and special events that serve food or drink won’t be allowed.

You can read the district's entire reopening plan by clicking here.