Mattituck Schools Shift To Hybrid Learning From All In-Person

MATTITUCK, NY — Parents and educators in the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District were left scrambling over the weekend when they learned that plans for every day, in-person learning were shifting to a hybrid model.

According to Superintendent of Schools Jill Gierasch, on Thursday afternoon, the district received guidance from the New York State Education Department's office of facilities planning that provided further specifics about social distancing in classrooms with regard to the measurements and layout of furniture.

The updated guidance now requires the 6-foot social distancing spacing to be the edge of the workstation, or desk, to the edge of an adjacent work station; previously, the guidance was interpreted by districts as chair to chair or child to child, she said.

"While this may not seem like a significant change, it actually causes almost all classrooms to lose an entire row — approximately four desks. We planned for class sizes of around 15 with schedule adjustments, building reconfiguration, and adding teachers. Taking a row out or four students, even with the prior adjustments makes it impossible to meet the regulations for K to 8 in person instruction, every day," Gierasch said.

What that means is that the district will be instituting the hybrid model for grades K to 12 until further notice. Students will be split K to 12 in groups A to L and M to Z at all grade levels with very few exceptions. Students will either attend Monday/ Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday and every other Friday, she said.

"We know students need and learn best in-person with daily instruction from their teachers; that’s why we worked so hard to bring at least K to 8 children back every day in the original plan," Gierasch wrote. "This week, we did our very best once receiving this updated guidance to reconfigure and rework every angle of every classroom — even with the notion of purchasing new furniture and hiring more teachers."

Plans had already included removing bookshelves, teacher desks, and cabinets to accommodate for the in-person model so it wasn’t a matter of just removing more furniture and equipment, she said.

"It’s simply not possible due to the magnitude of adjustments that would be needed," Gierasch said.

The hybrid model will require the district to revisit some schedules and where possible, determine which classes or services can be delivered face to face/remotely on the off-campus days, she added.

Instructional materials will be sent home with the children to set them up properly for the at home day; off campus day, Gierasch said. And, in light of the A/B day delivery, class sizes will be smaller in hopes of more individualized attention on the in-person days. More child friendly materials will be added back into the classrooms where possible, she said.

"This news was devastating to our leadership team and is a significant game-changer in every aspect of our plan," Gierasch said. "Our hearts sank for many reasons this weekend when we had to make the final call. We know what it means for our children and our families. While we don’t make the rules, we must abide by those given to us to ensure compliance and the safety of children and adults alike," she said. "Please understand we will continue to do our best every day and in every model with your children at the heart of each decision."

As mandated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, virtual parent meetings will take this week via Webex; for log-in information, check the district's website here.

For those who cannot make one of the three meetings scheduled, the Powerpoint presentation will be posted on the website after all meetings are held.

"Thank you in advance for your understanding," Remember, we are Mattituck-Cutchogue Strong and we will persevere and get through this," Gierasch said.