Sachem Schools Add New COVID-19 Protocols As Cases Soar

LAKE RONKONKOMA, NY — The Sachem School District — one of the largest school districts on Long Island — reportedly has the largest number of COVID-19 cases, prompting officials to change their protocols.

The district has no plans to go remote just yet, but officials have restricted visitors from buildings during the school day, and meetings with parents will now be held virtually until further notice. All performances will be suspended until Feb. 1 and sports games will be live-streamed where possible.

Windows in classrooms and buses will also be cracked open to allow for better air circulation, so students have been advised to dress appropriately. Staffers will also ensure proper mask-wearing on buses and students will be required to sit with their siblings enroute to school.

The 15-school district has had 1,867 positive COVID-19 cases between students and staff since Sept. 13, according to the state’s COVID-19 Report Card. One thousand four hundred and forty-three cases were attributed to students, two hundred and thirty-nine cases teachers, and one hundred and eighty-five staff.

The largest number of student cases can be found in the district’s two high schools — Sachem East and Sachem North —as well as Sagamore Middle School.

“Unfortunately, COVID-19 will once again require us to change protocols in order to mitigate spread both in our schools and our community,” wrote Schools Superintendent Christopher Pelletieri in Jan. 6 letter to parents. “New York State officials have urged schools to stay open for in-person instruction, which we can do, if we closely follow our health and safety protocols.”

“We will, however, be sure to continue to closely monitor all of the factors that go into this decision-making, such as staffing availability and overall numbers of cases,” he added.

During the elementary schools’ lunch and snack time, the cafeteria will be used as well as other large spaces, and classrooms, to create greater social distancing, and students may be asked to snack by row to limit all masks being down at the same time.

Whereas, the cafeteria set up for the middle and high schools will now have greater social distancing, and officials will continue to examine additional spaces for lunch at those schools, as well as the use of outside spaces when the weather is appropriate.

Social distancing will be maximized in all classrooms, with a return to the no smaller group instruction policy.

Students will also continue to be advised to adhere to hand hygiene protocols.

Officials have also put into place “isolation spaces” in each building for students waiting to be picked up during the beginning of an illness.

Officials will also continue with protocols for contact tracing and quarantining, including 10-day student quarantines until we are notified by the Suffolk County Department of Health, that its officials, as well as the New York State Department of Health, have adopted as part of the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.

As far as masking goes, mask breaks will be monitored and cautiously implemented and afterschool sports and clubs will continue during the day with “masking protocols as appropriate,” Pelletieri said.

He went on to say that the district has received a portion of its COVID-19 home-testing kits allotment and it will be sending out a survey for families that wish to request tests — one per enrolled child.

“Any further details we will certainly look to communicate with you as much as possible during these trying times,” he continued. “As I have stated before, we get through these tough times as we always do...together.”

“Please be well,” he added.