West Islip School District Releases Potential Plan For Reopening

WEST ISLIP, NY — The West Islip School District recently released a potential plan for reopening schools in the fall. In July, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York schools can reopen only if coronavirus infection rates fall below strict benchmarks to be set early this month.

The "formula" that Cuomo spelled out allows school openings in regions that are in Phase Four and have an infection rate under 5 percent. An "emergency" stop to openings will take place if infections rise above 9 percent, he said. A full decision on openings is expected to be made by the end of the week.

West Islip school officials presented a possible plan, posted on the school district website, to give residents insight into what schools might look like during the pandemic.

In June, West Islip officials began to put together a Districtwide task force that explored seven areas for consideration for reopening schools including:

• building procedures and general school operations
• arrival and dismissal procedures/transportation protocols
• health education and communication/mental health
• instructional program considerations
• preparing District stakeholders for a return to school
• facilities use/activities risk considerations
• personal protective equipment (PPE)/cleaning and disinfecting protocols

Under the proposed plan, at the elementary and middle school levels students will attend school in-person "every day that it is practicable."

West Islip High School students would potentially return either Tuesday, September 8 or Wednesday, September 9, using an A/B schedule where only half of the student population will be physically in the high school at the same time.

Efforts will be made so that siblings will attend onsite school on the same days. In addition, the actual period times within the school day may be adjusted slightly to ensure social distancing in hallways during arrival, dismissal and passing times.

Elementary and middle school students would return full-time to the learning environment on September 8, with students staggered by grade level.

The plan states that face masks will be required to be worn by staff and all students throughout the school day at all schools in the district, including on buses.

Breaks will be scheduled by teachers within the class setting throughout the day. Staff and students will be encouraged to provide their own PPE and cloth face mask, but the district will make such items available should the need arise. Parents will be encouraged to provide transportation to their child or children, but regular bus transportation will be available to all eligible students who require it.

During the first week of school, and on an ongoing basis, the West Islip school district will ensure that all students are taught or trained how to follow new COVID-19 protocols safely and correctly, including but not limited to hand hygiene, proper face covering, social distancing, and respiratory hygiene.

The Executive Director of Human Resources is designated the COVID-19 safety coordinator, who will assure continuous compliance of the school’s reopening plan, as well as any phased-in reopening activities necessary to allow for operational issues to be resolved before activities return to normal or "new normal" levels.

According to the plan, schools will rearrange or repurpose physical space within the buildings as necessary, while ensuring compliance with the fire code.

Other precautions the school district could potentially implement under the plan include:

• Schedules will be modified to reduce student use of the corridors.
• To reduce the spread of the virus from door levers and knobs, doors may be fixed in the open position. This is only permitted at doors without door closers and doors that are not fire rated.
• Stairs and corridor doors that are normally held in the open position and are automatically released by the fire alarm system will not be modified in any way.
• Plastic separators/dividers will be used in locations where social distance or mask requirements cannot be maintained.
• Access to adequate hand washing facilities will be ensured in all buildings.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be available in all school instructional areas and in buildings throughout the district.
• As frequent handwashing is a key component to avoiding the spread of COVID-19, sinks and soap will be available to building occupants at all times.
• Drinking water fountains will be available for emergency use only. Students are encouraged to bring bottled water to school, but no student will be denied water at any time. Bottle fillers will be available in each school building.
• The District will increase the fresh air ventilation rate to the extent possible to maintain a healthy indoor air quality. Windows should be open to improve ventilation whenever practicable. The use of air conditioners and fans should be minimized.

The West Islip School District child nutrition program will continue to follow all national, state and local health and safety guidelines, and state and national waivers will be as required.

All students enrolled in the district will have access to school meals each school day, including students in attendance at school and students learning remotely. Free and reduced-priced meals are available for qualifying students whose families meet current eligibility criteria, as determined by federal income guidelines.

Applicable health and safety guidelines will be addressed during all mealtimes including:

• Food service staff will properly clean and sanitize all frequently touched surfaces at the beginning and end of each shift, and between every meal period in the kitchen spaces, including but not limited to serving lines, pin pads, refrigerator and freezer handles and door knobs.
• Self-service condiment stations and share tables will be removed.
• Barriers will be added at the cafeteria point-of sale to protect child nutrition staff, and they will be educated about the importance of maintaining hygienic practices while working in the kitchen.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be located at the entry and exit doors for all cafeterias/dining areas.
• Students will sanitize hands before, if practicable, upon entering the dining area, and upon exiting a dining space after eating.
• Hand hygiene will be promoted to students via posters and verbal education.
• When possible, student arrival times to the cafeteria will be staggered.
• Students will socially distance on lines for school meals.
• Food service staff will place all food items on student trays (e.g. milk, fruit, condiments, etc.). Students will not self-serve any food or drink items.
• Students will be required to keep on their mask until they are seated.
• Students will be socially distanced at the appropriate distance of six feet while eating meals.
• Students may be assigned to eat in the cafeteria, or in a secondary location (e.g. gymnasium, outdoor area, classroom) due to space constraints.
• Vital student information as it relates to food allergies and account fund balance may be accessed on the point of sale system. In addition, all staff involved with supervision of meal consumption outside of the cafeteria will be provided with information on how to recognize an allergic reaction and the procedures to follow in such cases.
• The custodial staff will properly clean and sanitize all frequently touched surfaces at the beginning and end of each meal block, and between every meal period in student dining areas. This includes but is not limited to cafeteria tables and benches, door knobs/handles, hand sanitizing stations and water fountains.
• To reinforce the need for social distancing and good hygiene practices, walkway paths, directional arrows, and social distance markers will be indicated on the floor. Students will be educated about the importance of not sharing food or drinks via posters and direct verbal instruction.

Click here to check out the full and plan.

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