Schooling Solutions - What will CNY schools look like in the fall?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — For almost all of us, it was the most routine part of the day. Get up, get dressed, get on the school bus and off to a day of classes with friends, gossip at the lunch table and recess out on the jungle gym. Now that school day schedule is as big a question as anything we are facing in this pandemic.

And with the education of our future leaders on the line, our children, it is imperative that this problem is solved the right way. For a lot of school leaders, that starts with a framework of how to re-envision the school day with the health of students and staff at the forefront.

That guidance has been slow coming. Just last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued some guidelines for schools to consider. It advised closing communal spaces like cafeterias if possible, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, modifying classroom layouts, and having students and teachers wear masks when possible. But the CDC also noted that there are exceptions to many of these things as each school district and each student is different. Those guidelines have a lot of leeway, and that is leaving both primary school districts and colleges across Upstate New York coming up with ideas and more ideas, hoping they will have it right by the fall.

For many school leaders across Upstate New York, it is the towering question and top of mind - whether to open schools in the fall and how to do it safely. NBC3 Anchor Megan Coleman recently spent time with Liverpool School Superintendent Dr. Mark Potter and asked him if he could say with certainty that students will go back to school in September. "It just feels like this is a different dimension now that I think this is much more problematic because it does affect children. So I'm not quite as confident than I was two or three weeks ago," Dr. Potter told her.

"It just feels like this is a different dimension now that I think this is much more problematic because it does affect children..."

Potter is at the helm of one of the largest school districts in Central New York. With some 6,900 students and more than 1,200 employees, re-imagining schools is a monumental task. Every day, he is faced with a thousand questions and just as many decision to make. Really trying to look at what would be the issues related to social distancing, understanding that when kids come into the building, are we creating a safe environment?" Potter asked. With an average class size of 22 students, that may be far too many once school resumes. Potter is looking for ways to spread out students and is even considering turning the cafeteria into a classroom. The gym could also be used. District leaders are also exploring converting some hallways into one-way walkways. But the district's 14 school buildings are configured different, each presenting their own unique challenges. "I think it's an interesting dilemma for us to come up with a school model that's going to fit a one size fits all," Potter said.

Figuring out that perfect fit is the most ambitious challenge Stewart Smith has ever faced. "The idea of re-imaging my classroom and re-imagining the hallways, re-imaging our cafeterias all of that is something that it's almost as if I can't imagine. It's difficult to see what that would look like," Smith said. But the high school French teacher sees a silver lining in the prospect of fewer students in each class. "As teachers we're always asking for smaller class sizes. Maybe this is the opportunity that we could work something to support students that does reduce our classroom sizes and maintains our health," Smith said.

"The idea of re-imaging my classroom...it's almost as if I can't imagine..."

Down the hall, 6th grade math teacher Don Keohane is gearing up to be the motivator-in-chief. "If I have to roll into a mask yep hey guys guess what I'm wearing a mask, let's go," Keohane said. He is already looking at the logistics of re-envisioning his classroom. " I was in the classroom not too long ago and I was sort of measuring out the room. What's the maximum amount of desks I can have. I have too many in my room right now, but I've been looking at that," he said. To keep students safe, Keohane says they have talked about having teachers rotate to different rooms rather than students. They are also considering having students eat lunch at their desks. "As far as recess goes, what is that going to look like for students? How do you tell a group of 60 6th graders let's go out for recess but don't touch and do go near anyone. Those are conversations we're having," he said.

These are conversations happening not only at elementary, middle and high schools, but on college campuses where leaders at Onondaga Community College are working to create a new normal. "All of our faculty are working on understanding what's best delivered hands-on, what absolutely must be hands-on and what could be at various distances," said Dr. Casey Crabill, President of OCC. Dr. Crabill calls it the biggest challenge of her career. She and her team are looking at what can be taught remotely like lectures and what must be in person like dissections in a biology lab or using a drill press for technical training. "It may be possible for example to have a class where some people are face to face on Monday but other people are face to face on Wednesday and you can de-densify that way, but also have that kind of interaction," she said.

At OCC, they are already thinking outside the box, exploring ways to spread out desks. They expect to have a single point of entry to campus. Crabill says there will likely be health screenings for employees and possibly students which could include temperature checks. Both faculty and students could be required to wear a mask. Crabill says she is still waiting for guidance from the New York State Health Department and State University System. They expect to make a decision about classes by the third week of June. "We've been asked for a plan and the plan has parameters and the parameters are designed to help us think through the specifics of our own campus," Crabill said.

Colleges and universities across Upstate New York are starting to debut those plans. Ithaca College at the base of Cayuga Lake is among the first to announce they will delay the start of the semester until October. Syracuse University will begin early and end before Thanksgiving to prevent students from coming to and from campus. "How could we get this rigorous academic schedule done and maybe get everyone home before Thanksgiving when it is estimated that a potential second wave might hit?" said Amanda Nicholson, Assistant Provost and Dean of Student Success at SU.

On the campus of OCC, life remains at a standstill. The college's child care facility has remained open throughout the shut down, providing critical hep for front line workers. "We know how important that's going to be when people get back to work," Crabill said.

That will be a big piece of the puzzle to help our community return to some kind of new normal. Opening secondary schools will be a key component of helping parents get back to work. "I hate to get too far out in front of the parade and think we've got the answers when we don't know what the game rules are," said Liverpool Superintendent Dr. Mark Potter. He says the district is still waiting for a road map from the Board of Regents and State Education Department. We asked him what kind of guidance he is getting from those entities and whether the district is being given any kind of template for reopening. "I don't know if they don't know what they need to tell us. I think they're looking at this as social distancing, you need to keep people apart. But it's much more complicated than that," Potter said.

"I think we're in a quandary or we're in a situation where we don't know how to plan if we say let's do this if it's even going to be allowed..."

For now, district leaders are crafting all kinds of scenarios. But so many questions remain including will students and teachers be required to wear a mask? Does the district have to provide them? Will daily temperature checks become the new normal? What will school buses look like? Do districts need to block off every other seat to keep students apart or add bus routes to cut down on the number of students onboard? What about fall sports, school concerts and plays? "I think we're in a quandary or we're in a situation where we don't know how to plan if we say let's do this if it's even going to be allowed," Potter said. Potter wants to reassure parents that they are crafting scenarios with the health and safety of students a top priority. A big part of that plan includes sanitation, keeping classrooms clean along with cafeterias, buses and playground equipment. What is certain, they know they owe it to the students to get this right.

As teachers like Don Keohane gear up to get back inside the classroom, he says students will likely need a refresher. He is prepared for a review period at the start of school to help get students back on track. As kids come in, quickly figure out what are they missing? Are they missing some of those key elements? And definitely take that time to catch people up to speed," Keohane said. There will be plenty of catching up to do. For French teacher Stewart Smith, not seeing his students in person each day has been the hardest. When they return to class, he looks forward to reconnecting. And while he sees a place for technology in the future, Smith says it could never be a substitute for in-person interaction to help students learn and grow. "Technology is fantastic. Technology when it works is great. It doesn't replace the human connection of supporting the teacher and the student and it doesn't, it can't replace the learning process," Smith said.

CNYCentral reached out to the New York State Education Department and the State Board of Regents along with the SUNY system and the New York State Health Department to find out what kind of requirements or recommendations they are giving to local school districts and colleges across the state. The State Health Department says it expects to release guidelines for schools in the coming weeks.