Schools wait for state decision this week

Schools wait for state decision this week

FINGER LAKES--After touring multiple schools and reviewing multiple district reopening plans submitted to the state, county health officials believe the Finger Lakes Region is on track to have schools open in the fall under a hybrid remote and in-person plan. While not in charge of authorizing reopening plans, Deborah Minor, county health director for Yates and Schuyler County, said after reviewing school district reopening plans across the region, she believes they will comply with the 84 requirements set forth by the state.
"If things remain the way they are and numbers do not spike, I believe school districts in Yates and Schuyler Counties have created plans that will allow them to reopen in the fall (in a hybrid capacity)," Minor said.
Many districts throughout the region have released their plans to the public.
However, there has been concern amongst officials that the delay in state guidelines for reopening and then the complicated nature of those guidelines combined with little guidance has put the governor in the position to make a final determination regardless of their plans.
While Minor said most of the plans she has seen from districts are focused on the hybrid model, she did say based upon the tours she has taken of different schools in the region, it is looking more likely schools will be able, at least partially, to reopen in September for in-person classes.
In Yates County, the tentative plan for Penn Yan Central School District is using a hybrid model for the soft opening and then beginning on Sept. 21 school moves on to a more traditional model. According to a letter released by Superintendent Howard Dennis, a remote-only option is also being offered by the district.
The full plan is available at https://bit.ly/pyreopeningfeedback
The Dundee Central School district has created four models for state consideration and has released its plans to the public.
The majority of the document details "Contingency Plan III," where schools are open but there are restrictions and health requirements. The other contingencies range from school being closed with all virtual learning to school being open with few restrictions.
"The plan was created this way to ensure we are prepared, as much as possible," the district wrote on Facebook when releasing the plans publicly.
As is the case with other districts, Dundee officials have said that their plans are designed to be flexible to allow changes as needed.
Dundee's document can be seen here: http://www.dundeecs.org/community/school_re-_opening_plan_2020-2021
In Hammondsport, the school district has not released a plan publicly and has received an extension from the state to submit their plans on Aug. 7 instead of July 31 as was previously required.