Parents And Districts Prepare For What Back To School May Bring

As parents flock to stores with a list of school supplies that their children will need for classroom learning this Fall School districts across Western New York are preparing to welcome students back as well. Questions still remain about what health guidelines will be in effect.

School districts know do know in just a few weeks when school starts students will be back inside the classroom five days a week according to WIVB-TV.

“Any sort of hybrid learning or that kind of stuff, to me, seems extremely unlikely,” said Hamburg Central School District Superintendent Michael Cornell. “I doubt very much that New York state will require anything other than 5 days a week in-person learning for all students in September.”

Will face masks be mandatory?

Niagara Falls School Superintendent Mark Laurrie hopes the state allows masks to be an option rather than a requirement.

Laurrie thinks the decision to be left up to school districts and not made on a state level.

“It’s time for a local decision, there are nuances in every community that are very different,” he said. “There are 700 school districts in the state of New York and they all have different sizes, space allowances. It really should be left to local Boards of Education.”

The CDC recommends indoor masking for all teachers, staff and students regardless if they’re vaccinated.

The latest state guidelines are also recommending that schools maintain at least three feet distance between students inside the classrooms.

“I don’t plan on getting out yardsticks and measuring nose to nose, I think we’re beyond that time,” Laurrie said. “I think when you get within 3 feet it really starts to get inside someone’s personal space anyways so I think using good common sense should prevail always”

The New York State Department of Education says are currently working on new guidance for the upcoming school year.