WESTCHESTER, N.Y. - With spring’s official start less than a month away, and temperatures expected to rise into the upper-60s next week, it seems only fair that Old Man Winter would ease up on us a bit.
But, no.
The recent slippery mix of snow, freezing rain, and sleet was the straw that may have broken the back of local school districts’ allowed number of emergency closing days.
Both the Somers Central School District and the North Salem Central School District announced on Tuesday, March 3, that they were closed due to the inclement weather.
North Salem immediately switched to remote instruction.
The state requires that school districts provide a minimum of 180 days of instruction.
Emergency closing days are woven into each district’s calendar.
If they go over their allotted four, they have to start looking around for places to make up that lost time.
Snatching back days from, say, Spring Break is a tough nut to crack because many families have already made vacation and travel plans.
Somers Superintendent Dr. Adam Bronstein notified parents on the evening of Monday, March 2, that the district had obtained a “waiver” from the state Education Department for its Monday, Feb. 23 closure and had therefore, at that point, only used three of its four emergency closing days.
Formal states of emergency were declared on that day by seven states, including New York, New Jersey, and parts of New England.
School districts are therefore allowed to close without losing any of their state aid.
In his note, schools Superintendent Dr. Adam Bronstein advised folks that if the district needed to close schools after this week, it will “pivot to remote instruction.”
In preparation for this possibility, students were to receive a brief tutorial on how to use their school-issued devices to “access learning tools from home.”
Districts that change over to virtual learning have to meet state rules for “synchronous,” or live, instruction.
Bronstein also pointed out that remote instruction was only going to be used to “avoid the need for make-up days.”
In the event that it is required, each school “will communicate the specifics of its schedule,” he wrote.
Bronstein thanked the SCSD’s administrative team, faculty, and staff for help in updating its plans for the possibility of remote instruction.
He followed up on Tuesday, March 3, with the announcement that since it was officially the district's fourth emergency closing, May 26 would no longer be a Professional Learning Day for faculty and staff.
As per the district's printed calendar, it is its first make-up day and will instead be a regular instructional day for all students.
It planned to update its website calendar to reflect the change.
(The Board of Education canceled its March 3 meeting as well.)
NORTH SALEM
Meanwhile, in neighboring North Salem, Tuesday was a remote learning day.
The switch will help “preserve” spring recess – March 30 through April 3 – “a time when many families have already scheduled vacations and made travel plans,” said schools Superintendent Dr. Adam VanDerStuyf in an announcement.
The district’s Emergency Remote Instruction Plan (ERIP) identifies ways in which instruction may be delivered, either live or by making educational materials, lectures, and assignments accessible on on flexible schedule, not in real time.
Either way, remote instruction requires regular teacher-student interaction “with an appropriately certified teacher,” VanDerStuyf explained.
“Remote learning is about connection, continuity, and care,” he said, adding that while “it will not mirror the depth of in-person instruction,” it was “help maintain connection and consistency, provide structure to the learning day, offer meaningful opportunities for students to engage in learning activities, and reinforce and extend previously taught skills.”
Each building has its own specific plans, which can be obtained through their children’s teachers and principal.
VanDerStuyf also outlined the remote learning protocols for special education and related services as well as for the English as a New Language (ENL) program.
All students are expected to participate. If for some reason they cannot due to their disability, the district will work with teachers, support staff, service providers, and parents to develop a plan that addresses that student’s specific needs, he said, assuring parents that students with IEPs will receive “the same quality of services that would occur in an in-person environment.”
Since ENL will also be impacted during remote learning days, students will be provided with a Google Meet link directly from their ENL teachers “to ensure that all mandated services continue to be delivered,” VanDerStuyf said, who appreciated the school community’s “support and understanding.”
“In the meantime, I would certainly welcome calm and uneventful weather in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.
Fingers and toes crossed.
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