As early as next week, middle school and high school students will be given the option to return to school in person four or five days a week in many suburban districts in Erie County.
Starting Monday, Erie County students in middle school and high school will be required to maintain only 3 feet of social distance in their classes, rather than 6, meaning that schools will be able to fit more students into each classroom.
That’s because the county's rate of new Covid-19 cases over the past seven days dropped to 91 cases per 100,000 residents, County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein announced on Friday.
Based on CDC guidelines, that means Erie County is now considered at “substantial risk” of Covid-19 transmission, rather than in the “high risk” category it has been in for months.
“Because the rates are coming down, kids are coming back,” said Michael Cornell, president of the Erie-Niagara School Superintendents Association.
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“It’s certainly not all districts, but it’s fair to say a majority of Erie County districts have plans in place to return either four or five days a week.”
The Buffalo Public Schools has no immediate plans to offer secondary students the option of attending in person four or five days a week before the close of this school year, which ends in six weeks.
In most suburban districts, the hybrid option will be eliminated. Students who previously opted for fully remote learning will continue fully remote. Those who have been attending two days a week will begin attending in person more frequently.
Some local districts, including Depew, Grand Island and the City of Tonawanda, will bring secondary students back five days a week. Many others, including West Seneca and Lake Shore, will bring them back four days a week.
Those changes are contingent upon the county’s transmission rate staying below 100 cases per 100,000 people, school officials from several districts noted.
Students will still be required to wear masks, and they will still need to maintain 6 feet of distance in gym and music classes and while eating lunch.
Buffalo Public Schools
Buffalo Superintendent Kriner Cash said he would meet with principals, central office administrators and transportation staff next week to get their feedback about each school.
“My focus will first be on trying to get all pre-K to grade 2 children back safely five days a week for those families who want to send them,” he said through a spokesperson.
All of Buffalo’s students now have the option to attend school two days a week, but half have opted to remain fully remote. About one-third attend in person two days a week, and 15% of Buffalo students, including some with high needs and some high school seniors, are attending school five days a week.
Most local school districts brought elementary school students back in person five days a week on April 26, after the state loosened its distancing requirements from 6 feet to 3 feet for elementary schools.
In many suburban districts, though, the overwhelming majority of families have opted for as much in-person instruction as possible. In Depew, for example, 80% of families have opted for in-person instruction five days a week. In Hamburg, 91% have.
Suburban districts
Even before the county’s announcement on Friday, some districts had already announced plans to begin bringing secondary students back in person full time once the Covid-19 transmission rate fell below 100 cases per 100,000 people.
Lake Shore Superintendent Charles Galluzzo sent parents a letter on Wednesday saying he anticipated the transmission rate falling below that level, and as long as it did, middle school and high school students would return in person four days a week, starting May 25.
Mondays will remain remote for all of Lake Shore’s secondary students to give teachers time to prepare instructional material for students remaining fully remote.
Similarly, middle school and high school students in West Seneca will return four days a week in the classroom, starting May 24. Wednesdays will remain fully remote for middle school students to give teachers time to plan lessons and connect with students and families on an individual basis, Superintendent Matthew Bystrak wrote in a letter to parents on Wednesday.
Even with the social distancing requirement reduced to 3 feet, though, sixth graders at West Seneca West Middle School will have to continue using a hybrid model because of space restrictions.
Williamsville and Orchard Park had already announced plans to bring secondary students back five days a week, beginning Monday, in light of a court order Thursday directing them to do so.
Niagara County still 'high risk'
Niagara County remains at high risk for transmission, with a seven-day Covid-19 transmission rate of 138 per 100,000.
Niagara Falls Superintendent Mark Laurrie said he is monitoring the numbers, and noted that the school year is nearing its end.
“We know the number is dropping, but the window is closing,” he said. “I would at least like to bring the middle school kids in.”
News Staff Reporters Harold McNeil and Barbara O'Brien contributed to this report.
