Aug. 6, 2020
Ready for fall: Private schools have easier path to reopening in person
Teachers assigned to outdoor classrooms.
Pop-up tents for sun protection and saucers to sit on outside.
Mandatory Covid-19 tests before returning to class.
And plenty of room to maintain social distance.
Those are a few of the tools some private schools plan to use to return 100% of their students to the classroom this fall, should the governor give the go-ahead to reopen schools. That decision is expected to come Friday.
It's a far different situation than the one public schools find themselves in as questions swirl about the practicality of sending students back to the classroom. Eric Yarwood, executive director of the Education Collaborative of Western New York, a coalition of 14 area private schools, said many, if not most, area private schools plan to return fully in-person in September.
“The private schools have a bit of advantage because we have a smaller number of students compared to our footprint,” Yarwood said. “With CDC guidelines and state Department of Health guidelines, we’re able to in many cases have students on campus while following the 6-foot rule and mask components.”
- Barbara O'Brien and Jay Rey
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