School year to start with 'stability,' fewer COVID mandates, officials say
This story was reported by John Hildebrand, Bart Jones, Craig Schneider, Joie Tyrrell and Dandan Zou. It was written by Schneider.
For the first time since COVID-19 shuttered schools in March 2020, the start of school on Long Island won't focus on the pandemic but on more traditional things, such as new sneakers and backpacks, seeing old friends and sharing summer stories.
The 2022-23 academic year, which begins with Jericho's opening Monday and in other districts through Sept. 8, may be most notable for what's missing: plastic desk guards, social distancing, widespread masking and remote learning. There will be no state requirements for contact tracing, daily testing or quarantining. Masks will be optional, and students and staff said their mindset is a balance of striving for normalcy while staying cautious.
"The emergency has dwindled to a place of stability," said Randy Stith, president of the Hempstead school board.
Schools have come a long way from the early days of COVID-19, when, Stith said, "We didn't know how to treat it and everybody was catching it at once." Now students and staff have been fortified with vaccines, boosters and treatments "so we can deal with it and continue with civilization."
The mix of excitement and concern came through in a conversation Tuesday between Renee Blake and her 15-year-old daughter, Lourdes Saunders-Blake. The Freeport mother and daughter had contracted the virus earlier this month, and while Lourdes' symptoms were light, Renee said she experienced days of weakness, head and body aches, and labored breathing.
Renee said she can hear her daughter's excitement about starting school from her phone calls with friends. Lourdes said she has bought new sneakers, pencils and pens, and was shopping for just the right backpack.
But Renee said she wanted to get across to her daughter that, for all the desire to open up, the virus is still with us.
"This thing is not over," she recalled telling her daughter. "We might not see as many deaths, but it's still present."
Lourdes said she understood and worried there could be more illness in school as students remove their masks.
"I think I will wear a mask going back to school, at least until I get the lay of the land," she said she told her mother.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said she sees another kind of normal coming back — kids getting sick with routine respiratory illnesses in late fall and early winter.
She noted that many kids didn't get sick over the past two school years because they were wearing masks, distancing and not hanging out together as much.
"Infections will be occurring," she said, including the coronavirus. "All these respiratory illnesses — colds and flu — are easily transmitted."
If a child feels a little ill, they should stay home, the doctor said, but with so many parents back at work, she knows some won't take off to monitor their kids.
"So, if you're not feeling well, if you have a ... [runny] nose or a cough, put a mask on if you go to school," Nachman said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older and boosters for everyone 5 years and older.
Some health rules from the pandemic remain, though somewhat altered.
If a student or teacher tests positive for COVID-19, they must stay home for at least five days. If their symptoms have resolved, they can return to school and should wear a mask until Day 10, according to the state Department of Health.
Students and staff members exposed to COVID-19 should wear a mask for 10 days, according to the state Department of Health, whose rules are in tune with the CDC. They should get tested five days after close contact or sooner if they develop symptoms.
While the emotional temperature around the virus has gone down, the school year begins with other concerns, such as the spread of monkeypox and polio.
A child under age 8, if infected with monkeypox, may be at greater risk for a severe bout, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Health experts recommend that parents in close contact with someone at high risk for monkeypox think twice about giving their kids lots of hugs and kisses.
State health officials have confirmed a case of polio in Rockland County, and said the individual has developed paralysis, a side effect that is irreversible and affects a small percentage of people who get polio. Health officials have urged people on Long Island and statewide, especially children, to get vaccinated against the disease.
People also wonder whether the schools again will become the focus of the nation's partisan culture wars, as several did last year regarding mask mandates and the teaching of history, gender and race.
Cordelia Anthony, a science teacher at Farmingdale High School, said she's going into the new school year "trying to keep that positive vibe."
"I'm hoping things stay calm — in terms of all the health and safety issues, as well as in terms of the political turmoil that made its way into the schools last year," Anthony said.
School shootings around the country continue to keep safety and security a priority, officials said. Long Island school officials said they've upgraded security systems in light of them.
“We saw Columbine, we saw Sandy Hook, we saw Parkland,” said Glen Cove City schools Superintendent Maria Rianna, who also is president-elect of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents. “There is always a heightened awareness. It's not just a topic of discussion. It's ongoing work.”
The Middle Country district, for example, installed security protocols this summer that include "lockdown buttons" in school buildings — a small, red button underneath a clear plastic cover. Once pressed, the system will prompt flashing blue lights inside and outside the building, as well as a prerecorded announcement of the school being under a lockdown.
The district, which has 9,400 students, has installed cameras internally and externally in each of its 14 school buildings, Superintendent Roberta Gerold said.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Friday that a scenario like the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, in which officers waited 75 minutes in hallways before confronting the gunman, would not happen here because local police would move in far more quickly.
Suffolk County police plan to double the number of active shooter drills it conducts in school districts this year, officials said. The department has 13 resource officers stationed in schools in the county but wants to at least double that number this year, Harrison said.
In Nassau, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his officers have been training annually for active-shooter attacks since Columbine in 1999, learning from incidents elsewhere and refining their tactics. Each of the county's 450 school buildings has had a threat assessment along with active-shooter drills for the students and staff. Officers visit schools daily so they understand the layout inside, he said.
Essentially, the police strategy in such a tragedy is to first stop the attacker, Ryder said.
"Get the shooter. Once the shooter is down, take care of the victims," he said.
When schools are attacked, the police phone lines get jammed up, Ryder noted, so police have distributed a special app to various school administrators and teachers that, when used, bypasses the 911 system to get to a police operator.
Nassau police cars are equipped with tactical vests and Kevlar helmets, he said, and this year each car will add a second tool to breach locked doors, as that occurs during a school lockdown, he said
Nassau police officials will meet Wednesday with school superintendents, principals and village officials to further discuss safety, Ryder said.
Several Island districts have fallen victim to cyberattacks in recent years. Some of those breaches, called ransomware attacks, crippled school computer systems as the hackers demanded huge sums of money to release stolen information on students and staff.
The risk of cyberattacks on schools is heightened during the back-to-school season, said Doug Levin, national director of the K12 Security Information Exchange, a Virginia-based nonprofit that tracks school cyberattacks.
In addition, Levin said, cyber-insurance firms for schools have placed significant new limits on what they will pay for, and the amounts. Many districts also are finding they need to do significant cybersecurity work to be eligible for insurance coverage, he said.
Some remnants of the pandemic remain, for the better.
The John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Babylon opened a mindfulness area in April, where students can relax and regroup during the day. The room has soft lighting, inspirational messages on the walls, yoga mats and beanbag chairs.
The school also has retained an outdoor classroom where teachers can lead children in lessons under a canopy in the schoolyard. The kids sit on small tree stumps with colorful seat cushions, and the teacher uses a portable whiteboard.
“What it has done for the kids has been tremendous,” Principal Denisha Van Liew said. “We just opened the spaces in April and they already have brought so much joy, happiness, peace in a world that sometimes can be very challenging to navigate.”
Jenna Anson, 12, was part of a student group that suggested they needed a quiet room to de-stress.
“I thought it was good for the kids if they needed somewhere else to go besides the classroom,” she said. “It’s a good place to get away.”
Her mom, Chrissy Anson, said she is looking forward to "a great year."
"I feel like it is going to be a great quote-unquote normal year," said Anson, who has three children in the district.
In North Bellmore, where the district's 2,025 students return Thursday, the school board approved a class devoted to health and wellness. The class started as a response to the anxiety about the pandemic but will now be permanent, said Marie Testa, the district’s superintendent.
Students use workbooks, videos and group lessons. Some write “gratitude journals.” Class topics cover bullying prevention and lessons against drugs and violence. Students also learn about stranger danger, cybersafety and fire safety.
“The board of education and I felt that in order to have a successful experience in elementary and beyond — let’s address the heart and soul,” Testa said.
Long Island districts are receiving a record $457 million boost in state financial aid for the new school year, education officials said. That brings the combined regional total for Island schools to more than $4 billion. The latest increase in assistance comes on top of a $417 million hike in 2021-22 that also was a record.
The bulk of aid from Albany comes through a “foundation” formula that focuses on needs of districts with large numbers of students who are economically disadvantaged. As a result, some districts in the Nassau-Suffolk region most dependent on state assistance have been able to approve spending increases on expanded instruction and other improvements.
Looking ahead, Nachman, the Stony Brook doctor, recalled the 1918 flu pandemic and offered a cautionary message.
"It's not so easy to say you're done with a virus," she said. "That flu continued to circulate and affect people for decades."
Ankita Jha, 17, who will be a senior this fall at Herricks High School, said this year's changes are a little jarring.
“I think it's nice that we're getting away from COVID, but it's a little bit scary because it's been our lives for the past two years,” Jha said. “It's like a whole new routine.”
With Michael Ebert
For the first time since COVID-19 shuttered schools in March 2020, the start of school on Long Island won't focus on the pandemic but on more traditional things, such as new sneakers and backpacks, seeing old friends and sharing summer stories.
The 2022-23 academic year, which begins with Jericho's opening Monday and in other districts through Sept. 8, may be most notable for what's missing: plastic desk guards, social distancing, widespread masking and remote learning. There will be no state requirements for contact tracing, daily testing or quarantining. Masks will be optional, and students and staff said their mindset is a balance of striving for normalcy while staying cautious.
"The emergency has dwindled to a place of stability," said Randy Stith, president of the Hempstead school board.
'The emergency has dwindled to a place of stability.'
— Randy Stith, president of the Hempstead school board
Credit: James Escher
Schools have come a long way from the early days of COVID-19, when, Stith said, "We didn't know how to treat it and everybody was catching it at once." Now students and staff have been fortified with vaccines, boosters and treatments "so we can deal with it and continue with civilization."
WHAT TO KNOW
- For the first time since COVID-19 shuttered schools in March 2020, the start of school on Long Island won't focus on the pandemic but on more traditional things, such as new sneakers and backpacks, seeing old friends and sharing summer stories.
- Masks will be optional, and there will be no state requirements for contact tracing, daily testing or quarantining.
- Students and staff said their mindset is a balance of striving for normalcy while staying cautious.
The mix of excitement and concern came through in a conversation Tuesday between Renee Blake and her 15-year-old daughter, Lourdes Saunders-Blake. The Freeport mother and daughter had contracted the virus earlier this month, and while Lourdes' symptoms were light, Renee said she experienced days of weakness, head and body aches, and labored breathing.
Renee said she can hear her daughter's excitement about starting school from her phone calls with friends. Lourdes said she has bought new sneakers, pencils and pens, and was shopping for just the right backpack.
But Renee said she wanted to get across to her daughter that, for all the desire to open up, the virus is still with us.
"This thing is not over," she recalled telling her daughter. "We might not see as many deaths, but it's still present."
Lourdes said she understood and worried there could be more illness in school as students remove their masks.
"I think I will wear a mask going back to school, at least until I get the lay of the land," she said she told her mother.
'Infections will be occurring'
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said she sees another kind of normal coming back — kids getting sick with routine respiratory illnesses in late fall and early winter.
She noted that many kids didn't get sick over the past two school years because they were wearing masks, distancing and not hanging out together as much.
"Infections will be occurring," she said, including the coronavirus. "All these respiratory illnesses — colds and flu — are easily transmitted."
If a child feels a little ill, they should stay home, the doctor said, but with so many parents back at work, she knows some won't take off to monitor their kids.
'If you're not feeling well, if you have a ... [runny] nose or a cough, put a mask on if you go to school.'
— Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
Credit: Randee Daddona
"So, if you're not feeling well, if you have a ... [runny] nose or a cough, put a mask on if you go to school," Nachman said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older and boosters for everyone 5 years and older.
Some health rules from the pandemic remain, though somewhat altered.
If a student or teacher tests positive for COVID-19, they must stay home for at least five days. If their symptoms have resolved, they can return to school and should wear a mask until Day 10, according to the state Department of Health.
Students and staff members exposed to COVID-19 should wear a mask for 10 days, according to the state Department of Health, whose rules are in tune with the CDC. They should get tested five days after close contact or sooner if they develop symptoms.
A message for returning students, and a sign of the times, at Homestead School in Garden City. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
While the emotional temperature around the virus has gone down, the school year begins with other concerns, such as the spread of monkeypox and polio.
A child under age 8, if infected with monkeypox, may be at greater risk for a severe bout, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Health experts recommend that parents in close contact with someone at high risk for monkeypox think twice about giving their kids lots of hugs and kisses.
State health officials have confirmed a case of polio in Rockland County, and said the individual has developed paralysis, a side effect that is irreversible and affects a small percentage of people who get polio. Health officials have urged people on Long Island and statewide, especially children, to get vaccinated against the disease.
People also wonder whether the schools again will become the focus of the nation's partisan culture wars, as several did last year regarding mask mandates and the teaching of history, gender and race.
Cordelia Anthony, a science teacher at Farmingdale High School, said she's going into the new school year "trying to keep that positive vibe."
"I'm hoping things stay calm — in terms of all the health and safety issues, as well as in terms of the political turmoil that made its way into the schools last year," Anthony said.
Lockdown buttons, other security concerns
School shootings around the country continue to keep safety and security a priority, officials said. Long Island school officials said they've upgraded security systems in light of them.
“We saw Columbine, we saw Sandy Hook, we saw Parkland,” said Glen Cove City schools Superintendent Maria Rianna, who also is president-elect of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents. “There is always a heightened awareness. It's not just a topic of discussion. It's ongoing work.”
The Middle Country district, for example, installed security protocols this summer that include "lockdown buttons" in school buildings — a small, red button underneath a clear plastic cover. Once pressed, the system will prompt flashing blue lights inside and outside the building, as well as a prerecorded announcement of the school being under a lockdown.
The district, which has 9,400 students, has installed cameras internally and externally in each of its 14 school buildings, Superintendent Roberta Gerold said.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Friday that a scenario like the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, in which officers waited 75 minutes in hallways before confronting the gunman, would not happen here because local police would move in far more quickly.
Suffolk County police plan to double the number of active shooter drills it conducts in school districts this year, officials said. The department has 13 resource officers stationed in schools in the county but wants to at least double that number this year, Harrison said.
In Nassau, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his officers have been training annually for active-shooter attacks since Columbine in 1999, learning from incidents elsewhere and refining their tactics. Each of the county's 450 school buildings has had a threat assessment along with active-shooter drills for the students and staff. Officers visit schools daily so they understand the layout inside, he said.
Essentially, the police strategy in such a tragedy is to first stop the attacker, Ryder said.
"Get the shooter. Once the shooter is down, take care of the victims," he said.
When schools are attacked, the police phone lines get jammed up, Ryder noted, so police have distributed a special app to various school administrators and teachers that, when used, bypasses the 911 system to get to a police operator.
Nassau police cars are equipped with tactical vests and Kevlar helmets, he said, and this year each car will add a second tool to breach locked doors, as that occurs during a school lockdown, he said
Nassau police officials will meet Wednesday with school superintendents, principals and village officials to further discuss safety, Ryder said.
Several Island districts have fallen victim to cyberattacks in recent years. Some of those breaches, called ransomware attacks, crippled school computer systems as the hackers demanded huge sums of money to release stolen information on students and staff.
The risk of cyberattacks on schools is heightened during the back-to-school season, said Doug Levin, national director of the K12 Security Information Exchange, a Virginia-based nonprofit that tracks school cyberattacks.
In addition, Levin said, cyber-insurance firms for schools have placed significant new limits on what they will pay for, and the amounts. Many districts also are finding they need to do significant cybersecurity work to be eligible for insurance coverage, he said.
A room to relax, regroup
Some remnants of the pandemic remain, for the better.
The John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Babylon opened a mindfulness area in April, where students can relax and regroup during the day. The room has soft lighting, inspirational messages on the walls, yoga mats and beanbag chairs.
The school also has retained an outdoor classroom where teachers can lead children in lessons under a canopy in the schoolyard. The kids sit on small tree stumps with colorful seat cushions, and the teacher uses a portable whiteboard.
'What it has done for the kids has been tremendous.'
— Denisha Van Liew, principal of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Babylon
Credit: Dawn McCormick
“What it has done for the kids has been tremendous,” Principal Denisha Van Liew said. “We just opened the spaces in April and they already have brought so much joy, happiness, peace in a world that sometimes can be very challenging to navigate.”
Jenna Anson, 12, was part of a student group that suggested they needed a quiet room to de-stress.
“I thought it was good for the kids if they needed somewhere else to go besides the classroom,” she said. “It’s a good place to get away.”
Emerson Boye, center, will be among students learning inside and outside John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Babylon. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Her mom, Chrissy Anson, said she is looking forward to "a great year."
"I feel like it is going to be a great quote-unquote normal year," said Anson, who has three children in the district.
In North Bellmore, where the district's 2,025 students return Thursday, the school board approved a class devoted to health and wellness. The class started as a response to the anxiety about the pandemic but will now be permanent, said Marie Testa, the district’s superintendent.
Students use workbooks, videos and group lessons. Some write “gratitude journals.” Class topics cover bullying prevention and lessons against drugs and violence. Students also learn about stranger danger, cybersafety and fire safety.
“The board of education and I felt that in order to have a successful experience in elementary and beyond — let’s address the heart and soul,” Testa said.
Historic infusion of cash
Long Island districts are receiving a record $457 million boost in state financial aid for the new school year, education officials said. That brings the combined regional total for Island schools to more than $4 billion. The latest increase in assistance comes on top of a $417 million hike in 2021-22 that also was a record.
The bulk of aid from Albany comes through a “foundation” formula that focuses on needs of districts with large numbers of students who are economically disadvantaged. As a result, some districts in the Nassau-Suffolk region most dependent on state assistance have been able to approve spending increases on expanded instruction and other improvements.
Looking ahead, Nachman, the Stony Brook doctor, recalled the 1918 flu pandemic and offered a cautionary message.
"It's not so easy to say you're done with a virus," she said. "That flu continued to circulate and affect people for decades."
Ankita Jha, 17, who will be a senior this fall at Herricks High School, said this year's changes are a little jarring.
“I think it's nice that we're getting away from COVID, but it's a little bit scary because it's been our lives for the past two years,” Jha said. “It's like a whole new routine.”
With Michael Ebert
