A phased reopening of schools in Rye will start in just over three weeks on Monday, March 1st. The plan was outlined by the Rye City School District during a board of education meeting Tuesday evening.
Beginning on March 1, 2021, the district is proposing a phased full reopening according to the following schedule:
- March 1 – Kindergarten and first grade
- March 8 – Second, third, fourth, and fifth grade, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, and all RMS special education students
- March 15 – Ninth and tenth grade and all RHS special education students
- March 22 – Eleventh and twelfth grade
The district will continue to offer a fully remote option. Safety procedures on school grounds will remain, including:
- Face masks must be worn on campus at all times except during supervised, safe mask breaks
- Social distancing will be modified to a range of 3-6 feet depending on the available space
in a particular room - Polycarbonate desk shields will be used at every desk for every student
- Air purification units and MERV-13 filters are installed and operating in all spaces in the schools
The district needs the proposed timeline for a variety of reasons around coordinating all the new changes. Curiously says it pushed the schedule in part because Mid-Winter break is February 15-19, saying “We know that many in the community will be traveling. In order to limit potential exposures, mass quarantines, and the possibility of having to go fully remote, we will begin the proposed phased reopening starting March 1.”
In closing the reopening presentation (!), the district warned:
- Greater density and numbers of students may lead to more students being quarantined
- “This can only work if the community helps. A low positivity rate within the community will enable us to stay open. We need to be more vigilant than ever!”
Want More? Read the reopening presentation.
