COVID-19. Students exposed to the coronavirus prompt changes in instruction

Here’s update on the continuing impact of COVID-19 school districts:

Monroe-Woodbury High School

Hybrid instruction continues as scheduled as of Nov. 10. What’s not known is the second week impact of Halloween parties. Social media posts were often full of photos of students attending large Halloween parties without masks or adherence to social gatherings.

Warwick Valley, Washingtonville, Pine Bush

Images like those were tormenting to school officials, who continue to do everything they can to influence students to avoid such gatherings and the possibility of unintentional COVID-19 exposure.

Similar parties have had impacts in neighboring districts. Warwick Valley and Washingtonville closed their high schools for two weeks due to Halloween party gatherings and spikes in confirmed cases in their student populations.

The same thing happened in Pine Bush, where students were supposed to return to in-person instruction the first time this year. That’s been delayed due large gatherings tied to Halloween.

Goshen

The Goshen School District announced a full district closure and pivoted to all-remote instruction through Nov. 16 due to multiple cases requiring large-scale quarantining which includes staff.

School officials know conditions can change overnight, depending on how cases develop. That doesn’t necessarily mean a school or district closes for in-person instruction, however.

Wear a mask, be socially distant, wash your hands

And officials will be the first to tell people that much of a district’s ability to remain open for in-person instruction rests with families and their reinforcement of following mandates and good public health practices: wearing a mask, being socially distant and hand washing.

Students are in school for about seven hours a day for in-person learning, where following mandates is highly regulated.

But outside school walls, school officials have no control.

Community members can learn about their district’s COVID-19 cases on a special website: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/home.