Trumansburg kicks off school year fully in-person

Students returned to the halls of Trumansburg’s elementary, middle and high schools this week — a delayed start due to district officials wanting to ensure summer construction work was finished before the year began.

In late August, Trumansburg Superintendent Kimberly Bell sent a message to the district’s families letting them know she would be recommending a delayed start to the year, which the school board approved at a special meeting. She noted that there had been capital construction delays as well as two positive COVID-19 cases on the crew and that TST BOCES also wasn’t opening until Sept. 13.

While there is still some outstanding work, Bell said Sept. 9 that health and safety walkthroughs have been completed, and most classrooms have been “set up to receive students.”

“Our HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] system is being brought online in the middle school,” Bell said. “The elementary school main entry and office are not yet complete, nor are the high school fitness room and middle school locker rooms. Final connections are being made for technology including phone and public address systems.”

Bell said the school will operate much like it did last year, using guidance from the CDC and Tompkins County and state departments of health to ensure safety for students. Recognizing the importance of in-person learning, she said the district will require universal masking and 3-feet physical distancing. The only exceptions will be during meals, Bell said, when students will not wear masks but will be distanced to 6 feet or greater.

“Masks must be worn while outdoors unless individuals are able to be 6-feet or greater apart,” she said. “Transportation will also require passengers and the driver to wear a mask at all times. Ideally, students will be socially distanced, however this may not be feasible on all routes.”

A major change Bell noted is a weekly COVID-19 screening for all unvaccinated adults.

“The capacity to screen our employees is a proactive approach to support the health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff,” she said.

Like many schools last year, Trumansburg offered a remote-learning option for families. This year, again like most, it will not provide that opportunity as a standard practice.

“Our shift this school year is to accommodate all students on campus therefore we do not have dedicated personnel to work with our students that previously chose to be 100% remote,” Bell said. “Remote instruction [through a third-party provider] is available for a limited number of students who qualify as medically fragile with documented health conditions or medical needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Families who need the remote learning accommodation will have to submit a formal request to Bell, which will be reviewed by the district’s medical director and follow the process for obtaining an alternative learning plan.

For individual students who need to be out of school because they are quarantining, the district’s new learning management platform allows students and parents access to assignments and lessons. If a larger group is required to quarantine, Trumansburg is prepared for that as well.

“Should an entire classroom or building be placed in quarantine, we will move to our contingency plan providing asynchronous (not live) and synchronous (live or by-period instruction),” Bell said.

Asked how the district would handle situations where students — who are old enough to understand coronavirus recommendations made based on science and data — feel they are being put in an unsafe situation with a staff member who has not been vaccinated for COVID-19, Bell pointed to the precautions the district has in place.

“Our capacity to test unvaccinated teachers for COVID-19 each week is a proactive measure supporting the health and wellness of our community,” she said. “Other mitigation measures such as mask wearing, social distancing, frequent handwashing and increased cleaning and sanitation of our spaces as well as proper ventilation will support a safer learning environment.”

Last year, Trumansburg used a daily health screener, but that is not in place this year. Instead, families and employees were asked to complete a form acknowledging they understand they should be evaluating possible coronavirus symptoms before coming to school.

“However, our teachers will continue to take temperature checks of each student upon arrival to their first class of the school day,” Bell said.

She feels confident the district is well prepared to handle the continuing coronavirus pandemic and praised the staff for their ability to adapt.

“[The school district] is well prepared for the challenges of 21-22 based on the shifts and changes we implemented since the onset of COVID-19,” Bell said. “Our capital project is nearing completion, however it has displaced teachers from classrooms and temporarily interrupted our technology. Our staff has demonstrated great flexibility and recognize the improvement in instructional spaces and infrastructure will be worth the temporary inconveniences.”

As the school year begins, she said she is feeling hopeful because the district is starting with 100% in-person instruction.

“We will have the opportunity to create stronger connections in person and have the knowledge and strategies to keep our community healthy and safe,” Bell said. “I’m optimistic that our new district goals will allow us to aspire to do better than we’ve ever done before. At the completion of our capital project, we will have fantastic new instructional spaces for staff and students to collaborate, learn, grow and find joy.”

Bell said that she and others in district administration will continue to work with local health professionals and the New York State Department of Education to “clarify, change and update guidance to keep our community safe.”

“The safety and well-being of all of our families and staff continue to be our priority,” Bell said. “Thank you for entrusting us with the care and well-being of your children.”