Newfield schools embrace remote learning

After a case of COVID-19 in the Newfield School District forced schools to switch to fully remote learning, the Board of Education discussed ways forward in its Nov. 19 meeting.

On Sunday, Nov. 15, the School Board learned of a positive case of COVID-19 in the district and immediately moved to remote learning from Monday, Nov. 15 through Wednesday, Nov. 18, as opposed to the hybrid learning the district had previously been using.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the district extended the remote learning through Thanksgiving break but anticipated returning to hybrid learning Monday, Nov. 30.

Superintendent Eric Hartz said the decision was not easy to make, but he and the Board ultimately made their choice for the sake of their teachers’ and students’ health and safety.

“I just want to reiterate — we would never bring anyone in if we didn’t think it was safe,” Hartz said.

While students are remote, faculty and staff members are still working from the school. Hartz said having faculty on campus would make it easier for administrators to communicate with them, and teachers might not have reliable internet access in their homes.

He also mentioned that some parents might not answer calls from teachers’ home phones due to not recognizing the callers’ numbers.

“I talked to all the other superintendents, and really, over half the schools right now, that’s the deal,” Hartz said. “So, if the kids are remote, all the teachers must show up. That’s the deal with the other districts, with over half of the other BOCES districts in our region.”

Jennifer Pawlewicz, president of the Board of Education, said she knew that some students were struggling with remote learning and that she preferred holding in-person classes when feasible. She said that Newfield schools were well-sanitized, and because of that, students were less likely to contract COVID-19 at school than at home.

“We all know the benefits of in-person learning for students,” Pawlewicz said. “To me, if we can safely have our students back in school, that’s where they need to be.”

Hartz mentioned that some students had been participating in remote learning even before last Monday and said that if they wished to resume hybrid learning, they have until Jan. 4, after the holiday break ends, to make their decision.

The Board took the opportunity to discuss how members were faring with educating the remote learners in the district. Hartz spoke to the success of the district’s efforts to provide students with devices for remote learning.

“We are over a year and a half beyond where I thought we would be in three months,” Hartz said. “There was no thought of every child in this district being able to have some kind of device to work off of until two years from now, and we’re doing it now.”

Hartz said the situation is not entirely perfect, as the district still needs 130 Chromebooks. He expects a deal with Groton to fulfill the district’s needs, but he’s unsure of when the Chromebooks will arrive.

Sunshine Miller, director of technology and professional development, said that the families who had received devices were adapting well. She shared an anecdote about a parent who took three days off of work to help her child, a first-grader, with remote learning, only to be pleasantly surprised that her child did not need her help.

“People are doing a great job,” Miller said. “It’s challenging — there’s definitely some mountains to climb still, for sure — but people are doing a really good job.”

Patrick Mahunik, principal of Newfield’s middle and high schools, told the Board that the remote learning situation was not ideal and some students were “slipping off the radar,” but he was proud of his faculty and staff.

“We are struggling, and if you don’t know, you can’t help support us,” Mahunik said.

Some of the attendees shared their concerns about remote learning. Local parent Stephanie Wright said that her son was one of only three students who attended a remote learning class on the day of the meeting, prompting the teacher to cancel the lesson due to not wanting the absent students to fall behind.

Wright said she understood the teacher’s reasons but was concerned that measures like that would lead to previously engaged students losing their focus or enthusiasm for learning.

Brandon Steinorth, teacher at Newfield Elementary School, said the decision of whether to hold in-person class was a balance of risk versus reward, saying that in-person instruction was more effective and let students see their friends.

Steinorth criticized the decision to have teachers come into work when students had been told to stay home, saying it was an unnecessary risk with no real reward.

“I understand the risk and rewards, certainly when students are present,” Steinorth said. “But to me, the reward of being able to call people on a 9955 number [the school district’s phone number] doesn’t quite balance out any risk that’s involved, even as minuscule as it is.”

Pawlewicz reassured Steinorth and the others who spoke that Hartz was listening to their concerns.

“Please reach out to your administrators,” Pawlewicz said. “That’s what they’re there for. They will certainly help you. If, for some reason, you don’t feel you’re getting the help you need, then reach out to a Board member, and we can direct you where you need to go.”

In Brief:

At the Library

The Newfield Library will hold Storytime at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22. Miss Sue and friends will tell stories, sing songs and more. Call or email for the Zoom links (newfieldpubliclibrary.org/events/storytime-1030-am-5).

The library will hold a History Discussion Group from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 22 on the NPL Zoom (newfieldpubliclibrary.org/events/history-discussion-group-6pm) and will hold an Adult Meet-Up from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 3, 10 and 17 (newfieldpubliclibrary.org/events/adult-meet-up-3). Call or email the library for the Zoom links.

The library will be closed on Dec. 24, 25 and 31, and Jan. 1, in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.