6 to 3 Feet Memo to Families
Dear North Tonawanda Families:
We are excited to announce that on April 9th, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) released new COVID-19 guidance for schools. These changes allow for an increased capacity for in-person instruction by reducing social distancing from six feet to three feet in the classroom. As I shared at our April 14 FB Live Event, the District has been planning for an expansion of in-person instruction. We are able to do so for some grade levels because of the updated guidance provided by the NYSDOH, and the unique circumstances of those grade levels. For example, grades PreK-6 are grouped in cohorts all day within one classroom, or travel as a cohorted group, whereas grades 7-12 are not.
The NTCSD’s revised reopening plan expands the in-person instruction on a full-time basis to include all elementary students grades pre-k through six. This revised plan will allow the District to automatically bring back all of our current PreK-3 hybrid students for daily in-person instruction effective Monday, April 26, 2021, and grades 4-6 will begin on Monday, May 3, 2021.
- Parents who did not respond to the district survey that closed on Friday, April 16 should ONLY contact the school if requesting your child transition to 100% remote. Again, all 2-day hybrid students will automatically be changed to 4-days of in-person instruction.
- Current students who ride a bus will move from 2 – 4 days of transportation. Additional communication will be shared regarding any changes to times and stops.
In all K-6 schools, the following changes will be implemented in alignment with the new NYSDOH guidance:
- During Physical Education and music when projecting air through singing or instruments, the distance between students will decrease from 12 ft. to 6 ft;
- Whenever students are eating, and therefore not wearing masks, 6 ft of distance will be maintained;
- Creative and proactive solutions have been sought to ensure safety and 3 ft. of social distancing. This includes using outdoor places for instruction (such as Physical Education) and using alternate and non-traditional locations (such as meals eaten in a gymnasium or on an auditorium stage);
- Additionally, as we transition to the spring, there will be increased opportunities for instruction to occur outside and/or for windows to be open for increased ventilation.
With respect to our middle and high school students (grades 7 - 12), the District is unable to offer full-time, in-person learning at this time due to the community transmission criteria that are outlined in the CDC and NYSDOH guidance, of which places Niagara County in a “high transmission” area. As a result, the NYSDOH specifically requires that middle and high school students maintain six feet of social distance unless the students can be cohorted. Due to the unique nature of student schedules, as well as space constraints, the District will not be able to return more students to NTMS or NTHS on a full-time basis while maintaining six feet of social distance.
Finally, we will be hosting a FB Live Event with an opportunity for Q & A on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at 2 and 5 p.m. Please view our FAQ, for additional common questions specific to these changes (I.e., Before & After School Care, etc) FAQ for 6 Feet to 3 Feet Plan
