MAYVILLE, N.Y. — The Chautauqua Lake Central School District has reached a big milestone: it is celebrating 100 days of in-person instruction.
Superintendent Dr. Josh Liddell told 2 On Your Side the district has been doing full in-person learning since September.
At the end of June, the district started a reopening committee with people from different facets within the school. That committee had two common goals. he said: one was to keep students and staff safe, and the other was to get students back in the classroom.
In order to do that, the school implemented New York State safety measures to bring students back full time.
At school, each student must answer daily screening questions and have their temperature checked upon entry into the building. The district installed ultra fine air filters, and it utilized gymnasiums, auditoriums, and the cafeteria as classrooms for social distancing.
Dr. Liddell also said the district hired an architectural firm to ensure all desks were six feet apart and removed excess furniture, such as teachers desks, to maximize space.
Parents also had the option to do full remote instruction, but Dr. Liddell said more than 95% of students are currently enrolled in in-person instruction.
"We have realized there is no substitute for in-person instruction," Dr. Liddell said, "specifically for our elementary students, our special-education students, and our reluctant learners. We have also seen overall our students' academic achievement levels are higher when they are a part of an in-person instructional model compared to remote.
"We also realize that school is a safe place if you establish and follow the precautionary measures. Throughout the year we did not see any major evidence of in-school spread of COVID-19."
Dr. Liddell said the district is fortunate to have a new school building that's size is conducive for social distancing and a smaller staff and student population of around 1,000.
For comparison, the Buffalo Public Schools district serves more than 30,000 students, and in February it welcomed just a small portion of those students back to the classroom for in-person instruction.