HAMBURG, N.Y. — Some better news from the Hamburg Central School District on Tuesday as Erie County reports much improved numbers regarding its community transmission rate used as CDC guidance by New York State and Erie County officials and health departments. Full school reopening may be right around the corner.
Hamburg School Superintendent Michael Cornell says simply, "It was always our thinking to return our students back full time at some point before the end of the year as long as the numbers bore that out."
So again with the COVID transmission rate in Erie County very close to that threshold number for a high or red designation and the expectation it will go lower, the Hamburg Central School District is prepped from planning that began in February to bring up to 91 percent of its 3,400 students - those who wish to do so - to return for a full week of classes with masking and three feet distancing in the classrooms.
"We anticipate informing our families of a solid return date here in the next couple of days," Cornell said. "We're certainly hopeful that the week of the 17th is something that we can make happen. But again we got to communicate with our families on a definite day as soon as we those details worked out."
Cornell adds, "Students who are currently enrolled in our fully remote program would have the option to stay in that fully remote program through the end of the year."
Superintendents agree that one of the biggest challenges they're going to face with getting kids back to school is getting kids back on the bus to get to school. And they're trying to work out some of those logistics with parents right now.
"We feel pretty confident in our ability to transport students according to the guidance with our current fleet," Cornell said. "We've been fortunate that a number of parents have decided to help us out and forgo district provided transportation as a way to de-densify our buses."
And while return to school court cases are still before a judge for the Williamsville and Orchard Park districts, other Erie County districts may just proceed with Hamburg even as state and county officials have been calling for strict adherence to their interpretation of CDC guidance.
Cornell who leads the Erie-Niagara Counties School Superintendents Association says with the specific situation in Erie County, "We don't need a green light from the county. The guidance is clear and unequivocal and districts will move to do that as soon as the rate goes below 100 cases per 100,000."