By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
As schools prepare to reopen this fall after COVID-19 forced them to close in March, each district has its own plan for the 2020-21 school year. The Messenger recently detailed the Baldwinsville Central School District’s reopening plan, and our sister publications have done the same with the school districts in their coverage areas. While public schools have received more attention for their hybrid schedules, private schools in the area have developed their own reopening plans.
Unlike the BCSD, Baldwinsville Christian Academy and Word of Life Christian Academy have both opted to offer in-person instruction five days a week. The Messenger was unable to reach BCA administrators before press time, but WOLCA Administrator Carmen Durst discussed WOLCA’s plans for the fall.
WOLCA, located on East Oneida Street across from the main BCSD complex, has about 150 students ranging from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade.
“We try to keep our class sizes to 15 — always, even when there wasn’t these restrictions,” Durst said. “We knew we could do it given the space we have.”
Private schools, Durst said, had to follow the same regulations set out by New York State for all schools, and the state released additional guidance for reopening religious and independent schools.
“Because many religious and independent schools have smaller enrollment than their public school counterparts, leading to lower population density, as well as flexibility within their physical plant, they can pivot to the new guidelines as the state reopens and innovate in such areas as hybrid learning models, facility, schedule, and calendars to meet the needs of their students, faculty, and families,” reads the New York State Reopening Guidance for Religious and Independent Schools document, dated July 27.
Durst said WOLCA began formulating its reopening plan back in June.
“We actually started early in June even before the guidance came out,” she said. “We looked at Connecticut’s plan … and started formulating something from that plan.”
Like other schools’ plans, WOLCA’s plan outlines the use of face masks and shields, plexiglass shields, social distancing, hand hygiene, disinfection protocols as well as containment procedures if a student or staff member shows symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19.
“We also ordered a lot of plexiglass to make sure [students are safe] when they’re not exactly 6 feet apart,” Durst said.
Armoured One, a Syracuse-based security company, has provided face shields for students and staff at WOLCA.
“That definitely helps us feel like we’ve got that added protection,” Durst said.
Public schools provide transportation for private school students, but WOLCA is asking parents to transport their children themselves when possible.
“We wanted to limit the amount of interaction our students would have with other districts,” Durst said. “We sent a survey out to all of our parents and I think 87% said they could.”
Durst said she has reached out to the families who responded that they would have difficulty transporting their kids to school. WOLCA is arranging alternate drop-off and pickup times for those families. The drop-off and pickup schedule for all students is staggered to decrease the risk of transmitting the virus and allow for temperature checks.
While the majority of WOLCA families are opting to send their children for in-person classes, remote instruction is available for those with health issues.
“Remote learning is available for all students who are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness and who may not feel comfortable returning to school,” WOLCA’s plan reads.
“For the most part our families were really happy that we’re offering [in-person instruction],” Durst said.
The school has even seen an influx of new students whose families felt that WOLCA’s smaller class sizes would reduce the risk of transmission and found the schedule more manageable than the public school district’s.
“B’ville has kind of a tougher schedule, it sounds like, so some of the families who can’t do that three days on, three days off [enrolled],” Durst said.
Some grade levels even have a waiting list for enrollment.
WOLCA’s five-day schedule offers flexibility for its teachers and staff as well.
“Our own teachers have teenagers in districts all over Central New York so they’re trying to figure out what to do when their children have remote learning,” Durst said.
WOLCA has set aside classroom space for employees’ children to engage in remote learning so the employees don’t have to choose between child care and their job.
Durst said the WOLCA team has been “100% on board” with the school’s plan.
“We’re really pleased to have staff who knew what we’re about. They’ve been very supportive and … they’re a little scared too, just like many teachers across the country. We want to make sure everybody’s safe and we just have a heart to provide that for all our students,” she said.
Over the summer, WOLCA’s teachers and administration have collaborated on the reopening plan. Classes are scheduled to begin Sept. 9.
“We really put a lot of thought into that reopening plan,” Durst said. “I can’t speak highly enough of our teachers. Their heart is to provide a space for their students that they feel like is home. They’ve worked hard all summer to make sure the students feel safe.”
To learn more about Baldwinsville-area private schools’ reopening plans, visit wordoflifeacademy.org and baldwinsvillechristianacademy.com.
