As the national discussion begins about re-opening schools, Beacon City School District discusses how to open more. Federally and in New York State, schools have had some autonomy in how they open, making choices based on how Beacon teachers are feeling about being in-person, voluntary testing of students and staff, and other safety measures. Today (2/9/2021), Beacon’s Superintendent Dr. Matthew Landahl announced intentions to increase days and hours spent in the classroom, if families wanted it.

Beacon started as “the largest district in Dutchess County to open for in-person instruction for our students with our hybrid model,” stated Dr. Landahl to district families via email today (2/9/2021), when he introduced tentative plans to inch forward with adding hours and days to student’s in-person learning opportunities safely during the pandemic in the coming months.

“We have safely maintained our Hybrid and Remote models through many challenges the past many months without a long term closure of any of our schools.  None of this would have been accomplished without the efforts of everyone in our district and our community.”

Citing decreasing case rates and hospitalizations in Beacon and Dutchess County, Dr. Landahl put weight on the early process of District staff members being vaccinated, saying: “slowly but surely starting to get vaccinated through state or county programs.”

The First Step To Expanded Opening

The first step would be with Beacon High School, who, it is proposed, would be starting a full 8-period day for its Hybrid and Remote students on March 1, 2021.

The expansion to a 4-day in-person week is being studied, with the Remote option still being available to those who choose it. “While I cannot make promises that this will be possible for us,” Dr. Landahl stated in the email, “we are working to develop a plan that would start with Elementary students and then move up to Middle and possibly High School. We would need to maintain safety standards and will work with Health Department officials to see what’s possible.”

A Potential Timeline To Expanded School Opening

Dr. Landahl presented a timeline, which includes levels of communicating with families first, before choices are made:

• Late February: Town Halls and other communications with details of the plan.

• Late February/Early March: Families decide on in-person programming vs remote.

• Late March/Early April: Students begin to return to an in-person 4-day a week instructional model starting with Elementary students.