First day of school at Jordan-Elbridge is Sept. 8; all buildings open for in-person learning every day

On Friday, Aug. 7, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that in-person instruction is permitted in all regions of New York state for the start of the 2020-21 school year based on current COVID-19 infection rates, while also outlining new requirements related to school reopening plans.

Arrival/Dismissal Information for JE Schools

Reopening Information To Know: School-by-School

The first day of school at Jordan-Elbridge is Sept. 8, and the district will open its schools for in-person learning to students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 every weekday.

District leaders created a reopening committee of more than 60 members (consisting of parents, teachers, community members and more) and set a goal to open schools to students in every grade in a manner that was as safe as possible.

They set that goal because of the results they received from a community survey.

“We wanted to do this because our kids have not been with their teachers since March. Although we did well with distance learning, there is no substitute for the real life experience and real life connection between teachers and students,” said superintendent James Froio.

“It’s really important for students to learn and grow not just from their teachers, but one another. Also, the benefits of socialization and play are enormous, no matter what grade level that you are in.”

Froio added that schools being closed caused a hardship for “a lot of our families,” when it came to employment or financially regarding daycare.

The requirements to open included highlighting plans for remote learning, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, which are all parts of the district’s reopening plan that was submitted to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and New York State Department of Health (DOH).

Some of the numerous safety precautions the district will take includes:

• screening students and staff daily;
• maintaining social distancing;
• utilizing smaller class sizes;
• wearing protective equipment;
• and following cleaning/disinfection protocols.

At a Board of Education meeting in August, Froio said in order to accomplish opening schools to all students in the district, you have to have three things: space (to accommodate social distancing needs); a smaller district; and bus capacity to transport students because of the limited amount of bus space.

“Also, the most important thing is that you have to have an amazing staff and we certainly do,” he said.