Students in the Bridgehampton School's seventh through 12th grades have been learning remotely since March 16, when schools here first closed because of Covid-19. Now there's a plan in the works to bring those students back into the building.
Administrators explained on Tuesday that the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades would come back on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades would return on Thursdays and Fridays. The groups would alternate attendance on Wednesdays, and would take part in classes via live streaming on the days they are not there in person.
But the plan is contingent upon two factors. First, the ongoing $29.4 million construction project needs to be advanced to the point where five of the new second-floor classrooms can be occupied. Second, the new rooms have to earn the approval of the Southampton Town fire marshal.
"We are optimistic," Robert Hauser, the district superintendent, said on Tuesday during an online forum with parents, teachers, and students. "We acknowledge that there are parents, students, and staff members who feel very strongly one way or another about having grades seven through 12 return to school. . . . I think it's important to acknowledge those opinions," he later said.
The introduction of the plan came after Mr. Hauser announced that the school had seen its first confirmed student case of Covid-19 that very day, and administrators had decided to close school midday. It was back in session yesterday.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services advised school officials that 10 adults and 10 students will have to quarantine for two weeks. Mr. Hauser said the sick student attends class in one of the modular classroom buildings outside the main building. The 10 adults quarantining include not just full-time teachers but also related service providers such as therapists, he said.
The School Covid Report Card, a state database that is updated daily, indicates that there had already been one "lab-reported case" of the virus in a student based on residence in the district, but that student does not actually attend the school.
On the South Fork, Bridgehampton is the fifth public school district, and sixth school over all, to have a confirmed case of Covid-19. East Hampton, Springs, Montauk, Sag Harbor, Southampton, and the Ross School have each had at least one case in a student or teacher.
Michael Miller, the principal at Bridgehampton, described the hybrid proposal in detail. The day would start at 7:56 for the secondary students, slightly later than their younger peers. They would go directly to first-period classes, skipping a homeroom period. Unlike other middle and high schools here, Bridgehampton's secondary students would switch classrooms for their different academic subjects. Seniors would still be allowed to drive to school, as in past years, but would no longer be able to leave the campus for lunch.
Students would not change for gym class, and would not have use of lockers. They would not be permitted to use bathrooms during the three minutes in between class periods, but rather would be allowed to use them one at a time during classes if needed, enforced by a hall monitor.
The schedule for kindergarten through sixth-grade students, in which all students are present every day, would not change.
Mr. Miller said much remains to be worked out, including a system for cleaning desks between classes and a way to provide lunch to the secondary students. Whether students can be dropped off at school early is another open question. There is also a discussion about using the new fitness center, a freestanding building that is near completion, for physical education classes during colder weather. School officials also said the plan could be modified before it is implemented.
Families of Bridgehampton's secondary school students would be able to opt out of the hybrid plan and choose to continue with fully remote lessons. Mr. Miller said, however, that "socially and emotionally, it's better when we are in person."
Some students in the secondary grades are falling behind in their academics, he said. That phenomenon is not unique to Bridgehampton; James Crenshaw, the East Hampton High School principal, recently said the same is happening there. East Hampton's secondary students are on a hybrid plan similar to the one Bridgehampton is proposing, though the children are divided into groups alphabetically by last name rather than by grade.
"There are many families that cannot wait to get back. There are also families that are concerned with multiple issues," Mr. Miller said. "It's hard for me to sit here and speak for everyone."
Parents, students, and teachers had many questions. Joyce Weinberg wondered why all secondary students could not return every day.
"We cannot fully open with social distancing," Mr. Miller replied.
One student suggested that it would be unsafe to return while construction was still in progress. At least two others questioned the bathroom policy, saying it was unfair to young women who are menstruating.
A parent suggested that the secondary teachers devise seating charts, an idea Mr. Miller said he liked. The same parent suggested that it would be fairer to keep the secondary students home until January, and then allow them to return in person while switching the younger grades back to distance learning.
The elementary students "had the toughest time on remote in March to June," Mr. Miller said. "Not every parent can always be there to assist. That was the reason we chose the kindergarten to sixth grades to come back."
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Hauser said the questions and comments were appreciated. "We are listening," he said.