Kathy Graupman, who serves as both Superintendent of Greece Central School District and president of the Monroe County Council of Superintendents said district personnel began this school year working as both educators and tech support.
Greece, like many local school districts, went with a hybrid back-to-school planthis year with kids splitting the week between classes from home and at school. Graupman said they’re often helping parents with passwords and to connect with WiFi.
“When I talk to my colleagues it sounds like that’s pretty on par with respects to the challenges,” said Graupman.
Graupman also said a large number of parents registered their kids for school at the last minute and the district had to make sure that they have a device with an internet connection. Roughly 14,000 students attend Greece schools.
In a news conference Thursday, she said the district’s biggest hurdles in adapting to the district’s hybrid plan are mostly due to traffic.
Graupman said the plan has led to more traffic backups from parents dropping their kids off at school at schools. She also said there’s been some backups online as well.
“One of the things that have come up for many of us in terms of challenges,” said Graupman, “were really around tech, and just trying to get so many people into an online environment at once.”
She said both traffic problems have been mostly ironed out at this point. Graupman also said that social distancing protocols are working out.
“Everyone’s done a really great job wearing masks,” said Graupman. “Washing hands, following safety protocols that we’ve implemented in our schools.”
Greece had two positive cases for COVID-19 this week. Graupman said she informed the community, took the bus they used out of commission for cleaning and deep cleaned the classroom. She said the Monroe County Health Department is contact tracing.
But Graupman said her biggest concern when it comes to spreading COVID-19 comes after kids leave school.
“The question, the worry, for parents is ‘are they gonna get it at school?’ when really most of us and I say this as a parent, have become more lax in our home setting, and that is, there’s a group of kids that my kid goes to play with and they’re not masked during that time.”
Graupman said both students who caught COVID-19 were friends inside and outside of class. She’s encouraging parents to make sure their kids wear masks and social distance even around friends they trust.
