Shelter Island Board of Ed hears from staff experts on pandemic effects

All is well among staff and students at Shelter Island School with the issue of COVID-19.

But Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., said he is vigilant and borrowing lessons from other districts on handling concerns.

Mr. Doelger told the Board of Education Monday night that Shelter Island is one of only two districts in Suffolk County open full time for all students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

But if a case were to arise in the  building, he wanted families assured they would be notified immediately and would not have to wait until after 11 p.m. at night to find out whether classes would be held the following day.

That has happened in other districts to the consternation of parents, Mr. Doelger said.

Protocols would be determined by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. But with so many cases spiking in the area and some delays in getting instructions from the Health Department, he would make an early call to shut the building the following day.

Reopening would occur only when the Health Department advised it was safe to do so.

“Everyone will know immediately,” the superintendent said.

With revised New York State standards affecting out-of-state travel, Mr. Doelger advised families to be aware of their own needs to quarantine for varying periods of time depending on where they may have traveled from.

School Psychologist Danielle Spears and Social Worker Michele Albano told the board about steps they are taking to be alert to any COVID-19 concerns affecting students’ emotional health.

Most student concerns coming to their attention were the usual issues that have arisen in non-pandemic days, they said. But they are reaching out to students and families to address issues that could affect attention span, behavior and socialization.

They have asked some parents and students to complete surveys to identify potential issues and provide assistance where it could be needed.

The two women go into regular classrooms to observe and interact with students and schedule lunches with groups of students to maintain their sense of how students are adjusting.

Stacy McCarthy, a Board of Education member and director of operations at Sylvester Manor, spoke about a recent field trip by students to the educational farm.

Noting they were well behaved and maintained social distancing from one another, she said the students were excited to participate in an activity that mirrored more usual fun than what they have been able to do in the past nine months.

She said one parent who relocated to Shelter Island from New York City sent her a message that the last field trip her child was able to take before the pandemic hit was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and that the Sylvester Manor trip was high on her child’s list of such events.

The district is also exploring two grant opportunities, according to Jennifer Rylott, director of pupil personnel, data and instruction. One would help to expand services for the community of immigrants with children in the school district. A second would provide money for the general school population to create programs that foster good health and emotional services during the pandemic.