BUFFALO (WBEN) - A significant portion of Erie County is now in a "Yellow Zone" due to a rise in coronavirus cases, meaning restaurants and bars must close at midnight, gatherings are limited to 25 people, and schools are required to test 20% of in-person students and staff.
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"Schools can still stay in-person session," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz Monday afternoon. "However, the school districts are going to be required to do testing of their staff as well as their students who attend in-person for at least 20% of the total population of the school on a weekly basis."
The testing requirements do not apply remote-only districts.
Hamburg Schools are utilizing a hybrid model this year, and Superintendent Michael Cornell said their goal is to do everything possible to make sure in-person schooling can continue.
"We really want to keep our students in school," said Cornell. "In-person learning is so vitally important to the life of a child, and we'll do everything we can to maintain in-person learning while we're in the yellow zone.
"We're not a primary source of spread, but we have been called upon by the governor to be a part of the solution," he continued. "In order to be a part of the solution and stay open for in-person learning, we have to test 20% of our students."
But logistically, there are a lot of questions, such as how will this level of testing be achieved? Cornell says they'll receive the tests from the New York State Department of Health, but they've been told by the Erie County Department of Health that there won't be much in terms of resources or personnel that they can use to help local districts conduct tests.
"We have a gap between our current public health capacity and the public health requirements that we have placed on us in order to stay open for in-person learning," said Cornell.
WBEN obtained a copy of an email sent to the parents within the East Aurora School District, and below is a snippet of the email sent by Superintendent Brian Russ:
A number of towns in Erie County including Aurora have been designated as Yellow Zones by Governor Cuomo for COVID-19. Yellow zones are considered to be in a precautionary phase and the District can potentially remain open for in-person instruction. However, there will be a requirement for mandatory weekly testing for 20% of our students and staff who are learning and working in our schools. If we are unable to meet these testing parameters, we would be required to transition to fully remote instruction. It is important for parents to be prepared for this possibility and create plans for childcare.
Today, Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, confirmed that schools should be receiving further information within the next 24 hours regarding the Yellow Zone designation and testing requirements. In past communications, the State and Erie County Department of Health indicated they would be responsible for testing. Today, school districts were informed by the County Executive that the Erie County Department of Health would not be assisting districts with the mandated testing process. The District is awaiting further guidance and working on plans to address this new mandate.
While there is already a lot of unknown regarding implementation of a testing plan for many districts, another concern that has arisen is the question of parental consent to testing.
"My current understanding is that we intend to reach out to parents and ask for their consent," said Cornell. "At this point, what happens in the event that a child's doesn't consent? We don't know what happens in that circumstance - we're going to need a little bit more clarity from the New York State Department of Health on that topic."
