BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - "The numbers seem to be dropping precipitously and we should be under 100 in the next couple of days," said Hamburg School Superintendent Michael Cornell, following a decision to restore full in-person learning for middle and high school students on Thursday, May 20th.
Cornell was referring to the Covid transmission rate. The state has ordered that secondary schools cannot fully reopen until the Covid transmission rate is less than 100 per 100,000 over a 7 day period. "If for some reason the rates don't follow the trajectory, we'll course correct."
"We're not the first," added Cornell, who indicated that Clarence and Williamsville have already announced similar plans for a full reopening.
Tens of thousands of middle and high school students, in public schools in Western New York, have not had 5-day a week instruction in school in 14 months.
"We've been planning for this since February. It paid great dividends when elementary students returned full time on April 26. That transition has been great," said Cornell.
"The first thing I noticed when I walked into our elementary schools, was the noise. A quiet school is a bad school. A noisy school is a good school. The more kids you have talking in a classroom in the company of our teachers, the more learning is taking place. There's no substitute for in-person learning."
Ninety-one percent of Hamburg students have selected in-person learning. "We're going to have an overwhelming majority of students in school and they'll be changing classes. We'll be at three feet, wearing masks, in the academic areas as the guidance requires."
Remote learning will still be offered. Hamburg Central has a standalone 7th school for full remote learners. They have their own teachers, follow their own schedule and have their own principal. There will be no change for students currently enrolled in that school.
Now that the CDC has given the green light to vaccinate 12 to 15 year olds with the Pfizer vaccine, Cornell was asked if it's only a matter of time before the Covid shot is a school mandate.
"Two facts come to mind. One, there's no research, no science, or experience anywhere in the world that establishes vaccinations of children as a pre-condition for having schools fully reopened." He said 61% of the 200
largest school districts in the country are open fully today. And vaccination of children has not been a precondition for schools to be operating safely.
Secondly, Cornell said it's taking some time for the adult vaccine to get full authorization from the FDA and CDC. He doesn't think the state can mandate a vaccine for school age children as a precondition for full reopening before it's fully authorized.
