BUFFALO (WBEN) - Earlier this week, a significant portion of Erie County was classified as a "Yellow Zone," meaning certain additional restrictions have been instituted, including that schools must test 20% of their in-person population on a weekly basis.
If Erie County Yellow Zones were to downgrade to Orange or Red Zones, that doesn't necessarily mean an indefinite shutdown of school districts within the area.
However, schools in Orange or Red Zones must close for four calendar days after the designation is announced and may re-open as soon as the fifth calendar day. Before opening, the school must test all returning staff and students and only allow them to attend in-person classes if they receive a negative test. Schools in Orange or Red Zones must also up weekly testing to 25% of students and staff.
Tuesday evening, two local school districts, Cheektowaga and Frontier, announced they will be transitioning to a fully remote instructional model for at least two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In the letter to parents, Superintendent Richard Hughes says the decision to shift to remote learning is a result of increased cases in its transportation department and among the school population and among staff.
"We will continue to assess the COVID infection rate and those personnel affected to determine whether, remote learning will continue after the holiday," stated Hughes.
East Aurora Superintendent Brian Russ sent an email to families saying if they are unable to meet the testing parameters, the district would be required to transition to fully remote instruction, and he said it's important parents start preparing for that possibility.
Hamburg Superintendent Michael Cornell was still looking for clarity from the state on resources for testing, but he noted they want to do everything in their power to make sure kids can still attend in-person.
"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.
While not in a Yellow Zone yet, Niagara Falls Superintendent Mark Laurrie says it's vital the district is prepared for what lies ahead.
"Something we've done in the Niagara Falls District is we've taken on the role of testing," said Laurrie. "We have our testing license; we're procuring our testing equipment, and that should add a level of safety, security and risk reduction to the students and staff of Niagara Falls.
"We can't afford not to do this," he continued. "So, we're going to have to make decisions, hard decisions, and rely on our government partners to come through for us in the end, but the decision not to go forward is much more costly than the decision to wait on the sidelines and lament it."
Some are confused as to why schools are being targeted as part of these zone designations by the state when the science seems to indicate that schools, especially with young children, are unlikely places to become super spreaders.
"We're not a primary source of spread, but we have been called upon by the governor to be a part of the solution," said Cornell. "In order to be a part of the solution and stay open for in-person learning, we have to test 20% of our students."
Laurrie also defended the state's strong approach to schools, saying young kids aren't the only people who enter the buildings and that it's important to protect everyone involved.
"Don't forget that there are no schools without teachers and staff," said Laurrie. "While our students may be, according to the science, less vulnerable to this pandemic, we have staff that we need desperately to be in schools to give the best instruction."
