BY ANDY GARDNER

North Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Board of Education passed two resolutions urged by the legal council confirming the district's response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Superintendent Pat Brady said one actions sets "parameters for school closures per the governor's orders" and ensures "continuity of instruction."

Regional superintendents made a collective decision to close schools and have students learn from home through April after a meeting with the BOCES superintendent, the county's public health director and a medical doctor.

A separate resolution declares their essential versus non-essential personnel and "allows many of them to work from home," Brady said.

They also had to come up with a plan to provide day care to children of healthcare workers like doctors and nurses, "those who are going to be on the front line," the superintendent said.

Essential personnel include administrators, cleaning staff and food service workers.

"We may need our administrators and secretaries to be here. There's going to be a lot of questions on instructions from home," Brady said. "We need our food service workers here because they're going to be making meals. Every day they're going to  be providing breakfast and lunch."

The district has received a waiver from the federal government to cease screening for free and reduced lunch eligibility and will feed anyone age 18 or under.

"Everybody's getting paid. There's no loss of employment ...as a result of this," Brady said.

He said even though teachers will be working on lessons from home that are given online, all district employees may be required to show up if they are needed.

"All employees understand if at any time we need them, unless there is some health-related issue or they're following the contract ... if it's expected they're needed, they'll be here," Brady said. "Next week, we don't expect our teaching staff to be here. They'll not be doing lessons from home."

Pulling off the COVID-19 response has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, he said.

During his regular superintendent's report, Brady spoke at length of the behind-the-scenes measures happening to ensure online instruction, meal preparation and closing down the building.

"We have to come up with an instructional plan for all our students ... we have to come up with a food service plan," he said. "We have to facilitate with our community daycare for doctors, nurses, those who are going to be on the front line."

"All that planning started right away" immediately following the decision to close school until April 20.

"We knew this was eventually coming. I didn't know Friday (March 13) when we met, it would be the last time we'd meet with our students," he said.

They also had to coordinate with district employees to put together times to return belongings from lockers to students, and give them their musical instruments.

And all of the teachers aren't on the same page with regard to teaching online.

"This is challenging for our staff. We have 200 teaching staff. We have very much a continuum of their technology skills," Brady said. "Any teachers who haven't learned this technology and they've got to learn it quick. We're trying to support them the best we can.

"We know students are going to get the best quality of education we can provide using online. It does not replace the teacher in the classroom. We want to provide as much of an education as we can. We know there's limitations."

They also got together with Slic Internet Solutions to set up a wi-fi hotspot in the High School parking lot.

"Parents and students can drive up and get wifi in that spot. They can sit there and do their work, or come over, upload through the wifi and leave," Brady said.

They're also trying to maintain contact with students and families who may be struggling.

"We're trying to get everybody, mostly the principals, look at the families you're most concerned about ... and reach out to them," Brady said.