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South Bronx Communtiy Reopening Plan 7.31.20
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South Bronx Community

Charter High School

Reopening Plan for

the 2020 School Year

Table of Contents

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

HEALTH AND SAFETY

FACILITIES

CHILD NUTRITION

TRANSPORTATION

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

SCHOOL SCHEDULES

BUDGET AND FISCAL MATTERS

ATTENDANCE AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

TECHNOLOGY AND CONNECTIVITY

TEACHING AND LEARNING

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE)

ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

SPECIAL EDUCATION

BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND WORLD LANGUAGES

STAFFING

TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM

STUDENT TEACHING

July 31, 2020

Dear SBC Families,

South Bronx Community, at its core, prepares our young people for a rapidly changing world in a safe and supportive environment. Our role in the lives of our students is even more critical given the uncertainty all around us- with a global health crisis, economic challenges, and growing awareness of the impacts of structural and societal racism and other forms of oppression in our community. This circumstance will demand strong partnership from us to make sure every child realizes their dreams.

This guide is our first step in establishing that partnership for this coming school year. Included below you will see a table of contents with important information about how we are planning to reopen in the safest way possible. The two primary factors that will determine how we reopen will be:

As we get closer to the first day of school, we will ask every parent to decide what learning plan will work best for your child for the first semester. If some face to face learning is permitted, every family will have the opportunity to select a hybrid learning model (with some face to face learning in school) or a fully remote learning model (similar to the spring). We hope this guide will be useful in informing your decision.

Our entire team has been hard at work since March, designing a best-in-class remote learning program (SBC2), pioneering new systems for advising and staying connected with our students, and designing new structures for our school schedule and learning plans in this new environment.

We will continue to build on our success in the spring. Our strong attendance, high percentage of students eligible for early promotion at the end of the year, and high college acceptance and graduation rates are all good indicators that we are building positive momentum. We will continue to update this guide as we further develop our plans.

Thank you for your patience, support, and partnership during this extraordinary time.

Sincerely,

Brandon, Natalie, and John

Co-Founders and Co-Directors

South Bronx Community

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SBC provides regular and frequent communication to families through periodic letters from school leadership, a monthly newsletter for families and frequent communication between advisors and the parents of their advisees. With all the uncertainty surrounding COVID’s spread and its impact on our community, communication and family engagement will be more important than ever this school year.

Stakeholder Engagement

Over the last several months, SBC leaders have collected data and engaged school stakeholders and community members in developing our reopening plans.

Communication Tools and Platforms

Timely communication about health and safety will be critical throughout this school year. To that end, SBC employs several systems to ensure that we stay connected.

Visual Cues and Reminders

SBC will encourage all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to adhere to CDC and DOH guidance regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically acceptable face coverings, maintaining proper social distance, and good hygiene protocols such as hand washing. In addition, visual cues will help students and school personnel with flow of traffic in frequently used areas throughout the building.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Staff and students will be educated on the importance of wearing masks or face coverings, maintaining a social distance of 6 feet at minimum and constant hand sanitizing/cleaning. SBC will collaborate with the building custodial staff to ensure that all commonly touched surfaces are cleaned regularly.  Staff and students will have their temperatures taken daily upon entering the building and will be offered hand sanitizer. Anyone who requires a mask will be provided with one. Each classroom and office will be regularly outfitted with disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and spare surgical masks.

Health Checks

Parents should perform a health screening of their child each morning before coming to school. Any student or staff member with a fever of 100°F or greater and/or symptoms of a possible COVID-19 virus infection should not be present in school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keep an up to date list of symptoms of Coronavirus on its website. This list is not all inclusive as some individuals may display other symptoms or none at all. As of 7/13/2020, the following are listed as the most common symptoms of COVID-19:

All staff will observe students or other staff members for signs of any type of illness such as:

Students and staff exhibiting these signs with no other explanation for them will be sent to the school health office for an assessment by the school nurse. If a school nurse is not available, the school will contact the parent/guardian to come pick up their ill child or send the staff member home.

Health screenings including daily temperature checks and completion of a screening questionnaire are required for staff, contractors, vendors, and visitors.

Individuals at Increased Risk

The Center for Disease Control has outlined a list of underlying conditions which could make one more susceptible to contracting COVID. These factors and conditions include:

Please note that there may be other conditions that make one susceptible to COVID as we still continue to learn more about this disease. One should use the utmost discretion when assessing their health situation and symptoms.

SBC staff and students will be trained on recognizing potential symptoms and screening thresholds. According to the NYS Department of Health (DOH) and NYSED, a temperature of 100.0 degrees is the threshold for quarantine/potential infection. If a staff member or student has such a reading, they will immediately be placed in a designated isolation room and their guardian or emergency contact will promptly be called by an adult monitor. The monitor must maintain social distancing procedures and ensure that the student or staff stay in isolation until they are picked up or administration allows them to leave.

Parents who do not consent to temperature checks or any form of at-home screenings will not be allowed to send their child to school and remote learning will be provided to them. Any student that does not comply with the health and safety protocols in the school building will be provided with a remote learning program.

Individual with COVID-19 Symptoms

Students are required to have a daily temperature check and periodic completion of a screening questionnaire. Anyone who has a temperature of 100°F or greater or has a positive response on the screening questionnaire must be isolated from others and sent home immediately. Students will be supervised in the isolated area while awaiting transport home. SBC will refer such persons to a healthcare provider and provide resources on COVID-19 testing.

Exposure and Quarantining

Once it is confirmed that a staff member or student has been exposed to someone with the virus for more than 10 minutes, they should be quarantined for 14 days and not display any symptoms in order to return to school. Currently, there is no mandate from New York State authorities requiring a child to get tested prior to returning to school after suspected exposure or symptoms.

If at least one person reports having a positive coronavirus case, their classroom will close. Then, the health department, upon confirming the positive test, will launch an investigation to find whether that person was in close contact — meaning they were within six feet of each other for more than 10 minutes — with anyone else at the school. The classroom will reopen after 14 days, following the investigation (the 14-day closure period would include the number of days a room was closed as an investigation unfolded). Also, other students and staff members who were in close contact with the student will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.

Cleaning and Disinfection

The CDC provides reopening guidance for cleaning and disinfection with specific guidance for schools along with the cleaning and disinfection decision tool to aid in determining what level of cleaning and/or disinfection is necessary. School wide cleaning must include classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, libraries, playgrounds, and busses. The guidance provides a general framework for cleaning and disinfection practices. The framework is based on doing the following:

and objects, which reduces the risk of exposure;

FACILITIES

When students and adults return to our school buildings for in-person instruction, it will be vitally important that the physical spaces they occupy are configured and maintained in a way that provides the maximum possible protection from spreading the coronavirus.

SBC will follow health guidance related to social distancing and other safety measures that must be put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. To meet the requirements of that guidance, SBC will use the NYCDOE and NYSED recommendations for maximum capacity in our buildings, which will mean there will not be more than 50% capacity at any given time. This will provide sufficient space for 6 feet of distance to be maintained between individuals while in school. This will also mean that on average students will be able to be in school up to two days a week. Additional supports may be provided as needed for special populations.

Below are schematics that will guide SBC’s planning with regard to school arrival and a typical classroom configuration:

Fire Drills and Other Safety Drills

Education Law § 807 requires that schools conduct 8 evacuation and 4 lockdown drills each school year. When planning drills, SBC may modify their drill procedures to minimize risk of spreading infection. Conducting drills is an important part of keeping students and staff safe in an emergency, however, steps will be taken to minimize the risk of spreading infection while conducting drills. As such, it may be necessary for SBC to conduct drills in the 2020-21 school year using protocols that are different than it is used to.

Regardless of the modification used when conducting a drill, students will be instructed that if it was an actual emergency that required evacuation or lockdown, the most imminent concern is to get to safety; maintaining social distancing in an actual emergency that requires evacuation or lockdown may not be possible and should not be the first priority.

Modifications to evacuation drill protocols may include, but are not limited to:

Modifications to Lockdown Drills may include, but are not limited to:

CHILD NUTRITION

The Office of  Food and Nutrition Services will continue to service SBC’s food needs and  ensure that service personnel will follow all appropriate guidelines for safety as recommended by the NYCDOH. SBC staff will be trained to reinforce these protocols on an as-needed basis.  All students will be served cold breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. Students will be required to sanitize their hands and wipe down their desks prior to and after each meal. The assigned staff in each room will walk around with a garbage receptacle to collect student’s waste to avoid movement and maintain social distancing procedures within the classroom.

Grab and Go meals will also be provided during specified time for any students who are not required to physically be in the building. All student families will receive a notice informing families of the change in how breakfast and lunch periods will be conducted.

TRANSPORTATION

As a high school, SBC students primarily rely on the use of NYCDOE Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) issued metrocards for use on NYC MTA trains and buses.  If a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) indicates that they require door-to-door school bus service, the OPT will arrange such service, including pick-up and drop-off times.  SBC will work closely with the assigned bus company and driver to ensure that strict guidelines surrounding deep cleaning of buses daily, social distancing on the bus and at the bus stop, and mask wearing for students and bus drivers are strictly adhered. Additionally, students will need to be trained on these protocols.  

MTA Subway and Bus Riding Protocols

Students must wear masks at all times from the time they leave their home. Students must also be sure to sanitize their hands when arriving at the station and after swiping their metrocard. It is recommended that students use something disposable to protect their hand when holding on any of the bus or train railings. Upon leaving the train, students should allow as much space as possible between them and the passenger in front of them and should continue to maintain distance as they make their way to the out of the station and to the school building. Once they arrive,  they will be met by a school staff member upon entry for a temperature check and provided hand sanitizer.

Bussing Protocols

Students must wear masks at all times from the time they leave their home. While waiting at the student’s assigned bus stop, which will likely be the student’s home, students must do their best to maintain a minimum of 6 feet from any bystanders. If a student is unable to maintain such a distance, we advise that the student find a less populated area or stand safely near the curb where they typically onboard the bus. Once the bus arrives, the student should sanitize their hands before boarding the bus and promptly move to his/her seat while avoiding touching any other seats or students. Students must be directed by the bus matron to a seat that is socially distanced from any other rider. Upon arriving at the school, the student will off-board the bus and enter the school building where they will be met by a school staff member upon entry for a temperature check and provided hand sanitizer.

As of July 30th, OPT can not guarantee bus service will be available for any NYC public or charter school students. If this is not resolved by the time school reopens, SBC leadership will work with any student’s family who requires such service to ensure the student has options to safely get to and from school, such as providing them with a metrocard, or exploring remote learning options.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

Social-emotional learning and well-being is at the heart of South Bronx Community’s school model and there is strong capacity on the school team to lead these initiatives.  Our school is staffed in such a way to provide every student with the  support they need to develop holistically through interactions with, access to, and support from caring adults. Every staff member is an advisor to a small group of students, supporting them throughout their four year journey.  Our youth development staff lead our CORE advisory and rites of passage programs which are spaces for students to develop social emotional skills, process their experiences and focus on their well-being.  Additionally, our youth development staff work alongside teachers in classroom spaces providing students with one-on-one conferencing, small group tutoring and progress monitoring of SEL skills development.  Another anchor of our school model is our grounding in restorative practices.  We have a strong focus on community building but also create the space to process emotions and conflict and repair harm when needed.  

The counseling and restorative justice team will have regular touchpoints in the coming year to ensure that our responses to student behavior are grounded in trauma-responsive practices. The restorative practices team will engage in professional development around trauma-responsive practices and leverage the expertise of the licensed mental health counselor on their team.  Students and families have been initially surveyed for their needs, but the social work/counseling team will develop a comprehensive screening tool to ensure our supports are holistic and inclusive of the current moment.

Tiered Systems of Support/School Counseling Program Plan

As indicated above, SBC has strong and integrated systems of support for all students (Tier 1).  At the heart of our holistic approach is the CORE advising program in which social and emotional skill building, bi-weekly advising, advisors available for crisis support at any time and a rites of passage program which is a space for students to process their emotions and experiences in a supportive group space. The CORE space incorporates mental health curriculum and the use of restorative practices for students to process their daily experiences.  Students also have access to electives with a mental and physical health component (eg. yoga, self-care).

In addition to supports provided for all students by our entire staff, we have prioritized the importance of a strong and robust social work and counseling team. While most schools have a social worker for the entire school (if at all), SBC has a social worker on each grade level that takes lead on counseling and chronic absenteeism interventions for students on their grade. There is a strong system for both mandated and referred counseling.  Advisors are also available for crisis intervention alongside the social work team and that team takes the lead in training the larger staff on being a first responder around crisis and how/when to make referrals. The social work team has created strong connections and referrals with external organizations to support students who need more robust individualized plans than what we can provide in-house- including the Montefiore clinic, the CSE, ACS other organizations.

The social work team met in July to discuss updates to this year’s tiered response system.  Taking time to talk about our new reality and process feelings of ambiguous loss will be built in across all classes.  They are currently formulating a survey/screening tool for students (which will be given with parental permission) to inform additional Tier 2 and 3 practices to be implemented within the coming school year.  Some early practices that are being explored and planned for include: additional group counseling spaces around anxiety/depression, grief and social isolation, the creation of office hours for counselors.

In August, we will begin to develop a collaborative working group with students, families, school leadership, counselors/social workers and teachers to provide feedback on the initial plan.

Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices are at the heart of the SBC learning model. We focus on deep community building to create a space where students feel a sense of belonging and feel valued by the school community.  When harm occurs, our approach focuses on repairing the offender/victim relationship and restitution, with three goals in mind: accountability, community safety and competency development. Restorative Practice refocuses discipline away from punishment for the sake of control and retribution to teaching students how to self regulate and hone productive social skills. While a trauma-responsive approach is innate in how we approach discipline through a restorative lens, we acknowledge the additional level of loss and trauma that students are currently experiencing will require honing these skills to meet the current moment. The counseling and restorative justice team will have regular touchpoints in the coming year to ensure that our responses to student behavior are grounded in trauma-responsive practices. The restorative practices team will engage in professional development around trauma-responsive practices and leverage the expertise of the licensed mental health counselor on their team.

Adult Social Emotional Well-Being and Professional Development

When we moved into the virtual space in March amidst the pandemic, it was critical to support the social and emotional well-being of our staff members as well.  Our Rites of Passage team came together to adapt a community space we had created for adults into the virtual space.  Bi-weekly sessions were held to reinforce staff relationships, allow a space to process emotion and to model strong SEL practices for staff to enact with students.  

This team met in July to plan for the continuation and expansion of this space for the 2020-2021 school year.  They will work with staff both during staff training in August and throughout the school year to address mental health and self care tailored to our school community (students, parents, staff, leadership) including addressing topics critical to staff, student and community well-being including race, social injustice and gender inequity.

This team as well as our counseling team and restorative practices team will lead professional development during our two week staff training and throughout the  year around strengthening our restorative practices, trauma- responsive practices and culturally responsive practices in the virtual space.  The counseling team will review tiered supports for staff and when they should make referrals.

SCHOOL SCHEDULES

SBC made critical adjustments to our instructional model this past March to address the continuation of high quality education during COVID-19 school closures. Our schedule plans for the Fall of 2020 will build on the adjustments made in the Spring, and additionally allow for in-person learning in a hybrid model.

General Considerations

The Hybrid Learning Model

Instruction

The Hybrid Learning Model supports a combination of in-person and remote learning which includes both Synchronous and Asynchronous instruction.

Synchronous Instruction will involve students reporting (either to school or to a virtual classroom) to class at predetermined times. Asynchronous Instruction will allow students flexibility in determining the times they will interact with pre-prepared learning materials online and complete work.

Office Hours And Additional Supports

The hybrid model will allow for smaller groups of students based on social distancing guidelines. Teacher pairs will be working in tandem to support those students who are attending class from home.

Office hours will be available for students during Asynchronous Instruction times, so that 1:1 support will be available if needed during Asynchronous blocks.

In-person instruction will be prioritized for students with disabilities, English language learners, and students who have specific educational needs, to promote equity among students who opt for hybrid school. Students learning remotely will receive the same priority consideration in additional supports which are implemented remotely by our special services team.

Remote Schedule Options

Simultaneous fully remote learning options for students who choose to opt into a fully remote schedule.

If circumstances change and school buildings are required to close the school is prepared to shift back to a fully remote learning model. All teaching and learning considerations, including additional support for students who receive special services, and smaller group instruction are common priorities in both the remote and hybrid schedules.

School Routine Shifts And Student Movement

The hybrid model will allow for a morning check in with advisors, after a designated time to do temperature checks during staggered student entry into the school building. Students will start the day with CORE/Advisory groups. Once classes begin, students will remain in the same space as much as possible, Scheduling planning was done with a goal of limited student movement, and if movement is absolutely necessary, it will be done with social distancing measures in place.


Student groups that enter the building will remain the same for two consecutive days, with one day in between before the next group comes in for two consecutive days. If an individual student tests positive, all students in contact with them will be identified and moved into remote scheduling until next steps to identify status are taken.

Staff will be present in-person in proportional ratios in the hybrid schedule, and teaching staff will be working remotely to complement the work of in-person teaching.

School Routine Shifts and Student Movement

Fall 2020-21 Schedule Sample:

If you choose the Remote Learning model (learning from home), your child will interact with their teachers online 5 days a week, and have a schedule similar to the one above.

If your child opts for the Hybrid Learning model (a combination of learning from school and learning from home), they will have the same schedule, but will come into school 2 days per week, and receive live support from an SBC staff member in a socially-distanced learning environment. The staff member will maintain a focused and supportive environment for learning while the student accesses their remote classes.

Individual schedules will be shared with students as soon as possible, once reopening parameters are officially determined and information can be entered into our system. Parents and families will be notified whenever changes are made.

BUDGET AND FISCAL MATTERS

Both the national economy and New York State’s economy have been dramatically impacted by the

COVID-19 crisis and the various mitigation efforts that have been undertaken since March 2020.

What is still unknown is the extent to which the impact will improve or worsen, how long it will last, and which sectors of the state economy will be most severely impacted.

Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal in January 2020 initially called for a statewide increase in school aid for the 2020-21 school year of $825 million, or 3 percent. As the COVID-19 crisis emerged prior to the enactment of the final budget, that planned increase did not materialize, resulting in a school aid apportionment that held unrestricted funds flat for districts and maintained reimbursements at statutory levels. A reduction in state-funded aid was partially offset by an increase in emergency federal funds.

The 2020-21 Enacted Budget also included provisions that will allow the Director of the Budget, subject to amendment by the Legislature, to reduce appropriations across any and all program areas of the state budget should actual revenues come in at levels that are below the assumptions made in the Executive Budget. As of April 2020, this projected total shortfall was $13.3 billion for the 2020-21 state fiscal year. The actions noted above reduced this gap by nearly $1.2 billion. Combined with other budget actions, the remaining gap was projected to be $8.2 billion. Absent additional federal support, the Division of Budget has stated that further reductions to school aid, Medicaid, social services, and transportation might be necessary to eliminate that projected budget gap.

While there is still a great deal of uncertainty regarding potential budget cuts for this school year. SBC has taken the following actions:

ATTENDANCE AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Attendance Considerations

Certain hybrid models may not lend themselves to every content teacher connecting with every student enrolled in their class every day. This is true especially in departmentalized settings. SBC may assign each advisory teacher as the daily point of contact for attendance purposes;

Attendance

Attendance will be tracked in Alma, our student information system and this information will be utilized for any external reporting.  Advisors will be the daily point of contact for students to mark attendance first thing in the morning, but class attendance will also be taken in Alma so that if an advisor is not able to make contact in the morning but then the student attends class later in the day, their attendance is recorded.  This will streamline attendance reconciliation and allow for a focus on intervention (eg. if a student arrives later in the day, and we set as first class marked, the reconciliation will happen automatically).  All staff will have real time access to a student’s attendance and will record parent communication in Alma.

Attendance/Chronic Absenteeism

With streamlining our attendance protocols in the virtual/hybrid space, the counseling team and restorative practices team will lead our interventions around chronic absenteeism.  We have a tiered approach to addressing student absences.  Once a pattern is detected (two or three absences within a few weeks) there is a circle with an advisor and the grade social worker.  The next tier of intervention if there are multiple days of absence in a row or a pattern of more than two absences per month involves a parent and team lead or school leader, in addition.  In the case of virtual, the circles can be held in the school’s online platform via video conference. Normally, our third tier of intervention would be a home visit when a student has stopped coming to school and we are not able to establish contact.  While in virtual we have utilized other creative ways to reach students.  The advisor, who has  close relationship with the student is usually able to achieve contact with either the parent or student, but when this has not worked they have utilized other students, social media, etc. to make contact and re-engage the student.

TECHNOLOGY AND CONNECTIVITY

At SBC, digital technology is woven into our school program. All classes require students to utilize online platforms as part of their daily routine. Students use Schoology, Google Drive, and various learning platforms to participate in and drive their learning. With the implementation of asynchronous and asynchronous learning in the fall, students will also have agency to utilize technology to pace their learning and manage their time.

Use of Technology

Our use of our learning platforms and conferencing tools provide multiple entry points for students to engage in learning. It allows staff to better personalize student learning. In-person, remote, and hybrid learning at SBC is supported with 1:1 access to Chromebooks for their exclusive use, which provides students with:

Provision of Devices

In addition to netbook provisions for all students, students who lack consistent, reliable access to high-speed internet at a sufficient level to fully participate in remote/online learning received free, portable Wi-Fi hotspots to be used for internet access during the Spring Semester through a generous donation from the 1Million Project Foundation. We continue to deploy these devices to students that have indicated difficulty accessing the internet.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

                                                                   

The definition of a “unit of study” has been revised in Commissioner’s Regulations to further clarify what may be considered in the design of such units of study.                

Unit of study means at least 180 minutes of instruction per week throughout the school year, or the equivalent. Equivalent shall mean at least 180 minutes of instructional time for instruc- tion delivered in a traditional face to face model or through alternative instructional experiences, including but not limited to through digital technology or blended learning, that represents standards-based learning under the guidance and direction of an appropriately certified teacher. Instructional experiences shall include, but not be limited to: meaningful and frequent interaction with an appropriately certified teacher; academic and other supports designed to meet the needs of the individual student and instructional content that reflects consistent academic expectations as in-person instruction. Any alternative instructional experience must include meaningful feedback on student assignments and methods of tracking student engagement.

Units of Credit

The priority for the instruction should be that which best prepares students to meet the learning outcomes for the course. The design of the course, the selection of the curriculum, and the student expectations are set by the Executive Director, Academic Director, and Youth Development Director. SBC is a competency-based model. Any student who masters the set number of attainments for the course must be granted the unit of credit for such course if applicable.

Science Laboratory Requirements

Per Commissioner’s Regulations, courses that culminate in a Regents examination in science must include 1200 minutes of laboratory experiences. Due to the possibility of a hybrid or fully remote model of instruction as a result of COVID-19, the 1200-minute lab requirement can be met through hands-on laboratory experiences, virtual laboratory experiences, or a combination of virtual and hands-on laboratory experiences coupled with satisfactory lab reports for the 2020-21 school year. This laboratory requirement is in addition to the course requirement and entitles a student to admission to a culminating Regents Exam. SBC will align laboratory experiences specific to each science course; determining the mode or modes of instruction; and identifying a viable vetted list of acceptable virtual labs or a combination of virtual and hands-on labs that a student would need to complete for each science course that culminates in a Regents examination. We will record laboratory experiences and satisfactory lab reports via our learning management system. In a virtual environment, emphasis will be placed on the quality of the experience and the satisfactory completion of each laboratory experience rather than the time spent in completing such laboratory experience. Any student who has completed all laboratory experiences in accordance with teacher expectations shall be deemed to have met the 1200-minute requirement.

Creative Selective Space

Due to the hands-on nature of Creative Selective instruction, additional considerations should be given to both the management of Creative Selective instructional spaces, as well as the development of instructional methods to teach Creative Selective via remote or hybrid models.

In-person Instructional Model

Remote/Hybrid Instructional Model

Active Selective

At SBC, Active Selectives are the spaces where students earn Physical Education (PE)  credits. Participating in Active Selectives is important for our students’ health and wellbeing. Not only do Active Selectives benefit students’ physical health, but research indicates regular physical activity improves students’ mental health as well as contributes to academic success.

In-Person Learning

Remote/Hybrid Instructional Model

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE)

Work-based Learning

SBC will need to collaborate with all business and industry partners to identify and ensure safe and healthy work-based learning opportunities. Students should be provided opportunities to participate in work-based learning, either in-person or remotely to the extent possible. In implementing work-based learning for the 2020-2021 school year, we are considering the following:

Supervision

Work-Site Placements

Flexibility in Program Requirements

Business and Community Partnerships

SBC’s Work-Based Learning program is planned with input from business and community partners.

Student Career Development

Program Approval, Data Reporting, Perkins, and Civil Rights

CTE Data Reporting

Perkins

Civil Rights

No flexibilities in the compliance with federal civil rights laws will be granted. Districts and BOCES must continue to comply with federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is New York’s responsibility to comply with these civil rights requirements, including through the State’s Methods of Administration State Plan under 34 C.F.R. Part 100, Appendix B. Remote procedures will be utilized for civil rights monitoring.

Assessment

ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

South Bronx Community will follow the guidance of the Department of Health regarding athletics and extracurricular activities.  At the time of this publication, high risk sports (including basketball) are not permitted. Any athletic programming that cannot be conducted in compliance with state health guidance will be cancelled this year.  Extracurricular activities will be planned virtually, any extracurricular activity that cannot be conducted virtually will be conducted in a manner consistent with a hybrid learning model during the school day.  

SPECIAL EDUCATION

South Bronx Community Charter School remains committed to creating and implementing inclusive classrooms for all students, whether those classrooms exist in person, online, or a combination of both. In accordance with federal and state guidelines, students will continue to be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with appropriate special education and related services supports as mandated by each student’s IEP. Below, you will find the models we will be using to support students with IEPs in the upcoming school year.

Part 1: Services to be Delivered

Integrated Co-Teaching

The highest percentage of IEPs mandate that students are educated in an Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classroom. These classrooms are 40% students with IEPs and have both a special education and general education teacher. These classrooms will be staffed with a Special Education and a General Education teacher to provide differentiated learning experiences and specially designed instruction (SDI). Teacher pairs will meet regularly for planning and review of student progress, whether in person or remote. Additionally, virtual platforms such as Google Drive will be used to share and collaboratively develop instructional materials.

However, due to the desire to keep students in cohorts and create opportunities for smaller classes to best meet the social/emotional and academic needs of students, it is likely that ICT classrooms will have more than 40% students with disabilities. In instances where this happens, parents will be notified and have the opportunity to provide feedback on this process.

Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), Counseling Services, and Speech Services will be provided in accordance with students IEPs. Theses sessions may be delivered in person or remotely, as appropriate.

Progress Monitoring and Interim Service Plans

In instances where, because of the use of hybrid or remote schedules, or because of specific health and safety considerations, Interim Service Plans will be developed in collaboration with parents and the CSE. These plans will be emailed to parents in PDF with consent. These documents will clearly outline the services provided, the frequency, how progress will be monitored, and when the plan will be reviewed. Progress will be documented and sent to parents via email on a quarterly basis as students advance towards their IEP goals. This progress monitoring may consist of: formal and informal assessments, diagnostic tests, provider observations, and student work samples. These materials will be shared with the CSE as needed and during annual and triennial reviews of students’ IEPs.

Part 2: Parent Engagement

SBC sees parent engagement as integral to student success. For students with IEPs, for whom parents also act as advocates and partners, this engagement is especially important. Below are some of the ways SBC will continue to meaningfully engage parents.

Special Education Information Sessions

The SBC Inclusion Team will hold at least 3 virtual information sessions with parents of students with IEPs throughout the school year. These sessions will be conducted in English and Spanish with additional translations if appropriate. These sessions will be recorded and shared with parents who are unable to attend. These sessions will focus on the specifics of how services will be delivered, gather parental feedback, and inform parents of the different online tools available to students.

Triennial, Annual, and Initial IEP Reviews

As in the past, SBC will collaborate with the CSE to schedule and conduct Annual and Triennial Reviews of students’ IEPs. For safety reasons, these reviews will be conducted remotely via Google Meets or via phone.

Staff and parents will continue to be able to make referrals for initial evaluations. In the case where a parent would like to make a referral, they should send their request in writing to Robert.Gulya@southbronxcommunity.org that includes the date and the reasons for making the referral. This request will be forwarded to the CSE, where a timely plan will be developed to collect data and evaluate the student, either remotely or in person, as dictated by the CSE. An evaluation will then be followed by an Eligibility Determination Meeting, where the parent, the student, a member of the SBC Special Education Team, and a member of the CSE will discuss the need for services and develop an initial IEP if appropriate.

BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND WORLD LANGUAGES

South Bronx Community Charter School remains committed to creating and implementing inclusive classrooms for all students, whether those classrooms exist in person, online, or a combination of both.

Mandatory Requirements for Reopening

SBC will complete the ELL identification process within 30 school days of the start of the school year for all students who enrolled during COVID-19 school closures in 2019-20, as well as all students who enroll during summer of 2020 and during the first 20 school days of the 2020-21 school year. After this 20day flexibility period, identification of ELLs must resume for all students within the required 10 school days of initial enrollment as required by Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154.

Provision of required instructional Units of Study must be provided to all ELLs based on their most recently measured English language proficiency level during in-person or hybrid instruction.

SBC will maintain regular communication with the parents/guardians and other family members of ELLs to ensure that they are engaged in their children’s education during the reopening process and provide all communications for parents/guardians of ELLs in their preferred language and mode of communication.

Additionally, SBC will strive to meet the following considerations:

content area teachers for the delivery of remote and hybrid learning.

STAFFING

SBC will continue to ensure that all teachers, school staff and leaders, hold a valid and appropriate certificate for their assignment. We will continue to utilize incidental teaching when determining how to staff classrooms. Because we have robust co-facilitation, our practice is to leverage existing capacity (and relationships with students) within the building instead of having outside staff serve as daily substitutes, and we will keep this in place; the exception would be if we need to enlist a long-term sub.

and should consider whether their currently approved APPR plans may need to be revised to be consistent with their plans for reopening, whether in-person, remote, or a combination of the two.

TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM

Well-designed and implemented teacher and principal evaluations (“Annual Professional Performance Review”; “APPR”) are an important tool to help support educator growth and development. With this goal in mind, the measures that are used as part of an annual evaluation should provide useful information to school leaders and the educators who are being evaluated that helps support educators and leverage their expertise. In turn, this helps ensure equitable access to effective educators for all students so that students are given the skills to succeed.

Providing feedback and support to educators through the evaluation process can both equip them as they adjust their practice to distance learning, as well as guide focus areas for future growth once students and teachers return to their physical classrooms.

The following section includes information about the mandatory requirements and recommended practices as SBC prepares for the 2020-2021 school year. Each educator’s evaluation must include at least one required student performance measure. The Commissioner’s regulations for student performance measures are inherently flexible and are designed to encourage educators to be systematic and strategic in their instructional decisions. These measures are intended to increase the quality of discussions taking place in classrooms that focus on student growth and learning, provide clearer indications of when and how to adjust instruction to meet students’ needs, and support more targeted professional learning opportunities.

STUDENT TEACHING

Commissioner’s Regulations Section 52.21(b)(1) (xvi) defines student teaching as follows:

Student teaching means a structured, college-supervised learning experience for a student in a teacher education program in which the student teacher practices the skills being learned in the teacher education program and gradually assumes increased responsibility for instruction, classroom management, and other related duties for a class of students in the area of the certificate sought. These skills are practiced under the direct supervision of the certified teacher who has official responsibility for the class.