[East Harlem Scholars Academies]
Dr. Robert S. Harvey: “We are approaching the reopening of our campuses with a commitment to science, data, and the unfolding reality of COVID reemergence that is happening across the country.”
Photo: East Harlem Scholars Academies
East Harlem Scholars Academies will begin digital learning August 24, with staggered, in-person learning to start on September 28, East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP) announced Thursday.
Classroom teaching will resume at 50 to 60 percent of the schools’ normal on-campus capacity for optimum safety, provided that New York City health department data continues to show a decrease in positive cases.
The reopening plan incorporates guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York Department of Public Health data, and statistics and predictive modelling on the spread of the infection. Scholars Academies also considered their mix of private and collocated Department of Education facilities, campus size, and the size and capacity of classrooms, cafeterias, gyms, offices, and support service rooms to calculate maximize occupancy that would enable 6-foot physical distancing.
“We are approaching the reopening of our campuses with a commitment to science, data, and the unfolding reality of COVID reemergence that is happening across the country,” said Dr. Robert S. Harvey, superintendent and senior managing director of East Harlem Scholars Academies. “East Harlem has been particularly vulnerable in positive cases, hospitalization trends, and unemployment rates — all of which directly speak to the systemic racism plaguing communities of color. Our plans keep the focus on our East Harlem community.”
East Harlem Scholars Academies also consulted SUNY and the New York City Charter Center, as well as more than 600 Scholars Academies families and 150 staff members, to determine the plan most appropriate for the school community.
While Scholars Academies are prepared to pivot to all-digital learning as needed, as of now, in-person learning will consist of:
- four days a week for Pre-K students;
- two days a week for the majority of elementary students;
- two days a week for middle school students
- one day a week for high school students (high school students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will have an additional day of in-person instruction).
About East Harlem Tutorial Program: EHTP prepares students with the academic skills, strength of character and emotional well-being to excel in high school and college, to lead in their communities, and to realize their best possible selves. Over six decades, the organization has grown from a small tutoring program into a multi-site college preparatory and after-school program, and is the operator of five Pre-K to 9 East Harlem Scholars Academy charter schools and East Harlem Teaching Residency.
