As part of its School Opening Plan announced in August, the East Greenbush Central School District committed to restoring as many in-person school events as possible this school year, such as welcome back picnics, athletic events, apple races and Halloween parades.
Now that the weather has turned colder and events are forced indoors, the district has developed spectator guidelines for upcoming school events to reduce risks associated with COVID-19.
“Providing students and families with opportunities to attend school events such as athletic games and concerts is an important part of the educational experience within our school district,” said Superintendent Jeff Simons. “We are establishing protocols that will preserve health and safety yet foster student and community engagement. As we monitor and manage district operations during COVID-19, everyone’s cooperation and compliance with these protocols is essential.”
Athletics
- All winter sports will be offered and spectators will be permitted to attend
- Each student athlete may have up to four spectators attend home competitions and those individuals will be seated together
- Each spectator group will be separated by three feet
- Seating will be organized by home, visitor and student sections. Students will have to sign up with Mr. Harkin to attend games.
- Bleachers and seating areas will have markings to help with social distancing
- Face masks covering both the mouth and nose will be required for all spectators regardless of vaccination status
- There will be no admission fee and no concessions at home competitions
- Home competitions would be live streamed for free using” Swish Live”
- For all away games, spectators should check the home school’s COVID protocols
Concerts
- Columbia and Goff
- Concerts for grades 6-12 will be hosted in the Columbia Auditorium
- Ensembles that perform as part of the same event will have staggered start times so only the families of those students on stage are in the auditorium
- Each student may have up to four guests attend the concert and those individuals will be seated together
- Each group in the same row will be separated by two empty seats
- Each row with spectators will be separated by two empty rows
- Seats will have markings to help with social distancing
- Face masks covering both the mouth and nose will be required for all guests regardless of vaccination status
- Concerts would be live streamed for free
- Elementary Schools
- All elementary school concerts have been canceled for this winter due to those indoor events hosting large groups of unvaccinated individuals (currently, all elementary students are unvaccinated)
- Additionally, 4th and 5th grade band, orchestra and choral students have not had the opportunity to perform together as ensembles due to social distancing restrictions. Music teachers and principals do not believe students have had enough practice time together to produce a performance that meets expectations of students, teachers and families.
- Music teachers and principals are hoping to host traditional concerts in the spring
As always the district will continue to monitor the evolving situation with COVID-19 and adjust any plans related to school events as needed.