General FAQ

Why aren’t all the students going to be able to return to school every day?
Due to COVID-19, we are required to split classes sufficiently to comply with the per person physical distancing requirements set for by New York State Departments of Education and Health. If and when physical distancing requirements are removed, we would be able to return with all students present daily.

What are “cohorts” and how does that work
One important strategy that Spectrum Services will be utilizing is called cohorts. A cohort is a group of students and staff that stay together throughout the school day. Each class will be a cohort with an A and B group.  Because of the number of related services our students receive, there will be some therapists who will treat students in more than one class.

The use of cohorts is a recommended practice during the pandemic for:

• Decreasing opportunities for exposure to or transmission of virus;
• Facilitating more efficient contact tracing in the event of a positive case; and
• Allowing for targeted testing, quarantine, and isolation of a single group instead of school-wide measures in the event of a positive case or cluster of cases.

So, Spectrum Students will be in school for two days a week? How does that work?
Each of the two daily sessions will be consistent for the same small group of 3-5 children to reduce the possibility of transmission of the virus.

• Group A will attend Mondays and Tuesdays with remote learning on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
• Group B will attend Thursday and Fridays with remote learning on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
• Group C – Will be daily remote instruction all week.

Options for educational services

Option 1.  Your child attends school two days a week with “substantive remote instruction” on the three opposite days. Daily contact is required and attendance will be taken and documented. Virtual (remote) instruction will be provided by your child’s teachers, classroom staff under the direct supervision of the teacher or therapists.

Option 2. The deadline for choosing this option before the start of school has passed.
Your child receives remote instruction or “virtual schooling” for five days a week.  The remote learning only period begins October 5^th and lasts for two months until Friday November 27^th. Scheduling services and classroom time for our students is a very complicated process and it will be difficult to make changes once finalized. Also, there may be instances where emergency situations arise, necessitating a change in our program model which requires the program to return to full remote sessions for everyone.

If my residing school district closes down and goes virtual only, can my child still attend Spectrum Services?
If the incidents of COVID-19 in our geographic area goes up, it most likely means all school districts in the area will be switching to remote only too, including Spectrum Services. However, if your school district closes because of internal reasons, and not due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the region, we will remain open and your school district remains responsible for bussing.

Can the days of my child’s in-school learning be changed?
The classroom groupings are based on a number of factors, including transportation by region. It will be very difficult to change the groupings.

Can I request to have my child attend in person classes on Wednesday?
Wednesdays are for remote sessions only, team meetings, special cleaning, staff training, and program evaluation.

How many staff will be in the room at once?
The class staffing will meet the IEP requirements with additional staff added as needed for safety. Every classroom has been measured to determine the number of persons it can contain following physical distancing requirements.

Will my child get all related services on their IEP?
Related services such as OT, PT, Speech, and Counseling will be offered as close to the IEP frequency as possible. However, during an emergency period, the State and Federal government allow for some flexibility in service delivery. Some of the sessions will be in-person and other sessions will be in remote format. Some will be individual and others groups. We look for a close working relationship with the families to help the child participate as much as possible in remote sessions. It is also an opportunity for parents to collaborate with therapist and teachers in order to help the child learn and generalize their skills across the home environment. More practice in all settings can really enhance learning! We will be sharing with you and your school district a description of the services your child will be receiving during this emergency period.

Is there a plan to transition back to five full days?
Once we are given clearance from local and state officials that that viral contagion is no longer an issue that needs to be considered  and we no longer need to wear masks and physically distance to be safe, we can reopen and resume a full week of in-person educational services.

Will there be a reassessment of skills upon the start of the new school year?
Yes, we will be informally reassessing each child’s skills, needs, interests, reinforcers, and other factors on an on-going basis and as part of our quarterly progress reporting.

Will there be further trainings for parents on how to use communication devices and in the use of Google Classroom?
Yes. Our parents are our number one partner in remote learning, and we want to make sure you know and understand the devices and programs we may be using to work with your child. Individualized trainings on communication device use can be scheduled with your child’s speech therapist and webinars on google classroom and other strategies we are using will be available to parents. Please let us know what training you would like.

Is there a suggested per family donation towards a PPE fund that would help the school during? What would you recommend?
Due to the unfunded requirement for equipment, additional cleaning, additional staffing, etc. the school is experiencing significant financial stress. Any financial donations are gratefully appreciated. You can make a donation right now by Clicking Here!

Will my child need to wear a mask at school?
Students with special needs or students who are medically fragile may not be able to maintain physical distancing, hand or respiratory hygiene, or wear a face covering or mask. It is important for parents and guardians to work with their child’s healthcare providers to make an informed decision on how best to meet the child’s needs at school, while protecting their health and safety.

We will actively encourage and support your child in learning to tolerate the face covering. However, State guidance does indicate that face coverings should not be placed on students where such covering would impair their health or mental health, or where such covering would present a challenge, distraction, or obstruction to education services and instruction. Masks will be worn by all staff all day while school, inside and outside and on school busses.

Will masks be provided for students?
We are asking parents to provide masks because you know what your child likes and will tolerate wearing. We encourage you to start now to find one your child will wear. The more children who can comfortably wear masks, the safer we all will be. If your child does not come to school with a mask, a disposable mask will be provided. If the child loses his mask while at school, they’ll be given a disposable mask at that time.

What are the protocols for when students or staff have positive cases of COVID-19 after attending school. What should we expect in terms of a temporary shutdown, contact tracing etc..
If a student or staff member reports having tested positive for COVID-19, school administrators will notify the school’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Coordinator, who will notify the Ulster County Department of Health to determine what steps are needed to protect the safety of our Spectrum Services community.

In accordance with guidance for quarantine at home after close contact, the classroom or office where the COVID-19-positive individual was based will typically need to close temporarily as students or staff quarantine. Following DOH guidance, additional therapists outside of a classroom may also need to quarantine at home.

Will siblings be allowed to attend same days?
Yes, we are planning to accommodate our siblings.

Will student aides be limited to interact with different students?
In our group model, you can expect your child to interact with all the teaching staff within your child’s classroom.

Is there a waiver that parents are being asked to sign before sending their children back to school?
You might have heard some schools and districts doing this, but we have been informed that a release of liability of this nature has no legal standing as it would be difficult to determine where the infection originated.

Are children going to be able to play on the playground?
Yes, small groups of one class at a time will be using the play equipment, and we will be disinfecting after each class uses the playground.

How will I find childcare for my child if I have to go back to work?
This is a challenge for so many working parents during the pandemic.  Your family service coordinator may be able to help you connect with services through OPWDD.