Topic: COVID-19 effects on school leadership in NYC educational systems in low socioeconomic urban environments
The 2020-21 school year has been one of the most historic and unprecedented on record. Lisa Goodson, principal of the Fresh Creek School in Brooklyn, recalled walking her halls with her custodians, measuring distance between desks to ensure that students were able to sit six feet apart from one another, with only 10 desks in a classroom.
Across her classrooms, there are 10 students to one adult. Neon color bins sit next to desks. The bins hold the individual school items that are needed to support students’ education, ensuring that there will be no mixing of materials and resources to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from student to student. In the hallways, there are six-foot distance markers to remind students who are standing on line to social distance. There are also arrows strategically placed to direct the flow of traffic throughout the building.
Goodson refers to the CDC and Department of Health guidance as she checks to see that each hall has hand-sanitizing pumps and that each class has the proper quantity of personal protective equipment for students and teachers, including N95 masks and face shields as well as plastic barriers on desks.
The building has a coronavirus response team of 10 staff members, ranging from the principal and assistant principal to teachers and the school nurse who have worked together to create a safety plan and regularly update it.
The plan requires that all individuals must take a health screening survey and have their temperatures taken before entering the school, and those with temperatures of or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit are not allowed to enter the building.
In this plan, there are detailed procedures of an isolation room if a student or a staff member becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms. This school year, there are three safety agents patrolling the perimeter. They conduct the temperature checks and make sure safety protocols are followed.
Goodson and assistant principal, Dr. Audrey Fowler, ensure that the school adheres to the guidance set forth by the New York City school system. As teachers enter the building, they are not allowed to congregate in the main lobby, as they always had to welcome each one another back and to collaborate with one another. The school team say their hellos and goodbyes, adhering to social-distancing guidelines.
Goodson conducts a virtual check-in and professional development with teachers on the 78-inch Promethean Board attached to the wall in the principal’s office. Teachers can be seen on the screen while sitting in their classrooms.
The flow of the conversation begins with what Goodson calls a “SEL check-in”; this social emotional check-in gives her an opportunity to take the temperature of her staff’s emotions and feelings to address any anxiety and try to inspire her staff to hold on to hope and the idea of them being “champions for children.”
In the meeting, the team discusses the new health and safety procedures for students entering three different entrances for morning arrival and procedures for the grab-and-go breakfast and lunch policy for students, as no one is allowed to enter the lunchroom. Students will have to eat while receiving instruction in their own classrooms.
The school acknowledges that students may be coming back into brick-and-mortar having faced various levels of trauma from the pandemic and civil unrest. SEL activities consist of discussing how the students are feeling and addressing their needs with books that offer strategies to cope and overcome difficult situations.
Jessie Fields, a fourth-grade teacher, said she tries to stay positive. She said she still tries to accept the fact that she cannot hug her students or collaborate with her fellow colleagues the way that she used to.
Goodson, though, notes with a smile, “We are up for this challenge. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that our scholars excel.”
The leadership at the Fresh Creek School is committed to breaking down barriers and getting to know each child well with Learning Profiles in order to support student learning.
The leadership understands that connecting with all stakeholders, students, teachers, and parents to build the well being of the school community is vital in the hardships that the community is faced with.
The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19)affected a disproportionate number of Black,Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) 