Here’s What Buffalo Parents Need to Know About COVID-19 Back-to-School Plans

Buffalo Schools has announced its plans, so far, to protect students and staff from COVID-19, here's what you need to know. Buffalo Schools announced that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks when school begins on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. According to WKBW, Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. Cash released said it will take a collaborative effort to make sure students are safe,

When all eligible citizens and children get vaccinated and adhere to sensible research-based masking protocols in public arenas, we have our best chance to protect our children and to conquer COVID and its dangerous variants. When all children and parents invest the necessary time and sustained effort toward achieving a high-quality education, they will attain it.

Here are the take-aways from Dr. Cash's letter to parents, teachers, staff and stakeholders:

- Masks will be required, regardless of vaccination status, for students and staff
- Regular testing of students and staff will happen on a regular basis, with 30 percent being randomly tested weekly
- All students will return to in-person classes, five days per week
- Students will be permitted to eat in cafeterias, so long as a three-feet space can be maintained between each student when they remove their masks to eat or drink
- All staff must be fully vaccinated
- In-classroom lunches may be utilized by school administrators and staff
- Students who have an eligible medical exemption can choose remote learning (requests for medical exemptions must be submitted to medicalexemptions@buffaloschools.org or mailed to Dr. Sharon Brown, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services; 427 City Hall, Buffalo, NY 14202)
- The cleaning protocols from the 2020-2021 school year will remain in place
- Daily temperature checks and screening questions for staff will remain in place
- Masks will be required on school buses

Kids at Risk: WNY Summer Camps Spreading COVID-19, Very Concerning

Health officials are worried, as summer camps in Buffalo have become spreader events. Dr. Burstein, the Commissioner for Erie County Department of Health told WKBW,

What we're seeing in the schools, in the summer camps is very, very concerning. We have seen more evidence of transmission in the summer schools and the camps then compared to what we saw during the school year.

The department tweeted that at many summer camps and summer programs, COVID-19 protocols are not in place, which is leading to the spread,

Our @ECDOH has significant concerns for the school year, especially if COVID safety practices continue to be overlooked – as is currently happening during summer operations.

The COVID-19 spread among young people was greater in July than during the school year, according to the department.