Syosset board backs superintendent’s reopening plan, affirms masking and 3-foot distancing; pledges to explore varsity status for rowing club

The Syosset Central School District Board of Education voted to approve the district reopening plan described by Superintendent Dr. Rogers, endorsing layered mitigation measures that include universal masking in school buildings, a reduction in recommended classroom spacing to 3 feet to allow full-time, in-person instruction, and continued contact-tracing and cleaning protocols.

Dr. Rogers told the board and public that the district has relied on guidance from the State Education Department, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in shaping the plan. He said the district’s approach is to ‘‘chip away’’ toward pre-pandemic programming while guarding against risks, and highlighted two operational changes that enabled fuller in-person schedules: the CDC’s guidance allowing 3-foot distancing in classrooms and exemptions from quarantine for…