In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fate of the 2020-2021 school year relies on the prioritization of safety and health in communities. For the first few weeks of school, students at LHS kept the coronavirus case levels low. Unfortunately, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2020, Superintendent Dr. Melissa Burak informed the district that three students at West End Elementary School and one student from North Middle School had tested positive for COVID-19. Schools were then closed for in-person instruction, and remote learning took place so contact tracing could occur.

Following the schools’ shutdowns, more people on the north side of Lynbrook tested positive, and there were reports of two new cases in the high school. Soon enough, the cases within the high school began to increase. Parents, students, and other community members were worried by the increase of cases. Although the school district has been trying to keep everyone safe during these unprecedented times, the virus has been introduced to the community and will likey continue start to spread. For these reasons, the Lynbrook school board and the department of health decided to close the schools down for two weeks, until Nov. 16, 2020, with hopes that the spread of the virus would be stopped within the community. Burak informed the Lynbrook community that “after consultation with the Department of Health, both schools will switch to remote learning for the next two weeks. The anticipated date for all to return will be November 16.”

Although extra safety precautions are being taken to rid the community of the virus, community members are still worried about contracting it. Gabriella Ransammy, a freshman, revealed: “I think that we were doing well until some people broke social distancing; one thing led to another, and now it’s suddenly spreading again.” Online school days and in-person school days bring their own issues; it will not be easy if schools close for good. Freshman Isabella Martinez commented, “The cases make me nervous. I don’t want the schools to shut down or people to get sick.” However, due to the systems and regulations put in place by the schools, some students feel safe going into school and learning on their in-class days. Sophie Ward, a junior, shared her thoughts: “With everything going on, I think that it is inevitable that every district has people who contract the coronavirus… I still feel very safe going into school, and I know the district is taking every necessary step to protect the students and staff.” 

The coronavirus pandemic will most likely not go away any time soon, and community members have an instrumental role in slowing the spread by doing their part. Senior Jason Huffine said, “I think that we are walking a thin line between safety and normalcy. The only way we are going to be able to do that is with even more cooperation between kids and the administration, and that goes both ways. Students need to be responsible, both in school and their social lives, but the administration also needs to be more open about their thought processes about outbreaks. The fact that many people did not know if we would be coming back to school on November 4 is very troubling to me, as is the tendency of many kids to continue typical gatherings like on Halloween. We all need to do better if we are going to make it to the end of the year without a shutdown.”

The district took precautionary measures to esure the spread within the school was slowed and the community was safe. With the pandemic far from over, it is being emphasized that everyone must do his/her part to remain healthy by social distancing and in order to stop the spread of coronavirus.