By Jackie Pollack
On Thursday, March 25, new three-sided partitions were installed on desks in a few classrooms, as preparations continue for the April 12 opening to full in-person attendance.
The early reviews of the barriers haven’t been particularly positive.
“I think that the idea is good, but the fact that we are sitting behind them doesn’t do that much,” said senior Lauren Rothman, who experienced the new desktop additions during her English class.
“And they are distracting because you can see your reflection,” she added.
This week the CDC updated its school reopening guidance, removing the recommendations for physical barriers. However, the New York Department of Health has not amended its requirement that barriers should be installed if six-feet of social distancing cannot be maintained between desks.
Junior Matthew Weidler believes that the barriers do not make much of a difference in terms of safety, but could affect the educational experience for both in-person and remote learners.
“I think there is a bigger difference for people at home not being able to hear the people in class,” said Weidler, who also experienced the barriers in his English class. “We were watching something on the SMART Board, and I had to lean my head in order to be able to see it.”
English teacher Ms. Jackie Grant, whose classroom now features desks with the plastic barriers, was concerned that they might not perform the function that they were designed for.
“The students do not naturally sit so that their heads are enclosed in the barrier, so they are next to each other with no protection on each side,” Ms. Grant said. “The students can’t see each other or the board effectively, and it is hard to hear as well.”
Ms. Grant thinks that the current arrangement might be improved if the desks could be moved to face each other — perhaps in pairs or groups of three or four — but this might raise issues with proper social distancing, especially in larger classes.
“If the desks were facing each other, it might be a bit better, but the way it is now is problematic.”
