NEW HARTFORD, NY - The New Hartford school board met once again Tuesday evening via Zoom to discuss their hybrid learning model.
They were joined by over 200 parents and teachers.
And the word to describe the mood in that meeting? Well, that word would be frustrated.
Parents are pushing for their children to be in school learning, while teachers say they don't have enough time to plan their lessons.
Superintendent Robert Nole says the school schedule will be adjusted over the next several weeks to allow teachers to better prepare.
There will be a half-day on Oct. 30 for elementary students, and Cohort B will attend school for that half-day. Middle and high school students will have a full day.
On Nov. 6, all students will learn remotely for the entire day, following their regular schedule.
Elementary students will have a fully remote half-day on Nov. 13 as well, and secondary students will go remote for the full day.
Nole says this will give teacher's time to collaborate and prepare, while also allowing for parent-teacher conference schedule for Nov. 6 and 13.
During Tuesday's meeting, board member Beth Coombs said the school administration and the Board of Education failed the teachers, the parents and the students.
"The responsibility for what went wrong this year lies exclusively with the administration and the board of education. It’s not our teachers' fault they're in the position that they are in. It's not our teachers’ fault that they don't have adequate planning time," she said. "The responsibility with that lies with me. It lies with my peers on this board and it lies with the administration of this district. We as a board, we as an administration, we failed our teachers. We failed our students, and we're trying to fix it."
The board agreed to continue holding weekly meetings through November. On Nov. 10, the board is expected to vote on whether to change the learn plan beyond Nov. 13.