By Kenny Forman
Editor’s note: Part one in a series examining education in the post-Covid era.
Uniondale School District parent Claudia Barnes sensed her daughter Jessica’s education would not be the same after March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a pandemic. Suddenly, Jessica was forced to learn in front of a screen.
“Oh my God, that is a long time ago,” Barnes said. “I don’t even know what happened, but I just know the kids came home one day, and they weren’t going back to school. Nobody knew when they were going back to school again.”
Jessica was in first grade at the time. Although she eventually got a handle on virtual learning, it was far from an easy transition at first.
“For most of the time, I think maybe the first six months, somebody had to sit with her and kind of reinforce the need to sit and listen and pay attention,” Barnes said. “But after a while, she got used to it and was able to acclimate to virtual learning.”
Virtual learning was considered by many to be unprecedented, even with the increased reliance on technology in daily life. This created challenges for younger students like Jessica, who barely had experience with attending in-person school under the traditional pen-and-paper method.
“I think she definitely realized that something was wrong,” Barnes said. “Being that they weren’t going to school the first two weeks, I think they weren’t really doing anything, and the school tried to send out these robocall messages trying to tell everybody what to do, or what’s the next step. But for her, I think she thought it was fun being home at the time, but after a while she realized something was wrong.”
Though Barnes believes Jessica is back on track academically, state test scores have shown a drop-off that can be attributed to the pandemic. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the average fourth-grade math score dropped 10 points from 2019 to 2022, while reading scores declined by six points.
Village of Hempstead Trustee and former NFL player Noah Burroughs is making a run for the New York State 18th Assembly District. He currently teaches special education students at Barack Obama Elementary School in Hempstead. Four years ago, he was at Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School, also in Hempstead. Already faced with the challenges of moving to a screen, he had to make even more adjustments, since his students have disabilities.
“That year was a tough year,” Burroughs said. “Going from being in class to now you’re out of the classroom, especially for kids with disabilities. You need to be present with those individuals so that you can help them with whatever issues or [delays] they may have.”
Burroughs found it far from easy to be able to do his job the same way he had been doing for over a decade. He had to be mindful of the fact that his students had various situations going on at home, which played a factor in how attentive they were in class.
“It’s really tough doing that from a computer,” Burroughs said. “A lot of teachers, especially teachers that teach students with special needs, it was very difficult. You find times where students weren’t on the screen or they were home and there was so much noise in the background, they couldn’t focus, or they actually had to tend to things that they normally wouldn’t do.”
For some students, having a working device was an issue. Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil is the current Uniondale district superintendent. In 2020, she was the Brentwood School District’s assistant superintendent. “The idea of remote learning when you don’t have devices is difficult,” Darrisaw-Akil said. “So we were taking devices that we had on hand, and then there was a backlog even if you went to order. The devices just weren’t available because everyone around the country was trying to do the same thing.”
Kristle Simms-Murphy is the current president of the Grand Avenue Elementary School PTA in the Uniondale district. Her daughter was in kindergarten in 2020, and she noticed learning issues, she said.
“One of the things that we’ve learned is that the foundation of reading and writing and arithmetic really is first, second grade,” Simms-Murphy said. “So the foundational learning has been lost . . . As a parent, I’ve had to advocate to make sure that my child got all the things that I think they need.”
Despite her frustrations, Simms-Murphy still believes it is the responsibility of herself and other parents to ensure their children are on top of things, regardless of the circumstances. “There are still parents that say, ‘Oh, it’s from the pandemic,’” Simms-Murphy said. “This is the reason why the kids are not flourishing. But if you don’t know to get the resources or how to access [them], then your children are going to get left behind.”
Burroughs recognizes the educational deficits that Covid-19 left in its wake. At the same time, he still notices an encouraging growth in his new students, which were much younger in 2020.
“From studies, there’s about a four- or five-month lack of education with the kids today,” he said. “But I’m going to be honest with you, the kids that I have in the classroom this year are . . . so well managed, for one. Two, they are highly interested in learning.”
Burroughs credited parents and their involvement for making sure their children are engaged in their studies.
The Uniondale district saw a 10% increase in library, media and instructional technology from 2022-23 to 2023-24. Increased use of technology often means a greater likelihood that students can access sites they should not be on. That is why Darrisaw-Akil wants to help ensure this does not happen on school grounds.
“On the devices, on district-issued devices, we were able to block certain sites,” she said. “So if it’s a device that we have purchased and we’re providing internet access, we are able to restrict certain sites.”
Even as students appear to get back on track in the post-COVID era, Darrisaw-Akil would still like to see more support for the schools.
“From studies, there’s about a four- or five-month lack of education with the kids today. But I’m going to be honest with you, the kids that I have in the classroom this year are . . . so well managed, for one. Two, they are highly interested in learning.”
Noah Burroughs, Teacher
“I think that we need to continue to invest in schools and school districts. If we know that the needs are still there, then the historic investment that the federal government made in schools needs to continue,” she said. “These are our children, and they are going to be our future leaders. It was great for three years, but I’m going to have long-standing challenges as a result of what took place. I’m not sure that cutting off funding after three years is the best strategy.”
Burroughs is confident that schools are doing the best they can in making sure students are educated. If anything, his main concern surrounds mental health, which he hopes to bring awareness to if elected.
“The pandemic was something that no one expected,” he said. “We handled it the best way we could, that being at both the state and federal level. The schools did the best they could. The only thing I say is that if there are any issues, there are services out there. If you recognize any issues, there are agencies that do provide mental health services, and so we would just recommend them the services.”
