Dear Tiger Family,
I hope that each of you is doing well and staying safe and healthy. With the midpoint of summer approaching, I wanted to take a quick moment to update everyone on the latest information concerning school reopening and how it might impact the students, families, staff, and community of our school district.
As of July 28th, 2021, New York State has not provided guidance to schools on COVID protocols as they prepare to reopen in the fall. In the absence of any new guidance, local county department of health officials, BOCES Leaders, and School Superintendents meet weekly to develop a collective vision on what reopening may look like.
One of the most pressing concerns considered is our ability to provide transportation. The current recommendation is to maintain physical distancing “to the greatest extent possible.” In order to fully reopen, the collective thinking on buses is that:
- Mask be worn at all times (not an option- Federal Mandate)
- Windows open to provide ventilation.
- When possible, parents walk students to school or drop them off to reduce the population density on school buses.
In lieu of any state direction, the workgroup plans to turn their attention to fall interscholastic athletics and what the safety precautions might look like when these activities start in just a few weeks. The other big challenges that must be considered are indoor physical distancing and mask-wearing expectations.
Last, but certainly not least, public health officials in the group are very concerned that COVID positivity rates in our region are starting to climb back up and that the new variant spreads much more aggressively. Officials say the number one, most effective deterrent to the spread of the virus, is the vaccination of anyone eligible to receive one.
We are committed to reopening schools for full, in-person instruction in the fall. We eagerly await guidance to be able to bring our faculty, staff, and students back to a safe learning environment.
If you would like to see the most recent letter sent to Dr. Zucker on behalf of our community and surrounding schools, I’ve included it below.
Sincerely,
Daniel Ward
Superintendent of Schools
Hudson Falls Central School District
Click to access July-2021-Re-opening-Advocacy-Letter.pdf
Click to access Re-opening Plan