• Dear School Community: 

     

    We have received feedback across the spectrum from parents/caregivers, students, and staff regarding next year, and pending guidance from the New York State Education Department to the contrary, our plan is to have our schools open for a full, five days per week of in-person instruction in September. We expect that sometime in July further information from the State about plans for next year will be released.  

     

    There have also been questions about the possibility of forgoing the deep-cleaning day and adding another day of in-person instruction for the remainder of the current school year. We appreciate hearing your concerns but, after a great deal of thought, we have decided to maintain our four-day-a-week schedule for in-person learners through June.

     

    I firmly believe that one of the main reasons we have not had any large-scale COVID outbreaks or issues within our school buildings is our commitment to our cleaning protocols, which we began following in early fall. We are continuing to utilize our deep-cleaning days to thoroughly disinfect and clean surfaces in our buildings. The addition of the barriers in April increased our surface area and made this dedicated cleaning time even more crucial, particularly in areas where students are unmasked and eating.  

     

    That said, please know that the deep-cleaning days without in-person students in the buildings are entirely purposeful and are essential to support various components of our modified schedule that are necessary to serve both in-person and all-remote students. Our instructional staff members are able to use these designated days to meet with students in small groups, hold parent conferences, and provide interventions and support to students who are in-person and those who are remote only. Teachers also meet with parents and attend Committee for Special Education (CSE) meetings and Instructional Support Team (IST) meetings on these remote days. The day also allows teachers the opportunity to work with remote students who are not able to receive individualized instruction during the other four days of in-person instruction. In addition, Child Study Team meetings, as well as occupational therapy and other services, typically happen on these days and have been scheduled months in advance. 

     

    Initially, we chose Wednesday as a deep-cleaning day for the three of the four school buildings because the day fell between two cohorts. For the High School, Tuesday was selected because that is when our students attend Ulster BOCES. 

     

    We have 25 full days of instruction left before the last week of school, when students in the Middle School, Duzine, and Lenape will have half days. Students now have a routine and we want to minimize further disruptions to our best ability. 

     

    We are grateful for your concern for our students and staff, and we appreciate the feedback. We look forward to returning to a more normal routine and learning experience for our students next year. 

     

    Sincerely,

    Angela Urbina-Medina 

    Superintendent of Schools