Dear Port Jervis Learning Community,
As anticipated, Governor Cuomo made several announcements and statements earlier today regarding the reopening of schools in New York State. The statement that may be resonating with some parents and students and potentially creating more questions or concerns, is that “all schools can open.”
I am writing to provide all involved with some clarification on what that means for our school district and the next steps that will be taken as we prepare for the beginning of a new school year. First and foremost, this statement is a product of the current infection rates and should not be interpreted to mean that all students will be in school on the first day of school. Additionally, throughout his statements, there was a consistent message of local decision-making that is allowed for the actual reopening of each school district. To this end, we will be scheduling virtual meetings with parents, students, faculty, and staff over the next two weeks. The meetings will be scheduled at various time slots to further accommodate schedules.
- Faculty / Staff Meeting : August 11, 2020 at 10:00 am
- Faculty / Staff Meeting : August 17, 2020 at 10:00 am
- Parent Meeting 1 : August 17, 2020 at 6:30 pm
- Parent Meeting 2 : August 18, 2020 at 12:00 pm
- Parent Meeting 3 : August 18, 2020 at 6:30 pm
*Links for each of the Parent Meetings will be posted on our website.
Further in the local decision-making aspect of the reopening of schools, parents will have the opportunity to select the option of having their child(ren) remain in a remote learning model, for a minimum of the first marking period, even when students begin to transition back to in-person instructional phases. It is recognized that there are instances where a student or member of the household is in a high-risk category due to a medical condition and the parent, in consultation with healthcare providers, may determine that remaining in a full remote model is the safest and best option for this student. Furthermore, there may be instances where parents are not comfortable with their child returning to school for in-person instruction. Regardless of the reason, parents will be provided with the opportunity to make this request well in advance of the beginning of the school year. To remain on full remote learning, parents will need to complete a form that will be released early next week. To allow parents the needed time to consider the options, ask any questions they may have, and potentially attend one or each of the Parent Meetings, these forms will be accepted through August 21, 2020.
More information will be provided to our parents and students as things progress, but I wanted to ensure that this specific information was conveyed as early as possible following the statements released earlier today from the Governor’s Office.
Sincerely,
Mike Rydell
Superintendent of Schools