Dear Summer Program Faculty, Staff, Students and Parents,
On July 8, 2021, the New York State Department of Health issued guidance to schools that are hosting summer programs affording them the option to follow “Summer Camp” Guidance or the School Guidance as updated in early June. The substantive difference between the two documents is the requirement for mask wearing. In the school document, masks are required by all individuals when in the school building, while the summer camp document “strongly recommends” students that are not vaccinated continue to wear a mask while indoors and “all unvaccinated staff must wear a face covering at all times while indoors.”
Following a thorough review of the document, as well as consultation with our administration and feedback from our summer school faculty and staff, effective Tuesday, July 13, 2021, Port Jervis City School District will adhere to the following protocols while in the school buildings:
- Students are “encouraged” but not required to wear face coverings/masks while indoors
- “Unvaccinated” faculty and staff are required to wear face coverings/masks while indoors
- “Vaccinated” faculty and staff are not required to wear face coverings/masks while indoors
The above protocol does not apply to bus transportation. All students are required to wear a face covering/mask while on a school bus.
These protocols will be followed for the remainder of the summer programming. Links to the Summer Camp and School Guidance documents can be accessed using the following links:
Summer Camp Guidance
School Guidance
Thank you for the continued cooperation and support as we progress through the requirements and guidance, while providing the safest and healthiest learning environment for our students, faculty and staff.
Sincerely,
Mike Rydell
Superintendent of Schools