Clarkstown Central School District
August 14, 2020 - The Road to Reopening
Superintendent Update - Parent Survey
Dear Clarkstown School Community:
I hope this communication finds you and your family members doing well. During the summer, I have been impressed with the manner in which the school community is working in partnership with each other while navigating all aspects of the school reopening process. Simply stated, many people have many questions about a variety of topics. Today, I am writing to inform you with updates on these priority topics, including the dates and themes for community and employee meetings next week as directed by Governor Cuomo. As we continue to address all aspects connected to the reopening of our schools, I embrace the opportunity to enhance our relationship as partners in education, while seeking to provide safe and healthy environments for students and staff.
Thank you.
Stay strong! Stay healthy!
Sincerely,
Martin D. Cox, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Community Planning Meetings
The District will be providing three meetings for the community and one for employees on the Reopening Schools. The community meetings will be offered by grade level, elementary and secondary, as well as by the themes which are indicated below:
Meeting Themes: Health and Safety, Transportation, Food Services, Instruction (Special Education/Technology, Social Emotional Learning), Facilities, and Athletics
Tuesday, 8/18 6:30 p.m. - Meeting 1 - Health and Safety and Facilities, Food Services.
- Please join the meeting at www.ccsd.edu/cpm
- Email all questions to reopening@ccsd.edu
- Questions must be submitted by Monday, 8/17 by 12 Noon
Wednesday, 8/19 5 p.m. - Meeting 2 - Instruction K-5 (special education/technology, SEL) (model and scheduling), Transportation
- Please join the meeting at www.ccsd.edu/cpm
- Email all questions to reopening@ccsd.edu
- Questions must be submitted by Tuesday, 8/18 by 12 Noon
Wednesday, 8/19 7 p.m. - Meeting 3 - Instruction 6-12 (special education/technology, SEL) (model and scheduling), Athletics, Transportation
- Please join the meeting at www.ccsd.edu/cpm
- Email all questions to reopening@ccsd.edu
- Questions must be submitted by Tuesday, 8/18 by 12 Noon
Wednesday, 8/19 1 p.m. - Employee Meeting - (All employees)
This meeting will be for staff only. Please forward your questions to jsobel@ccsd.edu by noon the day prior.
- Please join the meeting at www.ccsd.edu/cpm
- Email all questions to reopening@ccsd.edu
- Questions must be submitted by Tuesday, 8/18 by 12 Noon
Meetings will be live-streamed as well as recorded and available on the District website for those not able to view at the scheduled times. Each meeting will begin with a presentation that will include information related to questions sent in by community members. Please send your questions by noon the day prior to the meeting to the email address reopening@ccsd.edu. In addition, we will have a chat available for viewers to submit questions during the meeting. If time permits, we will address those as well. Please note that, during this period, we will not be able to respond to individual inquiries sent separately to administrators on these topics.
Facilities Use Permits and Update On Before and Afterschool Programs
Given the building use complexities associated with re-opening, especially the many health and safety precautions required, we have determined that we will not allow any outside permits for use of our buildings at this time. This includes permits for building use by the Early Riser program and the after school childcare programs run by Festaville, JCCY and the YMCA.
This action will afford us the opportunity to review and adjust where required as it pertains to the logistics, operational procedures, custodial staffing needs and the overall implementation of our health and safety protocols.
We will update you in mid-September. We understand the challenges that families are facing in dealing with the pandemic, and thank you for understanding as we prioritize the safe return of our students and staff to school as our primary concern.
SAT Administration
Cohort Assignments
Health and Safety
A comprehensive protocol for handling all aspects of exposure and illness in our schools related to Covid-19 is being finalized and will be shared early next week. The information below is how the District will handle testing and contact tracing.
Testing: The Clarkstown Central School District does not perform Covid-19 testing, and cannot mandate that any student or staff member be tested for the Covid-19 virus. We recommend that any student or staff member who has any of the symptoms associated with Covid-19 or has been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 seek the guidance of a healthcare provider. If your provider orders a Covid-19 test or if you think you need to be tested, you can find a testing site near you on this website: coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you Testing is free to all eligible New Yorkers if you go to a test site run by New York State. You can also call the NYS Covid hotline at 1-800-364-3065.
Tracing: Contact Tracers from the Rockland County or New York State Department of Health will work directly with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to identify others they have had contact with and let them know they may have been exposed to the disease. The Clarkstown Central School District will assist those agencies in contact tracing efforts by providing the names of any students or staff members who were in "close contact" with an individual who had been in one of the district's buildings and tested positive for Covid-19. "Close contact" is defined by the CDC as having been within 6 feet of a positive case for 10 minutes or more.
School Calendar - First Day of School Update
The Calendar for the 2020-21 School Year has been adjusted and the first day of school will be Thursday, September 3. Our staff will be preparing for the start of the school year during three conference days, August 31, September 1, and September 2.
As a reminder, our students will be on a half day schedule for in-person learning following the hybrid model from September 3-21. They will participate in distance learning in the afternoons during this period. Staff will be on a full day schedule
Instructional Model Selection Survey Due August 17th
If you have not yet done so, please complete the Instructional Model Selection Survey indicating your preference for your child’s instructional model by August 17th. If after that date you wish to change your preference, you will need to communicate with your principal by August 24th.
Board Meeting Presentation
The Clarkstown Central School District
Website: www.ccsd.edu
Location: 62 Old Middletown Rd, New City
Phone: 845-639-6300
Facebook: facebook.com/ccsdschools
Twitter: @ccsdschools