Governor Andrew Cuomo announced earlier today that public schools in New York State will be permitted to open for in-person instruction in September. The decision was made based on the fact that all regions of the state are in Phase IV of the reopening and that the daily infection rate of COVID-19 remains at 5% or lower over a 14-day average.
Governor Cuomo also announced that school districts will be required to post individual plans for remote learning, contact tracing and testing, which in East Greenbush is being conducted by the Rensselear County Health Department in coordination with the school district.
The East Greenbush Central School District submitted preliminary reopening plans to the state in July, which includes a hybrid model of in-person, remote and live virtual instruction.
The district shared its preliminary reopening plan with the school community on July 27. Superintendent Jeff Simons presented the plan at a public Board of Education meeting on July 29 and hosted a virtual community forum this past Wednesday.
“I look forward to welcoming students and staff back to school,” said Mr. Simons. “There are still a number of issues being addressed by our district as we plan to reopen our schools safely. I am appreciative of the Governor’s recognition of the importance of communication with parents and teachers which reinforces our approach in East Greenbush. I am relieved that he understands that schools cannot follow a one size fits all approach to reopening our schools safely. I look forward to a continuing dialogue with our community.”
Members of the East Greenbush school community including students, staff, families and residents are invited to attend another virtual community forum on Thursday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m. A third community forum has been added to the schedule for Tuesday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m.
These additional forums will provide an opportunity to learn more about the preliminary reopening plan, updates on any changes being considered and for parents to provide feedback that may be considered by the district.
To learn more about the reopening plan, visit www.egcsd.org/reopening.