Dear Families,
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, please be advised that a new travel advisory, and new mandatory quarantine and COVID-19 test requirements, are in effect as of November 4, 2020. The only exception is for travel to states that border New York State, including Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Different length of quarantine requirements may apply depending upon the length of any travel, and whether and when the traveler completes a COVID-19 test. I have attached copies of:
- NYSDOH Interim Guidance for Quarantine Restrictions on Travelers Arriving in New York State Following Out of State Travel, November 3, 2020, also available at: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/11/interm_guidance_travel_advisory.pdf; and
- NYS Traveler Health Form, also available at: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/ files/documents/2020/11/covid-19_travel_form.pdf
There are substantial monetary penalties for violations.
The New Lebanon Central School District has worked tirelessly to mitigate risk to our students, faculty and staff during this global pandemic. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of our students and their families in these efforts. To this end, I would like to proactively inform you of the District’s expectations regarding the new out-of-state travel advisory effective November 4, 2020. This includes, but is not limited to, travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
With an abundance of caution, travel out of New York state is highly discouraged. However, if you do travel out of state, please heed the following parameters.
- Students/families who travel outside of New York State (except for Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania) must disclose this information to the school their child attends. To the extent required by the travel advisory, students will not be permitted to return to school until they comply with any applicable quarantine requirement, as outlined in the attached documents.
If the New York state travel advisory is modified again, the District will reexamine its expectations and advise the community of any revisions to the parameters accordingly.
It is our job to ensure that our students have a consistent, safe learning environment and we take this responsibility seriously. We may be unable to accomplish this if families choose to travel out-of-state and, consequently, students are required to remain at home due to mandatory quarantine. We ask that when making travel plans for Thanksgiving and during this school year until further notice, you carefully consider the impact and disruption that your decision may have on our students who have already lost so much.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and diligence to help keep us all safe and healthy. If you have any questions regarding your obligations specific to return from out-of-state travel, please contact the Columbia County Department of Health at (518) 828-3358 or via their website – https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com/.
Sincerely,
Andrew Kourt
Superintendent of Schools