Dear Families,
On Saturday, November 14, the district was informed of a positive COVID-19 case within our transportation department. According to NYSDOH and NYSED requirements, we immediately informed the Columbia County Department of Health. The District is currently working with the CCDOH and following their guidance regarding our operations and procedures. If your child is determined to be a close contact of the individual, someone from the district will contact you directly by phone with additional information to come from the health department. In the event you are contacted by a representative of the county Health Department or the District, we urge you to offer your complete cooperation.
In addition to taking the immediate steps to isolate the individual, the District will also be implementing the “deep cleaning/disinfection” of any potentially impacted area as per NYSDOH and CDC guidelines. Being that the case was within our transportation department, several staff from the transportation department must be quarantined for 14 days. Out of abundance of caution, both school buildings will be closed until after Thanksgiving break and reopening for in person instruction on Monday, November 30th. Until then, all students will attend class virtually. Please refer to these instructions for transitioning to remote learning on our website.
While I fully understand you would like additional details, privacy laws do not permit us to identify the individual involved. We have provided as much information as possible. Anyone with questions and/or who needs to report a COVID-19 related health issue should contact Superintendent Andrew Kourt at akourt@newlebanoncsd.org.
In these challenging times, rest assured that the District’s priority is protecting the health, welfare, and safety of students and staff while complying with any government orders and guidance related to the opening of schools.
Please see this page which outlines the meal schedule for students while we are remote learning.
Sincerely,
Andrew Kourt, Superintendent