This message was emailed to all families on August 10, 2021.
Dear Families,
We have been working diligently over the last several weeks to prepare for the return of your children to school in September. As you know, we had been anticipating updated guidance for this school year from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). However, as found out last week that this guidance was not going to be released, and that we should plan for the return of students following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for PreK-12 schools.
Tuesday morning, the State Education Department (SED) released a memo informing school leaders that they would be issuing a summary guidance document based on the CDC guidelines and guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This document should address a variety of questions that will help districts plan for the coming year.
You can read the full memo from SED here.
Also on Tuesday morning, Governor Cuomo announced his resignation, which is effective on August 24. We do not know how this may or may not impact the release of any guidance from the state, beyond that which is planned from SED. We will continue to work with the Columbia County Department of Health, Questar III BOCES, and SED to ensure we have policies and procedures in place that will keep our students and staff as healthy and safe as possible.
I will meet with our stakeholder group to discuss our plans for our students’ return. Given this announcement from SED, however, our planning will take more time to develop a comprehensive plan for this school year.
While many policies and procedures are still being developed, we do know that it is our goal to have as many of our students return to in-person instruction as possible. With this in mind, we will not be offering a remote learning option to our families. Remote instruction will be available for students who require it due to a documented medical condition on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that this instruction will not be facilitated by New Lebanon CSD faculty. Any students who require virtual learning for the 2021-2022 school year will be taught by dedicated distance learning faculty coordinated through Questar III BOCES.
If your child requires remote learning, please contact my office as soon as possible.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our community for their unwavering support of our district. As we have moved through these challenging times over the past 18 months, I have been inspired by the way we have united as one community to ensure everyone’s health and safety. As we look ahead to the beginning of another school year, we will continue to move forward with the same tenacity, and we will continue to offer your children the very best education.
Sincerely,
Andrew Kourt
Superintendent