Dear Community Member,
After consulting with New York State officials, health experts, administrators, teachers and parents, I have decided that New Rochelle schools will open virtually for the month of September.
After that, we will continue to monitor the situation as health and safety information becomes available to determine when and how schools can re-open for in person learning. With this virtual plan, our district remains committed to universal internet and Chromebook access and will be sensitive to the needs of special education students, ENL students and families with child care issues. The final virtual learning plan may include limited and targeted in-building programs for these populations.
As difficult as this decision is, I feel it is my obligation as your Superintendent to place the health and well-being of teachers, staff, students and their families above all else. As much as I'd like students to learn in their classrooms, we do not know enough about the COVID virus at this time to be confident that people will be safe to return to our schools as a hybrid model would require.
I am working with my cabinet, school leadership, teachers and the Board of Education to develop a more detailed plan in order to ensure that virtual learning will be as robust as possible to maximize each student's learning.
I look forward to speaking with parents this evening at 6 p.m. in an informational session found at this link to take questions and provide more context for this decision. In the meantime, please know that everyone in our district is working toward ensuring the 2020/2021 school year focuses on meaningful education and the health and well-being of our community.
Sincerely,
