Superintendent’s Community Update, April 9, 2021
Dear Hastings Families, Faculty and Staff,
I hope you enjoyed your time off for spring break. Monday is a big day for us. We will welcome children back for all-in person learning for the first time since March 2020. This is an incredible milestone for the District. It took the collective and tireless efforts of our administrators, faculty, staff, students, families, and Board of Education Trustees to make this possible. Thank you!
COVID-19 is still a contagious and dangerous virus. In the all-in person learning model, we will need your diligence and support to remain open. Thank you for all you have done since the pandemic started last year to follow important safety practices that include mask-wearing, six feet of physical distance, frequent hand washing, and the use of hand sanitizer when necessary. In our classrooms, barriers will be used since it won’t be possible to maintain six feet of physical distancing when the majority of our students return. On March 25th, school administrators released their school reopening presentation, the updated school reopening plan, and an FAQ document. This information can be found here. Joe Martorana and his team have both made and installed various types of barriers in classrooms. We thank them for all the work they have done to prepare for next week.
It is important for families to continue to complete the daily COVID health questionnaire, monitor your child’s symptoms, and follow testing guidelines. If your child is awaiting the results of a COVID test, please keep them home. If a family member develops COVID symptoms, please keep your child at home. Sending them to school will lead to further transmission and the need to quarantine administrators, faculty, staff, or children who had contact with the individual who tested positive. A fully vaccinated person who comes in contact with a positive individual will likely be quarantined. Guidance from the New York State Department of Health outlines the criteria found here that a fully vaccinated person must meet to avoid a quarantine.
As you know, under the Governor’s Executive Order 202.95 districts are required to report the numbers of teachers and staff (non-teachers) who have received their first vaccine injection. As of yesterday, the percentage of teachers and staff by school is reflected below.
