Superintendent’s Community Update, March 19, 2021
Dear Hastings Families, Faculty and Staff,
Tomorrow, we will welcome the arrival of spring which will bring more opportunities to enjoy the warmer weather. While you enjoy the fresh air and sun, please continue to enforce mask-wearing, six feet of physical distance, frequent hand washing, and the use of hand sanitizer when necessary. COVID-19 is still a contagious and dangerous virus. Adherence to these safety practices will keep our schools open and faculty, students, and staff safe.
Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the physical distance requirement for children in classrooms from six feet to three feet. However, we must wait for the New York State Department of Health to issue approval for this change to go into effect. As I understand it, six feet of physical distance in classrooms still applies to faculty and staff. Updates from the New York State Department of Health will be shared with families, faculty, and staff as soon as they become available. Mask-wearing for all is still mandatory.
Below are a few additional reminders.
Violence Against Asians and Asian Americans
In the March 5th community update, which is here, I referenced the escalation of verbal and physical attacks against Asians and Asian Americans around the country. The horror in Atlanta this week where six women of Asian descent were killed along with two other people should prompt swift nationwide action to put a stop to these hate crimes. The targeting of a group because of their ethnicity must never be tolerated or normalized. On April 7th, the monthly Time to Talk About Racism session for students will focus on racism against Asian and Asian Americans. Faculty and staff are invited to join as well. The Zoom link will be shared next week. In addition to the conversations occurring in classrooms, this forum is an important place to consider what students, faculty, and staff can do to address what is happening in New York State. Students in some school districts in the country have planned rallies, talk-ins, teach-ins, and other efforts. We will stand with and support our Asian and Asian American faculty, staff, families, and students during this painful and frightening time. Every human being has a right to be treated with respect and dignity and live without fear.
New York State Quarantine Requirements and Travel Advisory
Some people are making travel plans for spring recess which is March 29-April 5. The New York State Department of Health established quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated persons exposed to COVID-19, which are here. In addition, the NYS Travel Advisory website was updated yesterday with changes to requirements for domestic travelers. I encourage everyone to please follow these provisions so that our schools can safely reopen on April 6th.
Hastings Vaccination Update
The Governor's Executive Orders 202.95 and 202.96 require the Westchester County Department of Health to collect weekly information from districts about how many teachers and staff members have been vaccinated to date. This information will be reported weekly to the Westchester County Department of Health. A clerical staff member continues to provide assistance to faculty and staff members who are having difficulty finding an appointment.
Preparation for April 12th All In-Person Learning
Each school is reviewing recommendations, concerns and solutions gathered during school reopening committee meetings with parents, faculty, and staff. April 12th will be the first day for all in-person instruction and will simultaneously mark the end of the hybrid model. The schools will need to make modifications to remote instruction because of the challenges associated with frequent movement in and out of remote instruction during the week. The school administrators will be reviewing changes or enhancements to their reopening plans, which will be shared through a pre-recorded presentation available at 3 pm on March 25th. The updated school plans will be shared and placed on our website. After reviewing this presentation, questions may be submitted through a form that the school administrators will use to answer questions and share as FAQ documents. Again, I want to thank everyone who participated or served on a school reopening committee.
It matters that families continue to complete the daily COVID health questionnaire. This is step one in detecting COVID symptoms in your child and keeping them home rather than sending them to school to infect others. Moreover, 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 your child. Quarantines have resulted in our schools having to shift to remote instruction.
Thank you for everything you are doing to keep our schools safe. We know it hasn’t been easy but the collective efforts of families, faculty, staff, and students have made it possible for us to continue to conduct in-person learning.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Sincerely,
Valerie Henning-Piedmonte, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
