Committee Exploring School Re-Entry Options
July 8, 2020Hello North Syracuse Central School District families and staff,
Although June has just ended, we are well into planning for the upcoming school year. As you know, this has been a challenging time as we sort through the guidelines, recommendations and logistics of COVID-19 and its impact on the North Syracuse Central School District. We continue to look for light at the end of the tunnel while facing the reality of the cancellation of large gatherings, most recently the New York State Fair.
First and foremost, I want to let you know that we are actively exploring options for the safe reopening of schools. Earlier this spring, the NSCSD formed a Re-Entry Committee with more than 100 stakeholders coming together virtually to formulate a plan. In order to explore all options in depth and best support student learning, the committee is divided into five sub-committees: Instructional Operations Planning, Proactive Infection Planning, Social and Emotional Wellness, Workplace Safety and Communications.
The committee will create a comprehensive plan for the safe re-entry of all students and staff. With things changing on an almost daily basis, and with concrete guidance still forthcoming, the work has been tremendous and complex. Because of some incredible volunteer leaders, teachers, parents and other staff, we have been able to make progress. We anticipate being able to present a draft plan to our Board of Education in early August.
To that end, we will soon be administering a survey to families and staff. In order to come up with a plan that considers our community’s needs, we must have your input. We are finalizing our survey questions and we will be putting the survey link out to the public as soon as possible. Please be sure to take the survey right away as we will have a tight time frame for analyzing feedback.
District leaders are also working collaboratively with a regional reopening group led by OCM BOCES. Through the group, all local and neighboring school districts have been sharing information and brainstorming solutions for reopening. We will continue to meet throughout the summer and work together to analyze the complex guidelines and recommendations given to us by federal, state and local officials.
I will be back in touch in the near future. In the meantime, please be on the lookout for our July District Dispatch. The newsletter gives more information about the Re-Entry Committee, back to school, summer projects and programs and more. My favorite piece of the newsletter however is the “look” at the most unique commencement ceremony of the Cicero-North Syracuse High School Class of 2020. My first graduating class as Superintendent of Schools for the North Syracuse Central School District…and likely the most memorable of all time.
Thank you for taking time to read this letter. Please stay well and enjoy the bright sunshine we are experiencing.
Sincerely,
Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools
Click here to visit the NSCSD website for all COVID-19 Updates.
