Message to the Community Sent July 31, 2020

 
 
Message from the
Spackenkill Superintendent

July 31, 2020

Dear Spackenkill Community,

Paul M. FanueleToday, we submitted our plans for reopening our schools to New York State. You can find the document on a new, centralized section of our website with COVID-19-related information all in one place, accessible at https://www.spackenkillschools.org/COVID-19.

Be sure to bookmark this spot, because it is where you will find all updates related to school reopening and information regarding the pandemic and our response. We are developing an FAQ page, so please also send questions to us through our COVID-19 Information Center link, and we will do our best to answer them in a timely way.

I want to thank the Return to School Committee and our various subcommittees for their countless hours of developing our reopening plans. There have been no easy solutions to returning while meeting the needs of all of our district families and our staff. We are grateful for the community’s thoughtful survey feedback as well as feedback from our staff and students. It has been immensely helpful in guiding our committee members in making decisions that work for the entire community. As always, our number one concern is the safety of all.

Our surveys have indicated that there are many people who want to return in person, and there are many others who don’t think returning right now works best for their families. Our plans will hopefully be able to meet the needs of any family’s circumstances. 

As you read through the plans, you’ll see that we have actually proposed three separate models: in-person, hybrid, and remote. The goal for all Spackenkill students is daily contact with teachers, including time for social emotional learning and relationship building. While we can’t offer full, in-person instruction and also satisfy social distancing guidelines, we are able to offer a hybrid, alternate-day schedule involving small groups of students, or “cohorts.”

We have not made any final decisions yet. We need more information from New York State. As you probably know, we are expecting guidance from Governor Cuomo next week, which will further determine our course of action. At some point around mid-August, your principal will provide additional information regarding the different scheduling options available to students and families.

Our plans are flexible and can rapidly shift from hybrid to remote to increased in-person instruction as circumstances change. Following state and health department guidance, and with the community’s safety in mind, we will adjust our plans as needed. 

Thank you again to all who have worked together crafting our plans and to the entire community for your feedback and support.

Sincerely,
Paul M. Fanuele, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

 

15 Croft Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603; 845.463.7800