Herkimer Central School District is working to develop plans for the 2020-21 school year in compliance with state guidance announced on July 13.
In his announcement, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that schools in regions with low rates of infection of the COVID-19 virus would be permitted to move forward with their reopening plans in the fall.
Like all districts in the state, Herkimer CSD must develop a written reopening plan for each school building. The details of these plans will be unique to Herkimer, but the district is required to follow guidelines from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and interim guidance from the New York State Department of Health (DOH).
Each building has established a reopening committee, composed of staff, administrators and members of the Board of Education, to draft reopening plans, taking into account the unique needs of staff, students and families. In addition, parents and staff members have been surveyed, and those survey results will be considered by the reopening committees.
In accordance with state guidelines, the plans will describe what the return to school would look like for students and staff in three different scenarios:
- In-person instruction;
- Remote instruction;
- Hybrid instruction (a combination of in-person and remote).
When the district’s reopening plans have been prepared, they will be submitted to the state, and shared publicly on the district website. Information about reopening will also be shared directly with parents at each building level.