As a reminder, the New York State Education Department requires us (as well as all New York State schools) to have an Emergency Remote Instruction Plan in place. This means we must have an actionable plan to put into effect should remote instruction be needed for whatever reason. The district is very capable to handle remote instruction and has a very solid and well-developed plan to implement should this be necessary.
As you know, the 2024-25 student/school calendar has “emergency use” days built in, which we plan to use for inclement weather conditions causing us to close school. Please know the district will prioritize the traditional practice of closing schools due to inclement weather conditions for this school year.
But emergency closure days can happen for a variety of reasons, not just weather, and we must be prepared. Please know that while this also doesn’t mean that we would wait to exhaust “snow days” prior to pivoting to remote instruction, any decision to use remote days would be mindful of the student calendar; the number of emergency days remaining; the type of emergency (inclement weather, power or water loss, as examples); and student and staff ability to work remotely, among other factors.
Aside from the NYSED mandate requiring a remote instruction plan to be in place, we have an equal responsibility to have the ability to possibly pivot to the use of remote instructional days to avoid school closures and/or the taking back established vacation days.
Should remote instruction ever be necessary, instruction will begin at 9 a.m. for all school buildings. Specific information for each building is listed below:
Please use this information as an opportunity to discuss with your child the reasons why remote instruction might take place in those rare occasions. Similar conversations will be taking place in our classrooms as well.
We appreciate your ongoing support and understanding as our trusted partners in your child’s education.