On Aug. 24, Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Superintendent Peter Smith sent the following letter via SchoolMessenger to J-D families and staff.
Dear Jamesville-DeWitt families, staff and community members,
Another school year is upon us, and the COVID-19 pandemic will again necessitate changes to how our schools operate. With the goal of returning all students to five-day-a-week in-person instruction in a safe environment, we developed a school reopening plan that takes into account what we have learned from the past year-and-a-half, guidance from public health experts and feedback from our staff, students and their families and community members.
The following guiding principles shaped the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District 2021-22 Reopening Plan:
- The health, safety and well-being of the children and adults is paramount.
- Educational equity will be at the forefront of decision-making.
- Return all students to school, full-time.
- Support students’ social, emotional and mental health.
- Prioritize the needs of our most vulnerable students.
- Communicate with stakeholders, such as staff, families, students and the community.
- Ensure flexibility to meet the needs of all students regardless of changing circumstances.
We understand that some parents and guardians are anxious about sending their students to school for in-person instruction. Our hope is that this plan will alleviate your concerns. The safety precautions we will be following were created by reviewing recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New York State Education Department and the Onondaga County Health Department.
We will continue to monitor guidance and recommendations from public health experts and elected officials and make adjustments to our plan as needed, always with the health and safety of those within our school community as our priority.
Looking back on all that we have been through and accomplished since the pandemic began makes me extremely proud. We continued to provide a high-quality education to our students despite the many challenges that we were all dealing with personally and professionally. Our staff rose to the challenge, as did our students and their families. We pulled together to support one another at a time when being physically together was not always possible. And now we are excited for our students’ full return to in-person instruction, beginning on Sept. 9.
I wish you and your family much success in the 2021-22 school year. If you have questions or concerns about anything in our reopening plan, please reach out to me or your student’s building principal.
Sincerely,
Peter Smith