On Feb. 27, Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Superintendent Peter Smith sent the following letter via SchoolMessenger to J-D families and staff.
Dear J-D families and staff,
Today, Sunday, Feb. 27, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the statewide face mask mandate will be lifted for schools on Wednesday, March 2.
On Monday, Feb. 28, and Tuesday, March 1, all Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District students and staff, as well as visitors, will be required to wear face masks on school buses and inside our school facilities, per New York state.
The governor’s announcement follows a Friday, Feb. 25, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement that it will be using new metrics to determine COVID-19 risk, which resulted in the federal agency recommending that counties with low to medium risk do not have to insist on individuals wearing face masks in public, including in schools. Onondaga County is currently within the medium risk category, according to the CDC.
Here’s what you need to know for when you or your students return to school this week.
Monday, Feb. 28, and Tuesday, March 1
All existing COVID-19 mitigation strategies will remain in place, including face mask wearing indoors and on school buses and social distancing when possible.
Beginning Wednesday, March 2
- Face masks will not be required to be worn indoors in school facilities or on school buses; mask wearing will be optional.
- Staff members will still encourage frequent handwashing, and hand sanitizer will continue to be available throughout our facilities.
- Schools will continue to conduct weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing. If you are interested in having your student participate, enrollment information is available on the J-D website.
- The district will continue to share weekly on its website positive COVID-19 cases that are reported to the district.
We will continue to monitor guidance from federal, state and local officials, including New York state’s updated COVID-19 guidance for schools and a frequently asked questions document that we expect to receive from the state this week. We will review and share with you via SchoolMessenger and on our website any changes in those documents that affect our daily operations.
As we move into this next phase of the pandemic, we will continue to remain vigilant and monitor positive COVID-19 cases that are reported to us. As long as we have COVID-19 at-home test kits available, we will share them with any family or staff member that requests one from their school’s main office.
I know for many of our staff and families, the governor’s announcement is welcome news. But for others, we realize there may be a sense of anxiety. This is a big change. For those who are uncomfortable without a face mask in our schools, please know that anyone who so chooses to, may wear a face mask.
I hope you all had a restful school break, and we look forward to having students back in the buildings this week. As more information becomes available about changes to the state’s COVID-19 protocols for schools, we will share it with you. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and commitment to the health and safety of our students and staff.
Sincerely,
Peter Smith
Superintendent