To My Plainedge Family,
As a follow-up to my Community Update from last week, on Friday, March 27, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that all schools in New York State will be closed for an additional two weeks. This latest executive order mandates that we will now be closed through April 15th, which falls during our originally scheduled spring recess.
Also included in Governor Cuomo’s latest executive order is a directive to provide for the continuity of instruction without interruption. This action now requires the cancellation of Spring Recess 2020. Remote learning instruction will now continue from Thursday, April 9, 2020 through Friday, April 17, 2020. You can expect a shift in Teacher Office Hours during this period and all teacher’s schedules will be clearly detailed in your child’s Google Classroom. Our meal program for eligible families will still be in operation during this time.
We are cognizant of the fact that many families and staff members may have plans to participate in religious observance activities on Thursday, April 9, 2020 and Friday, April 10, 2020. In order to support our families during this period, I have instructed our staff NOT to post any new assignments or require any classwork be due on these two days. Thank you for all your hard work in supporting our children every day!
Earlier this week, we also received notice from the State that the annual school budget vote and Board of Education election will be delayed to no earlier than June 1, 2020. We will inform you when a new date has been provided to us.
This is a time for everyone to support the greater good, and the sooner everyone does their part, the sooner this pandemic will end. Ignoring public health warnings will only prolong this difficult and challenging time. So please, take kindly the advice being issued by health professionals:
- Stay home unless you need to go out for essential supplies or your work has been deemed essential
- If you do go out, stay a minimum of six feet away from other people
- Continue to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer
I wish you and your families well during this rapidly evolving situation. We know that this closure is challenging for all of our families. Please know that we stand ready to assist you in any way possible. I will continue to provide you with timely information on a regular basis, and I encourage you to visit our website at www.plainedgeschools.org for updates on the situation.
We’re all in this together! And I look forward to the day when we can all be together again.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Salina, Jr., Ed.D.
Superintendent