PROTECT … RECOVER … ADVANCE
Dear
Hancock Wildcat Community Members, Students, Faculty and Staff,
At
his daily conference on Wednesday, July 8, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his
office will provide school reopening guidance for the 2020-2021 school year on
Monday, July 13. In addition, the Governor indicated that school districts will
have until Thursday, July 30, to submit school opening plans for review and final
approval to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Finally, Mr. Cuomo
concluded his prepared remarks by indicating that a final decision with the
regard to the reopening of schools in September will be made no later than
Friday, August 7. While planning to reopen school in the face of COVID-19 is
sure to be a daunting and challenging endeavor, I want to assure our entire
school community that we are committed to ensuring the safest possible return
to school in the fall.
From
a planning perspective, the Hancock Central School District has been deeply
engaged in preparing for any school reopening scenario that might be proposed
by the Governor. Six weeks ago, in early May, the District formed the Wildcat Reset Reopening Planning Task
Force. As I indicated in the kick-off media release announcing the Wildcat Reset, our top priority as a school district is to intensively plan for the reopening of school in September so as to ensure an infection-free, safe, welcoming and nurturing learning environment. And while work remains to be done to this end, the District feels we are making tremendous progress toward preparing to safely welcome our students, faculty and staff back to school in whatever form school takes – be it fully on-site, entirely online via remote instruction, or in a blended fashion where students are instructed at home and in the school building.
As
a school district, we know that we are stronger together. In the coming days
and weeks, HCS intends to actively engage our constituents in the culminating
aspects of the Wildcat Reset planning
process. In the near future, draft versions of our comprehensive reopening plan
will be widely available for stakeholder review and comment. In addition,
Center for Disease Control (CDC) and NYSED guidance documents will be visibly
posted on the district website, www.hancock.stier.org.
Consistent with the Wildcat Pledge, I am extremely confident we will safely and successfully formulate a state-of-the-art approach to reopening school in September that is focused on “nurturing and empowering each learner’s unlimited capacity to become a responsible citizen with a promising future.” The health, safety, and welfare of every child is, and always will be, our top priority.
Thank
you in advance for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Terrance
P. Dougherty, Ph.D.
Superintendent
of Schools
[email protected]
(607)
637-1301
Posted 7/10/2020