July 7, 2020
Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s):
First and foremost, we want to thank you all for sharing your input, concerns, and support over the past few months. The ebbs and flows of the situation surrounding the global pandemic have been difficult for everyone, and we are truly blessed to be part of a community that is willing to share their thoughts and work with us toward a solution. The situation changes so frequently that often a decision made in the morning will be completely overturned by the afternoon. All we can do is communicate as much as possible in an effort to keep you as up to date as we can and provide you with an opportunity to voice your thoughts and opinions as the situation develops. Thank you for enduring all of the emails, surveys, and documents we have been sending home. Our goal is to keep you informed on the Commonwealth’s directives as well as our planning efforts.
This letter is to inform you about one of those recent changes. As you are aware, on July 1, 2020, Pennsylvania issued a state-wide mandate, requiring all citizens of the Commonwealth to wear masks in public. Please find the order here. On Friday, July 3, 2020, the state provided the clarification that this order, while in effect, does apply to schools when 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained. Please click here to review their clarification. Essentially, this means that our plan to reopen now must include that all employees and students wear masks for the duration of the order.
We understand the science behind the decision and recognize that the Governor is taking this action to keep us all safe. We also recognize that this mandate will present very real challenges in an educational setting, but want you to know that we are already working on protocols and procedures that will establish clear and consistent application of the practice in our classrooms. Our revised plan will be released the week of July 27th. With your help, we believe that we can make it so that the masks will become as natural a part of our school day as possible for the duration of the order.
Obviously this mandate may affect your decision on which option you will choose for your child’s education this fall. If you have not yet done so, please consider your options given this new information and let us know your intention by August 1, 2020 by completing the appropriate survey. If you have already completed the survey, but feel this information has changed your mind, please complete the appropriate survey again. The rosters will be built based on the latest date a survey was completed for your children. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions and concerns, and we will continue to keep you informed as the situation develops.
Wishing you a happy and healthy summer,
Michael Vuckovich
Superintendent of Schools