On Our Way!
This Monday, April 26, all elementary Group A, Group B and In-Person students will begin attending school 5 days a week. We have been working toward this objective for months. It is an extremely important step towards returning to normalcy. It has been very difficult to plan too far ahead because of how quickly the circumstances and guidance throughout the pandemic have changed. Under the current NYS requirements, we are unable to transition middle/high school students to 5 days of in-person attendance (since we do not fully cohort our secondary students and Erie County is identified as a higher-transmission area based on the total number of positive cases over the past 7 days). We are hopeful that the current trajectory of this pandemic will lead to further guidance that will enable us to make even greater progress towards full in-person instruction for all. At this time, we do not know what requirements will be in place for the 2021-22 school year but we remain optimistic.
Understanding of the virus continues to improve and more people continue to be vaccinated. There will be challenges ahead but we understand the importance of in-person instruction and have consistently demonstrated that schools are some of the safest places in our community.
Our administrators, teachers and staff have worked through many different challenges to prepare for the return to 5-day elementary instruction next week. We do ask all of our families to be patient as we make this transition. We also expect everyone to continue to adhere to all safety requirements for in-person instruction including the daily health screening questionnaire, daily temperature checks, masks at all times, and being prepared to pick up your child if they develop a fever or symptoms at school. These are non-negotiable. These measures have helped us minimize the risk of transmission throughout the school year and it will be more important than ever to adhere to them moving forward.
One challenge we identified early on was the contact tracing requirements. Although the state now allows for 3 feet of social distancing during elementary school instruction, contact tracing is still based on 6 feet. This means that, if a student tests positive for the virus, more students would need to be quarantined since they would be closer than 6 feet.
Some have asked whether we would consider leaving polycarbonate barriers in place even though they are no longer recommended by the NYS Department of Health. It is important to note that the NYSDOH did not determine that barriers are no longer required. They determined that barriers are no longer recommended. If they were no longer required, we might still decide to keep them in place in case they do provide a benefit. That is not the case, however. They are not recommended. We will always follow the guidance, which is based on the best information available from medical and health care experts. This changes overtime as their understanding of the pandemic advances. For this reason, all barriers are being removed in our school buildings.
You can access the school and District Reopening Plans at www.ktufsd.org/reopening and under the Reopening tab on our website. Here you will also find a page that includes all information and resources related to this transition including a detailed FAQ, videos, presentations, meeting recordings and more.
As we look forward to Monday’s return to 5 days of in-person instruction at our elementary schools, there are some important reminders for families:
-
Meal Kits: Families of students who are now attending school 5 days a week will no longer be provided with meal kits, since their children will be able to eat breakfast and lunch 5 days a week in our schools. Any students who are not returning to 5 days of in-person instruction (including all VLA and Gr. 5-12 students) will need to complete the electronic form at www.ktufsd.org/mealkits to sign up for meal kit pick-up.
- Technology:
- Gr. K-2: Please make sure that all devices (including charging accessories) come back to school on Wednesday, April 28. Student devices will remain in the classroom for use during instruction for the duration of the school year. Devices will not be coming home with Gr. K-2 students on a nightly basis.
- Gr. 3-4: Students must bring their devices (including charging accessories) this Wednesday, April 28 as they will receive new Chromebooks. Students must bring their devices to and from school daily as part of their instructional program from that day forward. Students will not receive a new Chromebook until they return their device.
- Gr. K-2 VLA: Students will keep their current devices at home.
- Gr. 3-4 VLA: Students will receive a new Chromebook. Details regarding the distribution and sign-up process have been sent to VLA families. If you have not received the link, please email web_help@ktufsd.org.
-
Transportation: Bus stops will remain the same for each day of in-person instruction. If any family needs to make a change to, or rescind, their Alternate Stop Application, they must notify the Transportation Department by completing a new Alternate Stop Application. You can find this form on our website at www.ktufsd.org/transportation.
