Good Afternoon Harlem Hebrew Families, 

We are reaching out today to provide an update regarding New York State travel requirements and our in-school program the week after Thanksgiving, November 30 through December 4.  With Thanksgiving a few weeks away, we believe it is important to support our staff’s ability to be with family and loved ones during the vacation. We surveyed our staff and based on their responses, we have determined that - in order to comply with State regulations around travel - we will have to shift to remote instruction for the week after Thanksgiving, November 30 through December 4. 

Since many of our staff members plan to travel during Thanksgiving, those returning from out-of-state will be required to follow “test out” protocols as outlined below and will therefore be working remotely for at least a few days. We fully expect to reopen our in-person program the following week on Monday, December 7.  

Families with students enrolled in our on-site hybrid learning platform who are interested in childcare support during the week of 11/30-12/4 can reach out to Ursula Vericain, Director of Operations at uvericain@harlemhebrewcharter.org or call the school directly  for information about our partnership with Kids in the Game.

NY State Travel Requirements as of 11/2/2020
In addition, we want to share with you New York State’s recently updated requirements for people traveling out of state.  Please review these requirements very closely, as they may apply to you if your child is traveling out of state during the Thanksgiving holiday or at other times.

New York State maintains the following regulation: Anyone who travels to any states that do not border New York must observe a mandatory 14 day quarantine before returning to normal behavior like going out in public, going to school, etc. 

New York State maintains the following regulation: Anyone who travels to any states that do not border New York must observe a mandatory 14 day quarantine before returning to normal behavior like going out in public, going to school, etc. 

While this mandate is still in place, the State recently introduced an option to “test out” of the quarantine requirement, allowing a quicker return to normal behavior if all required protocols are followed.  These are the necessary protocols to “test out” of an extended quarantine:

If someone is traveling to a non-contiguous state for more than 24 hours:

  1. Travelers must obtain a COVID-19 test within three days of leaving the State they are visiting. (Example: If you go to Iowa and are scheduled to return to New York on a Friday, you must be tested in Iowa at some point between Wednesday and Friday before departure).
  2. Travelers must quarantine for three days when they return to New York. (Example: You return from Iowa on Friday and must quarantine at home on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
  3. On the fourth day of the return quarantine, travelers must obtain another COVID-19 test. (Example: After your return on Friday and quarantine through Sunday, you must get a COVID-19 test on Monday)
  4. BOTH tests must be negative in order to end your quarantine.

Harlem Hebrew Travel Requirements
  1. If your child travels out of state (to a non-bordering state), Harlem Hebrew will have the following expectations: You must notify the School ahead of time about your child’s travel plans. Please call the main office at 212.866.4608 or email opsteam@harlemhebrewcharter.org with this information.
  2. You must satisfy either the State mandated 14 day quarantine OR the “test out” protocols outlined above before your child will be allowed to return to school.
  3. If you opt to “test out”, you must provide the School with proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to sending your child back to school.  Failure to do this will result in your child being sent home until the test results are provided or the 14 day quarantine period is completed.

For hybrid families, should your child not be able to attend in-person school the week of December 4th due to completing the “test out” process or the 14 day quarantine, they will be able to continue their academic work by joining our Harlem Hebrew Remote Academy live zoom classes. We will share details of this academic plan with you individually once you have notified the school of your travel plans. 

Please note, these requirements only apply to people returning from out-of-state from states other than New Jersey and Connecticut. We are conducting a similar process for the week following the Winter Break and expect to share an update soon to support your planning for childcare.  

Yours in OLAM values and Harlem Hebrew Together,

Ms. Emily + Hebrew Public Leadership Team

Emily Carson | אמילי קרסון
Head of School | מנהלת פדגוגית