Superintendent’s Community Update, February 26, 2021


Dear Hastings Families, Faculty and Staff,

Next week is the one-year anniversary of when we first closed schools on March 5th & 6th, 2019, not aware of what was in store for us in the months ahead. The good news is our School Reopening Committee is meeting on March 4th to begin the process of restoring in-person instruction for all children on April 12th. While the pandemic is still a force to be reckoned with, the COVID-19 vaccination available to school personnel, along with mitigation efforts used since we reopened in the hybrid model, make it possible for us to resume in-person instruction for all children. 

On April 12th, mask-wearing is still mandatory and the use of desktop-barriers, when six feet of physical distance is not possible, will be practiced. Next week, we may receive an update from the New York State Department of Health about additional guidance for physical distancing. The School Reopening Committee will be tasked with examining each school’s reopening plan with a focus on the following areas: 

  • configuration of classrooms and other learning environments
  • effective use of barriers 
  • personal protective equipment
  • remote instruction 
  • breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria 
  • musical and theatrical performances
  • athletics and extracurricular activities
  • bus transportation and drop-offs
  • ingress and egress areas in schools
  • hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection protocols
  • outdoor learning
  • fresh air breaks 
  • surveillance testing

It is great to see how many parents were interested in serving on the School Reopening Committee. Because of the large number of parents who signed up, registration has been closed. A calendar invitation and a link to the March 4th meeting will be shared early next week with the committee members. Each school has arranged a community forum to share information and answer questions. The dates of the community forums are as follows: 

  • Hastings High School, March 25th, 3:20pm-4:20pm
  • Farragut Middle School, March 25th, 3:20pm-4:20pm
  • Hillside Elementary School, March 25th, 3:20pm-4:20pm

Remote instruction for students in the hybrid learning model is now extended indefinitely. If your child is not currently participating in remote-only instruction and you want them to start, please contact Ms. Hardesty at Hastings High School, Mr. Hanlon at Farragut Middle School, and Mr. DeKams at Hillside Elementary School to notify them your child will be suspending in-person instruction to access remote only instruction. Moving forward, each school-based reopening committee will be discussing how remote instruction currently operates and what adjustments may be needed.

While returning to in-person learning for all children is good news, we must continue to exercise caution and not let our guard down so that we remain open. Please remember, since children and most adults in the community are not vaccinated, it is still possible for the COVID-19 virus to spread quickly and close our schools.  Unless contact tracing procedures are re-adjusted, more students may need to be quarantined when there is a positive case. A period of time after the full COVID-19 vaccination regimen, faculty and staff will not need to be quarantined. Families must continue to complete the daily COVID health questionnaire. Please keep your child home if they are awaiting the result of a COVID test. Sending them to school will surely lead to further transmission and the quarantining of others. 

Thank you for your patience, assistance, support, and understanding during these past months of uncertainty. Our District administrators, faculty, and staff have been incredibly resilient and adaptive with every change that has come their way since last March. I am grateful for the collective efforts of everyone as we prepare for in-person instruction for all children. 

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Warm regards,

Valerie Henning-Piedmonte, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools