October 1, 2020

Dear New Paltz Central School District Families,

At the end of August when the decision was made to delay the start of in person instruction I stated that an update would be provided at the start of October about our preparations for reopening. 

Building Preparations

• Over the last couple weeks The Director of Facilities and Operations, Guy Gardner has been working with his team on systematically applying an antimicrobial film to the high touch surfaces in all of our school buildings. This product will provide an added layer of protection from the transfer of viruses and other bacteria from surface to person.  The product will be applied monthly.
• As you know at the beginning of September we reported that we had significant delays in our ability to secure much of what we needed to open our buildings safely. At this time many of those items are in and those requiring installation are being installed in our buildings.
• Late in September, we began the midweek deep cleaning schedule that was specified in our reopening plan. This process will continue until further notice on Wednesdays at Duzine Elementary, Lenape Elementary and New Paltz Middle School.  Deep cleaning at the high school will take place on Thursdays.
• We are currently in the process of working with the teachers in all of our buildings on setting up their classrooms for the return of students. The physical layout of the classrooms has to comply with CDC guidelines, with each classroom containing a minimal number of surfaces requiring cleaning.
• While these classroom preparations are taking place, we will also be finalizing the traffic flow patterns in and outside of the buildings so that we can minimize contact and abide by the guidance and recommendations we have received.

Instructional Preparations

• In order to complete the modifications that are needed to shift to our hybrid model, we have established the final deadline of October 7th, for parents to request to have their child(ren) remote only. If you have already made your request, there is no need to duplicate it. If you had not previously requested to have your child(ren) remote only, and wish to do so, please complete this form.
• Students who are remote only may have their schedules modified due to the impact of the numbers of students and teachers who are assigned to remote instruction. We will work diligently to minimize disruption to your child's schedule, but we cannot guarantee that there will not be a change to their instructional schedule or teacher(s) assignment. 
• Requests for specific cohort assignments can not be accommodated due to the intricacies of our school schedules.
• Any changes to your child’s schedule will be communicated to you prior to the change taking effect.

Reopening Timeline

Please note this important change for this school year regarding transportation. 

No bus passes for student drop off for locations other than your child(s) home or other custodial location will be allowed.  Due to the decrease in the number of students we will be able to transport due to social distancing, we do not have the capacity to continue the practice of providing bus passes.

Duzine Elementary School and Lenape Elementary School

After having the opportunity to slow down and examine some of the logistics of bringing our students back we have established the following phased in timeline for student return;

• We will be bringing in Duzine and Lenape Elementary students the week of October 26th. The schedule will be:

After your child’s first day back, they will continue to attend following the schedule of their assigned cohort.  For example, if your child is in 1st grade, their first day back would be Tuesday 10/27, and they would not attend again until Monday 11/2, as they are part of Cohort A. . As reminder, at Duzine and Lenape, Cohort A will be attending  Monday/Tuesday and Cohort B attending Thursday/Friday. 

New Paltz Middle School

New Paltz Middle School students will begin their in person hybrid instruction starting Monday, November 2nd. Middle school students will follow their alphabetical cohort assignment A-K and L-Z.  6th grade students will attend on 11/2 or 11/5 based on their cohort.  Beginning the week of 11/9, students in grades 6-8 will attend in person based on their cohort assignment.

The schedule for student return will be:

New Paltz High School

Due to the significant numbers of students and staff at the high school who will be Remote Only, we are unable to bring back students at this time.  We are continuing to examine our high school schedule for ways to bring back students without significantly impacting schedules, content delivery or compromising health and safety.  As a result, our high school students will continue to be online only.   An update regarding the return of our ELL and special education students will be provided in the coming days.

Over the next couple weeks we will be fine tuning many aspects of our preparation.  Additional information will be forthcoming that will assist you and your child on what to expect when they return to in person instruction. We thank you for your continued support and patience and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Be well,

Angela Urbina-Medina

Superintendent of Schools

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