School Dismissal Declaration
At 1:00p.m. Saturday, the Steuben County Manager, Jack
Wheeler, announced that Steuben County is declaring a state of emergency in
response to COVID-19. They will be directing schools to dismiss students from
March 18, 2020, through the end of April break. Chemung County will also be
announcing the same declaration in a simultaneous press release. These two
actions will effectively cover our GST BOCES region.
I had an emergency meeting with the board of education Saturday
morning to discuss the district’s response and path forward. The following is
information we reviewed. Some pieces have been laid out right now, but I imagine
there will be more questions as we proceed. Please review the information
provided below.
What is the immediate plan?
Monday, March 16
o STUDENTS WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE
at the Canaseraga Building
o Any students attending special
education programs at Arkport CSD will not be attending due to their scheduled
conference day.
o Wildwood Vocational students and any BOCES special program
students will be able to attend their programs. This will be the last day of
attendance prior to the student dismissal.
o Genesee Valley Vocational students are able to attend – at
this time – as we have had no communication, they won’t be open.
o This day will be converted into our conference day instead
of holding the conference day on 03/20.
o The primary effort for Monday will be to have teachers and
staff prepare for an extended student dismissal.
Tuesday, March 17
o Students will be in attendance at
the Canaseraga Building
o Any
students attending special education programs at Arkport CSD will be in
attendance
o Wildwood Vocational students and any BOCES special program
students will NOT be able to attend their programs as all GST BOCES programs
will be closed as of Tuesday.
o Genesee Valley Vocational students are able to attend – at
this time – as we have had no communication, they won’t be open.
o Canaseraga teachers will provide students with review work
to take home.
o Students should take home personal items.
If you have particular questions relative to your child’s
particular academic program that might be off our school campus, please don’t
hesitate to email me: cgroff@ccsdny.org.
Wednesday, March 18
o This will be the first day of the extended student
dismissal.
Why are multiple counties – including in our region –
declaring a state of emergency regarding COVID-19?
-The attempt is to “flatten the curve.”
-This approach allows the healthcare system to be able to
manage the capacity of the outbreak.
Why should Canaseraga follow the guidance of Steuben County
and not wait for Allegany County to make a similar declaration?
-Although a majority of our school district lies within
Allegany, we do have some properties that lie within Steuben.
-We have students attending numerous instructional and
special education programs on our BOCES campus and on school campuses within
Steuben County. These campuses will be closed – thus closing the instructional
programs of these students.
-While Allegany County has not made the decision to call
for student dismissals, the actions of other counties and regions across the
state will likely lead to a similar declaration.
Will meals for breakfast and lunch be available for
students during the extended student dismissal?
-We anticipate the implementation of a feeding program to
be able to provide meals for students during the extended break.
-Due to logistics, we will not be doing this from Wednesday
through Friday of this coming week. We need to make preparations with our food
service and develop a plan for production and distribution of the meals.
-The district will follow-up with a phone blast and
additional information being posted for parents with the details as they are
made available.
-We will likely ask parents to notify the district if you
want meals delivered for your children. Please do not call at this time, but
wait for further direction.
Please bear with us as we travel this very unchartered
territory in public education while we try to manage the impact on our students
and staff from COVID-19.
In summary, we will be following the emergency declarations
that are impacting our GST BOCES region that will result in student dismissals
from school beginning on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, and lasting through April
break. There will be continued monitoring of COVID-19 between now and April break.
As we receive updated information will be make every effort to communicate the
latest.
