ES Virtual Open House, Free Meals, & Revised Travel Restrictions

November 2, 2020

Greetings Honeoye Central School District!

In the blink of an eye, we have turned our calendars from October to November 1...
It is difficult to imagine that what seems just a moment ago we were readying for the launch of a very uncertain school year, and now here we are entering week nine of school!

Given the contextualization of COVID-19 and its omnipresence in our lives, I cannot help but feel grateful as I reflect upon the last two months AND as I future ahead to all that lies before us. We will reach the other side of this pandemic, stronger and more unified than when it hit. As we enter November and the holiday season quickly approaching, we thank you for your continued support and trust. Relative to the inherent challenges of COVID-19, we have had a safe and productive first marking period, and that would not have been possible without the partnership of our faculty, staff, students and all of YOU!

I am reaching out this afternoon to share a handful of updates surrounding the following:

You’re Invited: Honeoye Elementary School Virtual Open House
Student Participation in Mixed Hybrid Model
Free Breakfast and Lunch Meals Extended Through June 25th
Free Student Meals Available for November & December Recesses
SED Yet to Decide on NYS ELA & Math Tests and REGENTS
Education Law 121, Part 2D
Revised NYS Travel Restrictions

You’re Invited: Honeoye Central School Elementary School Virtual Open House
Today is the day! Our faculty, staff and students have collaborated to brainstorm and produce an innovative way for you to visit campus and our classrooms. We hope that you will carve out some time this evening or in the days to come to enjoy the Honeoye Elementary Open House and experience a glimmer of teaching and learning at HCS!

Student Participation in Mixed Hybrid Model
We are quickly approaching the end of our first marking period. Students and families have experienced the mixed hybrid of reopening for almost a full marking period. We recognize that families and students have had the opportunity to “live, breathe, and function” in their chosen model, and there might be some instances when families have reconsidered their preference in programming to best support their child’s academic experience. As we indicated at the onset of this school year, HCS will consider an alternate programming selection (switch to 100% remote, switch to 100% in person at ES level, switch to hybrid at secondary level) by parent request to your child’s building level principal on a case by case basis. Please note the following: There are multiple health and safety considerations which must be factored into any midyear change in programming (staffing, space, transportation). We will do our best to honor requests as is safe and practicable to do so.

Free Breakfast & Lunch Meals Extended Through June 25 ~Submitted by Mike Bastian
We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Federal Government and the NY State Department of Child Nutrition have extended the option for NY State public schools to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all enrolled students through the end of the 20-21 school year! Both the NY State and Federal Government reimbursable meal programs have extended their pledge to provide free meals to all students who attend schools like Honeoye that participated in the Summer Food Service Program during the summer of 2020.

As a result, we are pleased to announce that all HCS students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch meals. This is true for students attending school in person every day (grades PK-5), students in school every other day (grades 6-12 hybrid cohort model) and those students learning remotely from home 100% of the time. While many students have begun to accept these meals, we want to be sure that families are aware of this opportunity. We would like to see a majority of our students make the most of this offering.

If you haven’t already done so, please click here to access and complete a GoogleForm to indicate your interest in free daily meals for your child. Answer all questions completely to help us process your request in a timely manner. Your support in helping us plan for increased meal production is greatly appreciated.

Free Student Meals Available for Nov & Dec Recesses ~Submitted by Mike Bastian
We are pleased to announce that HCS Food Service will be offering free student meals for pick up on Tuesday, November 24th to provide breakfast and lunch for 11/25 and 11/27. We will also offer free student meals for pick up on Tuesday, December 22nd (breakfast and lunch meals for 12/23 and 12/24) and on Monday, December 28th (breakfast and lunch meals for 12/28 - 12/31). A separate sign-up form for these recess meals will be made available to parents the week of November 9th.

Feel free to contact HCS Kitchen Manager Sheila Lowe at [email protected] and/or School Business Administrator Michael Bastian at [email protected] with questions about free-meals throughout the year, free recess meals, or to request an individual contact by emailing: [email protected].

Regents Examinations and NYS ELA and Math Assessments
Decisions have yet to be made surrounding the State Education Department's plans for the grades 3 through 8 NYS ELA and MATH assessments and January / June Regents examinations.
By federal law, states are required to test all students in ELA and Math each year in grades 3 through 8 and at least once each in those subjects, plus science, in middle and high school (our Regents examinations satisfy these high school assessment requirements).

SED has determined that the administration of these assessments will not be conducted remotely and that students will need to be in school to participate in these state tests. This poses an inherent challenge to districts across the state given the numerous and varied hybrid models for reopening this year. Last year, the U.S. Education Department allowed states to obtain waivers from these testing requirements due to COVID. Currently, The US Education Department is not considering similar such waivers so we are uncertain how SED will proceed on these assessments. More information to follow as it becomes available.

Education Law 121, Part 2D
The Board of Regents adopted Part 121 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education on January 13, 2020. This guidance for educational agencies and third-party contractors is designed and intended to strengthen data privacy and security in effort to best protect student data and annual professional performance review data.

As our Director of Instructional Technology and Data Protection Officer, Nicki Klingensmith, shared with all of you last week, the regulatory provisions of Ed Law 121 Part 2D include:

Mitigation of the release of student PII (personally identifiable information);
Adoption of and posting of the Parents' Bill of Rights on district website
Collection of a supplement contract from any vendor that receives student PII that is not already part of a statewide contract compliant with Ed Law 2-d;
Adoption of a Data Security and Privacy Policy which is aligned with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework;
Annual employee training on data privacy and security awareness;
Establishment and communication of procedures to file complaints about unauthorized releases of student data;
Appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to be responsible for the implementation of the policies and procedures required by Ed Law 2-d.

Adherence to Ed Law 121 Part 2D has multiple and varied impacts on our day to day operations, such as
ensuring that PII is not transmitted in email communications and ensuring that all third party vendors are 121 2D compliant, and if not, that we no longer utilize them.

Thank you for your patience as we refine and hone our practices to ensure data privacy and security at HCS. All of the above information may be found on our district website following the path: instruction and technology > technology > data security & privacy. In the event you have a question specific to Education Law 121 Part 2D, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Data Protection Officer, Nicki Klingensmith at [email protected].

Revised NYS Travel Advisory
Given that the efforts of New York State have slowed the transmission of COVID-19, Governor Cuomo has modified the NYS travel advisory to allow individuals to “test out” of required quarantine after travel to a non-contiguous state. It is important to note that travel restrictions now apply to all non-contiguous states. The 10/31 Executive Order stipulates the following:

“All travelers entering New York from a state which is not a contiguous state shall quarantine for a period of 14 days consistent with Department of Health regulations for quarantine unless:

For travelers who travel outside of New York for less than 24 hours, the traveler need not test prior to departure from the state, and does not need to quarantine upon arrival. However, such travelers must continue to fill out the traveler form upon entry; and further shall take a diagnostic test on the fourth day after arrival in New York.
For any traveler who has traveled outside of New York for more than 24 hours, such traveler must seek testing prior to departure from that state, within 72 hours of departure, prior to arrival in New York.
The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine according to Department of Health guidelines for a minimum of three days, measured from time of arrival and on day 4 may seek a diagnostic test to exit quarantine. The traveler may exit quarantine upon receipt of the second negative test result.

This modified Advisory shall be effective at 12:01 a.m. on November 4, 2020, until rescinded by the Commissioner.”

In Closing...
The Honeoye Central School District, in conjunction with the Ontario County Health Department, is taking every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our students, staff and families. Our primary concern is the health and wellness of our HCS community. We thank you and encourage continued adherence to the DOH and CDC health and safety protocols:

Practice social distancing of at least six feet, whenever possible.
Wear a face covering, especially when it is not possible to maintain at least six feet of social distancing.
Wash your hands regularly, using soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
Complete our daily health screening if coming to HCS campus and stay home if feeling ill.

If you have any questions about the information included in this communication or otherwise, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your continued commitment to your child’s education and to working in partnership with Honeoye Central School District.

Warmest Regards,
E. Bridget Ashton

Elizabeth Bridget Ashton
Superintendent, Honeoye Central School District
8528 Main Street
Honeoye, New York 14471
[email protected]
On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi