In Response to Questions about Reopening, NYS Assessments, Half Days and Town Halls Scheduled

Greetings and Good Afternoon,

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out this afternoon with a few COVID related updates and reminders.

In Response to the Question of Reopening
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted aspects of life in our community, region, state, nation, and the world. The effect of COVID-19 on education in New York State has been extreme. On March 16, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order closing schools for two weeks due to the COVID-19 crisis. The March 16 Executive Order was followed by subsequent Executive Orders, which ultimately closed schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Execution of an extended closing resulted in an instructional paradigm shift with little notice or opportunity to consider and plan with the end in mind. Educators flexed from delivery of 100% in-person instructional models to 100% remote, distance learning models. While we hoped for a reprieve and a more traditional return to school in the fall, COVID-19 continued to be a public health concern and prompted a nontraditional launch of the school year when September 2020 rolled around.

In spring/summer of 2020, Governor Cuomo indicated to schools that guidance would be provided to school districts specific to school reopening in the Fall of 2020. The Board of Regents convened on 7/13/20 to review information and subsequent recommendations from the Reopening Task Force, which held meetings across the state throughout the month of June 2020. On July 13, 2020, the New York State Department of Health released an Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This guidance was subsequently followed by the New York State Education Department’s Recovering, Rebuilding, and Renewing: The Spirit of New York’s Schools Reopening Guidance on July 16, 2020.  These guidance documents provided the framework by which districts across New York State developed their reopening plans for the 2020-21 school year.  All schools were required to submit reopening plans to SED which incorporated required provisions from the NYS Reopening Guidance by July 31.

While there is much discussion, anticipation and aspiration to safely reopen schools fully, the guidance which provided the framework for the development of our mixed hybrid model of reopening is still in effect. HCS, along with component districts from across our region, are working in partnership with our local Departments of Health to ensure that if and when there is a shift in the guidance, we will be positioned to bring back our students to 100% in person learning... We cannot wait!

Despite the challenges inherent of the contextualization of COVID-19 on public education, HCS has much to be proud about. Our teachers, staff members and this community has demonstrated resolve, fortitude and commitment to learning, teaching and optimal experiences for our students. Thank you for your continued patience, understanding and support of the Honeoye Central School District and our mixed hybrid model of reopening! We will get through this... "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible."

Update on Administration of New York State Assessments
As you may have been reading or heard about, approximately a month ago the New York State Education Department requested a waiver from the federal government for all state testing requirements in grades 3 - 12 (NYS Grades 3 - 8 ELA & Math, Grades 4 & 8 Science, and June Regents). We learned recently that the Biden administration plans to require all states to administer tests required by federal law despite the pandemic. That said, it is expected that states will be afforded flexibility in test construction, timeline for administration, and model of delivery (remotely or in-person).

At this juncture, we have not received a response or guidance from our New York State Education Department surrounding the administration of the NYS ELA, Math or Science Assessments and the June Regents exams. A statement by NYSED spokesperson, Emily DiSantis, was however, shared today:   We will share future updates with our faculty, students and families surrounding administration of these assessments as more information becomes available. Thank you in advance for your patience!

REMINDER: Half Days Added to School Calendar
Given the construct of our mixed hybrid model for reopening and its impact on teaching and learning at HCS, we identified dates in which the Honeoye Central School District staff will have the opportunity to engage as a professional learning community during half days. Our next half day is scheduled for Friday, March 12. Our final half day is scheduled for April 16.

On the aforementioned dates, dismissal will occur as follows:

• Secondary dismissal: 10:00 a.m.
• Grades 3-5 dismissal: 11:00 a.m.
• Grades Pre-K to 2 dismissal: 12:00
• UPK am dismissal: 12:00
• UPK pm dismissal:  3:25

Students and families may expect that there will be teacher directed learning activities for student completion upon arrival at home on these dates. Note: Mrs. Klaehn will provide additional information surrounding period schedules at the secondary level and BOCES programming for these dates.

Town Halls Scheduled
Back in September, HCS offered Town Hall Meetings with the explicit purpose of checking in with our families and students to ascertain how things were going within our mixed hybrid model of reopening. At that time, it was decided we would offer additional opportunities for families to participate in Town Hall meetings at the completion of each marking period. HCS invites you to consider participation in Town Hall meetings on the following dates and times below:

• 4/22 6:00 - 7:00 ~ Progress Monitoring the HCS Plan: How are things going at elementary level? 
  • Google Meet access information will be shared via Parent Square at a later date.
• 4/22 7:00 - 8:00 ~ Progress Monitoring the HCS Plan: How are things going at secondary level? 
  • Google Meet access information will be shared via Parent Square at a later date.

On behalf of the Honeoye Central School District, many thanks to our community for the ongoing support and partnership in advocacy for all HCS students. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns about the information included in this communication, or otherwise.

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