A Letter from the Superintendent
Dear Hen Hud Families,
I have heard from a number of parents about a recent item in the local publication River Journal North, which featured comments from area superintendents regarding their schools reopening and how things were going to be different from past years.
What seemed to cause some alarm were comments from me regarding the possibility of the district switching to a remote model, should we find ourselves short on staff at any point. My comments were in response to the following question: How do you foresee your day-to-day activities differing this school year compared to a normal school year?
Unfortunately, while I spoke at length with the editor of RJN on a variety of topics, my remarks on absenteeism causing a possible school closure were the only ones that made it to the printed page.
Since a number of people contacted me directly, while others posted their concerns on social media, I thought it might be helpful if I further explained my comments, which were taken somewhat out of context.
As I have shared in multiple public forums and communications, all New York state school districts must be prepared to close at a moment’s notice and implement a remote learning plan for a variety of reasons. While the RJN article focused on absenteeism as one reason, others may include county health department recommendations, due to positive COVID-19 tests, or the governor closing schools based on specific criteria he has set forth. Due to of the likelihood of such events, the state required all schools to have a remote learning plan ready to go. And with the new school year barely begun, numerous districts in our region have already had to switch to a remote model.
School closure due to absenteeism is a concern statewide because of the requirement that staff stay home if they are symptomatic. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that if we don’t have enough teachers on a given day, we can’t instruct our students in school. If we don’t have enough bus drivers, we can’t transport our students. And if we don’t have enough custodians, we can’t ensure that our schools will be safe and clean.
Finally, the RJN piece failed to include many other points I made, such as how hard our staff has been preparing for this school year and how challenging the situation has been for everyone involved – parents, students, teachers and support staff. And while the five other featured superintendents were given space to discuss more than one topic, the Hen Hud blurb was noticeably shorter and limited to only one subject.
This is a stressful time for everyone. Please be assured that our priority has always been, and continues to be, providing all of our students with an outstanding educational experience, even under the current challenging circumstances.
Regards,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent