Carmel Central School District

September 18, 2020

Dear Carmel Community:

I hope this finds you and your families well. As a reminder, Carmel Central School District will begin in-person learning on Monday, September 21, 2020.  We look forward to welcoming students back into our schools.

As you are aware, we will follow a hybrid model of learning that includes in-person and remote learning. In this model Cohort A (last names A-L) will attend in-person on Monday/Tuesday and Cohort B (last names M-Z) will attend in-person on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, each cohort attends in-person on a rotating schedule (one week will be Cohort A, and the next will be Cohort B). For the week of September 21, Cohort A will attend on Wednesday, September 23. The calendar can be found on our website (www.carmelschools.org) and  attached  contains the Cohort days through December.

IMPORTANT: ALL students, regardless of whether in the hybrid or remote learning option, MUST complete a Covid-19 screening questionnaire each school day. This is a change from previous communications about the screening due to required NYS reporting procedures. Students MUST use their school email or the response will not be recorded. More information and instructions are attached.

Please know many people throughout the District have worked tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of students and staff as we return to school. Our administrators from each school building have been in touch with families regarding the new protocols that have been put in place. Please talk to your children about the importance of these protocols for their own protection and the protection of others.

Although there are bound to be hiccups along the way, we appreciate your partnership in working through the many questions and concerns during this unprecedented pandemic. We are committed to providing our students and staff the safest and best learning environment possible.

Sincerely,

Eric M. Stark
Interim Superintendent of Schools

August 25, 2020

Dear Carmel Community:

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the last few days of summer.  As we approach September, I wanted to provide an update on our reopening plans. Some important changes have occurred in the past few days.

In previous communications, we alerted parents that the first day of school is Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and that we would begin in a hybrid learning model.  While the first day of school remains Tuesday, September 8, we will now begin the school year with an all-remote learning model. This will be in effect until September 21, 2020.  As is currently the case in school districts around the region, the pivot to all-remote learning has become necessary due to staffing issues and requests for leaves and accommodations due to COVID-19.  

In addition, we have modified the first week of school as follows:

• Monday, September 7, 2020 – Labor Day – No School
• Tuesday, September 8, 2020 & Wednesday, September 9, 2020-- Half day of school for students – All Remote
• Thursday, September 10, 2020 & Friday, September 11, 2020 – Full day of school for students – All Remote

Please join us for Parent Town Hall meetings where we will present more detailed information on the all-remote learning plan. This will take place on Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. This session will be live streamed and recorded.  The recording will be available for on-demand viewing by 7:00 p.m. Parents will be invited to submit questions after these presentations. Questions will be answered in a Parent Town Hall to take place on Monday, August 31, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

While we are ready to open our doors for staff and students to return safely, we hope the additional time provides an extra measure of comfort for our community.  As always, I thank you for your interest and your patience as we work as community in the COVID-19 world.

Sincerely,

Eric M. Stark
Interim Superintendent of Schools

August 19, 2020

Dear Carmel Community:
Over the past week we have held three Parent Town Halls. During these sessions we clarified various aspects our reopening plan and answered many of the over 1000 questions and concerns we have received about the plan. All these sessions were recorded and can be accessed on our website along with the PowerPoint presentations. 

Parent feedback is essential for a successful opening.  We know, however, that we were unable to answer all questions we received, including building and grade specific questions. For that reason, each of our principals plans to hold Principal Coffees to address these concerns. Times and dates will be communicated by each principal. Additionally, we will provide other avenues for parent feedback on our plan that will be posted on our website. 

During our Parent Town Halls, we answered these important questions:

• The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 8, 2020. September 8-11 will be ½ days for students. Full days will begin on Monday, September 14.
• We will follow a hybrid model of learning that includes in-person and remote learning. In this model Cohort A (last names A-L) will attend in-person on Monday/Tuesday and Cohort B (last names M-Z) will attend in-person on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, each cohort attend in-person on a rotating schedule (one week will be Cohort A and the next will be Cohort B). 
• Adjustments will be made to the in-person hybrid model to account for holidays. For the first week of school, for example, Cohort A will attend on Tuesday/Wednesday and Cohort B will attend on Thursday/Friday.
• We have been asked by many parents to provide a fully remote option in addition to the hybrid model. Based on the initial feedback from our parent survey we feel confident we will be able to accommodate families who would choose this option.
• Should the fully remote option be made available, the time commitment will be for the semester or trimester (depending upon whether it is high school, middle school or elementary school). That means, those who choose either model, hybrid or fully remote, cannot switch until the semester or trimester ends.
• Forms are now available to parents about your selection of either the hybrid or the fully remote learning option. Please note that while our previous survey was intended to gather data. The new form is asking for your commitment to one model or the other for at least the first trimester or semester. A link to the forms was emailed to parents.

We may hold additional Parent Town Hall meetings, especially in the event our plans change. Once again, we thank you for your patience as we work as a community to ensure we are returning our students and staff to the safest and best learning environment possible. In the meantime, questions may be submitted to us at info@carmelschools.org

Sincerely,
Eric M. Stark
Interim Superintendent of Schools

August 14, 2020

July 23, 2020

I hope this finds you and your families well and enjoying the summer. I wanted to provide an update on our plans for re-opening our schools in September.

Last week we received guidance from the NYS Department of Health and from the NYS Education Department (NYSED),We are also working with the Putnam County Department of Health and are in contact with districts in our region to share information that can assist in our planning. While we have actively been working on developing our plans since early June, these documents and our conversations with local school districts and others provides us with both clarity and flexibility as we continue to develop a plan for Carmel Schools.

At the July 21, 2020 Board of Education meeting, our Re-Entry Core team members presented information about the responsibilities and objectives for each area we are addressing in our plan.  Please take a few minutes to review this presentation on our website.  You may also be interested in viewing the video of that portion of the meeting. We have also provided a tool for our community to submit questions.

As we approach the July 31 deadline to submit our re-entry plan to NYSED please know our teams are working diligently so that students and staff may return to our schools in some capacity this Fall.  We do this with these guiding principles in the forefront:

• Ensure the safety and well-being of all students and employees.
• Promote equity and accessibility to learning for all students.
• Provide instructional delivery systems to meet the needs of all students. The plan will include continuity of learning, alignment with NYS standards and regular substantive interaction between teachers and students.
• Foster positive relationships and interactions

By July 31 we will post on our website, information that outlines our plan, protocols and procedures.  Our plans are intentionally designed for flexibility in the event we must quickly pivot from one of the three models to another based upon infection rates in our County/region (the 3 models include all students returning, all students distance learning, and a hybrid of in-school and distance learning).

In the meantime, here are some steps you can take to prepare your children for September.

• Teach and model for your children how to maintain social distancing and use of a face covering outside the home.
• Emphasize proper hygiene with your children including washing hands and avoiding touching their faces.
• Purchase or make a personalized face covering for your child. The District will provide face coverings, if needed.
• Try to be as positive as possible about back-to-school. The current situation is difficult in so many ways and we will continue to face challenges.
• Continue to check this website for information and updates.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns
Eric M. Stark
Acting Superintendent of Schools

July 13, 2020

I hope you and your families are enjoying the summer despite the uncertainties that continue as a result of COVID-19. We understand that parents are awaiting information regarding re-entry to schools for the 2020-2021 school year. Please know that we have been working tirelessly to develop solutions for several possible scenarios in order to provide an educational environment that is safe and conducive to the high level of learning that our families expect.

While we are unable to provide specifics at this time, this message is intended to give you information on what has been done thus far.

Developing Scenarios
To begin planning, we are looking at three possible scenarios:

1. Full reopening of schools with health and safety measures in place
2. Full Distance Learning
3. A “hybrid” plan, wherein some students are present in a building at one time, while other learn remotely

Formation of Re-Entry Teams
In early June we formed Re-Entry Teams for various areas. These teams were initially comprised of administrators and teachers. Recently, we have added parents and Board of Education members. The teams began working to discuss questions and gather thoughts on the three possible scenarios. Team work will continue throughout the summer.

Our teams include:

• Board of Education Policy
• Communication
• Facilities
• Finance
• Food Services
• Health Services
• Instruction
• Support Services
• Technology
• Transportation
• Athletics & Co-Curricular Activities

Parent and Staff Surveys
Clearly, there are many variables in the planning process. We recognize there may be students at every grade level that may not return. We also want to plan for staff members who are unable to work in person. To gauge the level of comfort we conducted two surveys in late June—one for parents and one for staff. Parents were asked about each of the three scenarios. We are currently reviewing the results, which will be shared with our community soon.

Staff were surveyed to gauge the comfort level of returning to school in either the full reopening or the hybrid models. We are also currently reviewing the results.

PNW BOCES is conducting a Thoughtexchange survey to get feedback from parents from 12 districts in our local area including Carmel, Mahopac, and Brewster. The purpose of the survey is to gain an understanding of what is important about re-entry to those in our community and throughout the region. We expect this will provide our district the opportunity to align our plans with others in the region wherever it makes sense.

Health and Safety
As part of our in-school protocols we have proactively ordered enough PPE (masks and gloves) for students and staff for 100 days of school. Additionally, we are continuing to review our cleaning protocols.

Next Steps
Please understand that plans will continue to change and evolve as more information becomes available. In the next few days we expect to review guidance from Governor Cuomo, from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and from the New York State Department of Health. This guidance will help us solidify our re-entry plans. Plans are due to NYSED on July 31. Governor Cuomo is expected to make a decision about the reopening of schools in early August.

We will develop detailed plans for every function within our schools and will communicate specific details in order to present a clear picture of what school will look like as we reopen.

In the meantime, we thank you for your patience and support as we work through this challenging situation. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.
Eric M. Stark
Acting Superintendent of Schools