A message from Superintendent Bishop about the school reopening plan

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Stakeholders of the Fort Plain school community:

Approximately two weeks ago the NYS Education Department released a guidance document to inform the development of plans for schools to reopen in September. Our initial plan will be posted to the school website tomorrow, Friday, July 31.

School districts were asked to submit reopening plans for three scenarios: in-person learning, remote learning and hybrid learning (a combination of in-person & remote learning).

We developed our plan using feedback from stakeholders. In addition to information provided through two parent surveys, feedback was gathered through faculty surveys and multiple focus groups.

Some key areas of focus in the planning process included health and hygiene, nutrition and food services, transportation, attendance, school activities, services for students with special needs and school safety.

Special attention was devoted to developing consistent communication protocols and ensuring internet accessibility for all students. These areas were identified as barriers for learning in the feedback we received, so it became our priority to address them.

Please keep in mind, plans will continue to evolve based on additional guidance. High-quality and meaningful teaching and learning is our priority. Our goal is to maximize student-teacher contact time in all learning scenarios.

It is important that school feels “normal” for students when they return. With that in mind, we designed our plan in a way that prioritized health and safety while reducing the need to wear face coverings throughout the entire school day.

We will still need to enforce NYSED guidelines and wear face coverings on the school bus, in the hallways and bathrooms and when social distancing cannot be maintained.

The governor is expected to make his announcement about reopening schools late next week. Following his announcement a parent forum will be scheduled to address the questions that were collected through the most recent parent reopening survey.

Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback by participating in the parent surveys and staying connected. With your help we can achieve the district goal to prepare every student for success beyond graduation.

Sincerely,

John Bishop
Superintendent of Schools