Superintendent McDonald discusses yellow zone requirements

Update: Superintendent McDonald sent out an update on which schools are in the yellow zone on November 11, 2020. Read HERE. 

Dear parents and guardians,
 
As you may be aware, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has identified zip code 13027 in Baldwinsville as being part of the microcluster in Onondaga County that is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. According to the governor’s map, all eight of our school district buildings fall within a yellow zone.
 
A yellow zone requires our District to test 20 percent of our in-person school population of students and staff members each week in order to continue in-person instruction. This means we will need to test roughly 1,000 people each week in order to comply with this requirement.
 
We are exploring what this means for our District and if we will be able to fulfill this requirement in such a short period of time. Our District leadership team is working with Onondaga County officials as well as other area superintendents, and OCM BOCES to explore our options.
 
Although no decisions have been made, it does appear to be a possibility that we may need to temporarily transition to remote learning for all students. We want to give our families a chance to arrange childcare and prepare for this possibility. We put together a remote learning checklist and a Q&A for parents in anticipation of a cancelation of in-person learning. Check it out on our website.
 
We are anticipating sending a survey to parents tomorrow to determine willingness to have children tested regularly by Onondaga County while our zip code remains in a microcluster zone. This survey will not prevent a family from changing their mind, it is a tool to help our District and the county determine the feasibility of testing in schools.
 
We will update you as soon as a decision is made. Please check your emails and our website for updates.
 
We appreciate your support and understanding on this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.
 
Sincerely,
 
Matthew J. McDonald, Superintendent of Schools