Superintendent McDonald sends update on yellow zone requirements
November 11, 2020Dear parents and guardians,
I’m writing today to give you an update on the District’s yellow zone designation. On Monday, November 9, Governor Andrew Cuomo identified zip code 13027 in Baldwinsville as being part of the micro-cluster in Onondaga County that is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. All eight of our school buildings are located within the zip code 13027.
We have received clarification that only four of our school buildings are located in the yellow micro-cluster zone, not the entire 13027 zip code in which all District schools are located. After further review and with additional guidance from Onondaga County, we have learned that the buildings in the yellow zone are only those located in the town of Lysander.
The four buildings located in the town of Lysander are C.W. Baker High School, Durgee Junior High School, Elden Elementary School and Palmer Elementary School. Since these four school buildings fall within the yellow micro-cluster zone, the District must test 20 percent of the in-person population at each school, each week, until we are out of the yellow zone. This is roughly 550 tests per week.
We are continuing to work closely with Onondaga County officials to explore what testing will look like for our District. Our survey to parents and guardians will be open until 11:59 p.m. tonight through the SchoolTool Parent Portal. It’s important for all parents to respond to the survey even if your child’s school no longer falls in the yellow zone. We hope to update you again on Thursday as more information becomes available.
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
