All schools switching to remote learning beginning Monday, December 21, 2020

December 16, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Onondaga County officials conducted asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in all eight of our school buildings today. Officials tested 738 students and staff members. There was one positive staff member at McNamara Elementary School and one positive student at C.W. Baker High School. We are grateful for the county for offering testing today. 

The number of positive asymptomatic cases found in our schools was low today, but symptomatic cases of COVID-19 continue to be on the rise in our community. We have been carefully assessing how this rise is impacting our students and staff and we have made the determination that all Baldwinsville school buildings will switch to remote instruction on Monday, December 21. 

The active number of COVID-19 cases in Central New York has continued to grow. We have been fortunate this school year because we have not needed to disrupt in-person learning by repeatedly closing down entire schools due to positive cases. The Durgee Jr. High School closure during the beginning of the school year was the only time we needed to close a building due to a staffing shortage. 

However, the number of positive cases continue to rise in our District and with those cases comes an increase in mandatory quarantines and staffing shortages in all our school buildings and departments. Again as a result, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our students and staff to switch to remote instruction for Monday (12/21), Tuesday (12/22) and Wednesday (12/23) of next week. Our holiday break begins on Thursday, December 24. 

We anticipate resuming our in-person instruction after our holiday break on Monday, January 4, 2021. Should information change, we will notify families.

Students who attend full-time programs outside of the Baldwinsville Central School District will be transported to their programs through Wednesday (12/23) as long as those programs remain open for in-person learning. Students who attend half day BOCES programs will be transported from Baker High School to BOCES. Students needing transportation to Baker High School to catch the CTE bus should contact the transportation office at 315-638-6097.

We hope the decision announced today provides families with time to make arrangements for child care for next week, as necessary. 

Our Food Service Department will be providing meals for all students. Families can pick up meals - 3 breakfast/3 lunch - for all enrolled students from 12 to 1 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 21 at the front entrance of C.W. Baker High School. Meals are free for all students. If you need delivery, please call 315-638-6064 by 2 p.m. Friday, December 18.

As the District continues to take precautions to protect the health and safety of our students, staff, and families, please continue to check your email and our website, www.bville.org, for updates. Remember you can find our COVID-19 cases dashboard on our homepage.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. DeBarbieri

Acting Superintendent of Schools