According to a letter from Superintendent David C. Bills, the West Genesee school district will move to remote learning as COVID-19 cases increase in the district.
The following is the letter from Bills.
The active number of positive COVID-19 cases among our students and staff continues to grow. With that comes an increase in mandatory quarantines based on school and county contact tracing. Due to cases and mandatory quarantines from school and community, we are now experiencing staffing shortages in all of our buildings. We also have a significant increase in student quarantines which impacts the current instructional model.
As a result of these factors, Wednesday, December 16, 2020 is the final day for our current instructional format before the scheduled holiday recess that includes in-person learning for any students who attend West Genesee school buildings. All West Genesee school buildings will begin fully remote learning on Thursday, December 17, 2020. We anticipate resuming the hybrid (in-person/remote Grades 5-12) and in-person (Grades K-4) learning on Monday, January 4, 2021. Should information change, we will notify families.
Please note: Students who attend full-time programs outside of the West Genesee School District will be transported to their programs Thursday 12/17 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 to and from West Genesee High School to BOCES. Students must provide their own transportation from home to the High School to ride the Career and Technical Education BOCES bus.
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 4 will bring their Chromebooks and materials home with them on Wednesday, December 16.
This decision provides time for families to make arrangements for child care over the next couple days, as necessary.
Please recall, ALL families can order free student meals for delivery through our Food Service program. Information about ordering and delivery can be found on the District’s webpage.
Families should continue to monitor for symptoms and should not send students to school with any signs of being symptomatic. As a reminder, per the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms include but are not limited to:
- Fever 100.0 F or greater / or chills
- New loss of taste or smell
- Headache
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Congestion or runny nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Diarrhea
Please see our school nurses’ health resources as listed on westgenesee.org for information and procedures.
All District communications regarding COVID-19 are listed on westgenesee.org as well.
The District continues to take precautions to protect the health and safety of its students, staff, and families. We appreciate your support and understanding on this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school health office, main office, or the WGCSD District Office.
Also facing increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, the Jordan-Elbridge school district announced a similar decision in a communication from Superintendent James Froio.
JE to go remote until Dec. 23; will re-open to in-person instruction on Jan. 4
The Covid hotline, literally rang all day yesterday. We have many families in the community dealing directly with Covid and we have many students being tested and awaiting results. Although I think we could probably limp our way to Dec. 23, I fear it would come at a cost of having to quarantine additional staff and students and I don’t want to do that to anyone over the holidays.
Therefore, the Jordan-Elbridge School District will go fully remote starting Monday, Dec. 14 until Wednesday, Dec. 23. This includes all BOCES programs. We will re-open to in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.
We will continue to provide student meals for those that need them. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, we will have a bulk food pickup from 9-11 a.m. at the high school loading dock. If you would like meals for the remainder of the week, you must email Mr. Vita and let him know by 10 a.m. Monday morning so we know how much to prepare. This will not impact the holiday food pick up, that will take place as planned. His email is: [email protected]
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly. Also, building principals and office personnel will be in Dec. 14 to answer questions.
Please keep using the Covid hotline even while we are on remote learning. When I know first hand the challenges the community is facing, I can make better decisions, and we will continue to assist families in keeping safe.
Keep your families close, I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year. Good bye 2020! Be well everyone.
