Out of an abundance of caution and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Fayetteville-Manlius School
District community, all F-M schools will be closed and all extracurricular activities and events canceled
beginning Monday, March 16, through at least April 14.
“This is not a decision taken lightly, as we recognize this action will impact many families’ regular routines,
including child care and parents’ and guardians’ work schedules,” Superintendent Craig J. Tice said. “We
appreciate your patience and flexibility during this unprecedented time. Our priority is the health and safety of
our students, staff and community.”
On March 14, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon declared a state of emergency for the county. At
that time, McMahon announced that all Onondaga County schools will be closed effective March 23. In the
interest of students’ health and safety, Tice and the F-M Board of Education are closing all F-M schools
earlier than the county’s suggested timeframe.
“There are no easy answers in this situation,” Tice said. “Our actions are guided by what is best for our
community. While there are currently no cases of COVID-19 in Onondaga County or our school district, we
need to be proactive rather than reactive to this unprecedented situation that could have an impact on the
health of the F-M community.”
Because there are practical limits to trying to continue the district’s recognized instructional program in an
online format, that is not the district’s goal. Instead, the district’s focus will be to ensure the “continuity of
instruction” for parent-guided and self-guided learning for students or they may leverage the district’s online
learning management tool, Schoology, for more frequent “office hours” interactions and constructive
feedback.
Those families whose children receive school meals through the free and reduced-price meals program will
be contacted directly regarding the continuity of that program.
The New York State Education Department continues to work with the governor’s office, the New York State
Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Education to provide guidance to schools and district
officials.
In this rapidly developing situation, the district will continue to update the community via the district website
with any new information and frequently asked questions.
Any time-sensitive, critical information will be shared via the district’s SchoolMessenger notification system,
which sends email, text message and phone call notifications, depending upon how parents subscribed to the
system.
