January 27, 2021
Dear Catskill CSD Community,
This evening, I was informed by the Greene County Department of Public Health (GC DOPH) that a Catskill High School student and a Catskill Elementary School staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The student’s and staff member’s last physical day in attendance was on Friday, January 22. Our District is currently assisting the GC DOPH in conducting contact tracing. If you are contacted by the GC DOPH, please give them your complete cooperation. If you are not directly contacted by a school representative or the GC DOPH, you do not need to take any action.
Due to a high number of students and staff required to quarantine at Catskill High School, all CHS students will shift to virtual instruction, effective Thursday, January 28, 2021 until further notice. CHS 10-month instructional staff will work virtually from home until further notice. I will provide our families with more concrete information about when CHS students can return to hybrid in-person instruction in a follow-up communication early next week.
Hybrid in-person instruction will continue as normal for Catskill Middle School and Catskill Elementary School students.
AM CTE students will ride their regular bus route to the High School, where the shuttle bus to Questar will be waiting. Door-to-door transportation will be provided to mid-day CTE and Heavy Equipment students. Transportation for New Visions students will continue as normal.
I know this may cause a temporary inconvenience for our families, but please be assured that the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our priority. Any employee or student directed to quarantine must be cleared by the department of health before they can return to school. Our schools continue to follow all of the necessary health and safety precautions on our campuses, as outlined in our reopening plan. This includes mask wearing, social distancing, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, and daily health screenings. Please continue to check your child’s temperature at home before they come to school and complete our daily screening form. I highly encourage students and staff to stay home if they are not feeling well. Your cooperation with this screening and with our reopening plan is greatly appreciated and will help lead to a safer school environment.
While I understand that you may want additional details, privacy laws prevent us from personally identifying individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.
In closing, if you have particular questions or concerns, you may wish to contact the GC DOPH at (518) 719-3600.
As always, I can be reached at (518) 943-4696 for questions as well.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Ronel Cook,
Superintendent of Schools