March 3, 2022

Dear Catskill Families:

Late Tuesday, the New York State Department of Health released new COVID guidance for school districts across the state, as well as an FAQ. School superintendents met with county departments of health yesterday to discuss the latest guidance and how it will impact our students and staff.

Masks

As a reminder, masks are no longer required at school or on school buses/vans under most circumstances. However, the State Health Department recommends students and staff wear masks when:

They feel more comfortable wearing a mask for personal reasons.
They were in the same room at school as someone diagnosed with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer and were thus exposed or potentially exposed, when group contact tracing is used
They are known to have been exposed to COVID in any setting within the previous 10 days.
They are moderately-to-severely immunocompromised and have discussed the need to mask with their healthcare provider(s).

Individuals are welcome to wear a mask if they choose to do so. Our school community has shown great resilience over the past two years, and we expect everyone to continue to practice civility and tolerance surrounding these individual choices.

State Requirements

The new state guidance requires schools to comply with three requirements. This includes:

Those who test positive for COVID-19, or are showing symptoms of the virus and do not test, must isolate and be excluded from school for at least five days following the onset of symptoms, and must wear a well-fitting mask in school and on buses for days 6 through 10.
Unvaccinated staff must continue to be tested weekly.
The District must report cases daily to the NYS COVID Report Card.

All other items within the state guidance document are recommendations that we will continue to follow. We urge everyone to adhere to the recommendations as well to help keep our buildings a safe learning environment for all. We will continue existing COVID mitigation strategies, including cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing when possible, increased ventilation in classrooms, and notifying affected individuals of potential close-contact exposures in the school setting. We encourage students and staff to continue to practice healthy hygiene and to stay home when sick.

Thank you for your continued patience, cooperation, and understanding.

Regards,

Dr. Ronel Cook
Superintendent of Schools,