Averill Park CSD Community,
Today we received confirmation that an additional four students and two staff members have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in our school district. This brings our total up to 15 since Sunday, Nov. 8.
Just yesterday there were 213 positive cases in the eight counties that make up the Capital Region – the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. The state’s positivity rate was hovering around 1 percent until recently, when it shot up to more than 3 percent this week, the highest it has been in six months.
The District has been in contact with the Rensselaer County Department of Health regarding the most recent confirmed cases. Contact tracing is underway to identify additional individuals who may need to quarantine.
While we understand that you would like additional details, we are not permitted by privacy laws to identify students or staff members involved. We have provided as much information as possible. Anyone with questions and/or who needs to report a COVID-19 related health issue should contact the District’s COVID-19 resource person via the dedicated email address (COVIDreporting@apcsd.org).
We realize that this week has been stressful for many of our students, staff members and families. Thank you for your patience, understanding and adherence to health and safety guidelines which will help stop the spread of this pandemic.
QUESTAR PROGRAMS
Tech Valley High School and Special Education Out-of-District Placements will continue to attend in-person learning as they are full-day programs and have no contact inside of APCSD buildings or with APCSD staff.
New Visions and CTE students will continue to learn in a remote setting. Parents of these students will receive a joint message from the District and Questar III BOCES regarding their individual programs. If you have any questions regarding these programs, please contact Dr. Harrelson at harrelsonc@apcsd.org.
FOOD SERVICE
Meals will be available for all APHS students. For anyone that would like to receive meals for the week of Nov. 16-24, please complete this form by Monday, Nov. 16 at 8 a.m.
QUARANTINE QUESTIONNAIRE
When members of the school community are identified as contacts of a positive COVID case, the District, in conjunction with the County Department of Health, must conduct contact tracing. In an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our contact tracing, the District has developed a survey for all those who are identified as a contact.
The survey can be access from the District home page by going to the Quick Links section, which is at the bottom of the home page, and clicking on the Quarantine Questionnaire. A direct link to the survey can be found here.
HEALTH SCREENING
Please note that the daily health screening that you receive must be completed even if your child is learning in a remote setting.