Averill Park CSD families,
After careful consideration, I have made a decision regarding the instructional models that the District will implement beginning Tuesday, January 19, following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
- Students in grades K-5 will return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 19.
- Students in our 12:1:1 program at AMS (Mrs. MacLeod’s Class) and APHS (Mrs. Ryan’s Class) will return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 19.
- Students in our half-day in-house CTE programs at APHS (Auto Tech 1, Auto Tech 2, Construction Tech 2, and Construction Practicum) will return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 19.
- The remainder of students in grade 6-12 will remain remote through Friday, January 22.
- All students in Questar III programs will continue in their out-of-district programs, including Tech Valley High School, New Visions, CTE, and special education.
Over the course of the past week, we have had many conversations with various stakeholders and have taken their input and consultation into account. We have weighed all factors and have considered the impact that these decisions have on all members of our school community.
We believe that it is in the best interest of our youngest students, and those in hands-on programs, to have the opportunity to engage with their teachers and peers through in-person learning, and we are aware of the issues caused by switching back-and-forth between instructional models. This decision enables us to bring our elementary students, and those in hands-on programs, back to our buildings. It also allows the District to utilize all of its resources to maintain in-person instruction for these students, as one of the biggest challenges that we have faced is maintaining staffing levels to allow us to operate our in-person model district-wide. Finally, keeping our secondary buildings remote for an additional week provides much-needed continuity of instructional models for our students and faculty.
It is my hope that all of our students, including those in grades 6-12, have the opportunity to return to in-person instruction as of Monday, January 25. As a result, throughout this week we will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 cases on our school community and we will reevaluate our choice of instructional model at each level. We will be certain to communicate a decision once it is made.
Thank you for your continued flexibility and patience as we strive to fulfill our mission of meeting the needs of and creating opportunities for every student every day.
Sincerely,
Dr. James Franchini
Superintendent of Schools