Dear Schuylerville families,
The district has learned that two additional students at Schuylerville High School have tested positive for COVID-19, exposures that also took place outside of the school day, off-campus, in the same social setting as the first positive from the high school. Since learning of the positive cases, the district has been working in conjunction with Saratoga County Public Health Services to assist with contact tracing. One of the students was last in school on Tuesday, Oct. 27 for half the day, and the other student was last in school on Monday, Oct. 26. As a result of the student exposures, 9 faculty/staff members and 49 students have been quarantined by the Department of Health.
Please consider adding the phone number 518-885-2276 to your mobile phone contacts. This is the number for Saratoga County Public Health Services and you may receive a call from them for contact tracing purposes. It may come up as spam on some phones. Please note that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other privacy laws restrict us from disclosing or confirming any personally identifiable information. We cannot identify anyone who has tested positive.
In consultation with the Department of Health and the school district’s physician, Dr. Robert Nielson, Schuylerville High School will go to a full remote learning model beginning Friday, Oct. 30 through Friday, Nov. 13. Students will continue to follow the regular bell schedule and calendar. This decision was made in an effort to reduce further exposure and spread as a result of these positive cases. The goal is to provide the high school community an opportunity to reset and return healthy.
Regardless of a positive case in the school buildings, every night, the district completes COVID-19 protocol disinfecting. The district uses hospital grade disinfectant on all surfaces and touch points, and as a secondary precaution, uses a disinfecting mist in every room throughout the buildings. During the high school’s closure, these cleaning practices will continue.
Free meals to continue during remote learning period
While Schuylerville High School is operating remotely from Oct. 30-Nov. 13, free breakfast and lunch will continue to be available to all students daily. High school students may sign up for a meal kit which includes fresh and frozen meals for the week, plus a voucher for one gallon of Stewart’s milk.
Meal kits may be picked up between 4:00-4:30 p.m. on Monday in front of the elementary school. This is a free, curbside, contact-free service and the student does not have to be present. Signup is required using this Google form: https://forms.gle/
Students already picking up meals on Mondays do not need to fill out the Google form; they will automatically receive a full week of meals.
It is imperative that our school community works together to ensure overall public health. Following guidelines regarding masks, social gatherings and social distancing are important inside and outside school buildings. This is necessary in order to prevent further closures to the best of the school district’s ability. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping everyone safe.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ryan Sherman
Superintendent of Schools
Gregg Barthelmas
COVID-19 Coordinator
Director of Pupil Personnel Services