District Restart Update: September 17th , 2020

Dear Scarsdale Staff and Families:

Today was the first day of full cohorts in the elementary school and the last part of our phased-in opening for the Middle and High School with 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th graders returning. My Cabinet and I have had an opportunity to walk through some of our buildings, and I can’t tell you how uplifting it is to see kids in classrooms. Our students are clearly happy to be back with their friends and teachers. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank our entire staff for their hard work and dedication leading up to this moment! Without their herculean efforts, we could not have opened our doors.

Update on Quaker Ridge and Middle School Water:

The District has received all of the UV bottle-fillers, and we are installing them across the District. These installations should be fully-completed this weekend. Additionally, our water treatment consultants are finalizing their preparations to disinfect the water systems at QRS and SMS, that work will be completed shortly and disinfection will be implemented. In the meantime, students will be able to obtain drinking water from the new UV fillers, and each school will have a supply of bottled water. Students can use the bathrooms and wash their hands as they normally would. Once the disinfection takes place, we will retest the water, which takes a minimum of 10 days. We will share those results, once they are received. Following the remediation of QRS and SMS, we will disinfect the five other schools out of an abundance of caution and implement a regular water testing schedule for all buildings moving forward.

COVID-19 Testing Options at White Plains Hospital:

While New York health metrics continue to hold, we still must remain vigilant about the health and safety of our students and facilities as we continue our restart efforts and bring more people into shared spaces. As such, below is a reminder for how to get local rapid COVID-19 testing, if you or your child are feeling symptoms or believe you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Symptomatic Patients

At White Plains Hospital Emergency Department and Urgent Care at WPH Medical & Wellness in Armonk, patients who are symptomatic or have been in close contact with someone who is COVID positive will be evaluated by an emergency medicine clinician and swabbed for COVID 19 as appropriate. In this situation, test results are typically provided within three hours.

Please note: the Emergency Department and Urgent Care both offer a higher level of care than at a testing center and as such have additional costs associated.

Asymptomatic Patients

Testing for asymptomatic individuals – those who may have traveled to a restricted state or need a COVID-19 test to return to work among other reasons – is available via the testing tents in the parking lot of the Hospital’s Emergency Department and WPH Medical & Wellness in Armonk. All patients are required to receive a clinical evaluation (via telehealth) prior to being tested. Test results currently take 2-3 days (turnaround time may vary, based on national demand).

WPH Testing Tent location and hours:

41 E Post Rd, White Plains, NY 10601

Monday-Sunday: 7 a.m. - 11p.m.





WPH Medical & Wellness in Armonk location and hours:

99 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504

Monday-Friday: 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.





Existing Scarsdale Medical Group patients may be tested at the Heathcote Road location by appointment. Please call 914-723-8100 to make an appointment. Test results currently take 2-3 days (turnaround time may vary, based on national demand).

White Plains Hospital has a Coronavirus Hotline to educate the public and answer questions. The hotline number is 914-681-2900 and is staffed 24/7.

For a full list of local testing facilities, including free options, visit: coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you.

We understand that there are some continued questions about curriculum adaptations for the 2020-2021 school year as well as about the options for live-streaming. You can expect further updates about these important topics in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman





September 16th , 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families, We are writing with a follow up to last night’s update on the District water systems. This morning, we received the remaining testing results for Edgewood, Greenacres, Fox Meadow, Heathcote, and SHS. We are happy to report that all the sample results from these schools are negative for legionella bacteria. As such we are lifting the water restrictions on all buildings with the exception of Quaker Ridge and SMS. Note: there are many UV bottle-filling stations at SMS that may continue to be used. In spite of this news, we will continue to implement the plan that we described in yesterday’s email with the noted changes. Updated Mitigation Plan: Effective today, all drinking water fountains and bottle-filling stations remain covered in the two affected schools to prevent students and staff from using them. An important exception to this is our water fill stations that include UV filtration, which effectively kills legionella and other water-borne pathogens.

Staff and students in the two affected schools will be reminded to refrain from drinking water from fountains or sinks in our schools and offices until further notice unless they are the UV filtered or bottled sources. Handwashing with soap and the use of hand sanitizers is still permitted.

Cases of bottled water will be provided to the two affected schools for students and staff until the mitigation process is complete.

District Food Services in the two affected schools will suspend the use of kitchen sinks at for food preparation until mitigation is complete.

Sound Water Solutions, Inc. will begin a comprehensive project in the coming days to disinfect and eliminate legionella from our water lines and system components. The disinfection process will be followed by a thorough flushing, and extensive follow-up testing for legionella. This will be done at all seven schools.

We will also be replacing all traditional water fountains throughout the District (approximately 50) with UV filtration water systems. This should be complete by the end of the week. This will be done at all seven schools. There have been additional questions regarding our HVAC (air conditioning) systems and whether they have been tested for legionella. The only air cooling system in the District that uses water-based air-conditioning is the High School due to its size. Both water towers at the HS are tested for legionella monthly as required and operate off a separate system than our other water systems. All other systems in the District are smaller and use the air over a refrigerant method of cooling and, therefore, legionella is not a concern from that standpoint. We have also received questions about the risk related to the flushing of toilets. Very little research has been done on this topic, but there are only two known cases in which toilets are suspected. Both of which involved immunosuppressed patients in a hospital setting. The CDC does not recognize the flushing of toilets as a demonstrated means of transmission. We have and will continue to aggressively work towards keeping Scarsdale Schools healthy spaces for all our students and staff. Warm Regards, Dr. Thomas Hagerman

September 15th , 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

As you may recall from our September 9th message, we commissioned water testing in each school as part of our restart plan and consistent with the CDC’s Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation. Today, we received the first results from our consultant Sound Water Treatment, Inc. that revealed the presence of the legionella bacteria at low-to-moderate levels at Quaker Ridge and Scarsdale Middle School. We are still awaiting results from the remaining five schools, which we anticipate receiving later this week.

According to the CDC, legionella is the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia that can be severe. While found in drinking water, the disease may result by breathing in or aspirating small water droplets containing a pathogenic type of legionella bacteria. To be clear, we have no indications that anyone has become sick, and this is not a pathogen that is passed from person to person. The steps outlined below represent actions taken at the recommendation of our consultant and Dr. Chris Goulah, Legionella Program Director at EMSL Analytical, and our own District physician, Dr. Corsaro, in an abundance of caution.

As we await further sample results, we feel compelled to implement the same risk mitigation efforts at all seven schools across the District. This plan has been recommended by, and co-created with, our District's consultants and physician.

Mitigation Plan:

Effective this evening, our custodial team is covering all drinking water fountains and bottle filling stations in all seven schools to prevent students and staff from using them. An important exception to this is our water fill stations that include UV filtration, which effectively kills legionella and other water-borne pathogens.

Staff and students will be reminded to refrain from drinking water from fountains or sinks in our schools and offices until further notice, unless they are the UV filtered or bottled sources. Handwashing with soap and the use of hand sanitizers is still permitted.

Cases of bottled water will be provided to each school for students and staff until the mitigation process is complete. Everyone is also encouraged to bring water from home.

All District Food Services will suspend the use of kitchen sinks for food preparation until mitigation is complete.

Sound Water Solutions, Inc. will begin a comprehensive project in the coming days to disinfect and eliminate legionella from our water lines and system components. The disinfection process will be followed by a thorough flushing, and extensive follow-up testing for legionella .

We will also be replacing all traditional water fountains throughout the District (approximately 50) with UV filtration water systems. This should be complete by the end of the week.

Below, we have attempted to identify and provide answers to questions that can provide further information. We wish this communication wasn’t regarding yet another challenge to overcome, but we would rather know and be able to complete a course of mitigation than the alternative. These are challenging times indeed, and we thank you for your support as we navigate this unusual school year.

Questions and Answers:

Why did we test for legionella?

Over the past number of years we have expanded our environmental testing with the goal of promoting healthy spaces for kids and staff. Testing for legionella is not a requirement for schools and mitigation measures are not regulated. However, we decided to add this testing as part of our broader building restart plan based on the CDC recommendations outlined in the Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation. Going forward, we will engage in regular legionella testing as part of our comprehensive environmental testing plan.

How would I know if I have been exposed?

Legionella bacteria is present in many different water sources including lakes, streams, and many water systems. It is difficult to become sick from the bacteria because the bacteria must find its way into the lungs. You cannot be infected simply by drinking the water, although drinking increases the risk for aspiration. There are approximately 8000-18000 cases nationally each year. The symptoms of Legionnaires’ Disease include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. Legionnaires’ must be reported by physicians to the Department of Health, and we know of no such reports or any sick individuals. While infection is extremely unlikely, if you are concerned or are experiencing symptoms consistent with those outlined above, please consider contacting your physician.

How long will mitigation take?

The disinfection of our water systems is an overnight process but the preparation for the process takes three to four days, each building’s plumbing system must be fully mapped. Additionally, the water must be retested after the disinfection. Unfortunately, this testing is time-consuming, requiring 10 days to produce accurate results. The overall process will take two to three weeks.

Can staff and students continue to use the water to wash hands?

Yes, staff and students can wash their hands with soap in building sinks. Hand sanitizer is also widely available throughout each school.

Why are we closing water fountains in the schools that don’t have results yet?

We are still awaiting results from five of our seven schools. In an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to restrict the use of building water to non-potable uses only. Students and staff can use our UV filtered water stations because they effectively kill all legionella bacteria.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

September 11th , 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Today’s update will include Remembering 9/11, an excerpt from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum; updates to our hybrid instructional calendar; procedures for Monday’s upcoming Board of Education meeting; a summary of this week’s orientation activities for students; instructions for using our daily assessment app; and technology notes. Enjoy!

Remembering 9/11, Excerpted from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Website:

“A Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after enduring the September 11, 2001, terror attacks at the World Trade Center.

In October 2001, a severely damaged tree was discovered at Ground Zero, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth.”

Even 19 years later, this tree serves as an important reminder on how we can negotiate traumatic events. During this pandemic, like the days following September 11th, many people have been feeling anxious, depressed, and helpless. Like the survivor tree, we need to recognize that our resilience is inextricably intertwined with our connectedness. It is still important that we must continue to support and care for one another. As both 9/11 and this pandemic have shown us, we will get through adversity together. We have done this in the past, and it is our only way forward.

Hybrid Calendar Updates:

As the school year gets underway, we have begun to identify adjustments to the Hybrid calendar on weeks that include holidays. The goal of these adjustments is to prioritize in-person learning wherever possible. Below is a summary of these changes through December, 2020. Each school’s Public Google Calendar will reflect these adjustments. For example, each school’s calendar indicates that Tuesday, September 29 will follow the Monday (M1) schedule, and Wednesday, September 30 will follow the Tuesday (T1) schedule. The Wednesday schedule will be eliminated for that week so the AM/PM elementary cohorts and the A/B secondary cohorts have equivalent in-person instructional time in that week.









Upcoming Board Meeting Procedures:

This Monday, September 14, 2020, the Scarsdale Board of Education will have its first in-person meeting since last March. To comply with current State and DOH guidelines, and for the safety of all attending, the following protocols and procedures will be followed:

It will take a few minutes to be screened and seated, so give yourself extra time.

Please use the entrance of the High School at 2 Brewster Road.

Mask-wearing and social-distancing are required while in the High School.

Complete the Daily Health Screening form and deliver it to the Safety Monitor’s when entering the building. *Forms will be available on site as well.

A Safety Monitor will usher attendees into the auditorium.

Please sit only in seats with a designated sign.

Please maintain social-distancing when going to the restrooms. Note: one person permitted at a time. Bathrooms are located in the lobby outside the auditorium.

There will be two public comment opportunities during the Board meeting. If you wish to speak, please approach the podium, one person at a time. Do not touch the microphone when speaking.

This Week’s Orientations:

Yesterday, our elementary students met their teachers virtually. Teachers provided orientations that included tours of their classrooms, reviewed safety precautions and proper mask protocol, and conducted icebreaker activities. Today, teachers started their individual meetings with students.

At the Middle School students engaged in a number of activities to help them get to know each other, their teachers, and the Middle School. They attended grade level assemblies, where the building administrators officially welcomed them back to school. Students learned about some of the changes that will help keep everyone safe when they return to school. They also viewed the middle school faculty and staff video: "We're All in This Together: SMS Musical." Teams and homeroom teachers welcomed the students to their houses. They learned about their schedules, engaged in icebreaker activities, and played a grade level trivia game filled with fascinating facts about their teachers.

On their second day of school, students went through their 8-period virtual schedule, where they could meet their individual teachers and classmates. There was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm throughout their virtual building.

The High School welcomed its incoming 9th graders today during an in-person Freshman Orientation. Ninth-graders were welcomed by Principal Kenneth Bonamo and School Government President Michael Waxman in small sessions throughout the day. These sessions also included presentations by the students' deans to help students understand their new schedules and review the protocols for health and safety in place for the year. The programs ended with peer-led tours of the building to help them get a better sense of the layout as their in-person classes begin next week.

Daily Health Assessment App and Instructions:

Today families will receive instructions on how to provide their daily health attestations through the ezSCRN app. A questionnaire including a temperature and symptom check along with travel and contact questions will be required by staff and students on any days they are present in our school buildings.

Technology Notes:

This week, we distributed over 3,200 devices to students as part of our K-8 1:1 device program and SHS BYOD loaner program. We would like to thank our technology team, building administrators, and elementary classroom aides for making sure that families received their devices. We would also like to thank our parents for cooperating with our health and safety rules during our pickup session.

The technology team has been helping parents and students to resolve student login issues, and they will continue to provide support as students begin in-person instruction. If your child needs technical assistance, please submit a support ticket to the appropriate tech support link. Please refrain from trying to contact computer teachers and other technology staff during this time because they are very busy supporting teachers and students in our schools. The computer teachers, computer aides, and tech staff review the tech support tickets at their respective levels to make sure that they are addressed. Note that we will continue to experience a high number of support requests during the first two weeks of school as students are introduced to new systems and we finalize the configuration of student devices.

As we continue our phased re-entry, we have been in communication with other schools in our region. They have reported that even well-established technology companies are experiencing system issues due to the volume of students who are now involved in remote learning. Many stories about other districts’ technology problems and bandwidth issues have also been reported in the national news. As we continue our reopening, we are monitoring these developments, and will keep our parents and students informed if we experience similar issues in Scarsdale.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools





September 9th , 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

It has been exactly six months since students last entered the buildings for learning, which is far too long! So, it is with great pleasure that we welcome our students back over the next few days. Tomorrow and Friday will be a mixture of in-person orientations, virtual introductions, and individual student meetings with teachers. On Monday, students will begin attending classes and, by the end of the week, our hybrid plan will be in full-operational mode. To be sure, this year will be different in many ways, but the most important aspects will remain the same: dedicated and caring teachers who will build rich and lasting relationships with students that set the stage for lifelong learning.

Today’s update will address the Scarsdale Schools Compact, elementary curriculum adaptations for the Hybrid and Remote Models, District facilities updates including ventilation and cleaning plans, a new State Dashboard for COVID-19 tracking, and District Fields and Interscholastic Athletics.

Scarsdale Schools Compact:

As reported earlier, we have created a Scarsdale Schools Covid-19 Family-District Compact. The purpose of this acknowledgement and agreement is to make explicit the District’s expectations for school attendance and to solicit the active support of our students and families. As the Compact clarifies, we all share in the responsibility to protect the health and safety of our students, staff members, and families.

At this juncture, we have only about half of our families who have signed this document. Please take a few minutes to read the Compact in its entirety and complete the student and parent information at the bottom. We thank you in advance for your support of our restart efforts.

Elementary Curriculum Adaptations for the Hybrid and Virtual Models:

Tomorrow afternoon the adapted elementary curriculum maps for social studies, math, ELA, and science will be uploaded to the eLearning curriculum section on the Scarsdale website. Careful and thoughtful modifications were made throughout the summer to adjust our calendars to reflect the hybrid and remote models of teaching. Adaptations were made in order to do the following: (1) prioritize essential content and concepts by grade and discipline, (2) align curriculum by grade level to allow for nimble movement from one model to another, and (3) redesign in-person collaborative and “hands-on” projects to account for our risk mitigation efforts and make full use of the technological opportunities of the hybrid and virtual models.

District Facilities Updates Relative to COVID-19:

The District’s Facilities Department has been hard at work preparing our buildings for the safe return of students and faculty.

Throughout the District there has been thoughtful planning and implementation of safety measures as part of the District’s Reopening Plan. These safety measures include, but are not limited, to the following:

Testing all fire alarm systems;

Ensuring that all HVAC systems are operating properly;

Updating preventive maintenance schedules;

Installing appropriate signage;

Installing hand sanitizer stations;

Converting water fountains to bottle filling stations;

Disconnecting hand air dryers and installation of paper towel dispensers; and

Testing of water systems.

Updated Ventilation and Cleaning Plans:

The District has also developed a Ventilation Plan based on CDC guidance which has been communicated in detail with District staff members.

Similarly a cleaning and disinfection protocol was developed based on the Facilities Department's research of appropriate and safe products and guidance from the CDC and NYSDOH. With a focus on finding a “green” bio-based product that was effective against the COVID-19 virus, the product Concrobium was chosen. Protocols include the cleaning of high touch surfaces throughout the day, cleaning and disinfection of restrooms during the day and at the end of the day, cleaning buses between each run and disinfection at the end of each day, and disinfection of buildings at the end of each day. Also at the Elementary buildings, based on guidance taken from the School Physician and the CDC, it was decided to disinfect between the Elementary am/pm cohort to mitigate additional risk of spread. Although originally planned to apply this disinfectant by fogging, the District has recently updated its application method to that of hand spraying. This approved application method is an effective and efficient way to disinfect between the cohorts.

New State Reporting Requirements for a Dashboard for COVID-19 Data in Schools:

New York school districts will be required to provide the Department of Health with daily data on the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 beginning Tuesday, September 8, 2020. The information will be publicly available on a new online COVID-19 school data tracking dashboard, developed by the New York State Department of Health, beginning Wednesday, September 9, 2020. The Dashboard will be updated daily.

District Fields and Interscholastic Athletics:

We are currently working on a plan to reopen fields owned and operated by the District. Our efforts to minimize the risk of infection and spread of COVID-19 will involve social-distancing and mask-wearing during use, as well as restricted use during times of school operations. More information will be communicated soon.

Currently, plans for Cross Country, Field Hockey, Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer, and Girls’ Tennis are being finalized. We expect the medical clearance process for those high school sports will go live on Monday, September 14th. An email from the Scarsdale High School Athletics Department will include the requirements for participation and the link to submit all necessary paperwork.

Please note that by the end of the week daily student health screening procedures will be shared with parents. We will include detailed instructions, as well as a video presentation to explain the process.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools

For information regarding our Restart Plan and Procedures, and recent communications please visit our Restart Website.

September 3rd, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

We are writing today to provide you with additional details for the start of the school year. Today’s update will address issues related to training, community collaborations, health, and technology issues.

Kick-off of the 2020-21 School Year:

The official commencement of the school year started this week with new staff orientations on Monday and Tuesday of this week (in-person and remotely), and the District’s official convocation on Wednesday. The convocation included short speeches by the Board President, Pam Fuehrer; STA President, David Wixted; Dalya Khan, PTC President; and myself.

Teacher Professional Development:

What does Professional Development and training for teacher’s look like in a pandemic?

Simply put, it looks flexible, adaptive, targetted, responsive and integrated with appropriate technology. Use this link to find out about our recent and ongoing professional development and training as we begin the school year.

Scarsdale Doctors & Mothers Help Prepare Families for School:

Doctors Chung-Waldman, Rapaport Pass, Hemel, Arinsburg, Stephens, Blank, Dr. Givrad have been collaborating with the District to keep students and families safe by creating three guidance documents, including two guides on Face Masks and a Safe Return to School, and an illustration document for Using Masks correctly.

White Plains Hospital Collaboration for COVID-19 Testing:

The District has been in contact with representatives from President & Chief Executive Officer Susan Fox’s office from White Plains hospital. We are working together to streamline a process for COVID-19 testing in the event students or staff have symptoms that could be COVID-related. We are expecting additional written communications by next week, and we will share pertinent details with the community.

Campuses are Closed to Community Use at this Time:

We have had multiple groups on our campuses for yoga, sports, biking riding, skateboarding, and more. In most cases, these individuals and groups are not masked nor adhering to social-distancing. As we have active construction, staff training and development, and orientations going on, other groups or gatherings of students or adults should not be on campus at this time. All individuals who need to be on campus for legitimate school issues should be masked and social-distancing at all times. The failure to do this puts our entire community at risk.

Student Device Distribution:

All parents of K-8 students will be receiving information about picking up their students’ technology devices by the end of the week. Information will include the device pickup location and other logistics. Please remember to wear a mask, bring photo identification, and follow social-distancing guidelines when picking up devices for your children.

High School students who requested Chromebooks will be receiving their devices at the start of school.

Updated Restart Website:

We recently reorganized our Restart Website, placing the most current information, including our Restart Protocols, on the front page. We also streamlined some of our other website information. We will also be updating our FAQs over the next two days, making sure that they reflect our latest plans. Please check it regularly for the latest information about our planning efforts.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools

August 27th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

We are writing today to provide you with details for the start of the school year. The schedules outlined below are the result of hours of collaborative effort among teachers, parents, building and District administrators, and Board members. Together, we constructed a plan that gradually introduces students back into school in a manner that protects the health and safety of everyone and reconnects them to teachers and instruction. We believe these schedules prioritize the academic, social/emotional, and health and safety interests of students.

The District will use a phased-in start to introduce students to the new realities of in-person learning and to assure that building level protocols and health and safety measures are sound. This approach is based on the following considerations:

The immense complexity of this planning process;

The opportunity for teachers to create individual and meaningful connections with students before bringing whole cohorts together;

The obligation to reduce density for the first weeks of school as we reintroduce staff and students into buildings with new plans;

The requirement to train students on new routines and procedures and give them appropriate opportunities to practice;

The need to ensure that our building protocols are sound at each school site; and

The desire to practice moving into different learning modalities, as needed or required by changing circumstances.

This phased-in approach will begin on September 10th and 11th. Students in virtual-only learning will also begin this week. We will use the week of September 14th-18th to phase in-person students back into the buildings. Below are links to the specifics for each level:

Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, Quaker Ridge

Scarsdale Middle School

Scarsdale High School

We recognize that this is a complex approach when viewed District-wide. In addition to the details presented here, parents will soon receive further information, including arrival and dismissal schedules, orientation plans, and building-level clarifications that will be provided directly by school building administration. Additionally, on August 31st families will receive cohort assignments and class assignments, as applicable.

Please note: School begins Sept 10th! If you are travelling, be sure to account for travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. If students return from a restricted state, they are required to quarantine for 14 days, and should not come to school for any reason until that has been completed. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. The success of our restart planning efforts depends upon all of us.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools

Eric Rauschenbach, on behalf of the District Restart Steering Committee

Pam Fuehrer, President, Scarsdale Board of Education

David Wixted, STA President

Dalya Khan, PTC President

Kenneth Bonamo, SPA President

August 25th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Scarsdale Schools Compact:

As we have tried to make clear, the District has implemented a clear set of expectations for student behaviors to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 during the coming academic year. We have taken a very conservative approach that includes cleaning and disinfection, use of PPE, personal hygiene practices, and social-distancing. As part of this work, we must acknowledge the impact that this virus can inflict on our community and our shared responsibility to promote public health and to all that can to protect the health and well-being of all students, staff, and families.

Towards this end, we have created a Scarsdale Schools Covid-19 Family District Compact. The purpose of this acknowledgement and agreement is to make explicit the District’s expectations for school attendance and to solicit the active support of our students and families. As the Compact clarifies, “The District will take all reasonable steps to create a safe environment for students and staff, but we cannot do this independently. We all bear responsibility for and have the ability to protect our own health and safety.” This safeguarding of our entire community will require diligence on health and safety attestations and screenings, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, and personal behaviors inside and outside of school.

Please take a few minutes to read the Compact in its entirety and complete the student and parent information at the bottom. We thank you in advance for your support of our restart efforts.

Other Important Information:

Mark your calendars:

Information on our hybrid opening schedule will be released later this week.

A schedule and description for virtual learning will be released this week to help the community understand what school would look like if the District needs to move to a fully-remote model.

Cohort assignments for all students and elementary class placement information will be sent on August 31st via email.

There will be a Board of Education meeting on September 1st at 6:30 p.m. that will be focused on the restart updates, planning, and other back to school logistics.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

August 17th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

This week the elementary, middle and high schools will be holding principal-led, public forums to provide level-specific details and answer questions. Additionally, specifics will be provided in these presentations for special education programs and related services. In the meantime, here is a high-level overview (with more details to come):

Elementary

8:1:2 Program (ED), Bridge Program (QRS)

These programs will follow a more normalized day consistent with health and safety protocols outlined in our Restart Plan. They will receive 5 specials per week, and related services will be in-person as indicated by the students IEPs. Lunch and recess will be provided. Mainstreaming opportunities will be explored as the year begins and school schedules become settled.

Integrated Co-Teaching

This program maximizes time for ICT students to receive direct instruction while maintaining their participation in the classroom with their peers. Students may receive related services during either the Monday and Friday at-home time or during the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday general education classroom time, these schedules will be done individually during the first week of school. Students will not receive lunch or recess in school and must go home during the 90 minute cleaning and disinfection time.

**Week 1: Follow Monday/Friday schedule. Schedule above will start week 2.**

LRC

Mandated resource room students will receive 4 LRC sessions a week: one in-person as a pull- out service during their cohort’s time in school and 3 remote sessions during their at-home time.

Parents who do not want their children pulled out of class for related services will not be rescheduled into an additional remote session.

Related Services

Special Class: Related services will be provided in-person during the school day

ICT: Related services will be provided in a mix of remote and in-person either during the at-home period Monday and Friday remotely or the T,W,Th general education class time.

Resource Room: Most related services will be provided remotely during the at-home time.

Each related service schedule is individual and will be finalized during the first week of school. Collaborative work with the school team and family will determine how remote and in-person services will be delivered for students; however, student class time must be prioritized given the reduction of overall in-person learning in the AM/PM schedule.

Middle School

Parallel

Parallel students will be attending school in-person 4 days per week. Students will attend their English and math classes each day and alternate between a push-in and special class for science and social studies. These students will receive virtual instruction according to the regular hybrid middle school schedule.

Resource Room (LRC)

Resource Room (LRC) students will receive their services during the regular in-school day and have an additional scheduled in-person resource room on their at-home days according to an AM/PM schedule, which will be determined in the coming weeks.

Related Services

Parallel - Related services will be delivered in-person in a pull out format. Some related services may be delivered remotely on Wednesdays dependent on scheduling.

Resource Room (LRC): Most related services will be provided remotely during the at-home time.





High School

Resource Room (LRC)

Resource Room (LRC) students will receive their LRC as a scheduled class in the hybrid model (three times weekly: one in-person, two synchronous). Additionally, students will be scheduled for an additional in-person session on wednesday afternoons. The schedule for Wednesday afternoons will be forthcoming.

Scarsdale Support Program (SSP)

SSP students will receive their resource room period on a similar schedule to the resource rooms above. Additionally, they will have access to the SSP room and psychological staff as usual during their in school time. They will receive all of their scheduled counseling sessions in a combination of remote and in-person sessions.

These plans will be presented in more detail during this week’s public forum. Additionally, there will be specific forums for special education parents on each level on the week of August 24th. Special education parents will receive a separate invitation to these meetings later this week. The coming presentations and forums will answer many of the questions you will have after reading this high-level overview.

504 and IEP Plans

A frequently asked question as of late is whether all 504s and IEPs will automatically be adjusted for different learning models. IEP and 504 plans are written for full in-person learning, they will not be adjusted to reflect the above hybrid plans nor for fully-remote learning if we should need to close. As the year progresses, case managers and the CSE chair-people will work with families to address any challenges that may arise in the given learning models and adjust services accordingly. Program reviews during the year will plan for full-time learning if new services are added but outline specifically how they will be implemented in the various learning models. As these individualized plans are team efforts and decisions, we ask that you please wait until building-based teams are back into place before sending individual student questions or concerns.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

August 10th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Governor’s Announcement & New Requirements:

This past Friday, Governor Cuomo announced that schools may open for in-person instruction as long as they follow the New York State Department of Health’s guidelines, assuming the daily average infection rates remain below a 5% one-week average and below a 9% two-week average. He also outlined the need for school districts to provide specific protocols for when students must be tested for COVID-19 and indicated that districts need to work with their local departments of health to assist in contact tracing. Finally, the Governor specified that school districts should host three public meetings for their parents before August 21st and a meeting with teachers to present plans and address questions and concerns.

The District has released its Restart Plan to open school while maintaining the NYS Department of Health’s guidelines. Our opening in September will follow the hybrid learning model if the current virus conditions remain the same.

Our plan also includes procedures on how we will work with students and staff showing symptoms or testing positive for COVID-19. These procedures will be expanded over the coming days. They will include the exact parameters when the District will require students to be tested, and how the District will provide the County contact tracers with support.

The District will hold additional public meetings as follows:

On August 11th, the Board of Education will host a meeting with updates on restart planning and opportunities for public comment. On August 13th, a public forum will be held by District administrators to present plans and answer questions. Finally, level-specific forums will be held by school principals on August 17th (elementary), August 18th (Middle School), and August 20th (High School). Each of these meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Zoom links will be shared via an official Meeting Notice and posted on the District’s calendar.

Student Return to School Survey and FAQ’s:

As we shared in an earlier message to parents, the 2020-21 Student Return to School Survey was extended until the end of the day on Wednesday, August 12th. To date, we have received 3,530 responses (approximately 75% of students). Many of those who have not responded have indicated that they still do not have electricity, or that they still have questions on proposed learning models, health issues, and the like. Over the last two days, District administration spent considerable time putting together a Frequently Asked Questions document based on questions that were submitted by the public during the Restart Plan Public Webinar. Moreover, today we also received an FAQ from the Westchester County Department of Health, which we have incorporated into our version as well. We are hopeful that these address many of the high level questions and concerns that people have raised. If there are continued questions about school-specific issues, please direct them to building principals. If there are District-wide questions, we are happy to continue to answer them.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

August 5th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

We have been working on proposed scenarios for restart efforts over the past months. Once we received State guidance on July 16th, the last three weeks have been wholly dedicated to creating plans that are responsive to health safety, risk mitigation, and quality educational programming. At the onset, we were clear that we would develop plans, then seek feedback and input from stakeholders, including parents.

The first part of this commitment was fulfilled when we released our plans on Monday. We felt that these plans preserved the highest standards for health and safety of the community possible with in-person learning, created conditions that our workforce of teachers and support staff could envision realistically returning to, and focussed on maximizing the instructional experience.

The second part of our commitment is unfolding now. We shared that we would listen to the community and incorporate changes in our decision-making and scenario-planning, as warranted. The purpose of this communication is to share how we are doing that. Specifically, we wish to present a change to the elementary hybrid model and a modification to the High School hybrid model.

Elementary

In the last 48 hours, the Board of Education and the Administration have received an enormous amount of feedback from the community, specifically around the elementary hybrid model. This feedback has been overwhelmingly focused on the amount of live instructional time and the number of days elementary students will attend schools. To be clear, the committee looked to maximize true instructional time for students, organize it into meaningful, connected blocks of learning, and to minimize the non-instruction activities so as to allow the most meaningful experience possible in the core subjects. It was also predicated on Dr. Louis Corsaro’s, our District physician, preference for an A/B model due to the mitigating effects of a reduced number of contact days for any given student.

Having said that, the community’s priority, based on this overwhelming input, is frequency of student, in-person attendance. This has resulted in the administration’s decision to adjust the hybrid model for elementary from A/B to an AM/PM model.

Since there will be additional contact points for teachers and students throughout the week, there will be additional risk for transmission within our schools and community. Thus, it is essential that we be able to adhere to the safety precautions we have outlined for all models, especially the full-cleaning and disinfection between cohorts. The hiring of additional custodians (beyond those positions already needed) will be necessary in order to accomplish the cleaning and disinfecting required between the AM and PM sessions in 90 minutes (down from 2 hours). Additionally, all the other procedures, including the use of PPE, cohorting, social distancing, and the treatment of sick persons, will remain the same. Finally, additional aides and other personnel will be required to ensure that these logistics can be achieved and that our health needs and educational programming are fully supported.

The plan in outline form is provided below:





There are many details that will need to be ironed out in the days and weeks ahead, and we will not have answers for many logistical issues in the short-term; however, we will continue to work through these, and communicate them out to the community on a regular basis.

High School

There is also a change at the high-school level. The SHS Restart Committee met this week to refine the hybrid schedule and found an option to provide additional synchronous instruction in the afternoons and more frequent contacts per course. The hybrid schedule for Scarsdale High School allows students to come to school for two half-days per week in the morning to receive in-person instruction in school and now provides students four half-days per week in the afternoon to receive remote synchronous instruction at home.

The schedule splits the school population into two cohorts, A and B. The A group comes to school on Monday and Thursday mornings, the B group comes to school on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and both the A and B cohorts have remote instruction at home on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons. The afternoon remote sessions on Thursday and Friday correspond to the classes that meet on Monday or Tuesday morning, and the afternoon remote sessions on Monday and Tuesday correspond with classes that meet on Thursday or Friday morning.

With this revision of the schedule published earlier this week, for a class that would meet four times a week in regular school, a student will have a 50-minute in-person class and two 30-minute zoom classes for that class, for a total of 110 minutes of synchronous instruction as opposed to 85 minutes in the previous schedule. This hybrid schedule now allows all students to have two mornings in school and four afternoons with remote instruction and would guarantee that there are at least three contact points per week for a typical class for each student.

Given the information above, we are adjusting our communication schedule slightly to allow our presentation to reflect the most recent changes. We had hoped to release a recorded presentation today, but we will present the adjusted plan live at the start of the Public Forum and Board of Education meeting tomorrow. Please note, the written plan document will not reflect these changes until later in the week, but will be done by Friday, when our plan will be submitted to the State.





Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

July 29, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Finally, I have a bit of good news to share on our restart efforts. Earlier today, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) provided an opportunity to apply for an extension for restart plan submission from this Friday, July 31st until next Friday, August 7th. We submitted this request, and it was approved, allowing us more time to share plans with the community, incorporate feedback, finalize, and submit plans.

Towards that end, the Board of Education held a five-hour listening session last night to hear from the community. There were a total of 1,394 unique attendees, representing staff and community members, which peaked at 950 concurrent attendees. There were also 69 public comments. A number of topics were presented, including ideas for opening school, as well as comments about curriculum, safety, mental health, transparency/communication, and facilities. This session can be viewed here.

This meeting was scheduled in response to community concerns about plan details, communication, transparency, and stakeholder (teachers/parents) involvement in this work. Context is important, so I would like to review some of our communication efforts to date, then address the remaining issues outlined above.

Our District’s Restart webpage has been the repository for our restart efforts. That link can be found here.

On this page, you will find our efforts to date, including the following:

The Restart Planning Committee logistics including membership information and Task Groups ;

The four possible scenarios for the opening of school, along with some planning details;

FAQs ; and

District emails over the past two weeks :

July 27th --Letter from the Board, clarifying priorities and dispelling rumors.



July 25th --Detailed letter from Cabinet, clarifying current work and student priorities (at all levels) guiding this work.



July 23rd --Detailed letter from Cabinet, describing our work since receiving State guidance (which came out late on July 16), and guiding principles of this work, and progress to date



July 15th --Parent Survey went out with an introductory and explanatory note



July 14th --Detailed letter describing the scope of work, description of work, and announcing the Parent Survey the next day.

Each of these communications shared the most comprehensive information about our planning and decision making we could provide at the time based on the available guidance from the Governor, Department of Health, and Education Department.

On July 15th, we also sent a parent survey to our families to help inform our restart thinking and efforts. In turn, we received over 2,700 responses (perhaps a Scarsdale record for parent engagement!). These were then discussed by District administration, the District Restart Steering Committee, and various Task Groups to inform and clarify parent priorities. The results were also posted on the District Restart website, and can be found here.

Moreover, at the last Board meeting, June 22, 2020, Eric Rauschenbach and Dr. Edgar McIntosh did a presentation on District Restart efforts. That report can be found here.

Our intention with all this planning (District Steering Committee work, administrative/staff work, and community feedback) is that it would lead to a collaborative, creative, deliberative, and transparent process. Since the onset of this work, we have been fully clear that we are required to submit 9 plan variations to the State for approval: an all in-person plan, a hybrid plan, and a full-remote eLearning plan for each level, elementary, middle, and high school. Six of nine plans are fully clear because we have all experienced in-person and full-eLearning scenarios. Please note, however, that the submission of these variations is separate and apart from any decision about which variation will be selected for each of the levels for the start of the year in September. That determination won’t be made before the community has a chance to review and respond to the plan elements.

On July 23, our "best thinking hybrid plan" for each level was shared with the faculty for review and feedback. On the same day, a notice of our Three-Prong Restart Communication Plan was sent to the community (re-shared below). The full administrative team, and others involved in this work, felt strongly that without our teachers' involvement, we would not have a viable plan to share out with parents or the community. As we suspected, many questions and concerns were raised when we shared this early thinking, leading us to reconsider our approach. As soon as we have some level of internal consistency and support, we will certainly share our thinking with the community. Below, please see our updated Communication Plan. As you know, we already shared the communication plan with the community (note that the submission date has been updated in this version due to an extension provided to all districts by the NYSED):

Three-Prong Restart Communication Plan: Mark Your Calendars!

The Plan

On August 7th, the District will submit our required plan for reopening to the State. Of critical importance is the fact that this plan will remain flexible leading up to the opening of school and throughout the entire school year. Each school district has the latitude to revise their models based on educational efficacy, science, community input, and changing health and safety considerations. In advance of our submission of the plan, we will share the plan document and an executive summary of its major components on Monday, August 3rd.

Release of Video Presentation of Plan Highlights On Aug. 5th we will release a recorded webinar to review and explain plan details.





Open Forum/Q&A On Aug. 6th from 1:00-2:30 p.m., we will be hosting a public forum webinar (via Zoom) to answer questions from the community.





Board of Education Meeting There will be a Board Meeting on August 11th at 1:00 p.m., where this plan will be discussed as an Information Item.



As with all complex work, it takes time to fully digest the task before us, along with its essential components, and create a blueprint for participation and involvement. I recently read the following description that seemed particularly well-matched to this situation, “Complex problems are messy, unstable, unpredictable, confounding and don’t come with right answers, only best attempts. These problems require new solutions created specifically for the circumstances, and you can only know that you’ve found a good one in retrospect.”

In this particular case, we needed time to understand the scope of the work, health and safety concerns, State guidance, and a wide variety of other issues. We consider this foundational knowledge a critical aspect of comprehensive scenario development. Moreover, we believe that this high level of due diligence is an absolutely necessary part of building community trust as well. Without this, our process would appear to be uninformed and careless, and it could have led to confusion in the community as our ideas were discussed and continually modified. We understand that some people may not agree with this process, but it is one we have used with success in the past, one we value, and, in this case, one we agreed to adopt as part of our larger approach to this work.

As always, we are fully-committed to doing our best for Scarsdale students, staff, parents, and community members. I can say with certainty that we are also committed to generating the very best solution(s) possible, to what everyone acknowledges is a monumental problem, and we are working tirelessly to do so.





Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman







July 27th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts and perspectives about the school restart efforts. We value input from the public and reflect on each opinion presented to us. Please know that all comments will continue to inform our thinking on restart efforts.

We all share the common goal to have students return to school as soon as it is safe to do so.

Over the weekend, several rumors were brought to our attention. In response, please note the following important information:

Although State guidance on schools reopening was released less than two weeks ago, our administration must submit three reopening plans to the State by July 31st: one for in-person learning, one for online-learning, and one that is a hybrid of the two. Each of these scenarios is currently under development. None of these plans is in a final form. The plans can (and will) be modified over time, as we respond to changing health circumstances and gather feedback regarding program implementation. The initial plans will be for opening schools in September only. It is not correct that the plans submitted on July 31st are fixed and would need to be appealed to be amended, as suggested in an email currently circulating. In fact, we have confirmed with District counsel that plans may be modified at any time. Per page 14 of the NYSED guidance, districts are allowed to “rapidly address changes that may be needed based on local needs, and to update the plan materials on a regular basis.”

Several emails from residents have requested that a Board meeting be held this week. Scenario planning is ongoing and there are no final proposals for the administration to present to the community. We feel a Board meeting would not be productive until this additional work has been completed. An informative webinar presentation from the Administration and a public forum with Q&A are scheduled a week from Wednesday (August 5th) and Thursday (August 6th). There will still be opportunities to make changes to the plan after the forum and the Board meeting on August 11th.



In an effort to collect additional public input ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled Restart Committee meeting, the Board will host a Listening Session tomorrow night (Tuesday July 28th) at 6pm via Zoom. All community members are invited to participate and share their thoughts with regard to potential opening scenarios. We ask that comments be limited to “Restart” issues. This will not be a formal board meeting but rather an opportunity for board members and members of the Restart Committee to gain additional insight from community stakeholders. Formal notification of the meeting and the zoom link will be distributed shortly by the District.

As referenced above, the Administration developed a Restart Committee in May as we anticipated this work was coming. Parents should visit the Restart webpage to understand the vision, process, depth, and breadth of the Restart Committee, its specific task groups, and representatives. Over 100 students, parents, teachers, and administrators are serving on this committee and its ten task forces. In addition, over 2,735 parents responded to a survey designed to solicit input regarding their concerns and preferences regarding school re-opening.

State guidance is clear that the plans must include masks, social distancing, and other risk-mitigation efforts, including the “cohorting” of students, i.e. forming small groups of students who remain together during any time in school. This is to prevent the spread of disease and also to enable contact tracing if/when someone tests positive for COVID-19. These principles need to be applied to all students, faculty, and staff to protect everyone’s health.

Many emails we received expressed concern about one scenario being considered for the high school that involved a full time e-learning model. Again, this is one of many options being considered and no decisions have been made. Here is some thinking behind this scenario:



In the survey and via emails to the Board of Education, parents of High School students shared that the opportunity for a wide variety of course offerings and levels of courses was a top priority. The breadth of courses offered at SHS, including art, music, STEAM, and AT courses, in addition to the desire to offer multiple levels of courses so that some students are not struggling while others are not being challenged, presents a challenge with regard to cohorting. There are almost no students in the High School who choose the same set of courses. Unfortunately, the need to “cohort” would likely deny students the opportunity to choose the courses best suited to their interests and skill levels. In order to provide the greatest option for high school student course choice and to make sure students are properly prepared for the balance of their education, one option being considered is having all high school students participate in e-learning, so that all students could take the set of courses best for them. This plan also involves finding opportunities for in-person experiences for high school students. It is not correct to say that high school students are being sacrificed so that elementary students can use the high school building. E-learning is being considered as an option for high school students in order to maintain course breadth and choice, which we consider to be the hallmarks of a Scarsdale education. The feedback we received regarding this scenario, both positive and negative, has been shared with all District-level and High School administrators.

Other spaces in and around Scarsdale have been considered as possible additional instructional spaces, but they require State approval to be used as classrooms, and in most cases are not suitable for instructional purposes. Use of alternative spaces would not solve the high school cohorting issue. Most of our classrooms will accommodate 10-13 socially-distanced students.

We understand the emotional and psychological impact that this pandemic is having on all of our students, and we continue to prioritize that as part of the decision-making process for all levels. The Restart Committee is not prioritizing one group of students over another. Rather, the committee is making decisions based on state and federal guidance as well as the data collected in the parent survey.

The Administration anticipates that it will take all the time between now and July 31st to finalize the details of the three plans, including seeking input from teachers and staff, who play a critical role in the development and implementation of the restart plans. On Monday, August 3rd, the Administration will share the plans with the community and provide an executive summary of its major parts. A recorded webinar, reviewing and explaining plan details, will be released on August 5th. The Administration will host a public forum webinar (via Zoom) to answer questions from the community on August 6th, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. There will also be a Board meeting on August 11th, at 1:00 p.m. where this plan will be an information item. A defined and significant part of the process is board, parent, student, and staff member input expected through the month of August.





Please be assured that the health, safety, and education of ALL Scarsdale students, faculty, and staff are, and will continue to be, the top priorities for all Board members.

And please continue to reach out to us at boardofed@scarsdaleschools.org with your thoughts and questions.

Sincerely,

Pam Fuehrer, Board of Education President

Alison Singer, Board of Education Vice President

District Restart Update - Part II: July 25th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Since our communication on Thursday, we have received reports that aspects of the current thinking around restart are circulating in the community and generating questions and concerns from parents, students, and members of the community. We wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate the overall priorities of the restart planning process, articulate the student priorities for each level, clarify misunderstandings that have been reported to us, and speak to the plan development, dissemination, and implementation in advance of our upcoming public webinars.

First, it should be said that many people are operating on assumptions that have not been fortified by details. In part, this is due to the fact that the District’s Restart plans have not been finalized. Many details are still in process. As a reminder, all districts in New York State are required to submit plans for three scenarios:

a return to school with all students returning in-person,

a hybrid learning model (with partial eLearning and partial in-person learning), and

a fully-virtual eLearning format.

Ultimately, the Governor will determine whether one or more of these scenarios are viable for schools in September. All three scenarios are on the table at this moment.

There are a few certainties we can provide at this stage in the process. First and foremost, each of these scenarios reflect a serious departure from “school” as we all knew it in early March, 2020 and before. Even the very best reopening scenario requires safety measures and adjustments to the delivery of instruction in significant ways. Deeply cherished social experiences, sports, and extracurricular activities, if available at all, will take place in a significantly-transformed mode. Health checks will be required. Lunch will need to take place in small groups. Recess will be highly supervised. Masks, social distancing, and stringent hygiene protocols will be constantly emphasized. These realities are among the many that will cause school to look very different, and as a result, it will likely continue to foster a sense of loss, and even grief, for students, staff, and families. Because of this, we need to listen to one another, understand the circumstances as fully as possible, and exhibit patience, civility, and empathy for all.

All of this planning, but specifically our work on the three scenarios are informed by the work of the District’s Restart Committee and its 10 Task-Specific Groups, composed of students (HS), teachers, administrators, parents, and Board Members, totalling nearly 100 individuals. Furthermore, it is both critical and ethical for us to engage with our entire instructional staff in the discussion of various restart models and decision points, and that this takes place in advance of broader community engagement. Our instructional staff and our students have the greatest risk in this endeavor, quite literally with the gravest of potential consequences.

In earlier communications we clarified the priorities of the Restart Committee and administration. It bears mentioning that student priorities are also at the core of this work. These are further detailed here:

Priorities for All Students:

Health and safety—current science suggests youngest children are safest in terms of transmission

PPE/Masks and Social-distancing (we believe both are essential!)

Cohorting - maintaining isolated, small groups of students to facilitate contact tracing

Cleaning and disinfecting after use of spaces, materials, equipment, etc.

Unique plans for vulnerable populations (Special Education, ELL/ENL/MLL)

Educationally-effective programming by developmental level

The need for adult/teacher supervision and guidance

Equity of home facilitation and oversight for younger students

Addressing social-emotional impact of needed changes to social interaction and loss/change of foundational events associated with school





Priorities for Elementary Students:

In-person learning due to a host of issues, ranging from independent technology use to the need for adult/teacher supervision and guidance in real time

Balancing screen-time with teacher-time

Equity in access to books, materials, and other resources

The importance of connection and socialization for young learners

Differentiation that includes support and enrichment as needed

The developmental need for structures and predictability of schedules and routines

Ongoing, real-time, and meaningful formative assessment

The need for “in the moment” refocusing and redirection

The importance of frequent student to student conversations and interactions

Coherent, appropriately adapted, and common learning outcomes by grade



Priorities for Middle School Students:

Recognition that the middle school population shares developmental needs with both elementary and high school students

Recognition that 6th grade students need specific support to transition to secondary education and need to develop in-person relationships with their teachers

Small group instruction and collaboration is a key component of a middle level education

Ongoing, in-person support services for middle school students

Opportunities for hands-on learning experiences for students who are moving from concrete to a more abstract understanding of content

Cohorting students by team maintains the “school within a school” model and supports students in their transition to the secondary level

Opportunities for students to build social skills and relationships during a period of tremendous transition (socially, emotionally, and physically)

Opportunities for independent learning and the development of executive functioning skills through planning for and presenting individual and group projects

Priorities for High School Students:

Student choice in scheduling (students can take the electives, selectives, and programs they want to the greatest extent possible)

Student differentiation through scheduling (placing students in classes best matched to their academic interests and needs)

Grouping students heterogeneously in the humanities for the first two years of high school

Scheduling different levels of each subject individually, with one choice in one subject not affecting choices in other subjects (i.e., not tracking students)

Movement for students between levels of classes during the school year (i.e., the opportunity to try one level of a subject and move to another level during the school year)

Providing teamed programs (Civ Ed, Freshman Seminar, American Studies)

Attention to students with special needs, such as incoming 9th graders, seniors in the college admission process, and students with learning differences

Opportunities for students and teachers to meet in tutorial sessions (office hours) for differentiated instruction and to develop meaningful relationships

Opportunities to engage in athletic and extracurricular activities that allow students to pursue their interests and develop leadership skills

The core issue around the restart of school has been long identified, the need to implement health and safety standards while maintaining effective educational practice. As this process has unfolded, it has become more and more evident that the health and safety non-negotiables are in direct contrast to the learning communities that Scarsdale has found to be most effective in educating students. When the State guidance emerged, three major “non-negotiables” on the health and safety front were identified. First the need for PPE, students and faculty would need to wear masks while they were in school. Second, the need for social distancing and population density reduction. And finally, the need for cohorting, or scheduling in such a way that small groups of students are educated together throughout the day to reduce student mixing and facilitate contact tracing should there be a positive case.

It should be noted that the plan we are developing is a September opening plan. It is not a long- term plan, a fall plan, or a semester plan. We all share the goal of having all students back to school as soon as it is feasible and safe to do so. Having said that, we do need to be prepared for (and our plans need to account to include plans for) moving from in-school learning to remote learning, based on changing coronavirus conditions over the next year.

We are required to submit our reopening plans to the State by July 31st. At this point, we anticipate that it will take all the time between now and then to finalize our plan details. For now, our communication plan remains intact:

Three-Prong Restart Communication Plan: Mark Your Calendars!

The Plan:

On July 31st, the District will finalize its reopening plans for the State. Following this, on Monday, August 3rd, we will provide the community with the plan and an executive summary of its major parts.

Release of Video Presentation of Plan Highlights:

On Aug. 5th we will release a recorded webinar to review and explain plan details.

Open Forum/Q&A:

On Aug. 6th at 1:00-2:30 p.m., we will be hosting a public forum webinar (via Zoom) to answer questions from the community.

There will also be a Board Meeting on August 11th at 1:00 p.m., where this plan will be an Information Item.

Reference links: DOH Guidance NYSED GUIDANCE NYSED FAQ

Warm Regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman





Update: July 23rd, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families, Today’s update will include information about the process for reopening Scarsdale schools in the fall, including the context of our decision-making process, a description of our planning activities, our administration’s guiding principles, and our three-prong plan for communication. Context As most of you know, Governor Cuomo has stated that the metrics for reopening school will be both the phase of reopening--Scarsdale is currently in Phase Four--and the rolling average daily infection rate. He has stated that if a region is in Phase Four and the rolling weekly average rate of infection is below 9% and the rolling two-week average rate of infection is below 5% then schools can open for in-person learning. Additionally, the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Department of Education has released guidance for the reopening of schools (linked below). This guidance prioritizes health and safety, flexibility, creativity, collaboration, and iteration, as well as in-person learning for populations that are least likely to benefit from remote learning, such as special education, ELL, and younger students. Governor Cuomo has indicated that he will make a more formal announcement regarding the start of school during the first week of August. However, school districts are required to submit reopening plans by July 31st. These plans must include options for a full return (100% capacity), a hybrid model (some return, some remote), and full-remote learning. Unfortunately, this deadline for submitting a plan to the State necessitates an abbreviated timeframe for communication and feedback. Description of our Activities Over the past weeks, the Restart Steering Committee and its Task-Specific Groups have discussed and planned for full, hybrid, and remote learning scenarios. These groups consisted of parents, faculty and staff, administrators, and Board members. Their collective thinking, along with the parent and staff surveys and the recently released guidance, is now being synthesized into actionable plans. There are still many details that will need to be worked through and finalized, and all plans should be considered dynamic, as they will change over time, depending on any number of conditions and variables. Administrative Guiding Principles The Administration of the Scarsdale Public Schools supports the vision developed by our Restart Steering Committee which has committed to providing an educational environment that is physically and emotionally safe; to establishing and nurturing connections within the full school community; and to fostering meaningful learning opportunities for each student regardless of the structure of schooling which takes place in the future. Moreover, our thinking and planning are guided by the following beliefs: As public school administrators, we must follow the applicable laws and guidance set forth by the State of New York.

If in-person learning is able to take place the COVID-19 emergency requires stringent health and safety protocols (including using both masks and density reduction to facilitate appropriate social distancing within classrooms) to mitigate risks for all members of our learning community.

That in-person learning is generally preferable to remote learning for students, and that students benefit both academically and socially from in-person interactions with peers and teachers.

The precautions needed for in-person learning will have an impact on the type of instruction delivered and require regular and thoughtful adjustments with regards to curriculum and its pacing.

There are certain populations of students for which in-person learning is the best way to reasonably provide for their academic needs, as well as circumstances that might warrant limited or temporary in-person experiences that can best be fulfilled in that mode (school orientation, social-emotional, extracurricular, etc.).

The current COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary changes it causes in practice may make remote learning more appropriate to in-person learning in some circumstances, and it may ultimately require it in all circumstances. With these values and principles guiding our decision-making, we are working with the Restart Steering Committee and its Task-Specific Groups on formal plans for restarting school in the fall.



Three-Prong Restart Communication Plan: Mark Your Calendars!

The Plan:

On July 31st, the District will finalize its reopening plans for the State. Following this on Monday, August 3rd, we will provide the community with the plan and an executive summary of its major parts. Release of Video Presentation of Plan Highlights:

On Aug. 5th we will release a recorded webinar to review and explain plan details. Open Forum/Q&A:

On Aug. 6th at 1:00-2:30 p.m., we will be hosting a public forum webinar (via Zoom) to answer questions from the community. There will also be a Board Meeting on August 11th at 1:00 p.m., where this plan will be an Information Item. Reference links: DOH Guidance

NYSED Guidance

NYSED FAQ



Warm Regards, Dr. Thomas Hagerman

Update: July 14th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

During the past few weeks, the District has been actively planning for the opening of school in September. This early work has involved looking at three possible restart structures, including a return to school with all students returning in-person, a hybrid learning model (with partial eLearning and partial in-person learning), and a fully-virtual eLearning format. All of these structures will require significant changes from our usual operations, and all keep the health and safety of students, families, and staff at the forefront of our decision-making. The Restart Steering Committee, along with its ten task-specific groups, is composed of almost 100 key stakeholders, including teachers, parents, administrators, and Board members. The work-to-date is outlined in Eric Rauschenbach’s presentation to the Board of Education on June 22 and on our Restart web page. Additionally, our web page has a specific FAQ section which we encourage you to visit to learn more about community concerns.

Direction on the opening of schools is subject to decisions by the Governor, along with the NYS Departments of Health (DOH) and Education (SED). To that end, yesterday the Governor directed the DOH to release initial guidance on the reopening of schools. Additionally, the SED will be releasing its own guidance for schools tomorrow (Wednesday). Together, these documents will provide much-needed information on the areas of restart that will be mandated by the State and where we have some flexibility and choice locally. As things stand now, specific district reopening plans are expected to be submitted to both the State departments of Health and Education by July 31st. The Governor also indicated he will make a decision the first week of August on whether schools will open.

Between now and July 31st, the restart planning groups will focus on finalizing details related to the Restart Plan. We will be using all of the information that is currently available to us including State guidance documents, CDC recommendations, community input (including the survey mentioned below), and plans being developed around the county to identify the most effective way forward. As we have outlined in our previous communications, the Restart Vision Statement will guide our decision-making.

Parent Survey Coming Soon!

By tomorrow, District parents will be receiving a survey that was developed by our Restart Steering Committee. This survey will ask parents to share their thoughts regarding possible scenarios for the opening of school. We know that our restart efforts need to consider the developmental level of our students, so the survey has sub-sections for parents who have children in Kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, grades 3-5, Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12). This will allow us to more easily analyze the responses of parents at each level. Combined with a detailed survey of District faculty and staff, this parent feedback will provide a full picture of the attitudes, interests, and needs of our community. We want to thank you, in advance, for completing the survey and providing important data that will help to inform our Restart Committee’s efforts.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

June 19th, 2020:

This will be our “last” regular update in this format. Over the last four months, we have sent out over 88 pages of information, data, poems, eLearning updates, wellness resources, and more. Of course, we will continue to communicate about restart efforts and other important information throughout the summer in various formats. For our last edition, we will cover Juneteenth, congratulatory messages to our students and families, budget vote and election updates, and some thoughts on eLearning and feedback. Enjoy!

Juneteenth:

On June 19, the United States recognizes the holiday Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, Juneteenth celebrates the day that the last enslaved African Americans in Texas were freed approximately two and a half years following the Emancipation Proclamation. There are many celebrations regionally today, and I encourage you to participate as you are able. Here is a list of activities in and around NYC.

More resources on Juneteenth:

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/juneteenth-birth-african-american-holiday-2/

https://www.juneteenthny.com/

You can also watch a short animated video about Juneteenth by clicking on today’s photo above the search field on Google’s home page (today only).

Congratulations to SHS Seniors and those who are “Moving Up”:

We want to recognize and celebrate the Scarsdale High School Class of 2020. You have been sources of joy, inspiration, and achievement not only through this unusual year, but throughout your years in the District. We will miss you, but know you have great futures ahead, ones that will continue to impact and influence our society and world.

To our 5th and 8th grade students - we also want to congratulate all of you. This represents an especially important year for you, as you begin your transition to Middle School and High School, respectively. We hope you have a wonderful summer, and look forward to seeing you (hopefully, in person) in September.

To Everyone: We Made It!:

To say this year has been “unique” and “challenging” does not fully capture what we have collectively experienced over the last four months. The events of the year have caused real and lasting toll on all of us--physically, emotionally, financially, and otherwise. Our kids have been deprived of many traditional experiences, and we, as educators and parents, suffered their disappointment alongside them. However, through these months we have also seen the best of our students: they have risen to challenges educationally, accepted and overcame emotional loss, and ultimately, they made the best of a bad situation. Additionally, in true Scarsdale fashion, many of our students actively worked to better our community, whether helping family members or neighbors, organizing community events, or taking on national issues through activism. It is safe to say that not a day went by without a teacher or administrator highlighting our students practicing non-sibi! So, I would like to congratulate all of our students, families, and staff on successfully completing the 2019-2020 school year! Enjoy the summer months ahead!

2020-2021 School Budget and New School Board Members:

The Scarsdale school budget passed with 78% percent favorable vote, ensuring that we can continue to offer the Scarsdale education and experience that our families and community expects. I extend a heartfelt thank you to the full community for your enduring support of our schools and children!

Congratulations are also in order for Robert Klein and Amber Yusuf for their election to the School Board. We look forward to working with you over the next three years!

eLearning and the Role of Feedback:

Beyond partnerships with colleges and universities for high-level blended learning courses, eLearning was new to Scarsdale at the onset of the pandemic. Early during the process, we knew that a feedback loop involving all members of the Scarsdale learning community was key. When seeking constructive feedback from students, teachers, and families, we have focused on two essential questions: (1) What has been most effective about eLearning? (2) What has been most challenging about eLearning?

Through a multi-pronged process, we received information on a variety of topics including effective instructional methods, student wellness, curricular adaptations, workload, technological platforms, and scheduling techniques:

Scarsdale families were surveyed in March and May to determine how eLearning was being received in households across the District K-12. Between the two surveys, we received over 1,000 responses from families;

We held focus groups, received feedback directly with parents through email, zoom, and Board of Educations discussions;

Building leadership teams engaged parents in ongoing discussions about eLearning and transferred that feedback across the District;

Students at the secondary level were surveyed about their successes, struggles, and feedback on teaching methods;

Focus groups for secondary students were held at the Middle and High School;

An elementary Q & A webinar was held with students representing every grade from Kindergarten to fifth grade; and

(Most importantly), students provided teachers with regular and direct feedback about their engagement, difficulties, and breakthroughs.

This input has been and will continue to be the subject of ongoing professional dialog throughout the process. The sudden need for experimentation and innovation necessitated new structures to be established for teachers to collaborate and share resources, strategies, struggles, assessment tools, technologies, and teaching methods. At the High School and Middle School, the department and team structures have provided opportunities for feedback and sharing. At the elementary level, we created designated grade-level collaboration time during the week, and three planning days in which students were engaged in wellness activities, a celebration of specials, and a virtual field day. The products created by our faculty through these collaborations have become dynamic artifacts that have provided essential guidance, and are pointing us toward more robust structures and practices should eLearning need to continue next year.

While none of us would have chosen this instructional environment, we are grateful to our students, parents, faculty, and administration for engaging so thoughtfully in this forced experiment. We are committed to using this experience, in conjunction with the feedback and reflection, as a catalyst for our restart planning.

Warm regards and best wishes for the summer ahead,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

June 11th

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Today’s update will cover our current restart planning and information released by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) about its first COVID-19 Task Force Meeting.

Restart Planning:

COVID 19 has caused one of the most impactful health crises in modern times, as we end the 2019-2020 school year we must look to September. Scarsdale Public Schools are committed to thoughtfully planning out the restart of school that adheres to our mission and principle while maintaining the health and safety of students, staff, and the community. We have developed a structure to include voices from all of our stakeholders to assure our plan has a broad understanding of the needs of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and families. We have seen schools around the world starting to reopen and all of these schools have opened with some level of social distancing, reduced capacity, and/or hybrid learning models. These examples are instructive but ultimately our plan will need to be based around the guidance we receive from New York State. Governor Cuomo has indicated that some level of guidance will be released in June, but aside from that, the State has not given us an understanding of what types of restrictions would be in place. With that being said, Scarsdale schools will implement any State guidance in a way that aligns with our educational philosophy and keeps meaningful connections for students and high-quality instruction at the center.

Given the situation, we are using a scenario planning process to identify, weigh, and develop potential solutions to the challenges that social distancing, in any form, creates for the school environment.

The Scenarios:

Face to face learning is allowed with:



Social distancing requirements in place





Reduction of large group activities (restricting group size to a class group)





Development of schedule structures to reduce crowding on arrival and dismissal and class to class transitions

Hybrid Learning This could be 50% capacity with rotating days of attendance This could be a restriction to small groups (10 students or less)





Reduced capacity allowed for face to face learning

Distance learning

No allowance or extremely limited allowance of face to face learning

These scenarios include assumptions that we will work to keep student groups as static as possible and develop strict health and safety procedures to reduce the risk of transmission. The scenarios are drawn from paradigms used in other countries, the current CDC guidelines, and interpretation of how NYS’s business reopening restrictions could be applied in a school setting. While none of these scenarios may be completely in line with the eventual guidance, the concepts and ideas from any or all of them will be transferable and aid us in not only developing a final plan but, allowing us to adjust more quickly should the situation change during the next school year.

The Structure:

This work could not be completed without the input from all stakeholders including faculty/staff, parents, and administrators. We have developed a steering committee structure with task-specific groups to take on this work. Here is how the groups are structured:

Each of these groups has representatives from the PTC, faculty/staff, building administrators, and Central Office.

The Steering Committee will task each of the groups to work through specific challenges and develop specific plans for implementing the health and safety restrictions, while also maximizing the ability to provide a school experience as close to normal as possible. Our groups will meet regularly throughout the Summer to assure we are ready to open in September.

The Timeline:

As a District, we are committed to providing the community with an understanding of our restart plan as far in advance of September as possible. That being said, this planning is complex and very dependent on when the State provides guidance. Our initial timeline is as follows:

Early June: provide the community with an understanding of the process and general timeline (this communication)

Mid-June: launch a Web presence to be regularly updated with information around reopening

June 22nd: presentation to the Board of Education on the initial work of the Planning Committees

Mid-July: Progress report

General understanding of the reopening plan (if State guidance has been received)

Progress report on scenario planning (if State guidance is not received)

Early to Mid-August: Full Plan Release

Complexities and Expectations:

As we started thinking about the restart of school, it quickly became apparent that the process is fraught with competing needs that are often in opposition to one another. In a recent meeting at the High School, teachers framed some of these tensions well; this dialogue serves as an example of the realities of our current situation.

We want to know now what we are doing for September... but ...the world may look quite different on 9/1 or even 8/1. We want to make a definitive decision... but ...the State Education Department has been slow about sharing guidance. We want to get back to physical school... but ...we want to do it safely. We want to be safe... yet ...as we structure what seems to be “safe” we also want to preserve as much as we can of the usual SHS experience. We want to get back to physical school for all of the social and emotional positives that we value... but ...we don’t want to go back just to go back, if what we have to do to go back is worse, educationally, than distance learning. We know that education happens better in person... yet ...we are unlikely to create a scenario that will preserve all we value. We are unlikely to create a scenario that will preserve all we value... so ...we will experience a sense of loss as a community about some aspect (or many aspects) of the new normal. We want to build on other school districts’ experiences from around the world as they experiment with opening... yet ...we recognize that each district has unique qualities that make wholesale parallels somewhat unuseful. We want to design a reopening that can translate into a fully online experience at a moment’s notice (if health issues multiply)... and ...we want to design a reopening that can translate into something much more closely resembling “normal” school (if health issues diminish).

It is important to note that even when we return to in-person schooling, the experience will not be the one we experienced before the pandemic, and some of the things we value will look and feel different for all of us. However, together we can and will develop a plan that creates an environment that is as safe as possible, maximizes opportunities for students, understands the realities for educators, and acknowledges the needs of families. This is easily written, but in practice, it will require fundamental changes in the way we operate, the willingness to compromise, and, most importantly, compassion for each other. There are challenges ahead, but there are also opportunities. The whole of our community is equal to the task.

NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force Meeting

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 10, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) held its first meeting of its COVID-19 Task Force. Below are some excerpts from their press release which can be found here.

The Task Force is comprised of school district superintendents, high school principals, athletic directors, NYSPHSAA officers, as well as a representative from the New York State Athletic Administrators Association, an athletic trainer, a district transportation director, and members of New York State Education Department and New York State Department of Health.

During their meeting, the Task Force heard reports and updates from the Governor Cuomo’s office, the New York State Education Department, and the New York State Health Department pertaining to the COVID-19 crisis and the impact it has had upon education and the reopening of schools. NYSPHSAA President and Task Force Chair, Paul Harrica stated, “From the reports provided, it is clear school district facilities cannot be opened for student participation until Phase 4 is entered. The health and safety of our student-athletes remains our top priority.”

On Friday, the Task Force will release guidance pertaining to on-campus summer conditioning workouts as well as an update to its Frequently Asked Questions document that NYSPHSAA released on May 7th. School districts are encouraged to get acclimated with CDC and local health department guidance as well Governor Cuomo's restrictions, local laws and policies.

The Task Force also discussed and examined the result of a COVID-19 survey, distributed by NYSPHSAA, to gather a statewide perspective on the impacts and potential response to the COVID-19 crisis; roughly 6,000 athletic directors, administrators, and coaches submitted responses to the survey. Results of the survey can be found here.

The next meeting of the NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force will take place at the end of this month with a date and time to be announced next week. We will keep you updated as information becomes available.

Warm regards,

Dr. Thomas Hagerman

June 9th, 2020

Dear Scarsdale Families,

Today’s update will cover updated Budget Vote and Election information, SHS graduation changes, Scarsdale schools annual retirees, and information on tomorrow’s District-wide elementary Virtual Spirit & Field Day.

Budget Vote and Election Information:

As many of you likely know by now, the Governor issued an Executive Order yesterday that extends the timeline for submitting ballots. The language amends sections 2018-a and 2018-b of the Education Law. It allows Districts to accept hand delivered ballots until Tuesday June 9, 2020 at 5pm. It further allows Districts to count any ballots received by mail through June 16, 2020 at 5 p.m. In anticipation of this announcement, on Sunday evening we created a plan to have a lockbox collection container in the Brewster Road Lobby of SHS, starting yesterday morning. This collection b