Reopening Berlin Central Schools
submitted by The Berlin Central School District
Update on School Reopening in Fall
We would like to provide our school community with an update on the reopening of schools in September 2020.
We want to reassure families that we have been planning for a variety of scenarios for the fall, depending on where we are with the COVID-19 pandemic. Please know that the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff remains our top priority.
The District’s Reorganizing Task Force began its work this week, and have established six committees made up of faculty, administration and parents discussing the following areas.
• Health and Safety
• Fiscal, Food and Transportation
• Social and Emotional
• Special Programs
• Teaching and Learning
• Communications
We will keep our community updated on the Task Force’s work throughout the summer. Our goal is to provide the best possible educational services to the greatest extent possible under the given circumstances.
Schools are also awaiting reopening guidance from New York State, which is expected the week of July 13. School districts will have to submit reopening plans to the State by July 31, with Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing a decision on the reopening of schools during the week of August 1.
We appreciate our community’s patience as we prepare for the upcoming school year. Again, please know that nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of your children.
Taskforce Subcommittees
Teaching and Learning: The role of this subcommittee is to recommend procedures, protocols and processes to ensure that the district can provide the best learning opportunities for all our students, to ensure the best teaching environment for all our staff, and to ensure that high expectations for academic success in grades K-12 are kept at the forefront of our efforts as a district.
Health and Safety: The role of the subcommittee is to recommend protocols and processes to ensure that the district can place the health and safety of our students, staff and community members as one of our highest priorities.
Social Emotional: The purpose of this subcommittee is to ensure that the Berlin Central School District can meet the social and emotional needs of each of our students and all our staff during these unprecedented times of stress.
Transportation, Food Service, IT and Fiscal: The purpose of this subcommittee is to ensure that the Berlin Central School District is prepared to meet the needs of all students as they pertain to delivery and reception of transportation, food and technological infrastructure.
Communications: The purpose of this subcommittee is to ensure that communication between the district and the community is timely and accurate and supports the processes of education throughout the 2020–21 school year.
Special Programs: The purpose of this subcommittee is to plan for the needs of students who require additional programmatic support and to provide those who work with these students with access to the best understanding, materials and information to ensure that the needs of exceptional learners are met to the greatest extent possible.