February 16, 2022
Good Afternoon,
As many of you are aware, the Governor announced that test kits will be available for families to test their students the week after break.
We intend to send a sealed test kit home with each district student on Friday, February 18, 2022, at the end of the school day. Each kit contains two separate tests that you can administer to your child should you choose to do so.
I would ask that everyone consider testing children on Sunday, February 27, 2022, in preparation for their return to school on February 28, 2022. Should your child test negative, please send them in on Monday the 28th. If a child tests positive, please stay home for at least 5 days and return only after symptoms are gone. Additionally, positive students should be logged into the county portal by a parent at the following website: https://www.washingtoncountyny.gov/1147/Coronavirus-Information
I hope that we will have a healthy second half of the school year and that the Governor determines that schools can return to normalcy soon.
Testing your child is NOT MANDATORY. Tests are being offered as a convenience to you and as a way of maintaining a healthy population of students, faculty, and staff here on campus. If you DO NOT want tests to be sent home with your child on February 18, 2022, please contact the main office as soon as possible. Otherwise, tests will be provided and sent home in a sealed box with your child.
The district wishes you a wonderful February recess and as always, thank you for working with us during these difficult and confusing times.
Sincerely,
Justin Hoskins
Superintendent of Schools
2/15/22 UPDATE
Hello, this is Justin Hoskins with the Fort Ann Central School District.
I wanted to take a quick moment of your time to provide you with a couple of updates.
First, if any family is in need of COVID at-home test kits, please feel free to contact Mrs. Lussier in the Elementary, main office. Even if you have already received a test kit from school, at this time, we have kits available and should be able to accommodate all requests.
Secondly, on behalf of the members of the Board of Education, I want to clarify for our families that when the mask mandate in schools is lifted, it is the intention of the Fort Ann Board of Education to allow for parent choice in regards to masks. When the mandate is lifted by New York State, students will not be required to wear a mask, however, if a parent, or student, elects to wear a mask, they will have that right. Please note, the state may implement new guidance for quarantines, exposure, and transportation based on no masks, but it will be our intention to allow parents the option of no masks when the mandate is lifted.
At this time, NYS is still requiring masking in school, however, if and when it is lifted, this will be a student/ parent choice.
We all want things to return to the way it was before March of 2020. We want to see the smiling faces of our students, we want all of our academic practices to return to normal and we desperately want to heal from any damage that was caused during the pandemic. Our school building has been and will continue to be a point of pride in this community. As our stakeholders, your thoughts and feelings are important to us and we will do whatever it takes to keep, build, or repair the relationships we have with our community members. This pandemic will be one of the hardest challenges our community will face together in our lifetime but with mutual respect and support, we can get through this together, stronger.