October 26, 2020
Dear Parent, Staff, and Community Member:
Today, the District was informed of a positive test for COVID-19 for a grade 6 student who attends our secondary school. As per New York State Education Department and New York State Department of Health guidelines, the District took immediate steps to isolate the situation and work collaboratively with the Rensselaer County Department of Health. The District is working closely with the County DOH and following all guidance provided by them. (Read more about contacts of a confirmed case here). They will take the lead role in any further steps that may be necessary, including additional testing of individuals and contact tracing. In the event you are contacted by a representative of the County DOH or the District, we encourage you to offer your complete cooperation. This is a critical step in stopping the spread of COVID in our community. Please note that due to privacy requirements, we cannot divulge any further information about any individuals who are currently quarantined or have a confirmed case of COVID-19.
To err on the side of extreme caution and to stop the spread of COVID-19 by asymptomatic persons, we have decided that all K-12 students will continue with remote learning ONLY for the remainder of the week (Tuesday, October 27 - Friday, October 30). Buildings will be closed to students with the exception of limited childcare. Attendance will be taken in all classes virtually as normal. Building principals will email students about their schedules for tomorrow.
Information about transportation to outside runs (Questar, Special Education, private schools, etc.) will come in a separate communication.
We will have very limited childcare for students k-5 to assist our families. The application and information can be found here:
Students admitted into the program should bring their chromebooks and headphones as they will be virtually learning as they would at home.
Please be assured that we will not reopen any of the school buildings until we are 100% sure the DOH has completed their contact tracing investigation and until impacted areas of the buildings undergo a complete deep cleaning/disinfection. Any individuals identified as contacts will only be allowed to return to the school buildings once their quarantine period is completed and they are cleared by the DOH. We will be in regular communication with the DOH to assist them as needed with their contact tracing investigation.
We ask that all school families, students and staff members continue following all safety guidelines outside of school hours, including wearing masks when in public, social distancing, limiting group gatherings and practicing good hygiene.
As always, the health and safety of students and staff is the top priority and we appreciate your continued support during these unprecedented times.
Thank you and remember you can always find the latest district information on our website www.brunswickcsd.org.
Sincerely,
Dr. Angelina Maloney Superintendent of Brunswick CSD