CLASSES CANCELED
Saratoga Springs schools closed through April 19; Ballston Spa through April 20
The Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa school districts announced classes will be canceled beginning Monday, March 16 in an attempt to slow the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
School will be out for Saratoga students through April 19, while Ballston Spa students will be out through April 20.
Saratoga’s announcement came via a letter from Superintendent Dr. Michael Patton to the district’s families that read as follows:
“Dear Saratoga Springs City School District Families,
We are writing with an update on the rapidly developing information regarding COVID-19/Coronavirus. After reviewing all recent information from the Centers for Disease Control and learning that the
City of Saratoga Springs has declared a state of emergency indefinitely, the Saratoga Springs City School District will be cancelling classes and all school events and activities through April 19, 2020.
A district-wide closure means
that all school activities, meetings, and events, including athletic practices, are canceled.
Our school district is approaching this closure with the following priorities in mind:
• The health and safety of all members of our community.
• Helping our community cope with the closure of the school district by addressing basic needs such as providing free and reduced-price meals to families who need it.
• Plans to encourage student learning for the duration of the closure. • Health and Safety We recognize that this news will be concerning to many of our students and families. We ask that medical questions be directed to your family doctor/healthcare provider. At this time, there are no confirmed cases of the virus in our school community.
Meals
A member of your child’s school will contact all families that receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch. The district is coordinating plans for food to be available throughout the school closure and specific details will be given to each family. If you have concerns about meals, please contact your child’s building.
SNACpack Program
There are currently 200 students in our school district who benefit from the SNACpack program on a weekly basis. Plans are in place for this service to continue and the district will be helping support the logistics associated with this program.
Academic Planning
Although work has already begun, the district has scheduled a Superintendent’s Conference Day on Monday, March 16th for all faculty and staff to continue reviewing important materials and to create academic plans for our students.
Teachers at all levels will be organizing their academic plans on Monday. These materials will be shared with students and families directly. Families will receive more information about staying connected with your classroom teachers throughout the school closure.
Student Resources
On Tuesday, March 17, all school buildings will be open during regular school hours for students to pickup any belongings. Please contact building main offices to make other arrangements. In addition, devices are available at Saratoga Springs High School for any student who indicates they do not have access to one at home.
This situation is constantly evolving. The district will continue to evaluate the situation and determine next steps as we continue to help mitigate the community spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus. Please stay tuned for updates as the week unfolds. We will be communicating with families via SchoolMessenger, email and posting information on our district website at www.saratogaschools.org.
Please know, as always, the health and safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts to help prevent the spread of this illness. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
For general questions about COVID-19 please call the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) 24/7 Hotline at 1-888364-3065 or visit Saratoga County Public Health Website. Sincerely, Dr. Michael Patton Superintendent of
Schools”
In Ballston Spa, Superintendent Ken Slentz said in a press release the decision to close was based on information from the federal and state governments, including various flexibilities authorized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the NY State Education Department.
He added the decision was necessary “to keep students, staff, and the our community as safe and healthy as possible. While we are very concerned with the impact that this decision will have on many of our families, we and our regional school district colleagues believe this is in the best long term interest of our entire community.”
All staff was asked to report to their buildings on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17 to review the plans and processes that will be in place during the closure.
In addition, regarding next steps, Slentz continues that “although we have planned for and are fairly well-prepared for a twoweek closure as we have detailed in previous updates, this lengthier closure will require us to continue working on a substantial number of details and to do so methodically so as to give families as much accurate information and as much predictability as possible.”
“We ask for your patience as we go about this work. We will continue to share information updates in the coming days and anticipate that we will expand our Q&A document as a go to source for many of your questions.
“Should you have any immediate questions that are not addressed in the Q&A or through other resources on our webpage, please email them to schoolclosure@bscsd.org so we can respond in a timely fashion.”