HCSD Reopening Guide

The Work that Lies Before Us

In September of 2019, we opened school with a conversation about the fact that the modern world is increasingly dominated by VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This current health crisis represents all of those things . . . and then some. The point we made at the time was that nearly everything in the modern world, especially our work on behalf of children, requires that all of us – school staff, parents, students, and the community at-large - work closely together as partners.  

September of 2020, will require us to work together through an array of unparalleled challenges.  The Hamburg Central School District Reopening Guide is the product of an amazing collaboration of nearly 100 of our colleagues and dozens of hours of dialogue.  This guide fully complies with all of the New York State Department of Health and New York State Department of Education reopening guidelines.  Importantly, it represents the careful and creative planning of our stakeholders designed to help us overcome the many challenges we will most assuredly face in the months ahead.  

At the heart of our plan is the health, safety and well-being of our students, staff and community..  The plan is divided into three key parts:

  • Instructional Services – The ways in which we will we structure our instructional programming to meet the learning needs of our students and staff
  • Social and Emotional Learning – the efforts that we will undertake to support the social and emotional needs of our students and staff.
  • Operations – The ways in which we will modify our transportation, food services, fiscal planning, maintenance and cleaning to support a safe and orderly return to school.

Within each area of focus, we have planned for three instructional scenarios:

  • 100% of students in attendance for on-campus learning
  • 100% of students will be engaged in learning off-campus (remote)
  • A hybrid model that combines both on- and off-campus learning

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has stated that he will announce the status of in-person instruction for all New York State Schools at some point between August 1 and August 7.  His announcement will determine which of our plans we will be required to enact. Building specific procedures and daily routines will be finalized after this announcement has been made.  

I mentioned in a previous message during the spring that one of President Lincoln's greatest qualities was the ability to focus intently on the "work that laid before him."  We know from our basic understanding of history that the work that laid before Lincoln at the time was enormously complex, and much of it was not of his choosing.  Such is the work that lies before us – It is truly complex and it has been thrust upon us by, and within, the circumstances that we currently face.  

The Hamburg Schools Community is strong and resilient.  Together we will rise to the challenge, and do whatever it takes to assure that our students learn and grow in 2020-2021.



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