2021-2022 School Reopening Plans
August 2021Dear Auburn Families,
The Auburn Enlarged City School District will be starting the 2021-2022 school year with full in-person instruction five days a week for all students in Grades K through 12. Below are some of the plans that are being put in place based on recommendations from the Cayuga County Health Department and guidance from the New York State Education Department.
- Face Masks: All students and employees will be required to wear masks correctly and consistently regardless of their vaccination status while on buses and inside any school buildings. Face masks will not be required outdoors while on school grounds. Our plan is to reevaluate the need for face masks on a month to month basis based on the most current guidance.
- Social Distancing: We will continue to do our best to socially distance students three feet apart from one another on our buses and in our classrooms as much as possible depending on class and classroom sizes.
- Transportation: All eligible students will be transported by bus to and from school. Everyone is required to wear masks correctly and all times while riding the bus.
- Lunches: Elementary students will eat in the same pods every day during lunch; secondary students will also eat in the same pods every day during lunch, but they will be allowed to choose their pods. This will limit potential exposures and make any necessary contact tracing easier to conduct.
- Disinfecting: We will continue to disinfect our school buildings every day, as we did throughout the previous school year.
- Air Purification: The district will be utilizing its federal COVID relief funds to purchase air purifiers to put in every classroom, cafeteria, and gymnasium. These air purifiers have been known to completely eliminate the coronavirus from air particles, which will make our school buildings that much safer. School districts across the country including many throughout central New York are purchasing these air purifiers as well.
We will do everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our students and employees upon the return to school, but we need you to do your part as well. Please do not send your child to school if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, even if the symptoms are mild. This is the best way to stop the spread and help ensure that we can continue with full-time in-person instruction. If we see a large increase in cases, we will be ready to go fully remote instantaneously if need be, but our goal is to avoid that if at all possible. Children learn best in the classroom.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we tackle another unprecedented school year.
Jeffrey Pirozzolo
Superintendent of Schools
Auburn Enlarged City School District
