HF-FMCSD creates plans to submit to state
The Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District’s administrative team is “in high gear” planning for September and the start of the 2020-21 school year, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, Dr. Andrea Tejedor, told the Board of Education last week.
“We are making plans to come back in one of three ways,” she said, “virtual, brick and mortar, or hybrid.”
Every one of the state’s nearly 700 school districts is required to come up with a plan to submit to the state’s Education Department. Once that is done, the districts will receive direction on how re-opening will look.
“Until we receive the state guidance, we just don’t know which of those three ways we will reopen,” Tejedor said.
She added that surveys were sent out to parents, teachers and students about what they expect from the district, and what they would like to see happen as a new school year begins.
“We created a task force to work on it,” Tejedor said.
Superintendent Dr. Frank Sheboy said that all of the plans they are creating “include flexibility” in case there is a ‘second wave’ of illness.
“Epidemiologists are saying we have to be prepared for this virus to come back in the fall,” he said. “Flexibility is going to have to be the word of the year for the ‘20-21 school year.”
Board of Education President Anne Lawless said the board and district officials hope that guidance comes soon, and added that final state aid numbers would also be appreciated from the state.
Board Member Aaron Falk noted that community residents need to understand that it will be the state, not local officials, making the decision about how the ‘20-21 school year will look.
