Updates for Families and Staff Members February 27, 2022

February 27, 2022

 

Dear Families and Staff Members - 

 

Here are a few important updates:

 

Masks Optional Starting Wednesday March 2, 2022 for Grimshaw, Big Picture, and Jr/Sr High School

Starting on Wednesday March 2, 2022, face masks will no longer be required in classrooms or on school vehicles for  students and staff at Grimshaw Elementary, LaFayette Big Picture School, and the LaFayette Jr/Sr High School. Governor Kathy Hochul announced this afternoon that the state-wide mask requirement will be lifted for students and staff starting on Wednesday March 2nd. A representative for Onondaga County confirmed that the county will not impose any mask mandates on schools at this time. Starting on Wednesday, school staff members will no longer require students to wear a mask; however, students and staff members can still choose to wear a mask. 

 

Please take the time to have a conversation with your children about whether or not they should continue to wear a mask while attending school or on school vehicles. Also, please also have a conversation with your children about respecting the decision of others to either wear a mask or not wear a mask. We have incredible students and staff members and I am confident that everyone will be respectful of individual choices. Masks will still be made available in the main office of each school building, main entrances, or in the nurse’s office.

 

Masks are still required at the Onondaga Nation School and on school vehicles on the Onondaga Nation. Onondaga Nation leaders have not lifted the requirement for students and staff to wear masks at the Onondaga Nation School. If there are any changes at ONS, we will be sure to keep everyone updated. 

 

The LaFayette Central School District will continue to work to help keep students and staff members safe:

 

Vaccine Clinic - Tuesday March 1, 2022 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Grimshaw Elementary Cafeteria

Our partners at Wegmans Pharmacy will host a vaccine clinic in the Grimshaw Elementary School Cafeteria from 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM. This clinic is open to students, staff members, families and community members. This clinic is open for individuals requesting a first dose, second dose, or booster shots for all eligible individuals ages 5 and older. Please sign up in advance using the following link - https://c.ateb.com/8a108e206c55489f80e53be68a69b8cc

 

We will continue to offer vaccine clinics when they are made available to our district.

 

COVID Case Counts 

We will continue to report COVID cases to the New York State Dashboard when we receive reports from the health department, staff members, or families. You can view the latest case reports at https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/home. I wish everyone who has been diagnosed a speedy recovery.

 

Weekly COVID Surveillance Testing

We will continue to provide weekly COVID surveillance testing to our students and staff members on Tuesdays. Our partners at Onondaga County have announced that they plan to continue weekly testing and offer PCR testing for symptomatic students. Contact your child’s amazing school nurse for more information. 

 

Rapid Test Kits

We will continue to provide Rapid COVID Tests for students and staff members upon request. Please contact the main office of your child’s school and we will happily send home additional test kits for your family. Prior to February break, we provided a test kit to each student and staff member. Feel free to 

 

Improved Ventilation and Air Filtration

We will continue to purchase improved air filters for our HVAC equipment and we also used federal relief money to purchase HEPA air filtration units for classrooms and cafeterias.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support and efforts throughout the pandemic. I am truly grateful for the cooperation of our students, families and staff members during the past two years. You showed that small communities like LaFayette are great places to be when times are tough. Thanks for sticking together throughout this challenging time.

 

Sincerely,

Jeremy Belfield

Superintendent of Schools

LaFayette Central School District

jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org

315-529-9550 (cell)