Letter from Superintendent Michael Deegan - please read!

Haga clic aquí para la versión en español de este anuncio

Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

Dear Catholic School Families,

Since September, our schools have been open and operating safely and efficiently. Thank you for your support in ensuring our guidelines for health and safety have been followed. Every person in our extended Catholic schools’ community has the responsibility to observe social distancing and wear a mask. This is what will keep the doors to our schools open; this is what will continue to keep everyone at our Catholic schools safe and healthy. Our principals, teachers and health aides have rigorously enforced health and safety protocols in our schools.

However, as students’ participation in outside extracurricular activities increases, the possibility of exposure to individuals who are positive for COVID may increase for both the students and their families. The same outcome can be true for attending any event with large numbers of people. This past week we have seen a slight uptick in positive cases and every positive school case has been traced back to exposures at gatherings, parties, and events outside of school. We are sending this email as a stark reminder COVID protocols do not end at the end of the school day and or take the weekends off!

With that being said, it is crucial that every family completes the daily self-screening checklist, including taking their child’s temperature, prior to sending their children to school on their cohort days. If you can answer YES to any of the questions, your child may NOT enter the school building. You MUST contact a health professional for guidance and notify the school principal.

As a reminder, the questions are:

1. Have you been in close or proximate contact in the past 14 days with anyone who has tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 or who has or had symptoms of COVID-19?
2. Have you tested positive or are waiting for the result of a diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
3. Are you currently experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, including a temperature of 100 degrees F or higher in the past 14 days?
4. Is your body temperature at or above 100 degrees F or have you or your child taken temperature reducing drugs within the last 24 hours?
5. Have you traveled internationally or from a state with widespread community transmission of COVID – 19 per the NY State Travel Advisory in the past 14 days?

According to the New York State Department of Health, your child will need to receive a note of medical clearance and a negative PCR COVID test to return to school should they develop any symptoms or be sent home from school. The Office of the Superintendent of Schools does not accept rapid tests for school return.

What else can we all be doing to maintain a safe environment for all? We can limit our exposure to large groups of people, continue to practice good hand hygiene, have a supply of masks on hand so that the fabric masks can be washed daily, and ensure everyone in your family receives a flu shot and all immunizations are kept up to date.

We truly appreciate everyone’s honesty, cooperation and dedication to keeping our schools safe and healthy places of learning.  During the month of the Most Holy Rosary, we continue to entrust our students, teachers, principals and staff to our Lady; the cause of our hope and joy.

Sincerely,

Mr. Michael J. Deegan
Superintendent of Schools
Archdiocese of New York