On August 24, 2020, a group of concerned parents met to discuss the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. This group convened after being dissatisfied with the Zoom meetings that were held last week. While we were able to submit questions, very few were answered. In addition, we were told that a list of those questions, as well as the answers, would be compiled and distributed by the administration. To date, that has not happened.

The focus of this group is to determine what specifically changed from August 10th to August 19th, resulting in our districts’ inability to execute their proposed hybrid plan. We would also like to respectfully request an in-person meeting consisting of parents, the Board of Education, and administration. This could safely be achieved in an outdoor setting, with parent “reservations” if need be. We feel that it is our right to know how the Board of Education and administration ultimately came to the decision to only open up remotely in September. There has been no transparency through this process. Our input has thus far been ignored, despite the mandated surveys. As our Covid numbers in Otsego County remain low, it is difficult to believe that the district is following the data. So we are left wondering what constraints are guiding us.

The following questions are just a small number of what we would like addressed:

• What changes will be made prior to October 5th that will allow the district to open in-person? (as opposed to what is being done prior to our September 8th remote opening) If the Covid numbers remain low, can the district commit to opening on October 5th (within the NYS guidelines)?
• Will you release the finding from the surveys? (In one Board of Education meeting, a representative alluded to the fact that greater than 60% of the respondents wished for a return to in-person schooling.)
• Will teachers be allowed to bring their own children to school to complete their remote learning?
• What would be the plan for a full in-person reopening?
• During the period of remote learning, how will we achieve the state mandated 180 days of education?
• How are you specifically going to meet the needs of students with IEP’s as well as students who receive AIS?
• How are you justifying only having kids Zoom in 2 days per week during the remote phase, as other districts are doing 5 days per week?
• Was the initial plan rejected by NYS, and if so, what was lacking?
• Is air filtration an issue?
• How is transportation an issue when other (much larger) districts are able to accommodate this?
• Are teachers required to be in school to do remote learning?
• How did you determine what was or wasn’t important to teach the kids, assuming that they will only be in school 40% of the time?

Unfortunately, this is just a small sample of the many questions that are plaguing parents. We are simply looking for honest answers. It is the least we deserve.