August 20, 2021           

Dear Clarkstown School Community:

I hope you and your family members are enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

This is an exciting time as we prepare for the 2021-22 school year and a return to full-time, in-person instruction. In addition to the usual September planning, CCSD administrators continue to process evolving COVID-19 guidance and mandates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and New York State officials. 

CCSD's 2021-22 Reopening Schools plan was prepared with the goal of providing in-person learning for all students without disruption and with the least amount of restrictions to maintain the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

Will student health screenings continue this fall? What will lunchtime look like? What if my child has social-emotional needs? For these answers - and, many more - visit our updated Reopening Schools Q&A document. 

New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who will take over as Governor on August 24, has stated on a number of occasions that she supports mask mandates. CCSD will wait and see whether she and the Department of Health will make this a requirement.

We will present details of our 2021-22 Reopening Schools plan during a Superintendent’s Round Table with members of our PTA Councils on Monday, August 23, at a 1p.m. Roundtable. If you are not able to view the Round Table live, you can see the recorded program by visiting the Superintendent’s website link. Questions may also be posed at the August 26 Board of Education meeting.

We continue to closely monitor the data in Clarkstown and trends regarding COVID-19 cases and variants in New York State. Regardless of the challenges and sets of circumstances we face, it is exciting to welcome our students back for a new school year.

As a reminder, the first day of school for all students, K-12, is set for Wednesday, September 1. 

Thank you.

Stay strong! Stay healthy!

Sincerely,

Martin D. Cox, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools