A message from the Superintendent

Superintendent's Update #11

September 23, 2021

Dear Chappaqua Central School District Families and Staff,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to share information regarding CCSD’s onsite COVID testing program, a revised COVID-19 FAQ from the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDOH), and information released from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association regarding indoor mask use.

Chappaqua Central School District’s COVID Testing Management System (CTMS)

Last evening (9/22), the District hosted a webinar to share our COVID-19 CCSD testing program with families and staff. Required weekly testing will begin on Monday, 9/27/21 from 3-5pm at Seven Bridges Middle School for unvaccinated staff and athletes. Vaccinated staff may also elect to be tested weekly by CCSD. Testing for K-12 unvaccinated students (who are not CCSD athletes) will be optional, and offered, so long as the District is identified by the CDC as having moderate, substantial, or high transmission rates (Commissioner’s Determination on COVID-19 Testing, pg.2).

In our presentation, which can be accessed here, we outlined testing expectations, how individuals can make an appointment to be tested, onsite testing logistics, our testing schedule for October, and the CCSD’s response should an individual test positive for COVID-19. A full recording of the session can be accessed here. CCSD’s CTMS is now live and can be accessed by visiting our homepage.

The Commissioner's Determination on COVID-19 Testing does not specify, or recommend, a percentage of unvaccinated students who the District should test weekly based on our geographic transmission rate. To that end, if the number of K-12 unvaccinated students who register for testing in a given week exceeds our appointment capacity, we will address this issue in a follow up communication.

Westchester Department of Health Updated COVID-19 FAQ: September 21, 2021

On Wednesday, the District received an Updated FAQ. Please review the below clarification regarding outdoor activities on page 2:

Outdoor activities and athletics - COVID transmission or spread does occur in outdoor settings, thus maintaining social distancing and masks continues to be vital COVID prevention measures. Because masking cannot or may not be maintained or monitored in these settings, the above 6 foot 15 minute criteria applies to all such settings with the following exception: During sports at higher risk of COVID transmission, COVID transmission has been reported with less than 15 minutes exposure and thus the 15 minute exposure time may not apply.

This latest guidance also includes a decision tree for identifying COVID-19 Close Contacts in K-12 Schools. You may review the full decision tree here. At this time, CCSD does not anticipate making any adjustments to our current practices based on these FAQ revisions.

New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) - Mask Tolerance

On 9/22/21, the NYSPHSAA released a memo that addressed indoor mask toleration for student-athletes. A full copy of this document can be accessed here. The District does not anticipate making any adjustments to our current practices based on this recently released memo.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. Please reach out to your building principal with any questions regarding this notification.

Sincerely,

Christine Ackerman, PhD
Superintendent of Schools