August 29, 2021
Good Morning Blackhawk Nation,
I’m writing today to give everybody a heads-up on our school year and what to expect.
As you are all fully aware, things have changed significantly since June. The Delta variant is out there and COVID cases are once again rising. However, like last year, we are determined to keep the buildings open by making sure all of our students, teachers, staff and visitors continue to remain safe.
As we begin another year, our COVID procedures and protocols should be very familiar to you.
In fact, much of what we successfully did last year will still be in place.
Here are the basics:
1. All students will be in school every day
2. Masks will continue to be required inside the buildings
3. Masks will continue to be required on the buses
4. Mask breaks will occur periodically throughout the day
5. Masks are not yet required outdoors while on school property
6. We will not be required to do temperature checks or surveys like we did last year
I fully understand that everybody is tiring of the mask mandates, but in a school, they are especially important so we ask for your cooperation.
Hundreds of our students are not yet vaccinated and masks are the primary defense mechanism to slow the spread of COVID in Oxford. They are also required by NYS Department of Health so we must comply.
With any luck, the pandemic will ease soon and we will be able to get back to normal but for now, these measures are for the safety and benefit of everybody in this community.
They will also help us ensure that our buildings remain open.
As always, we will do everything possible to further the safety of our entire Blackhawk community and as always, we appreciate your support in helping us make Oxford the special place that it is.
Please feel free to refer to our district website for additional COVID information and updates.
With Sincere Regards,
John Hillis
Superintendent of Schools
Oxford Academy and Central School District