South Orangetown Central School District

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The main goal of South Orangetown CSD’s Reopening Plan was to provide a document that outlined essential information for the safe reopening of South Orangetown CSD’s schools and offices through collaboration and input from a diverse group of stakeholders. This work included communication with the State and local health departments, the NYS Department of Education, Rockland County School Districts, Rockland County BOCES, PNW BOCES, community partners, and South Orangetown CSD staff, students, and families.

The SOCSD Reopening Plan meets the State requirements by:

• Maintaining the 180-Day instructional school calendar (for purposes of State Aid);
• Ensuring required Units of Study, Grades K-12 are met;
• Continued commitment to meeting the individual needs of our students and staff; and
• Providing equitable access for all students to develop college and career readiness skills and develop a unique pathway to graduation.

As this remains a fluid and dynamic time, the District has positioned itself to pivot to changes received from the State Education Department, Governor’s Office, and the Department of Health. We will continue to make the necessary adjustments in order to meet the needs of our students, staff, and community, along with finding opportunities to improve upon the effectiveness of our internal systems and resource allocation methodologies in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support the needs of our instructional program.

The South Orangetown CSD Reopening Plan was submitted to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in time to meet the July 31, 2020 deadline. Our Plan reflects the NYSED required assurances in 14 areas of District operation to ensure that we considered and addressed the health and safety needs, and social-emotional needs of students, staff, and community, along with meeting the instructional needs of our students. The re-opening plan is posted at www.socsd.org/reopening and will continue to be updated in order to meet our school community’s needs as changes and updates at the local and state level occur. For further information, please see: NYSED Guidance. SOCSD was also required to attest compliance to the Department of Health requirements. Additionally, members of the SOCSD RE-Opening Task Force are listed in the chart on the subsequent pages and reflect our commitment to an inclusive and collaborative process in developing our reopening plan.

“South Orangetown CSD understands that over the last few months, many in our community have experienced physical, emotional, health, and financial strains. High levels of stress and trauma experienced has highlighted the resiliency, strength, and power of administrators, teachers, support staff, students, and parents. It is important that we make students, families, and staff feel comfortable and safe when returning to our schools this Fall. On behalf of SOCSD, we are genuinely appreciative of the community’s ongoing support and partnership as we continue to move forward in these unprecedented times.” – Dr. Robert Pritchard, Superintendent of Schools

SOCSD Reopening Task Force
Superintendent of Schools Robert R. Pritchard, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction (Promoting Academic Success) Brian Culot, Ed.D.
Executive Director of Finance and Management Services (Ensure Equity & Access for All Students, Management of District Daily Operations) Alicia Koster
Executive Director of Pupil Personnel Services (Student Support Services, and Family and Community Engagement) Karen Tesik, Ed.D.
Director of Technology George Brady
Director of Staff Relations Joseph Lloyd, Ph.D.
Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics William Pilla
Communications Jen Citrolo and George Brady
Coordinator of Assessment, Data and Accountability Jeanne Corcoran
WOS Administrative Representatives Sheila Beglin and Brian Galvin
CLE Administrative Representatives Karen Ramirez and Rob Schliessman
SOMS Administrative Representative Chad Corey, Ed.D. and Joseph Onativia
TZHS Administrative Representative Rudy Arietta, Melissa Luciano and Rich Neidhart
Instructional Technology Coach Marc Eckert
Instructional Coach Mark Stanford
WOS Teacher Representative Kathyrn Cuccia
CLE Teacher Representative Sunny Hill
SOMS Teacher Representative Ron Scherer
TZHS Teacher Representative Marisa Premus
Teacher Member at Large (EASO) William Hughes
Elementary Parent Representative (WOS) Andrea Kheocha-on
Secondary Parent Representative (SOMS) Elizabeth Dudley
Secondary Parent Representative (TZHS) Jeannie Irizarry
TZHS Student Matthew Tobin
TZHS Student Adith Vettom
TZHS Student Hannah Lustig
TZHS Student Rachel Alexandre