Message from Superintendent of Schools Dr. L. Oliver Robinson | COVID-19 Update

Written by on February 3, 2021
Dear Shen Community,
First and foremost, thank you very much for your continued support of our efforts to keep schools open and provide a quality learning experience to our students throughout this COVID-19 pandemic! Our goal from the very beginning was to do our very best to provide our students with the best options to learn and grow.

As we look to push COVID-19 into the rearview mirror and control more and more of our destiny as a school system, we are engaged in several key measures.

1) COVID TESTING: We have 3,800 COVID-19 surveillance test kits from the NYS Department of Health and we will be using them to randomly test students and staff who have provided consent. We do recognize that some people may no longer choose to do so, since it is not mandated. We totally respect that decision.

The premise of our efforts is this: if we can identify someone who is asymptomatic and positive, we can mitigate potential spread, even at the risk of having some students and staff being quarantined.

2) SPORTS & OTHER ACTIVITIES: A lot has been reported about the start of certain sports that were deemed higher risk (basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, football, and wrestling). We have been working closely with the school district’s medical director and the Saratoga County Public Health Department to not only ensure we are in compliance with mandated conditions for allowing play, but looking to take any added steps to ensure the health and safety of all students from the spread of COVID-19. Doing random COVID-19 testing may be a part of our protocols for sports moving forward.

We are also pressing to see similar allowances for various performing arts activities and engaging sound protocols to protect the health and safety of those students.

3) VACCINATIONS: We are working very closely with the Saratoga County Public Health Department to get all employees (at least those who are willing) vaccinated. We are also working to see how the school district facilities can be used as a local vaccination site as more vaccines are made readily available.

Bottom-line, prevent the spread of COVID-19. Getting back to normalcy is the goal.

Thank you for the continued support. All the best!

Dr. L. Oliver Robinson
Superintendent of Schools