Glen A. Eschbach
Superintendent of Schools
January 22, 2021
Dear North Babylon Parents/Guardians,
The North Babylon School District has developed a full remote option for students in grades 7-12. This option is not only for students who qualified under the 504 accommodation process, but now is available to all students in grades 7-12. Therefore, parents who do not feel comfortable sending their child to school, now have the option to select a full remote program. You should be asking yourself, as a parent/guardian, the following questions:
- Am I comfortable sending my child to school during this time?
- Is there appropriate supervision / support for my child being at home during the school day?
- Does my child have a space to work free of distractions during remote learning?
- Will my child be able to successfully gain new knowledge through remote learning?
- Will my child be able to stay socially connected during at-home remote instruction?
When choosing this new remote instruction option, please understand that you are making a commitment to have your child remain home until at least the end of the third marking quarter (ten (10) weeks). At that time, if you would like to request to have your child return to in-person learning in the school building, you would have to request that in writing by completing the return to in-person instruction form that will be sent to you near the end of the third marking period. Please understand that requests to return to in-person instruction will be honored depending upon space available in our classrooms. If the current social distancing requirements are still in place at that time, space may be limited.
Remote students would participate daily in their regularly assigned classes via a Google Meet. Their remote schedule would mirror their in-person schedule. Students may still participate in any in-person athletics and / or other extracurricular activities if they select the remote option. Regular daily attendance is expected for all students whether they are in-person or remote. Students who violate the District Eligibility Policy for excessive absences will not be permitted to participate in athletics and / or other extracurricular activities.
If you would like your child to participate in our full remote program, please complete the Google Form entitled, Full Remote Instruction Request Grades 7-12. This form will also be made available on our District Website under Parent Resources. The form will close January 28th at 4pm. You will receive a confirmation that your request has been accepted. Again, please remember that parents / guardians will be committing their child(ren) to at least ten (10) weeks, which will begin February 1, 2021, the first day of the third marking period.
We will continue to monitor our infection rate throughout the year and we always appreciate your cooperation in keeping your child home should they display any of the symptoms related to COVID-19. Your partnership with us has led to the success of our schools remaining open during the pandemic and we hope the latest options for remote learning meet the needs and concerns of our students’ families.
Sincerely,
Glen A Eschbach
Superintendent