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Communication/Family and Community Engagement
Communication between the district and students, parents and staff, as well as fostering family engagement, is of utmost importance. Schools and districts must develop a communications plan for students, parents or legal guardians of students, staff, and visitors that includes applicable instructions, training, signage, and a consistent means to provide individuals with information
via web pages, text and email groups, and/or social media groups or posts.
All students must be taught or trained how to follow new COVID-19 protocols safely and correctly, including but not limited to hand hygiene, proper use of face covering, social distancing and respiratory hygiene.
Schools and districts must encourage all students, faculty, staff, and visitors through verbal and written communication (e.g. signage) to adhere to CDC and DOH guidance regarding the use of PPE, specifically acceptable face coverings, when a social distance cannot be maintained.
Communications must be provided in the language(s) spoken at home among families and throughout the school community. Written plans must be accessible to those with visual and/or hearing impairments.
Required by NYSED or NYSDOH
- Post and maintain all school reopening plans on the District website and have hard copies available at each school in the languages spoken by families.
- Immediately notify parents through School Messenger (the district’s messaging system) of any confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 within the school community.
- Immediately notify the local health department about potential COVID cases and work closely with local health department guidelines for contact tracing and coordination as needed.
To best communicate district expectations, inform parents on pertinent information, and ensure the fluidity of communication between the school and the home as it pertains to school business, the district will:
- Maintain regular communication with parents through the following platforms:
- School Messenger
- Schoology
- Parent emails
- The Berlin Central School District Website
- The Berlin Central School District FaceBook Page
- Individual teachers will be assigned to specific student cohorts in order to ensure that daily communications with each and every student is maintained through a protocol called Daily Point of Contact . This will be employed either through face-to-face communications when students are on campus, or some form of electronic/digital communication when students are working remotely. The expectations of the Daily Point of Contact is that contact with the student is made, not simply attempted.