Dear RMS Community,
Today the District learned of a positive case at Rye Middle School. The individual is currently in quarantine and was last at the school on Thursday, January 14, and Friday, January 15. Due to federal health privacy laws, additional information about the individual cannot be released.
After extensive discussions with the Westchester County Department of Health, we made the decision to close the school and shift to remote learning this morning at 11:00 a.m. to allow for contact tracing associated with this case. Unfortunately, the number of individuals exposed was substantial. Due to the number of faculty and staff required to quarantine based on this case, previous cases, illness, and non-school related quarantines, Rye Middle School will be on a fully-remote schedule through Friday, January 22, and will reopen for in-person learning on Monday, January 25.
I know this is frustrating news for many, including our faculty and staff. We simply cannot safely open a school without appropriate adult supervision in the building, and this week we will not have enough personnel to allow us to reopen the building for students. We do not have enough substitute teachers or staff available to fill the gap; that pool has dwindled to almost nothing this year due to the pandemic.
Please know that we are doing everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff and are working closely with the Department of Health to manage this particular situation.
Sincerely,
Eric Byrne, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools