July 23, 2020

Dear Teaneck Parents/Guardians & Students,

I hope your summer is going well and I am sure that you are wondering about our school “re-opening” plans for September. As you can see from the Governor’s announcement this week regarding an “all virtual option” (specific details on this still yet to come), the decisions regarding opening schools continues to be an evolving situation as we all strive to open schools safely.

It is important for you to know that as we make these decisions here in Teaneck, I have been seeking input from our parents and staff. In early June, we sent out a survey to our parents and received very helpful information about our remote learning. We also learned that nearly 30% of our families were strongly leaning towards not sending their children back this fall. In late June, I held a three-day meeting with my Leadership Team – which included medical professionals, principals and instructional staff – to evaluate several model options. Over the last two weeks, I have been conducting focus groups with our parents (by grade level) to review these options. I will be doing the same over the next few weeks with a select group of staff members. If you are interested in seeing the parent focus groups, please go to:

High School Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QqapACPzYz1W23hsEvnfq8pL3yEirJUo/view?usp=sharing

Middle School Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SsUNxG_FlnVtpi-_1MThbLMU4ebxlELJ/view?usp=sharing

Pre-k to Grade 4 Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Orup4VD4RdcTaRONQR3te3RujqRO5HX/view?usp=sharing

Special Services Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phmj9HBnRo-Yrq9IQnZ_V-W3KOpdTRhM/view?usp=sharing

With COVID-19 still on the rise, no one can be 100% certain about how we will proceed this September. However, per the NJ Department of Education’s “The Road Back” guidelines, every New Jersey school district needs to submit a proposed plan by the end of this month. To that end, I invite you to attend the July 29th Board Meeting which will begin at 7 pm. The Zoom log on information will be posted on our district website homepage by Monday of next week. The presentation will also be posted on our website on July 28th in advance of the meeting.

I also invite you to attend an upcoming Parent/Guardian Virtual Town Hall on August 13 at 5:30 pm (see flyer attached). Additionally, please tell your children that I am doing a separate Town Hall for “Students Only” on August 18 (see flyer attached). If you or your child have questions that are not answered in the July 29 Board presentation, you can submit your questions (by August 10) to dsingletary@teaneckschools.org .

Finally, please note with the Board’s approval on July 29, we plan to move the official “Opening Date for Students” to Tuesday, September 8. This will give us more time to prepare our staff of any new protocols that will begin on September 8.

I hope you will join us on Wednesday, July 29 and at the Parent/Guardian Virtual Town Hall meeting on August 13. Until then, please continue to stay safe and I will continue to keep you apprised on any new decisions including the “Opt Out” option.

Best regards,

Dr. Christopher Irving, Superintendent of Schools