August 21, 2020

Dear Teaneck Parents/Guardians, Students and Staff,

At the August 26 Board Meeting, I will be presenting our district’s revised “Return to School Plan” – which will open Teaneck Public Schools in a remote learning environment through the first marking period (November 12). I hope you will join us for this virtual meeting and I am pleased to share an advanced copy of this presentation here: Link to Presentation

I realize that the news of moving to a virtual environment will not be easy for many of our families. Trust me when I say this was not an easy decision for me or for our Board of Education. We want to see our children learning and exploring within our school buildings. But as we navigate through this pandemic, with so much still unknown about the long-term effects of COVID-19 or how quickly it could spread once again in our community, my top priority must be the health and safety of our students and staff.

We are working hard to make sure that the virtual learning platform is a positive and productive experience for your child. This includes the necessary support that you or your child may need such as Chromebook training, childcare services, and mental health services. In fact, next week will be hosting a Parent and Community Academy - a series of virtual workshops for our parents and community members to learn more about how your children are using Google tools during their remote learning - see here for the full schedule: http://bit.ly/TeaneckCommunity

Here are a few highlights from the revised plan:
●	The “all virtual learning” will be live instruction every day, for all children (preschool through grade 12). Fridays will be half days for all students.
●      Your child’s class schedule is now available on Skyward. If you need information on how to access Skyward Family Access and its features, please see the attached video:
o Elementary Students - https://youtu.be/QFKwm3RAiAY o Middle/High School - https://youtu.be/HSIlr4N-GUg
o How-to guides are also available on the Teaneck website at https://www.teaneckschools.org/FamilyAccess.aspx
●	Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 8. Please note that we will be using the “Half Day” schedule for this first week as we continue professional development for our staff.
●	Plans are underway for during and after-school childcare. We will utilize only two school buildings (Bryant & Whittier); therefore, space will be limited for social distancing purposes. Enrollment and details for each program will be released by early September. Both will run from September 21 through November 12.
●	Breakfast and lunch will be available daily for your children at two locations. Specific locations, dates and times will be provided soon. Chromebook services will be available during the same time.

Please note that if your child needs a Chromebook or needs their Chromebook repaired, please come to the Teaneck High School - Cranford side parking lot - per the schedule below. We have

included two evenings for families who are unavailable for our morning sessions. Upon arrival, please inform our staff if you are in need of a mobile hotspot.

Chromebook Distribution Schedule: Monday - August 24th - 8:30AM to 11AM

Tuesday - August 25th - 8:30AM to 11AM Tuesday - August 25th - 4:00PM to 7:00PM

Wednesday - August 26th - 8:30AM to 11:00AM

Thursday - August 27th - 8:30AM to 11:00AM Thursday - August 27th - 4:00PM to 7:00PM

Friday - August 28th - 8:30AM to 11:00AM

We encourage you to stay in your vehicle and come through the specified lane for Chromebooks.

For our parents and guardians, please note that your child’s school principal and our Special Education Department will be hosting Virtual Town Halls during the week of August 24. For the full schedule and Zoom log-on information, go to: https://www.teaneckschools.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6Y3AU3B&dasi=4GBPB .

In closing, this continues to be a very challenging time for all school districts (as you have likely seen in recent media reports). I truly appreciate all who participated in my Staff, Parent, and Student Town Halls and I will continue to keep you updated as we move forward. I hope that you join us for Wednesday’s Board Meeting at 7 pm (the log on information will be posted on the top part of our district homepage by Monday).

Best regards,

Dr. Christopher Irving, Superintendent of Schools