COVID-19 guidelines are coming in Fredonia, Zilliox says
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The first day of classes at Fredonia Central School is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 8, and the school board and Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox are focused on the back to school protocols related to COVID-19.
"A lot has happened over a few short days," Zilliox said. "There has been a lot of conversation about wearing face masks, health screens, and the idea of offering remote learning."
Last week, outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's adminstration announced to districts they shouldn't expect further guidance for return to school, which came as a surprise to Zilliox. "Up until then, we were anticipating there would be guidance coming from the state," he said. "That was solidified by the New York state Department of Health. That came as a shock."
According to Zilliox, New York State Commissioner of Education Betty Rosa made a plea to both the governor's office and Department of Health that their job is to provide guidance to schools in regard to COVID-19 protocols, but there was no response to that.
"We did have a Zoom with our Erie-2 Superintendents on Friday," Zilliox said. "If the state isn't going to do anything, we may be able to work with the counties for guidance. Although they didn't give a clear time frame, I feel like this will happen very quickly."
Zilliox believes guidance will be coming from the Education Department, which is now looking closely at the CDC guidelines. The Fredonia administrators met to begin conversation on how things might look in the district for the upcoming school year, and through the Zoom meetings throughout the week, they're hoping to share as much information as they can.
"We are absolutely focused on safety," Zilliox said. "We are absolutely focused on in-person learning and having students in the building being educated. I thought it would be on us as a school district to make these decisions, but I'm happy to feel at this moment that won't be the case."
Parents and students within the Fredonia school district expecting guidance will hopefully receive it soon, should everything go according to Zilliox's plan.