Dear Superintendent Graupman and Greece Board of Education Members:

cc: Dr. Mendoza, County Executive Bello, CDC

We respectfully ask that all students in our district be allowed to return to school for full-time, in-person instruction immediately. Given the updated guidelines from the CDC as of Friday, February 12, 2021 wherein 6 feet of social distancing is suggested but not required in schools, especially those in lower transmission areas, we respectfully ask you to revisit the NYSED and NYSDOH guidelines as they stand and allow full time learning in this district for all students.

NYSDOH MANDATES 6 FEET OF DISTANCING OR MASKING. Greece Central Schools engage in universal full-time masking.

NYSED REQUIRES SOCIAL DISTANCING OF 6 FEET OR BARRIERS.

Operating under the same guidelines you have been given by NYSDOH and NYSED, Greece needs to a) modify the 6’ distance in classrooms to 3’, OR b) needs to decrease 6’ distance with the addition of barriers for extra safety.

These are viable solution for Greece to return most, if not all, students to full time learning. Other districts in Monroe County are not distancing 6' AND using masks.

We are requesting this because:

1. Significant data collected in this pandemic shows that three feet of social distancing for children in school is safe, combined with other safety protocols in place such as mask wearing and participating in the daily health screenings. Teachers can continue to maintain a six-foot distance from students (ex. "Why three feet of social distancing should be enough in schools," by Doctors Joseph Allen and Sara Bleich, Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, article appearing in The Washington Post, November 11, 2020).
2. There has been no evidence of Covid transmitting locally in our schools. As Governor Cuomo and Dr. Mendoza have each stated, our schools are one of the safest places for children to be (NYS Covid Report Card Data, 2/17/21).
3. Students of all ages are experiencing emotional, social, and physical distress from being out of school and without their teachers on a full-time basis. They are disengaged from their teachers and peers and disengaged from learning. These serious known consequences need to be addressed. Scientific evidence suggests that the Covid virus is here to stay. School needs to adjust to this new reality and find a way to get all students back in the classroom full time.
4. Teachers have joined the advocacy anonymously WITH parents. The workload of teachers has doubled, and their in-person time with individual students has been halved. They want to be part of the planning to bring students back full-time.

We respectfully ask that you reopen our schools immediately on a full-time basis, while continuing to preserve the remote option for those who need it. We request this virtual option be integrated into the classroom learning. Thank you for your dedicated service to our community.

This petition can be signed by parents or guardians of Greece Central students, Greece Central staff and teachers, or Greece resident school tax payers. Please provide your name and email address where prompted. You do not need a SignUp Genius account to sign this petition.