Whereas, Oneonta City School District initiated a hybrid learning model for the 2020-21 school year which has been twice interrupted by significant delays;

Whereas, this hybrid learning model has resulted in many students not receiving special education and other services as required by state education policies and state law;

Whereas, the governor of New York State recently issued guidance recommending the return to students to full in-person learning and indicated schools were not a major vector for COVID-19;

Whereas, New York City has successfully reopened hundreds of schools and returned tens of thousands of students to full-time learning;

Whereas, many schools across Upstate New York have returned to full-time, in-person learning or are planning to;

Whereas, scientific research has predominantly found that in-person learning at school is not a significant vector for COVID-19;

Whereas, many faculty and staff at Oneonta CSD have received COVID-19 vaccinations and have protection against the virus;

Whereas, the hybrid learning model and the two periods of full remote learning have caused significant social-emotional and academic damage to hundreds of Oneonta students and have negatively impacted many families;

We the undersigned petitioners request Oneonta City School District administrators and board of education to immediately begin planning for and/or implementation of the following:

1. Develop and initiate a plan to return ALL students in grades K-8 to full-time, in-person learning five days a week by April 12, with a priority given for immediate return to students with IEPs or 504s (special education).
2. Allow students in grades 9 through 12 who wish to come back full-time and where there is capacity to accommodate them, to return to full-time, in-person learning five days a week starting April 12.
3. End Wellness Wednesdays immediately and convert them to remote learning days for all students until such time that students can be brought back full time.
4. Offer no-cost, in-person tutoring and social-emotional support programming during Spring Break, between April 5 through April 9 to families who request it.
5. Continue to allow families the option for full-time remote learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
6. Initiate a school-parent-community group to study opportunities for both academic, social-emotional and recreational services that will be offered at no or minimal cost to Oneonta students during the summer break.