Dear Parents and Guardians,

Throughout the pandemic, the New York State Department of Health has required all New York State schools to send students and staff home if they were exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day. They could then return to the school building if they had received a negative COVID-19 test result from an approved laboratory or a doctor’s note stating an alternate diagnosis.

The New York State Department of Health also excludes any unvaccinated (or partially vaccinated) student or staff member from school if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 within the school setting (classroom, lunchroom, transportation, etc). They are mandated to quarantine at home for five days following their exposure.  

Over the last few weeks, The Syracuse Academy of Science and The Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Academy School Districts have been given an abundance of rapid antigen tests from New York State. In December the school district was approved for a Limited Service Laboratory license putting the district in a unique position. Starting February 28th, 2002 both school districts will be able to test symptomatic students and staff (diagnostic testing) during the school day,  as well as participate in the New York State Department of Health Test to Stay Program.

Diagnostic Testing

Using rapid antigen tests, students who develop a symptom or symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day can report to the Nurse’s office to be tested. If the test result is negative, the child may return to class if the nurse feels they are well enough. If the result is negative, but the nurse feels the child isn’t well enough to be in school, they will still be sent home. Any student that tests positive will remain in the isolation room until they are dismissed with their parent/ guardian. All positive cases will need to be picked up within 45 minutes of the test result. Under no circumstances will a child be given a COVID-19 test at school without signed consent. 

It is important to understand that although the school district has the ability to test students and staff with COVID-19 symptoms, it is not permitted to knowingly send sick children to school. If your child is sick at home, please keep them at home. Students arriving at school sick will be sent home as per school policy and will not receive a rapid antigen test. 

Test to Stay

Test to Stay is a Program in which students that are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated (including those that are eligible for booster shots) may participate if they have been designated a close contact of someone that tests positive for COVID-19 at school. This could be a classroom, lunchroom, or transportation contact. As long as these individuals remain asymptomatic, wear well-fitting masks, and maintain proper social distancing, they may come to school using their normal mode of transportation. Upon arrival, they will need to take a rapid COVID-19 antigen test in the nurse’s office for the remainder of their five-day quarantine. Students doing Test to Stay may also participate in their after-school extracurriculars as long as it doesn't involve children from other schools. Once the student leaves school they should quarantine at home following NYSDOH quarantine guidelines. 

The tests being used for both the Diagnostic Testing and Test to Stay Program are rapid antigen tests. Results are read in 15 minutes. They use a nasal swab to collect the sample. These are less invasive than others in that they are not designed to go deep into the nasal cavity. The school nurse or trained school personnel will be conducting the testing. Results of tests (positive and negative)  will be reported each day to New York State. 

Consent(s)
 
Under no circumstances will any student be diagnostically tested for COVID-19 or for Test to Stay without signed parental consent. Test to Stay and Diagnostic Testing have two different consent forms. Please make sure to complete each form if you wish for your child to participate in testing. 

Click here to complete the Test to Stay Consent Form

Click here to complete the Diagnostic Testing Consent Form

We hope that these changes have a positive impact on students and their families. As always we appreciate your flexibility as we navigate through this ever-changing pandemic. Please feel free to reach out to the School Health Office with any questions or concerns. 

Dear Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff,

The Centers for Disease Control issued new guidance regarding mask usage on Friday, February 25. On Sunday, February 27, Governor Hochul provided an update on the school masking mandate. Acknowledging data regarding declining infection and hospitalization rates, Governor Hochul announced that as of Wednesday, March 2, 2022, the statewide mask mandate in Pre-k-12 schools would be lifted. Parents may choose for their children to continue wearing their masks, and staff may choose to do so as well.

On Monday, February 28, 2022, and Tuesday, March 1, 2022, masks will be required according to the New York State Department of Health requirements. 

Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship would like to thank our parents, guardians, students, and staff for their support and resilience throughout this pandemic. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. We are delighted to turn another page in our two-year wait to return to normalcy. As always, if you have any questions regarding this announcement, please reach out to your child’s school.

Sincerely,
Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Administration

Dear parents and guardians,

We have received more COVID-19 rapid tests from New York State and will be sending them home with students on Thursday, February 17, 2022. Each student will receive one test kit with two tests in it. The tests intend to help control the spread of COVID-19 by testing students at home before returning to school after Winter Break. 

Suggested testing schedule:
Test #1 - Thursday, February 23 or Friday, February 24
Test #2 - Sunday, February 27

If your child tests positive at any time, please go to "ongov.net," click on "COVID-19" information, then click on "self-attestation form" and follow the directions. 

**Anyone that has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days should not test.

Thank you for all your efforts in keeping our school community safe and healthy. Please don't hesitate to contact the school health office with any questions or concerns regarding this. 

Citizenship Academy Administration and Health Services

Dear SANY parents, guardians, students, and staff,

The state-wide mask mandate will remain in effect after a New York appellate court judge issued a ”stay” Tuesday evening. This “stay” allows Governor Hochul’s mask mandate to continue amid an appeal.

On Monday evening, a Nassau County Supreme court judge ruled that the way New York State created its mask mandate was unconstitutional and a violation of state law. New York State has since appealed the Nassau County decision.

With this recent and conflicting news, we would like to clarify that at this time, all staff, students, and school visitors are required to wear a mask or appropriate face covering while inside our schools. There has been absolutely no change in the district’s health and safety protocols.

As this situation evolves, we will continue to update our staff and families on the latest information and guidance. We will continue to put the health and safety of the school community as our first priority. Again, thank you all for your continued support.

Sincerely,
SANY Administration

Dear Citizenship Academy staff, parents, and guardians,

The Onondaga County Department of Health has revised its guidance regarding quarantine and isolation of teachers, staff, and students as of Jan 11, 2022. Please see full guidance here under Special Populations/ K-12 Schools: http://www.ongov.net/health/documents/IsolationQuarantineGuidance.pdf

The new guidance allows fully vaccinated students, teachers, and staff who have been in close contact with an individual with COVID-19 to continue to attend work at school regardless of booster status. Fully vaccinated K-12 students, teachers, and staff who are eligible for but have not yet received a booster may attend school and ride the bus (no extracurricular or after-school activities) and remain in quarantine outside of school. 

Therefore, teachers and staff that were asked to get their booster shot by February 1st, 2022 will not need to fulfill this request. However, it is highly encouraged by the CDC and the NYSDOH to do so. It has been found that fully vaccinated and boosted (if eligible) people suffer far less serious disease and symptoms than those that are not fully vaccinated. 

Please know that we thank you for all of your continued patience and support as we work through the ever-changing guidelines and various challenges associated with COVID-19. 

Sincerely,
The Citizenship Academy Administration

Dear Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Families and Staff,

Yesterday, January 6, 2022, The Onondaga County Health Department along with the New York State Department of Health, updated their COVID-19 guidance for isolation and quarantine. As a result of these changes, the Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship will now be adhering to the new guidelines set forth. Effective immediately those persons that need to be in isolation or quarantine will only need to do so for five days if they exhibit no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving. This includes no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and no lingering cough. Please note that loss of taste and or smell can last weeks and does not need to be resolved before returning. 

Updated guidance: http://www.ongov.net/health/documents/IsolationQuarantineGuidance.pdf

The five-day period for isolation and quarantine begins the day you first began to have symptoms. If you exhibit no symptoms at all, it begins the day you took your test. Keep in mind that if you still have symptoms after day five it is recommended that you continue to isolate until your symptoms have resolved. 

• Students and staff that are NOT vaccinated must quarantine for five full days when they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. A NEGATIVE TEST (RAPID OR PCR) DURING THEIR QUARANTINE DOES NOT GET THEM OUT OF THEIR QUARANTINE.
• Students and staff who are fully vaccinated and are eligible for their booster shot (5 months after second Pfizer vaccine or 6 months after second Moderna vaccine, or 2 months after Johnson and Johnson vaccine) AND HAVE RECEIVED THEIR BOOSTER, do not need to be quarantined. If they develop symptoms after exposure, they will need a negative test to return.
• Students and staff who are fully vaccinated and not yet eligible for their booster shot (see eligibility in the above paragraph), will also not need to quarantine

If a person is in isolation or quarantine, please fill out the legal self-attestation forms for Onondaga County for self-release. Fill out the form and turn it in to the school when your child is ready to return. The forms can be found here: https://covid19.ongov.net/isolation-quarantine/

When a person returns to school after isolation and quarantine, please make sure they are wearing a well-fitted surgical face mask that fits closely to their face. 

We also want to remind parents to keep their children home if they exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html). The Onondaga County Department of Health says that If your child is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 they will need to be tested for covid-19 or receive an alternate diagnosis from their doctor before returning to school. Symptoms of COVID-19, the common cold, the flu, and many other viruses look the same, therefore almost impossible to tell apart without testing. Onondaga County has set up a testing site just for students and school employees. Here you can get a PCR test and have results usually within 24 hours. Information on this testing site can be found here: https://covid19.ongov.net/appointments/ 

Your support and patience during these confusing times are always greatly appreciated. Our student's health and safety are of utmost importance to us. Please reach out to your student school for any concerns or questions you may have. 

Sincerely, 
Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Administration

Dear Science Academies of New York Community:

We are excited to share with you our reopening plan for the 2021-2022 school year. All of our schools will welcome the return of students for five days a week of in person instruction. 

Throughout the pandemic Science Academies of New York (SANY) has pulled together to meet the needs of our students and school community. When schools were closed by state officials in March 2020, SANY quickly shifted gears to remote learning. Our teachers, teaching assistants, school counselors, psychologists, administrators, supervisors, and clerical staff worked tirelessly to meet the learning needs of our students. 

We appreciate the support, trust, and cooperation of our students and families to operate schools safely during the pandemic. I certainly recognize that we have all given up a lot this past year, but as you read this reopening plan hopefully you will see that school activities are looking something closer to normal. 

There are a few important safety precautions that we will need to take such as wearing a mask when inside the school building, washing our hands, practicing respiratory etiquette, and staying home when you are sick or have symptoms. The safety precautions outlined in this reopening plan were created by reviewing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, guidance from the New York State Education Department , guidance from Onondaga County, along with guidance from state and local health officials. 

We are grateful for the support of our community leaders, board of education, administrators and supervisors, school staff, public health officials, and school community during this challenging time.

We are hopeful that as conditions improve locally we will be able to revisit some of these safety precautions. We appreciate all that our students, families, and staff members have done and will continue to do to keep everyone safe as we move into the new school year.

Please be sure to review this updated Reopening Plan and contact your building dean with any specific questions or concerns regarding your child and the start of the school year.

Thank you again for your continued support of our students and staff.

Click here to read the Reopening Plan for 2021-22 school year.

Sincerely,
Dr. Tolga Hayali

Dear parent/guardian,

Please be advised that Monday, April 5th, 2021 is a remote learning day for all students. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to your child's school.

Citizenship Academy Administration

SANY in collaboration with Chartwells has developed a [contactless drive through] meal service that will allow students greater access to food while at home.

Please see below for pickup times and locations prior to Mid-Winter Recess.

Any questions about pick ups, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Who Qualifies

• All children 18 or younger are eligible to participate.
• Children do not need to be enrolled in SANY Schools to participate.

Pick-up Locations and times:

There will be no meal pick up during mid-winter recess!

On 2/9 meal pickup will be available at all schools and participants will receive three days worth of meals.
On 2/11 meal pickup will ONLY be available at SAS High School. Participants will receive SEVEN days of meals to cover the entire winter recess.

Please sign up in advance by emailing your school pick up location and number of children you are picking up meals for to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• SAS Elementary: 2/9/2021 9am-11am
• SAS Middle: 2/9/2021 10am-12pm
• SAS High: 2/9/2021 and 2/11/2021 10am-12 pm
• SAS Citizenship: 2/9/2021 10am-12pm

Cost
Meals are free for all children up to 18 years old.