CPS working towards goals for Fall 2021

March 1, 2021

Dear Parents / Guardians, Students, and Community Members,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I am writing to update you on our ongoing planning efforts for this coming September. The Cranford Public School District is working towards this goal: For all students to have the opportunity to safely attend school in-person, full-time, every day starting in September. We have not yet received information from the State about any forthcoming parameters governing the fall return so plans may have to be adjusted accordingly. We will provide you with periodic updates on our progress as well as opportunities for community input. We will share any updates we receive from the State regarding this matter.

I would like to take a moment to thank our entire community for their patience, flexibility, and support during these unprecedented and challenging times. Cranford is very fortunate that, through an extremely collaborative effort, we were able to safely provide in-person opportunities right from the start this past September. We are one of the few Districts that was able to develop a plan that enabled elementary school students to attend school every single day. Since the percentages of middle school and high school students who attend in-person are so high (approximately 75%), we must continue to provide the hybrid in-person style of instruction in order to comply with current safety guidance. However, we are one of the few school districts that was able to start school with in-person instruction in September and continue with as minimal disruption as possible. In fact, we have had many districts reach out to us for information / tour our facilities to help inform their district plans. We are very fortunate to have these collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with other Districts. You may have read the recently released CDC reopening plans as well as other recent plans from districts trying to provide more in-person opportunities as of late. Every district has their own unique set of circumstances and obstacles to overcome. It is wonderful to hear that more and more districts are finding ways to provide more in-person instruction safely. We are proud of our community and thank all of you for your input as we worked together towards the development of our current programming. I especially want to thank the members of the following committees that were established last summer and provide valuable perspectives:

School-based pandemic team: principal, PTA president, CEA representative, nurse, school counselor, child study team member, paraprofessional, custodian, secretary, teacher.
District Leadership Pandemic Team: the entire administrative team, the PTC president, PASE president, CEA leadership, a building representative from each school.
Community Pandemic Team: Office of Emergency Management, Cranford Police Department, Cranford Fire Department, Township Health Officer, the Mayor, nurse, Pomptonian Food Service, administrative team, Board of Education, early child care representative.

We will continue to partner with these committees as we work towards our plan to open schools full-time, in-person in the fall.

Please be on the lookout for future planning updates for September. You will also be receiving correspondences directly from your respective principal as the District continues to work with its safety professionals to plan in-person activities and end of year events. Although they may look different than they have in the past, we are confident that we can provide safe and memorable experiences.

Thank you again for your patience, flexibility, partnership, and support!

Be well and stay safe!

Best,

Scott Rubin