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CORONAVIRUS UPDATES & RESOURCES

Governor Cuomo has closed all schools through the end of the school year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We will inform families of any updates or changes.

Updates from the District

(all other March-April updates can be found in news archives)

Instructional Information

View update on instructional expectations

Elementary School

Stillwater Elementary Special Areas website

  • All new lessons are accompanied by video since we recognize that not everyone can be online at the same time each day.
  • Teachers are also conducting Google Meets to connect with children if they are able to attend. These can be beneficial but most important is that the children are working through the daily lessons and activities.
  • We will not be collecting the packets that were sent home at this time. This will eliminate the need for families to have to get to the school to drop them off. Students will return those along with devices upon their return to school.

Middle/High School

  • Students are encouraged to log on to their devices daily and complete assigned tasks. If there are any questions, students should email their teacher(s).
  • All students in grades 6-12 must be able to access their Stillwater Gmail account. If your student cannot access his/her Stillwater email account, please contact Chris Lynch at clynch@scsd.org or by phone at (518) 373-6100, ext. 30205. If your child does not have an electronic device, please see below.

Child Care for Stillwater Families

The state government is asking school districts to reach out to parents that are essential healthcare workers or first responders who may be in need of child care during this district closure. Essential healthcare workers may include licensed health professionals such as physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, LPNs and nurse assistants or laboratory personnel. First responders may include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers and firefighters.

If you are a parent or caregiver who needs child care, please complete this parent need for child care survey. Based on the information you provide about your job, employer, number of children, and financial need, OCFS may be able to help you find the child program you need. It may be a challenge to find child care due to COVID-19 related program closures, however the staff at OCFS are trying their best to support families to find the high quality child care that they need. In addition, the OCFS website has several resources available.

Child Care Resource & Referral Agency

New York State is using a portion of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds to provide child care to income eligible essential workers at no cost. Essential workers who must work outside of the home and who are using a regulated child care provider will receive a scholarship for the cost of care as long as the funds to support it are available. All licensed and regulated providers who are caring for essential workers are able to participate in this new program.

In order to qualify for the scholarship, families must have an adjusted gross income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four that equals an annual income of $78,600.

Parents are asked to complete the following application for the CARES Child Care Scholarship via the link below. It informs parents that the application will be considered complete once the online application is finished AND the required supplemental documentation is submitted to Brightside Up, the Childcare Resource and Referral Agency (CCRA).

Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc.
Ms. Abbe Kovacik, Executive Director
91 Broadway
Menands, NY 12204

Phone: (518) 426-7181, ext. 323
Fax: (518) 426-9649
Email: akovacik@cdcccc.org
Website: http://www.cdcccc.org/

For parents that currently receive a subsidy from their local DSS to pay for child care, this scholarship can cover the parent co-pay. Parents should apply for the CARES Act Scholarship, and then contact their local Department of Social Services to get a letter stating their current co-pay. Please address any questions to Tricia Howland at thowland@brightsideup.org.

Click here for the COVID-19 CARES Child Care Scholarship Application

Meal Distribution

UPDATE: The last day for families to pick up meals or have meals delivered will be Wednesday, June 24.

Those who need meals can pick them up on Monday on Wednesday only. Pick-up will be at the middle/high school in the bus circle from 10-11 a.m. We will also be delivering on just those days as well. On Monday, you will be picking up breakfast and lunch for Monday and Tuesday and on Wednesday you will pick up for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

If you plan to pick up meals, please email our Food Service Manager Joan Hopeck at jhopeck@scsd.org or call at (518) 373-6100, ext. 30513 by 9:30 a.m. on the day of pick-up.

If you are unable to pick-up meals, please contact Joan Hopeck at the above contact information to arrange for delivery. When you come to pick-up, please do not enter the building. We will bring the meals out to you.

District Buildings and Facilities

All school buildings, facilities, the track and field are all closed to the public at this time. We are asking everyone to please adhere to this restriction and we will update you once they re-open for public use.

School Messenger Emails from the District

If you are not receiving emails from the district, you will need to email Chris Lynch at clynch@scsd.org to make sure your correct information is on file in the parent portal. More information on School Messenger can be found on the district website.

Working Papers for Minors During School Closures

School districts in New York State must continue to issue employment certificates to qualified applicants, including during school closures. Section 3215-a of New York State Education Law requires schools to provide this service for pupils and employers in the community. Minors may apply for certificates where they live, where they go to school, or where they are to be employed.

During the period of school closures due to COVID-19, districts may elect to issue working papers using the alternative process below.

Alternative Process for Issuing Working Papers During COVID-19 School Closures

Parents/guardians and minors complete the appropriate application form and email it to Patty Griffiths at pgriffiths@scsd.org. Fillable PDF versions of the AT-17 Application for Employment Certificate and AT-22 Application for Employment Permit are now available on NYSED’s Employment of Minors website. These forms allow digital signatures.

The district will schedule a video call with the minor, and if required, the parent or guardian. During this video call, the minor presents required documentation as per the Certificating Officers Manual.

Certificating Officers may then complete the working card, sign it, and mail it to the minor. The minor should sign the card upon receipt. The requirement that the minor sign the card in the presence of the certificating officer is temporarily waived for the duration of New York’s COVID-19 school closures. Certificating Officers must continue to use approved working cards.

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