August 1, 2021
Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Students,
We are excited to welcome each student on Wednesday, August 25 for the first day of the 2021–22 school year! We all hope for a needed return to “normal school” that puts much of the disruption of the past number of months behind us. Updated Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for schools emphasizes the importance of in-person learning. Federal and state guidelines are clear that in-person instruction must proceed for the best learning outcomes for our children.
As part of our continual emphasis on a return to normal operations as permitted by state and federal governing authorities, we will limit full-time virtual options for our students to our third-party providers (Edmentum’s EdOptions Academy and Warren County Cyber). Please contact your child’s building principal if you are once again electing a cyber option. SASD teachers will only “livestream” direct instruction in specific cases of a PA Department of Health-mandated quarantine. The academic results from the past school year throughout our state indicate that students overwhelmingly perform best when attending school in person.
Please take a few minutes and review the SASD Health and Safety Plan. A few important changes are noted for this school year. Contact tracing for close contacts of a positive case of COVID-19 remains for unvaccinated students and staff. We require masks on school transportation until the federal mask mandate regarding all public transportation is lifted. Masks/facial coverings are optional for students and staff while in school. We may need to adjust our routines/procedures throughout the school year to meet ever-changing health and safety guidance from the state of Pennsylvania.
Smethport Area School District will emphasize academic excellence coupled with providing a diverse curriculum that will best prepare our students to enter a competitive college and career environment. We will continue to support the social and emotional needs of our students and staff. The dedicated work of our SASD faculty and staff, coupled with the excellent support of our parents and community, has led to much progress despite the challenging circumstances of the past 16 months.
We are excited to once again host Back to School Night on the evening of Monday, August 23. Please mark your calendars.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer! We wish everyone the best as we begin another school year.
Go Hubs!
Brice N. Benson
Brice N. Benson
Superintendent
