After county water distribution, district outlines remote‑learning plan and flags equity concerns about connectivity
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Summary
Superintendent reported a bottled‑water distribution Jan. 2 for families affected by county water issues, reviewed emergency‑closing policy (two of four universal days used), and described a remote‑learning contingency that includes packets, Google Meet office hours and concerns about outdated connectivity data.
Superintendent Dr. Theis updated the board on emergency response and remote‑learning contingencies after Onondaga County water‑distribution events. The district hosted a public bottled‑water distribution on Jan. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at FM High School to assist families while water repairs were completed, and staff thanked volunteers who supported the effort.
Dr. Theis reported the district has used two of four universal emergency‑closing days this school year (Wellwood Middle School had an additional closing), leaving one universal day available. He said the district will communicate to families when the threshold for device expectations changes and that Google Meet functionality will be enabled by IT only when remote instruction is required to prevent misuse. For short pivots, the district described an asynchronous model with teacher office hours; if a longer shutdown were required, the district would consider synchronous instruction and consult with the union as needed.
A board member raised an equity concern: "I'm just concerned... we don't end up in any situation where any student is unfairly penalized for not having participated on an async day if for any reason they have no internet access." The superintendent responded that K–6 will be packet‑driven with required work to be turned in for attendance credit and that the district maintains connectivity survey data, but that it may be up to 18 months old and would need updating for current planning.
The district said it will follow up with communications to families and that staff will prepare packets and office hours as part of the contingency plan.