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    December 22, 2020

    Dear T/E Families,

    As we near the start of winter break this Thursday, I would like to share plans for reopening our school buildings in January with a phased return to hybrid instruction after the break:

    • Monday, January 4 – Identified K-12 students with special needs and elementary students who are participating in hybrid instruction will return to school buildings in their cohorts. Middle and high school students will participate in fully virtual instruction through Friday, January 8.
    • Monday, January 11 – Students in grades 5-12 who are participating in hybrid instruction will return to school buildings in their cohorts.

    Families who selected the fully virtual learning option will not be impacted by the reopening timeline and will continue with daily virtual instruction beginning January 4. All students participating in hybrid instruction will continue to learn virtually on Wednesdays.

    TESD recognizes that families may choose to travel during winter break. In compliance with the Pennsylvania Traveler Order, students over the age of 11 who traveled out of state for more than 24 hours are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 14 days before returning to school buildings. This order, along with limiting interaction with others outside your immediate household, wearing face-coverings and social distancing, will help to protect all students and staff as well as enable our schools to remain open to in-person instruction.

    The year 2020 has certainly been a challenging year in my own family, as one child transitions to work as a registered nurse, one participates in virtual college instruction and one attends hybrid high school. Although we are happy – most of the time – about the additional time we have with each other, we miss the parts of our lives that have been set aside. I have heard similar sentiments from many of you. I wish you and your family peace and joy during the upcoming break. Let’s ring in 2021 with hopes of good health, an end to this pandemic and a much-needed return to normalcy.

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Richard Gusick
    Superintendent of Schools