Communication and Family Engagement

We designed a multi-layered approach to planning that emphasizes collaboration, and includes more than 100 people from across the district working in teams to make sure that our plans are comprehensive and minimize health risks to students, staff and families. These teams include the Board of Education, a stakeholder committee (including a physician), three specially designed working groups, our Administrative Council, and our Shared Decision Making teams in each building.

Each of our three specially designed Working Groups comprises 15 – 20 members, including clerical, maintenance, teachers, administrators, transportation, mental health professionals, food service, teacher aides, nurses and parents. Each group will plan for restarting school under three possible configurations; fully remote, hybrid/density-reduced, and fully on-campus. The three Working groups are:

• Instructional Services –curriculum/instruction, class schedules, optimizing student learning, grading/assessment, professional learning

• Social Emotional Learning – taking a “whole person” approach to meeting the mental/physical/emotional health needs of our students and staff, professional learning and instructional implications, family/community engagement

• District Operations – transportation, food service, facilities/maintenance, and finance

A timeline of the meetings for the updated guidance regarding reopening schools is included below:

Communicating the important elements of the plan will require a team effort, and a sophisticated communication strategy designed to assure frequency and intensity of particular messages to specific audiences. Among the elements of the strategy are:

• Frequent communication to families by the Superintendent using all media

• Communication to staff

• Continuing stakeholder engagement

• Social media

• Daily announcements in each school once school begins

• Extended first period in the secondary schools for training and announcements

• Continued engagement with shared decision making groups at each schools

• PTSA forums with the Superintendent

• Static and interactive signage

• Principals communicate to their school communities frequently, across many platforms

The Hamburg Central PTSA will host a virtual community forum to discuss the new guidance regarding reopening of schools. This online forum will be:

• Thursday, April 15 @ 6:00 pm

A link for community members to join the forum will be shared by the Superintendent. Questions for the forum, to be answered by Superintendent Michael Cornell, should also be submitted to the PTSA no later than Wednesday, April 14 @ 3:00 pm.