The Dobbs Ferry School District commits to reopening efforts that focus on providing an educational environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and staff, that prioritizes nurturing and meaningful connections among the school community, and that creates high-quality learning opportunities for students.

Background
COVID-19 has created one of the most complicated and dynamic public health challenges in modern times. Back in March of 2020, few of us could have imagined that we would have safe and effective vaccines available so quickly and yet, somehow, the virus would still be profoundly impacting our school operations for a third school year in a row. We all yearn for the day when we will not need this special section of our District website to share information about the district’s COVID-19 protocols but, unfortunately, we are not there quite yet.
 

The Dobbs Ferry School District is fully committed to a reopening of school for the 2021-2022 school year that adheres to our longstanding mission and vision. We believe we can meet this commitment by grounding ourselves in these two guiding principles:

• Children thrive, both educationally and emotionally, when they are together in school with their classmates and teachers.
• Public schools play an important role in mitigating the risks of COVID-19 and protecting the health and safety of students, staff, and the broader community.
  
  

We will be following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Education Department, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as coordinating closely with the Westchester County Department of Health and our District medical advisor. We will continue to work with our District Reopening Committee to include voices from all of our District and community stakeholders and to ensure that our planning reflects the needs of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and families.
 

One silver lining that this crisis has revealed is the depths of compassion and commitment that abound in Dobbs Ferry to support our children. We simply could not have come this far without it. We are deeply appreciative of the way our entire school community has pulled together with patience, understanding, flexibility and courage to keep us going through all the inevitable ups and downs. We know we can continue to count on this incredible partnership as we embark on the 2021-2022 school year.