Thursday, March 12, 2020—It has come to our attention that a story is circulating on Social Media that there was a case of Coronavirus in one of our schools. This claim is based on false information. SANY school district, which includes Syracuse, Citizenship, and Utica Academies of Science, have no cases of Coronavirus.

We have been in direct communication with the State and the County Health Department and have contingency plans in place if a member of our school community comes in contact with the Coronavirus. If there is a confirmed case in one of our districts, as well as the Syracuse City and Utica City School Districts, we will close the school, inform the community and take necessary measures to protect our Scholars and Families.

Citizenship Academy and Syracuse Academy of Science were closed yesterday, 3/11/20, due to a scheduled faculty in-service day. All of our staff participated in mandatory staff training, as stated on our school calendar.

All scheduled District activities (including but not limited to field trips, school-wide events, and athletics) are being held as planned, as per the County Health Department. As this situation continues to evolve, circumstances may change and warrant postponements or cancellations. Updates to this guidance will be distributed via email, posted on the district website, and/or communicated via our mass notification system.

Superintendent of Science Academies of New York
Dr. Tolga Hayali

Syracuse Academy of Science administrators are continuing to closely monitor guidance from local, state and federal officials on school district operations as it relates to COVID-19.

With Governor Andrew Cuomo’s March 12 announcement that New York state is banning all gatherings of more than 500 people, not including regular school instruction, school administrators are meeting to review upcoming events and to develop contingency plans in the event that the district is forced to cancel more events or activities or close a school.

At this time, there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the school district, Onondaga County, or Oneida County. If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the district, all members of the school community will be notified.

On March 9, the New York State Department of Health and New York State Department of Education released guidance that states if a student or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, the state Department of Health requires an initial 24-hour closure of the school to assess the situation and develop a plan to as to any further required closure or other necessary precautions.

In the event that health officials direct the district to close, administrators are developing plans to continue instruction and other critical administrative and student services.

The district will continue to update the community via the district website with any new information.

Any time-sensitive, critical information will be shared via the district’s SchoolMessenger notification system, which sends email, text message and phone call notifications, depending upon how parents subscribed to the system.

Syracuse Academy of Science administrators are continuing to monitor all guidance from local, state and federal agencies regarding the respiratory illness caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

At this time, there are no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus in the school district. If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the district, all members of the school community will be notified.

As the situation evolves, local, state and federal officials continue to update their guidance for school districts. The district’s administrative team has been meeting to discuss the district’s policies, procedures and emergency response plans to ensure the district is prepared to meet the needs of its students and staff members should the virus affect the SAS  community and the district’s operations.

Latest guidance regarding school closures

On March 9, the New York State Department of Health and New York State Department of Education released guidance that states if a student or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, the state Department of Health requires an initial 24-hour closure of the school to assess the situation and develop a plan to as to any further required closure or other necessary precautions.

The latest state guidance says, “schools are not expected to make decisions about closing or canceling events due to COVID-19 on their own.” At this time, there has been no specific guidance regarding the cancellation of school events and large gatherings, and all school events will take place as scheduled.

In the event that the guidance changes, the district will provide as much notice as possible if it must cancel an event or close school. Notifications will be shared on the district website and via SchoolMessenger as soon as possible.

Proactive steps

The district has infectious disease protocols in place and has been taking steps, such as cleaning and disinfecting throughout its schools, to minimize the spread of viruses and a variety of other illnesses.

There are a number of steps that students, staff and community members can take to minimize the spread of all respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, according to the state Department of Health:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Heavily soiled hands should be washed.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you or a family member begin showing symptoms of a respiratory disease and suspect it may be COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider. Before going to your healthcare provider’s office, inform them that a case of COVID-19 is suspected, and follow their advice.

It is also important to remind everyone that exposure to COVID-19 can occur from any person-to-person contact and is not limited to a particular race or ethnicity.

The district will continue to share information as it becomes available on the district website. Any time-sensitive, critical information will be shared via the district’s SchoolMessenger notification system, which sends email, text message and phone call notifications, depending upon how parents subscribed to the system.

While the Syracuse Academy of Science does not have a confirmed case of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in our schools, district officials are aware of concerns in the community about the spread of this relatively new virus.

The district is closely monitoring this situation and following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), the Onondaga County Department of Health and the New York State Education Department.

Based on recent reports, COVID-19 is not actively circulating in Onondaga County at this time.

If the district becomes aware that an UAS student or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, it will immediately notify staff and parents/guardians. If a student or staff member shows respiratory symptoms, the district will follow its current practices for handling respiratory illnesses, subject to any additional guidance forthcoming.

The district has infectious disease protocols in place and has been taking steps, such as cleaning and disinfecting throughout its schools, to minimize the spread of viruses and a variety of other illnesses.

There are a number of steps that students, staff and community members can take to minimize the spread of all respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, according to the state Department of Health:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Heavily soiled hands should be washed.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you or a family member begin showing symptoms of a respiratory disease and suspect it may be COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider. Before going to your healthcare provider’s office, inform them that a case of COVID-19 is suspected, and follow their advice.

The district will continue to share information as it becomes available on the district website. Any time-sensitive, critical information will be shared via the district’s SchoolMessenger notification system, which sends email, text message and phone call notifications, depending upon how parents subscribed to the system.

Health officials, elected leaders and school officials are urging the public to take precautions against the spread of seasonal influenza, or flu, and a new virus that has recently been detected in humans—2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov).

Confirmed influenza cases were first reported to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) in October and have been steadily on the rise since. Health officials also are monitoring the spread of 2019-nCov, which originated in China and has spread to a number of countries, including the United States.

“While we do not have a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the state, we are continuing to take every necessary precaution to protect New Yorkers from this dangerous virus,” New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Feb. 7. “I also want to remind New Yorkers they are more likely to be exposed to the influenza virus than the coronavirus and urge everyone to take common-sense precautions to protect against both, such as regular hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.”

The coronavirus, which can lead to fever, cough and trouble breathing or shortness of breath, has not been found in humans before, according to a joint release from the NYSDOH and the state Education Department (SED). Health officials believe the coronavirus probably spreads from animals to humans and from person-to-person, but it’s not yet clear how easily it spreads from person-to-person.

The coronavirus is not actively circulating among New Yorkers at this time, according to the NYSDOH and SED release. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the coronavirus to be a serious public health concern and is studying it to better understand how it spreads and causes illness. There currently is not a vaccine for the virus.

Precautionary measures

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) recommends the following ways to minimize the spread of all respiratory viruses, including 2019-nCoV:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.