Otselic Valley Central School District

As many of you may already know, on Sunday, February 27th, Governor Hochul announced effective March 2, 2022, that the statewide mask mandate in schools would be lifted. The decision to lift the mandate is based on the declining positivity and hospitalization rates across the state.As a result of this announcement and the current low positivity rate in Chenango County, the Otselic Valley Central School District will no longer require masks on school property, including on school transportation. Beginning March 2, 2022, the decision to wear a mask will be an individual choice except in specific situations which will be outlined by the state and county in guidelines that are expected to be provided to the district sometime this week.The district is working with the Chenango County Department of Health regarding situations when mask wearing may be required based on New York State guidance. These times may include individuals returning to school after the five-day quarantine, isolation periods, or student exposure to an entire class or group. As the COVID-19 health and safety protocols evolve and we receive notification from the county and/or state regarding changing protocols, we will communicate those changes to you.We ask for your patience and understanding as the district begins to transition back to normalcy. Please recognize that we follow state and county guidelines and as positivity rates change, the protocols including mask wearing may also change.Currently staff will be required to continue COVID testing if they are unvaccinated. We will continue to socially distance as often as possible in classrooms and in the cafeteria. This may go away in the future, but while we await further guidance from the state we will continue with these protocols.If you have any questions, please let me know.Regards, Georgia GonzalezSuperintendent of Schools