Please visit our Pocantico COVID-19 Resources & School Reopening page for an update from the Westchester County Department of Health on quarantine guidelines and proximate contact guidelines.
Below you will find a link to a video where Principal Brown demonstrates how to use the nasal self-collection kit using the cotton swab:
https://www.loom.com/share/11ece9ec21aa4ed8a9cb241b414cc45b
POCANTICO HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
In the event that we are forced to close or delay the opening of the district or school you will receive a notification explaining the situation and providing specific guidance.
School/District Delays and Closures:
In general, emergency notifications are categorized into two main areas: delays and closures.
Delays:
When a school is delayed this will impact both the start of school and associated transportation times. For example, if there is a 2-hour delay, school will start 2 hours later than normal. Additionally, for students that receive transportation services either to Pocantico or other schools, your pick-up time will be impacted by 2 hours. Students who would normally be picked up at 7:00am would now be picked up at 9:00am, etc.
Closures:
When the Pocantico Hills Central School DISTRICT is closed, all activities, including all transportation services are cancelled.
If there is an event that is localized, such as a power outage on our campus, school will be closed, but transportation services to partner schools might still occur. When this happens, you will receive specific information regarding pick-up and drop-off times directly from Pocantico.
Partner schools will communicate directly with impacted families if they are delayed or closed.
How Will You Receive The Message?
When an emergency occurs, you will be notified of the situation through a variety of communication channels. You will receive an automated call, as well as an e-mail, directly from the school, and the information will be posted on our website. Additionally, if you have opted to receive text messages and/or if you have the Pocantico Hills app, you will receive the notification through those channels as well. District specific weather-related closing information is also shared with News 12 Westchester, WABC-tv7, the Patch, WHUD 100.7. and Instagram: “superintendent.calkins” forgive the shameless promotionJ.
When Will Closing Information Be Disseminated?
This information will be communicated to families in as timely a fashion as possible. Sometimes it may be feasible to notify you the night before the event takes place. Other times you will receive notifications in the morning. We will try to communicate this information to you between 5:30am and 6:00am.
Other Emergency Situations:
We will also utilize the aforementioned communication methodologies to communicate other emergency information to you. A good example of this would be if we were forced to close school and send our students home early.
New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.
The Dignity Act was signed into law on September 13, 2010 and took effect on July 1, 2012.
To learn more about the Dignity Act, download the New York State Education resources on this page. You can also visit the state's Dignity Act website to learn more.
