Pearl River School District

District News

• Student COVID Testing

  The District is continuing to offer COVID testing at the District Administration Building on Mondays to any student who has been exposed to a positive case and is not symptomatic.
  
  Any student who is sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 cannot get tested through the District as our District Administration Building is not a medical facility.  As a reminder, symptoms of COVID-19 include:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

  COVID-19 testing for symptomatic students and their families is widely available in Rockland County.  For your nearest testing site location, please visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you

  In addition, we have compiled a list of local testing providers.

  For students eligible to test through the District, testing will take place on Mondays from 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM on a first come-first served basis. Due to the unknown number of people wanting to test, you may be asked to wait in your car once you have signed in. Please be sure to wear a well-fitting mask that covers your mouth and nose when entering the building. Please see additional information. Please note: testing results may take 5-7 days to receive due to volume at the lab. 

  If you have any questions, parents of students should contact their child’s principal while parents of athletes should contact Artie McCormack, Director of Health, Physical Education & Athletics.

  Pearl River School District

• RCDOH COVID-19 Updates 1-6-21

  School executives from each Rockland County school district and Rockland BOCES today met with officials from the Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) to review and discuss a variety of urgent COVID-19-related matters, including updated quarantine and isolation protocols, contact tracing requirements and the "test to stay" mitigation strategy being used in neighboring counties.   Please review the new updates: RCDOH COVID-19 Updates

  Pearl River School District

• 12-30-21 Superintendent's Update

  December 30, 2021

  Dear Pearl River Students, Families and Staff,

  I hope you have been enjoying a restful and happy winter break with your families.

  As you may be aware, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated quarantine/isolation guidelines. These recommendations have not yet been implemented by the New York State Health Department (DOH) or the Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH). The district will maintain its existing safety and health protocols at this time.

  We are in regular contact with our local health department and will share updates as they become available. The RCDOH continues to await further guidance from the state level. 

  We anticipate that schools will reopen on Monday, January 3, 2022, with current protocols in place. I want to remind everyone of the importance of following the practices that we have had in place for health and safety.  As we see infection rates climb in our schools it is critical that all abide by proper masking and social distancing whenever possible.  

  If there is a need to communicate any significant changes, we will share information directly with families and staff via email, text and phone call.

  Sincerely,

  Marco F. Pochintesta, Ed.D.
  Superintendent of Schools 

  Pearl River School District

• Return to School Update 8/6/21

  August 6, 2021

  Dear Pearl River School District Community,

  As we transition into the month of August, I write to update you on our plans for the reopening of our schools on September 1, 2021. You may have learned that the long-anticipated guidance from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will not be forthcoming. New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker stated, “With the end of the state disaster emergency on June 25, 2021, school districts are re-established as the controlling entity for schools. Schools and school districts should develop plans to open in-person in the fall as safely as possible, and I recommend following guidance from the CDC and local health departments.” In addition, State Education Department Commissioner Dr. Betty Rosa informed school districts that CDC guidelines should be the basis of preparing for the 2021-22 school year.

  Despite the lack of guidance from the NYSDOH, I can share the following information with you regarding our plans for reopening. The Pearl River School District will return to full in-person learning for all of our students in grades K-12 on September 1, 2021. We will follow social distancing protocols of three feet wherever possible to accommodate all of our students in their classrooms. We will not offer an optional remote learning platform, however, we will support our students with remote learning in cases of quarantine.

  There are additional details concerning our return to school that still need to be addressed. In order to do this well and make the most of the opportunity to exercise local decision making, we will immediately reconvene our School Health Subcommittee to consider questions such as masking, temperature checks, daily attestation completion and surveillance testing for COVID-19. The School Health Subcommittee, composed of parents, school staff, and advised by our district physician, provided us with the protocols we followed for our reopening in September 2020. I anticipate that the work of the subcommittee will be concluded and I will have their recommendations on or about August 17th. Please expect an update from me at that time. 

  I look forward to welcoming all of our students and staff back as we enter the new school year.

  I am confident that we will have a great return and together we will make 2021-22 an excellent year for our students. 

  Sincerely,

  Marco F. Pochintesta, Ed. D.

  Pearl River School District