Category: District News

September 10, 2021

Dear Members of the Fort Plain Central School Community:

We were pleased to welcome back our students, faculty and staff for a new school year.

To keep everyone safe and healthy, please be reminded that students, faculty and staff should stay home when they have signs of any illness (cough, fever, loss of taste and smell, cold/flu symptoms, etc.), and they should contact their healthcare provider if symptoms do not resolve after 48 hours. Individuals may be asked to provide a doctor’s note to return to school.

If an individual has been tested for COVID-19, they should remain home until the test results are confirmed negative.

If a student, faculty, or staff is diagnosed as being COVID-19 positive, before returning to school, they must satisfy isolation protocols (typically 10 days) and have improving symptoms. They also must be fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication, per the New York State Department of Health.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Ziegler
Interim Superintendent of Schools

August 31, 2021/updated Sept. 2, 2021, Dec. 13, 2021, March 2, 2022

Dear Members of the Fort Plain Central School Community:

We are looking forward to welcoming back all of our students, faculty and staff next week for a new school year. We have updated our Fort Plain School Reopening & Layered Mitigation Plan for the 2021-2022 school year.

As you may be aware, effective August 27, in accordance with the NYS Commissioner of Health, any person over the age of 2 (including students, personnel, teachers, administrators, contractors, and visitors) must wear a mask at all times indoors in P-12 school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

On December 13, 2021, this plan was updated to reflect recently released requirements that masks must be worn in school facilities at all times. Although I realize this plan is more strict than the plan that was followed at the end of last school year, it is what is required of us to bring all students back to school, in-person, for 100% of the time.

On March 2, 2022, the plan was updated in accordance with regulations released by the state and effective March 2, that lift the universal mask mandate for the majority of students, staff and visitors inside school facilities and buses. Mask wearing continues to be optional for all. Health and safety protocols remain in place for individuals who test positive for COVID-19, have symptoms or have been exposed.

Please note that the reopening plan is subject to change based on further guidance from the NYS Department of Health. The plan applies to all faculty, staff, students and spectators at school athletic events, as well as during extracurricular activities, recess, physical education classes and athletics.

We will continue to keep you informed, and we again thank you for your patience and support.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Ziegler
Interim Superintendent of Schools

Fort Plain School Reopening & Layered Mitigation Plan

View the plan as images below:

August 19, 2021

Dear Members of the Fort Plain Central School Community:

The district is moving forward on plans for reopening our schools this September. While the details are still being developed, our goal remains to open our schools safely for in-person learning by 100 percent of our students 100 percent of the time.

Fort Plain and districts in our region and beyond face ongoing uncertainties caused by rising rates of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant. We continue to work closely with the Montgomery County Public Health Department and follow guidance from the CDC, NYS Education Department and NYS Department of Health. We also expect future guidance from state and regional school sports organizations.

We are working on a layered mitigation plan for school reopening that will take into account a number of factors, such as the spread of the virus, and outline measures needed to keep our students and staff safe, healthy and in school.

We will release the full plan in the coming weeks, before the start of school, with the overarching goal of maintaining a healthy learning environment where we can offer all of our students a full academic program and a wide range of extracurricular activities.

We will continue to keep you informed, and we again thank you for your patience and support.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Ziegler
Interim Superintendent of Schools

August 9, 2021

Dear Members of the Fort Plain Central School Community:

As we prepare to reopen our schools next month, Fort Plain and districts across our region and state face uncertainties caused by the rising rates of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant.

However, our goal remains to open our schools safely for in-person learning. We will continue to work closely with the Montgomery County Public Health Department and follow guidance from the NYS Department of Health and the CDC. We will review and revise district procedures and protocols as guidance is received and as needed, to maintain a healthy learning environment.

A new school year provides new opportunities. We are looking forward to welcoming our students, faculty and staff back in September and fulfilling the district’s mission to provide each student with the opportunity to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically in a safe, orderly and positive environment, to prepare every student for success beyond graduation.

We will keep you informed, and we thank you for your patience and support.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Ziegler
Interim Superintendent of Schools

On Thursday, August 5, the Fort Plain Board of Education accepted the resignation of superintendent John Bishop, effective August 6, 2021. Additionally, the Board appointed Jeffery Ziegler to serve as interim superintendent starting August 9, 2021. Mr. Ziegler is the retired superintendent of the Fort Edward Union Free School District, serving seven years as their superintendent prior to his retirement in 2015.

Mr. Ziegler works as a private education consultant and has served in numerous interim leadership positions in recent years. Since his retirement from Fort Edward, Mr. Ziegler has served as interim curriculum director in the Lake George and Schuylerville School Districts. Most recently, Mr. Ziegler was the interim superintendent of schools in the Duanesburg Central School District in 2019-20.