News from The Schools: Carol Priore Appointed Interim Ass’t Superintedent for Human Resources and a Change in the COVID Policy

Here are two announcements from the Scarsdale Schools:

Ms. Carol Priore Selected As Interim Assistant Superintendent For Human Resources And Leadership Development

The Board of Education of the Scarsdale Schools is pleased to announce that Ms. Carol Priore has been selected for the position of Interim Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership Development. She will fill the vacancy created while Dr. Drew Patrick serves as Interim Superintendent.

Ms. Priore is a retired Assistant Superintendent for Administration & Personnel from the Mamaroneck Schools. She began her teaching career in Mt. Vernon, and soon moved to Scarsdale, where she spent 19 formative years. She taught kindergarten, second, third and fourth grades at Edgewood and Heathcote schools before serving as Heathcote’s Teacher–in-Charge (assistant principal) for seven years.

Commenting on the announcement Priore said, “I am thrilled to be rejoining Scarsdale, I have the fondest memories of the experience. Working in Scarsdale really changed me as a teacher and an administrator. It was an incredible place to work and grow as a professional. The STI (Scarsdale Teachers Institute) was instrumental in helping me hone my craft. It really played an integral part in my journey as an educator. It’s really like coming home. I received such a warm reception from every group that I met with- it was really heartwarming. Although my role has changed, the focus still remains on supporting children. Now it’s through supporting staff and the community in their work, so they can do their best work.”

Dr. Patrick said he found Ms. Priore to be a perfect fit for the role.

“Carol is so well-respected among her peers, and regarded as a compassionate and professional leader,” Dr. Patrick said. “Her experience in Scarsdale and understanding of our mission and culture are a great fit for our community.”

Ms. Priore is expected to be formally appointed by the Board of Education on May 18 and begin working part-time before assuming full-time responsibilities on July 1, 2022.

COVID Rates Rise

Due to an increase in COVID transmission in Westchester, the school district is recommending, but not mandating, that students again wear masks while in school. In an email dated May 15, Interim Superintendent Drew Patrick and Assistant Superintendent Eric Rauschenbach explained the need for the change in policy.

They said:

Dear Scarsdale Community,
Unfortunately, this weekend Westchester County was designated as a high transmission county according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) county data. As a reminder, the Community Level is high because the levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases, and patients in hospital beds are a strain for the local health system. At this level of transmission both the CDC and the State Health Department recommend that individuals wear masks in indoor settings, including K-12 schools. In addition to the individual protection masks provide, they can also help to lessen the burden on our health care system by slowing the spread. So, while the CDC and NYS are no longer mandating masking, they do suggest it. Therefore, we are also suggesting, but not mandating, masking as a preventive step for as long as our community level remains High. We do require that families, staff and students respect the choices individuals within our school community make with regards to masking.

Scarsdale has seen an increase in the number of cases in the District. Since May 2, 2022, there have been 232 student cases and 21 staff cases. This is about double the number we saw in the previous two weeks. The cases are sporadic across grades and schools and usually take the form of small clusters on a grade level. The District has and will continue to follow its mitigation strategies including those outlined in our ventilation plan, procedures for returning to school when sick or symptomatic, informing grade levels when there are more than two cases on a grade level, and sending test kits home to larger groups of students when additional cases are detected. Please remember families can also request test kits from our school nurses at any time, they can be sent home with students or left at the safety monitor station for pick up. At this time, the District has no plans to make any changes to our day to day.

As you know, we are eagerly anticipating the traditional events and celebrations between now and the end of the year. These gatherings will bring together many people, including extended families and individuals who aren’t frequently in our schools. As a result, these types of events do hold an increased likelihood of spreading COVID-19. We encourage the community to consider wearing masks when at these larger indoor events, strongly encourage anyone at higher risk to wear a mask, and ask participants to respect each other’s choices. We also require anyone recovering from COVID to wear a mask in the 6-10 day window after testing positive. Likewise, anyone who has been recently exposed should wear a mask.

We look forward to coming together at the many community events planned for the weeks ahead and hope the current spike passes quickly. Thank you for keeping the safety of our friends and neighbors in mind as we enjoy all of our end-of-year activities.