Stay on Target...

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Despite some recent situations occurring in school districts throughout our region, the statistics still look favorable for a return of students to the classroom on Monday, October 26. Thank you to all of the families who have participated in our most recent survey, which has assisted the district in determining which method of in-person learning we are going to be able to provide. While there will always be ongoing work related to COVID and educating kids, some of the knowns for today include:


  • Students who opted for in-person learning will attend school two (2) days a week and will learn remotely the other three (3) days of the week.
  • Students will be cohorted into one of two groups and attend school on either a Monday/Tuesday schedule, or a Thursday/Friday schedule.
  • Wednesday will be a complete virtual learning day for students, except for students in some supported learning programs and/or off campus placements.
  • Students who opted for remote learning will continue to learn completely remotely and will follow a daily schedule that is synchronous with their teacher.
  • Secondary students will follow the traditional bell schedule with school beginning at 7:30 a.m.
  • Information related to which cohort students will be assigned to will be available this week and will be communicated by the schools.
  • The Rome City School District re-opening plan will be revised and redistributed this week.
  • There will be two (2) additional community forums (similar to the three from August) scheduled and held via Zoom. The dates and times for these forums will be: Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. and Friday, October 23 at 10:00 a.m.
  • There will be a reopening presentation to provide updates to the reopening plan during the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on Thursday, October 22, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
As you know, information continues to come fast and furious to everyone, so we urge you to please stay tuned to our district social media accounts for the most accurate and updated information. We are experiencing increased numbers of students in quarantine which means that positive cases in our community are on the rise. As we prepare to welcome more students back to our buildings, it is imperative that people are wearing masks and practicing good hygiene habits to avoid any type of localized spike in positive cases. As has been the case since March, we will continue to monitor all situations and move forward with the goal of getting our kids back to school, as long as the situation is safe for our students, staff, and families. Finally, we will develop another video message that highlights the major factors of welcoming students back to our buildings in a couple of weeks.  

Congratulations RCSD PR Team

This week, we were informed that our communications team was awarded a New York School Public Relations Association award. The Rome City School District team was awarded Excellence in Social Media for the efforts that they have put forth this year. Beyond that, Excellence is the highest category that any recipient can receive and Rome is one of only three districts in the entire state that received Excellence in Social Media. Please join me in congratulating our team Jill Pekarski, Shannon Griffith, and Carl Manganaro for all of their work in promoting our students, staff, and community. 

COVID School Report Card

As a reminder, the Governor's office and the Department of Health released the New York State School COVID Report Card. The information found on the website is a collaboration of data that is received by the State from the school district and the Oneida County Department of Health. This link will take you to the website with the information for the Rome City School District: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/districtData;bedsCodeId=411800


NYSDOH COVID Toolkit

As a reminder, I would urge all parents and staff to review the NYSDOH COVID preK-12 toolkit. The information within the document is certainly information that schools have been asking for throughout the re-opening process. The document is extremely detailed and has many easy to read graphics which clearly outline when students and staff should not be attending schools. A complete copy of this document can be found here:

NYSDOH - PreK to Grade 12 COVID-19 Toolkit  

October 12 Reminder - NO SCHOOL

Just a reminder that tomorrow, October 12 is designated as Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day and schools throughout New York State will be closed. Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 13 remotely. 

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