Dear Parents, Faculty, and Staff,
I have been asked quite a few questions about the Super 8 motel and the influx of migrants arriving from New York City who are now staying there. From a school district perspective, the main questions have to do with what effect this will have on our schools. The short answer is that we still do not know as it will largely depend on how many school-aged children are housed at the motel and how long they are there. Should there be any school-aged children who are residing at the hotel for more than a very short duration, as required by NYS education law, we will educate and support those children.
The District has been in direct contact with Schenectady County Manager Rory Fluman as well as Rotterdam Town Supervisor Mollie Collins and we will maintain those lines of communication in the months to come. The District was not and has not been contacted by NYS regarding this situation to help us prepare accordingly. I am told that the Town will be having an emergency meeting regarding the situation on Monday evening so residents can hear from their local representatives directly.
Mr. Fluman and Mrs. Collins have indicated they are committed to full transparency moving forward and that they will continue to inform the District of details they find out from the state, specifically in terms of school-aged children who may be staying at the motel for more than a short time and/or who come to reside within the District at another location. As the District has additional confirmed information I will update our community further, but it is unclear how soon that may be.
Yours in Service,
Shannon Shine, Superintendent