JUNE 4 INSTRUCTIONAL DAY-KIND OF

Chancellor Richard Carranza's letter to principals is below.

We'll print the entire letter but here is the paragraph that is most relevant:

June 4 will be an instructional day for students, meaning that we still expect all students to be engaged in remote learning even as you and your teachers are engaged in professional development. Teachers are not expected to engage students on June 4; instead, schools should set students up in advance of June 4 with independent work for the day, or provide students with centrally provided materials, which will be made available early next week.

Another UFT victory!  My own kids need the break, not more of these remote assignments. The same procedures will be in effect for the clerical day June 9.

The full letter:

Dear Principals,

I hope that you and your loved ones are safe in this unprecedented time. I know that this has been an exceptional set of circumstances, and I thank you for your commitment and leadership during this time.

The DOE continues to work to support all school leaders to make informed decisions about teaching and learning in a remote environment. With the questions that still exist concerning the 2020-21 school year, we are thoughtfully working to provide resources to inform, guide, and support you, regardless of how schools may open next year, and whatever external challenges may come our way.

To that end, we are pleased to inform you that we have created professional learning opportunities, as well as accompanying resources, for Chancellor’s Day on June 4, 2020. These resources consist of a PowerPoint presentation, facilitator’s guide, and embedded resources that will give school communities the opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and plan for next school year. Please make sure that you are logged in using your DOE account in order to access the information. School staff will have resources to engage in activities that will sharpen their pedagogical and technological skill set in preparing for the fall.

This professional learning opportunity will discuss in greater detail blended learning environments. Blended learning is a thoughtful integration of both online and face-to-face instruction that we believe affords all students the opportunity to accelerate and enrich their educational and social-emotional learning. You all have jumped headfirst into remote instruction during the last several months. Along with robust in-person instruction, continuing to strategically leverage technology will lead us to a new and innovative way of teaching and empowering all students with 21st century skills and knowledge in this unprecedented time and beyond.

I encourage you to review these materials and consider how they might be incorporated into your school-wide schedule for June 4, and the remainder of the school year. As always, we know you will be thoughtful in constructing a day of learning for your faculty and staff that incorporates your staff’s strengths and areas of growth and the resources available from across the DOE.

June 4 will be an instructional day for students, meaning that we still expect all students to be engaged in remote learning even as you and your teachers are engaged in professional development. Teachers are not expected to engage students on June 4; instead, schools should set students up in advance of June 4 with independent work for the day, or provide students with centrally provided materials, which will be made available early next week.

June 9 will also be an instructional day for all students, including students in schools with grade bands K–12, K–5, K–6, K–8, and 6–8, as well as District 75 school programs. Students in these schools are expected to be engaged in remote learning on this day even as principals and teachers are engaged in clerical work. Teachers in these schools with grade bands K–12, K–5, K–6, K–8, and 6–8 are not expected to engage students on June 9; instead, these schools should set students up in advance of June 9 with independent work for the day, or provide students with centrally provided materials, which will be made available early next week.

Please direct families to this page reminding them that June 4 and 9 are now instructional days for students. Next week, you should send out additional communication to your families reminding them that June 4 is an instructional day, and providing instructions for how students should engage in remote learning that day (e.g., by independent learning, following teacher’s instructions, or using centrally-provided resources). We will follow up with additional information on this guidance in Principals Digest on Monday.

Again, thank you for your dedicated leadership during this time. Together we will continue to lead the way in transforming teaching and learning for this new environment.

In unity,
Richard