VIGILANCE AND COMPASSION

Our primary commitment is to the students, staff and families we serve, what we call our sangha.  Our priority is, and has always been, keeping our sangha safe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a part of our lives for well over two years, and will likely remain a presence for the foreseeable future. It remains a highly contagious virus that poses a risk to people’s health, as well as to Middle Way’s ability to operate smoothly. At the same time, we’ve seen the heavy toll it has taken on students, staff, families, and on the school as a whole. And while managing a school during a pandemic is never not challenging, we have learned over these many months what works and what doesn’t, and how to not only survive but thrive in the face of these challenges.

On August 22, 2022, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) released a letter outlining their recommended mitigation strategies for the 2022-2023 school year, which draw almost exclusively on the CDC’s Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning. Middle Way School will begin the year by adopting the requirements and recommendations outlined in the CDC guidelines, with exceptions and details outlined in our MWS Covid Health and Safety Plan for 2022-2023.

We rely on the innate wisdom of each individual in our community, their compassion for each other, and on each person taking responsibility for their actions. We are all closely interconnected through this amazing group of children and our actions have direct impacts on everyone in the community. Being compassionate means staying vigilant. Please remind your children to wash their hands frequently at school and elsewhere and keep up with the best practices in your home as you would elsewhere. The reality is that we’ll likely all be forced to go virtual if any COVID cases pop up and none of us want that. This is in all of our hands so please be smart and respectful of others in the choices you make regarding socializing.

A foundation of our school is open lines of communication—we value the input of our community. We will not be able to meet every individual’s needs, however we welcome everyone’s input and will take everyone’s perspective to heart when making decisions that prioritize the middle way.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us at [email protected].

HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN

Our Health and Safety Plan is a living document that is revised regularly as the mandates change. READ THE PLAN

SYMPTOMS
  • fever (over 100 degrees F) or chills
  • cough
  • shortness of breath
  • severe fatigue
  • muscle or body aches
  • headache
  • new loss of taste or smell
  • sore throat
  • congestion or runny nose
  • nausea or vomiting
  • diarrhea

A slight uptick in the number of allergy and viral-like symptoms is very common for this time of year. With the added anxiety around the pandemic, now is a good time to review the similarities and, more importantly, the differences. For details on how to tell the difference between allergies and COVID, continue reading.

READ MORE

GETTING TESTED

For what you need to know about who should get tested, where to get tested in Hudson Valley, and what types of tests are available, click here.

FAQ

We are in the process of compiling some frequently asked questions. COMING SOON