Thursday, April 9, 2020—The State Education Department announced the cancellation of the June 2020 administration of Regents Exams and released guidance on modifications to requirements for students to graduate and earn their high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements.

Regents Exams and Diploma Requirements

The COVID-19 emergency has evolved rapidly, leading to uncertainty as to when regular in-school classroom instruction will be able to resume throughout the state and whether students will be adequately prepared to take the Regents examinations. As a result, the Board of Regents and Department have cancelled the June 2020 administration of the NYS High School Regents Examination Program.

Because of this, the Department has modified the requirements that students must meet in order to earn high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements. These modifications apply to all students enrolled in grades 7-12 during the 2019-20 school year who were intending to participate in one or more of the June 2020 Regents Examinations.

Students who, during the June 2020 examination period would have taken one or more Regents examinations, will be exempted from passing the assessments in order to be issued a diploma.  To qualify for the exemption, students must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have earned credit in such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or
• The student is in grade 7, is enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have passed such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or
• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and has failed to earn credit by the end of the school year. Such student returns for summer instruction to make up the failed course and earn the course credit and is subsequently granted diploma credit in August 2020; or
• The student was previously enrolled in the course of study leading to an applicable Regents examination, has achieved course credit, and has not yet passed the associated Regents examination but intended to take the test in June 2020 to achieve a passing score.

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Wednesday, April 8, 2020—As we work through these challenging times together, NY State of Health is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality health insurance for all New Yorkers so they can get the care they need during this state of emergency. With the recent closure of businesses across the state, many New Yorkers are at risk of losing their health insurance coverage as a result of COVID-19. Many are likely to be eligible for health coverage with financial assistance through NY State of Health due to their loss of coverage and income.

NY State of Health opened a Special Enrollment Period last month for people who are uninsured, and the Marketplace has started an awareness campaign to let people know that NY State of Health is there as a safety net in difficult times like these. New Yorkers who are without health insurance should apply now through NY State of Health. If you lost employer coverage, you must apply within 60 days of losing that coverage. Because of a loss of income, New Yorkers may also be eligible for Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, or subsidized Qualified Health Plan coverage.

Thousands of assistors are ready throughout the state to help consumers enroll by phone. NY State of Health is committed to helping New Yorkers get the coverage they need so they can get the care they need. Visit us at: www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov and let us help you find a health care plan that works for you. If you have additional questions you can contact the Marketplace directly at 518-486-9102 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Monday, April 6, 2020—SANY Families, Today, Governor Cuomo announced that all schools and non-essential businesses in New York State will be closed until April 29th. This decision was made to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

What this means for your Atom
- We will continue to offer meals at our Grab & Go Meal Locations
- We will continue to utilize our distance learning strategy to keep your scholar engaged with their academics during this uncertain time

In addition, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York State Board of Regents has canceled the June Regents. Specifics for how this will affect your scholar will be released in the coming days. In the interim, we ask that all our SANY Atoms follow social-distancing best practices. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to your building dean. 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020—Amid the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, SANY remains committed to providing students with equitable learning opportunities and access to healthy meals while school is closed.

As you are aware, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently directed an extension to prior plans, meaning schools are to remain closed until at least April 15. During this extension, districts are expected to provide continuity of learning and food service to students and childcare for its essential workers. Because the extended executive order encompasses the district’s upcoming Spring Recess, which was previously scheduled for April 3-13, SANY’s academic calendar has been amended by executive order so that staff members can continue to support students with remote learning opportunities and food distribution during this timeframe. Instruction will continue Friday, April 3rd through Thursday, April 9th. There will be no instruction, and both students and staff will not be expected to report, Friday, April 10 through or Monday, April 13th. Distance learning will resume Tuesday, April 14th. 

Learning
Our staff will continue to provide and support students with remote instruction. Students and staff will continue their distance learning in the same capacity we have been with live office hours via Zoom, Google Classroom, and Class Dojo. If you have any questions in regards to online education, please get in touch with your building dean.

You can access the SANY Online Learning Portal for valuable school-specific links via http://onlineeducation.sany.org/

Nutrition
We will offer meals for the week of April 6th through the 10th via a larger pick-up on Friday, April 3rd, 2020 that will include meals for the full week. The Grab & Go Meal service will resume normal operating hours Monday, April 13, 2020. 

While the loss of planned vacation time would not be welcome news during a typical school year, we recognize that this is anything but a typical school year. Since the health, safety and education of students remain the district’s top priorities, the governor’s commitment to maintaining the continuity of learning, food service and child care is understandable.  

We recognize that this is a stressful and challenging situation. We’re here to support you through it, and know that you are managing many personal and professional responsibilities. We would like to remind you of something that we often tell our students: All we can do is our best. We’ll get through this together.

Thank you all for your continued patience, understanding and support.

Sincerely,
Dr. Tolga Hayali
Superintendent SANY Charter Schools