September 30, 2020 

Dear ARPS Community,  

The district has been eagerly planning for in-person schooling to start tomorrow for many  months. However, I was informed this morning by the Amherst Health Department that a total of 14  new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the town of Amherst in the last 24 hours, which brings  the total to 30 new cases since last Friday. Based on this significant increase in case count, the Amherst  Regional Public Schools will postpone Phase 1 students’ return to in-person learning scheduled for  tomorrow. We understand that this change will present challenges for some of our ARPS Phase 1  families and share in their disappointment at this delay. As always, the health and safety of our students  and staff are our top priority in determining when to bring them back into the physical classroom. More  information about a potential new Phase 1 return date will be shared by this Friday, October 2 once  public health authorities have clearer metrics and information. 

I am sorry for the unfortunate timing of this change of plans, but given the new public health  information received this morning, and in consultation with the Amherst Health Department, I  determined that this decision was in the best interest of our students, staff, and families.  

Sincerely,