Dear Garnet Valley Community, 

First, thank you for a GREAT first day of school. I can’t tell you how AWESOME it was to see students in our schools as well as outside on our playgrounds and fields. I wanted to update the community that this afternoon Governor Wolf held a press conference announcing a masking mandate for all Pennsylvania K-12 schools and childcare centers. The order, issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, goes into effect next Tuesday, September 7th, and remains in place until the Acting Secretary of Health determines the public health risk is sufficiently reduced so that face coverings are no longer necessary.

Since the Board unanimously approved masking in all district buildings on August 26th, the order does not directly impact any of our current health precautions. However, it does reinforce the rationales that we used as we deliberated over this very difficult decision. Our students will simply continue to follow the safety  procedures that our educators began establishing today with students.

We would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued and unwavering support. I am intimately aware of the many opinions that exist in our community in regard to masking and other health precautions. However, it was great to see the community come together today to support what I believe is our consensus goal–five day a week, in-person learning for all students.

For those of you who would like to read the order from the Acting Secretary of Health, please click here. I will continue to update you as I learn more about today’s developments. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent