Slate Valley Unified School District

REMINDER: TONIGHT, APRIL 10, 2024 SVUUSD Revised Budget Revote Information Meeting 6:30 PM - Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Band Room Attendance can be in-person or virtual VIRTUALLY CONNECT BY GOING TO: Video call link:https://meet.google.com/isa-bvcy-yzv Or dial: (US) +1 252-662-0070 PIN: 776 860 500# TOMORROW, APRIL 11, 2024: REVISED FY25 BUDGET REVOTE

Senior Spotlight: Featuring Evan "Ash" Kennett

Please Vote - Thursday, April 11th - On the Ballot: REVISED PROPOSED FY25 BUDGET Please attend the Information Meeting - Wednesday, April 10th, 6:30 PM in the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Band Room Attendance can be in-person or virtual. VIRTUALLY CONNECT BY GOING TO Video call link:https://meet.google.com/isa-bvcy-yzv April 11 Polling locations and times are: Town of Benson 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Benson Community Hall Town of Castleton 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Castleton Fire Station Town of Fair Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM American Legion Post 49 Town of Hubbardton 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Hubbardton Town Hall Town of Orwell 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Orwell Town Clerk’s Office Town of West Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM West Haven Town Hall

Senior Spotlight: Featuring Jaylena Haley

Reminder: Virtual Online Parent Information Event - "After High School Opportunities for Students with Disabilities" is this Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 5:30 PM. Join by going to: https://meet.google.com/yrx-emty-vwc?authuser=0

ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE READ - April 6, 2024 Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to provide an update regarding the recent incident involving a fuel spill at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School. As you may be aware, on the morning of April 1st, we discovered a failure in a fuel line, which led to the release of approximately 250 to 500 gallons of heating oil into the boiler room and utility tunnels underneath a portion of the first floor of the building. Consequently, for safety reasons, we had to close the school for the day. In response to this incident, we immediately took action by bringing in a Barre corporation that specializes in chemical and oil spills, Absolute Spill Response, who promptly initiated the cleanup and removal process. Their diligent efforts continued until late on April 3rd. A Pittsford company that specializes in hazard cleanup and is certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), Disaster Recovery Incorporation, provided valuable consultation on the next steps and supplied air scrubbers to help eliminate the odor resulting from the spill. Throughout this challenging period, we maintained close communication with the Agency of Natural Resources and adhered to their guidelines for addressing fuel spills. Furthermore, we prioritized monitoring the air quality within the building to ensure the safety of our staff and students. I am pleased to inform you that following thorough testing conducted by Choice Environmental Consulting Group, on April 5th, which measured volatile organic compound (VOC) levels throughout the premises, we have met the regulatory requirements for initial release cleanup as outlined by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Common VOCs found in fuel oils include chlorinated compounds, phenolic compounds, styrenes, indene, dicyclopentadiene, dihydrodicyclopentadiene, cumene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. All VOC measurements taken fell well below standard acceptable levels. Please review the letter from Choice Environmental, found at https://5il.co/2hzic, for further details. As a result, I am pleased to announce that Fair Haven Union Middle & High School will resume normal operations and reopen its doors on Monday, April 8th. Please be assured that we will continue to monitor the situation closely and take any necessary further steps to ensure the ongoing safety and well-being of our school community. I want to express my gratitude for your patience and understanding throughout this process. The cooperation and support of our staff, students, and families have been invaluable, and I am confident that together we will navigate through this situation successfully. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support. Sincerely, Ben Worthing & Jennefer Paquette, FHUMHS Co-Principals Brooke Olsen-Farrell, SVUSD Superintendent

Please Vote - Thursday, April 11th - On the Ballot: REVISED PROPOSED FY25 BUDGET Please attend the Information Meeting - Wednesday, April 10th, 6:30 PM in the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Band Room Attendance can be in-person or virtual. VIRTUALLY CONNECT BY GOING TO Video call link:https://meet.google.com/isa-bvcy-yzv April 11 Polling locations and times are: Town of Benson 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Benson Community Hall Town of Castleton 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Castleton Fire Station Town of Fair Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM American Legion Post 49 Town of Hubbardton 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Hubbardton Town Hall Town of Orwell 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Orwell Town Clerk’s Office Town of West Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM West Haven Town Hall

Reminder: Monday, April 8, 2024 is an EARLY RELEASE for all Slate Valley schools!

Senior Spotlight: Featuring Chase Allen

NOTICE: Benson Village School will be CLOSED tomorrow, Friday, April 5th, due to electrical issues caused by a power surge.

Slate Valley Unified USD Feature in Wednesday's Rutland Herald

Today, Thursday, April 4th, all Slate Valley Schools will be closed due to the weather.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 9, 2024 and join us for another Parent Information Event called: After High School Opportunities for Students with Disabilities This event is Virtual Online Only, Join by going to: https://meet.google.com/yrx-emty-vwc?authuser=0

Senior Spotlight: Featuring Cheyanne Ricard

Good Afternoon, While conditions are improving at Fair Haven Union Middle/High School they have not improved to the level they need to resume occupancy of the building. As a result FHUMHS will be closed through Friday, April 5th. Please be assured we are working as quickly and carefully to address the situation at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School (FHUMHS). We are working closely with experts in the field and state officials. Safety is our number one priority. Remote days are not an option; those went away after the pandemic. Additionally, we still do not have access to the building to get student or staff materials. A lot of the legal flexibility to educate students went away after the pandemic. 51% of our students must physically be in the school building per the law for it to count as a school day. For those who are interested the legal citation is: 16 V.S.A. 1071(a)(1) “For purposes of this section, a majority of students enrolled in a school must be recorded on the school roll as in attendance on any day counted as a student attendance day.” That requirement has not been expanded to include all-school attendance through remote means. I am requesting a waiver for the missed days from the Agency of Education. The state requires students in attendance for 175 days. With the cancellation of school this week it brings our total to 174 student days. We are optimistic that the situation will continue to improve over the next couple of days. If the situation persists into next week we will reassess our plan which would likely add days to the end of the school year. Again, I will keep you updated as I have more information. Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility in this matter. As with the previous days, the Stafford Bus will run as scheduled. Sincerely, Brooke Olsen-Farrell

Happy Instructional Assistant's Day! Today, and everyday, the Slate Valley community is grateful for your contributions to our district! The connections you create while helping our students learn is invalualbe. Your patience promotes progress, you enable confidence and coordinate the chaos around our students to facilitate success. You are most definitely our behind the scene superheros! Thank you!

NOTICE: Good Morning, I know this is a difficult situation for all involved. Please be assured we are working as quickly and carefully to address the situation at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School (FHUMHS). School at FHUMHS will be closed again on Wednesday, April 3rd. Right now it is day to day as we need to ensure air quality has returned to the appropriate level throughout the building. Safety is our number one priority. Remote days are not an option; those went away after the pandemic. Additionally, we still do not have access to the building to get student or staff materials. A lot of the legal flexibility that was available to schools during COVID no longer exists. I am requesting a waiver for the missed days from the Agency of Education. The state requires students in attendance for 175 days. In Slate Valley, we have students in attendance for 180 days per our policies and contractual agreements. Therefore, we do have some wiggle room if we are granted the waiver. Again, I will keep you updated as I have more information. Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility in this matter. As with the previous days, the Stafford Bus will run as scheduled. Sincerely, Brooke Olsen-Farrell

UPDATE & IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Due to the continued situation at the Fair Haven Union Middle and High School, the building will remain closed for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 2nd. Therefore there will be no school tomorrow for the Middle and High School. PLEASE NOTE: STAFFORD BUSSES WILL RUN AS SCHEDULED We have experts on the scene, and will provide updates as we receive them. Again, the building will remain closed to everyone at this time.

ATTENTION: PLEASE READ Good Morning, I wanted to update you on the situation at Fair Haven Union Middle/High School that caused the closure of the building today. There was a break in the fuel oil line that supplies fuel to the boilers and upwards of 500 gallons of fuel oil leaked into the utility tunnels under the building and the boiler room. The fuel oil also drained into a sump pump in the boiler room and made its way into the sewer system. We have contracted with a hazardous waste company and reached out to the appropriate state officials. This is an ongoing situation and I will update you as more information is available. The building is closed to all at this time. Sincerely, Brooke Olsen-Farrell

Good Morning, Today, April 1st the Fair Haven Middle/High School is closed due to a boiler issue. The Stafford bus will still run. Sincerely, Brooke Olsen-Farrell