We would like to thank you once again for all of your hard work. We are impressed by your dedication and commitment to the students, their families and districts. We want to make you aware of some important information:

• Nassau BOCES will be providing remote instruction to students on May 22 and 26.
• The last day of school based on our agreement with teachers of 183 instructional days will be June 12.
• Please continue to follow the normal process for requesting time off. Administrators may use available Z days starting June 15.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the agencywide online conversation via Thoughtexchange. You can view the report here .

Nassau BOCES is hosting a statewide exchange regarding the question “What ideas and thoughts do you have as you think about a return to in-person schooling?” We hope you will participate. Please click here to begin the statewide exchange. 

This is a message from Nassau BOCES. Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the mandated statewide school closure through the rest of the academic year. Remote instruction will continue. Please maintain communications with your supervisor regarding work expectations and read your Nassau BOCES emails.

We know that this is a hard time for everyone. Please remember that the Employee Assistance Program is available to you. Learn more about it in the employee section of the Nassau BOCES website.

This information is accurate as of May 1 at 12 p.m.

If a Nassau BOCES employee is known to be experiencing Covid-19 issues, the employee should be referred to the Employee Rights flyer.  If the employee believes they qualify for a leave based on one of the six leave entitlements listed on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) flyer, the employee should contact their department’s FMLA liaison for assistance in completing the FFCRA form with all necessary paperwork. The FFCRA form should be submitted to Human Resources using the COVID19leave@nasboces.org email address.  

The Farber Center will be closed the rest of this week. The week of April 13 the Farber Center will only be entered by members of Business Services to complete payroll and accounts payable operations on Monday and Wednesday. Human Resources staff will continue to pick-up laptops in the parking lot as originally scheduled.

EXCEPTION: Invoices that have already been received and are ready to be submitted to Accounts Payable for the April 15 check run may be brought to the Farber Center on Thursday, April 9, from 9 to 11 a.m. There will be a box in the vestibule for these invoices. No one dropping off invoices will be allowed to go into the building. After this drop-off period, Accounts Payable will enter the building to process as many invoices as possible. Dropping off an invoice does not guarantee payment in the April 15 check run.

We are suspending mail pick-up and delivery at this time. Barry Tech and Carman Road School will only be entered to feed the programs’ animals.

At the Lupinskie Center, entrance will be limited to the staff required to run payroll for our school districts. 

Minimal security and facilities personnel will support these efforts and maintain our facilities. All other buildings may not be entered until further notice.

At the end of next week, April 17, the senior administration will reevaluate the situation and make a determination regarding the following week.

This is information is accurate as of April 8 at 2 p.m.

Paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave … The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Read more (PDF).

Significant legislation impacting 403(b)/457(b) plans and sick leave ... In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant legislation impacting 403(b)/457(b) plans and sick leave has been passed to help relieve financial stress during these unprecedented times. Read more at the OMNI website.

This information is accurate as of April 1 at 3:30 p.m.

An executive order from Governor Andrew Cuomo requires continuity of instruction during the state’s mandated school closure. It does not allow for any breaks due to regularly scheduled closures such as spring recess. Therefore Nassau BOCES will be open and providing remote instruction from April 9-14, including Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Passover. If the Governor extends the school closure, we may be open the rest of the week of April 13th as well. If time off is needed, staff should speak with their supervisor about using sick, personal, vacation and recess days, as appropriate. Approval of such requests will be considered on a case by case basis and will be based on the impact the absence will have on Agency operations.

This information is accurate as of April 1 at 3:30 p.m.

If you have been assigned virtual desktop access, you can view the instructions here or go to the Employee Website>Tools and Resources>Virtual Desktop Access.

Below is some information that was gathered from various sources on setting up and maintaining a successful work at home environment.   

1. Identify what needs to get done every day and make sure to do it. Keep a to-do list for each day and minimally ensure that work gets completed along with other items that need attention. 

2. OVERCOMMUNICATE! Check in with co-workers and your manager several times a day.  Unlike being in the office, no one can swing by your desk to ask you to do something. Make it clear that you’re available and when; offer help and suggestions preemptively instead of waiting for someone to ask.  If you are not sure if information you have is valuable or others should be aware of something, share it! In addition, make sure you’re reachable. It’s an easy thing to do – check your inbox, stay online through the various mediums we have available, and check in with your manager and other staff regularly and don’t forget to check your office voicemail! 

3. Remain available.  Remember, you are at work.  Other staff will be depending on you just as they would in the office.  They will need to be able to reach you through phone, email and/or online.  Become familiar with the online tools we have available.  Teams is a great resource, and can you can schedule or have ad-hoc online virtual meetings where you can share files and desktops for collaborating. 

4. Use the cloud. Make use of Microsoft Technologies that have provisioned by Nassau BOCES.  Login to https://portal.microsoft.com to access your OneDrive files, Outlook email/calendar, Teams,  Office WebApps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) and other applications that have been made available. 

5. Get dressed. Lounging around in pajamas may seem to be a great deal, but most research suggests that keeping to “normal” routines will keep you most effective.  "Getting dressed makes the home office more like a real office, and tells and reminds everyone, especially you, that even though you may be sitting on the sofa reading, browsing the Web, or talking on the phone, that you are actually working." 

6. Don't let friends stop by. Along the lines of keeping a work routine, keep friends and family at a distance as much as possible.  They wouldn’t be stopping by the office on a regular day.  Many suggest using lunch as a time to get together.  If they do intend on visiting, ask them to call first to see if you are available. 

7. Create a comfortable office. Setup a comfortable workspace.  Whether in a kitchen, living room or home office, this helps set boundaries for family members that when you are in this area, you are working and certain rules exist.  Some research suggests making a stoplight.  Hang or tape colored construction paper on near your work area. "Tape the red light up when you cannot be disturbed and the green light when it's OK to come in. Yellow light means to check first.

8. Be clear about your working hours. Ensure that family and friends know your working hours.   

9. Pretend you're not home. Don't answer your home phone or door during work hours as much as possible. 

10. Avoid non-work appointments in the middle of the day. Again, try to keep to a normal schedule as much as possible.  If you would not normally make appointments during the workday, try to avoid it and use a lunch hour as a time to care for those personal things. 

11. Get in-person time with co-workers.  Just because you are working remotely, this does not mean that you cannot connect with your team(s).  Ensure you have good contact phone numbers and use the technology available (Teams, Zoom, etc.) to have video chat(s) with other staff.  Seeing someone’s face enhances communication and helps with visual cues.  This technology also allows for the sharing of files, seeing each other’s desktop, sharing applications, reviewing documents and getting help in meaningful ways. 

12. If you have headphones (hopefully with noise cancellation), use them.  These will help minimize distraction and are also a great tool to use for those virtual meetings. 

Once again, thank you to all of our staff. These are remarkable times, and we are privileged to have such a great team in place. Every few days, we are going to share updates and important information. Please continue to check your emails.

Agency leadership continues to meet – remotely and in person – with the superintendents from throughout the county. Yesterday, they participated in an online conversation with New York Education Department Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe and her team. Many issues need further clarification.

Districts are working on plans for remote instruction, childcare and food.

Nassau BOCES is focused on its educational plan for students. Our educational departments are both committed to beginning remote learning on Monday, March 23 at the latest. This week teachers from both Special Education and Regional Schools and Instructional Programs are participating in remote learning professional development. Social distancing measures are being applied.

Most of Nassau BOCES students’ nutritional needs are being provided by their local school districts. We are still working on a plan to provide food for students with special dietary needs.

Departments are starting to rollout plans that would allow some 12-month employees to work at home if their work can be conducted remotely and has been approved by their supervisor and department leadership.

All buildings will remain open with a minimum of staff unless we are directed otherwise by the Nassau County Health Department or other official.

There are many rumors circulating. Please know that if we receive notice from the Nassau County Health Department that a staff member currently working in a building has tested positive, we will continue to follow the guidance to close that building for 24 hours.

For those Nassau BOCES employees who will be working in our buildings, we want to make you aware of the following conditions:

• As of tomorrow, March 18, 2020, we will be observing summer hours as follows:
  For employees scheduled to work from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. you may leave work at 3:30 p.m., if you take a half-hour lunch. If you do not normally work 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., please check with your supervisor to confirm your schedule. During these times, the dress code is business casual. Please note that if you're meeting with individuals from outside the agency, normal business attire is expected.
• There will be no outside visitors beyond the lobby at any of the Agency’s buildings.
• We encourage employees to take advantage of the many online platforms instead of meeting in person, such as Skype, Zoom or Google Hangouts.

Starting immediately, all “forms” located in the Nassau BOCES Employees section under Formsà Employee Information Changes and Employment & New Hires are to be submitted through OneDrive to HR@nasboces.org.  

Departments, programs and employees can scan the pdf documents to HR@nasboces.org via OneDrive. If you do not have access to a scanner, you can take a clear picture using your phone or use a free app such as Tiny Scanner (for IOS or Android). Or you can also download the Microsoft Lens app. This app for your phone, available for IOS or Android, is a portable scanner allowing you to capture pictures and documents.