After 40 years in public education, I am retiring at the end of June. McCaskey’s 88th commencement was bittersweet for me, and my remarks to the “miracle Class of 2022” […]
Author Archives: Adam Aurand
Helping students make sense of the crisis in Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine is dominating news headlines around the world. Many of our teachers, especially at the secondary level, are or will be having conversations with students about the […]
My remarks on charter school reform in Pennsylvania
On June 1, we had the pleasure of welcoming Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to J.P. McCaskey High School. He and others spoke on the importance of reforming our state’s outdated […]
On our last-minute virtual day for secondary students
To parents of secondary students: Please accept our apologies for the last-minute notice that students would attend classes virtually on Monday. I want to offer a deeper explanation. As many […]
The impact of federal and state funding on our budget
In December, we informed the school board that the School District of Lancaster is facing a structural deficit over the next several years that will progressively strain our ability to […]
On the McCaskey musical situation
For the past several years, our school district has had a focus on equity, overcoming bias, and diversity. We have challenged ourselves to view situations through the “lens of equity” […]
On our phased return to in-person instruction
On Monday, we announced an accelerated plan to bring all of our students back into the classroom for in-person instruction at least two days per week. I am energized to […]
On COVID reporting, it is in our best interest to isolate cases
As small groups of students begin returning to our school buildings, I am sure many of you are thinking about how—and when—we will report COVID-19 in our school community. It […]
On our first day of at home remote learning
Today was an unprecedented first day of school in the School District of Lancaster. All 11,000+ students and about 1,500 teachers and staff opened the 2020-2021 school year teaching and […]
Reach for the light: My address to SDoL at our annual all-staff meeting
Every August, we kick off a new school year with a meeting involving everyone of our staff members. Due to COVID-19, this year’s all-staff meeting looked different, and had to […]
My remarks to the Class of 2020
Congratulations to the McCaskey Class of 2020, and hats off to the many people behind the scenes who helped make the broadcast of our commencement ceremony on WGAL go off […]
On the searing symbolism of George Floyd
Like so many of you, I am outraged at the sight, on national television, of the senseless killing of George Floyd. Losing his breath under the knee of a police […]