Dear Parents/Guardians,
The health, safety and well-being of our students, families and community is our highest priority. Based on information from appropriate sources I, in conjunction with the school board and administrative staff, have decided to provide alternative instruction for our students for a period of two weeks following Spring Break. This will entail closing the schools to students, but having available staff provide alternative methods of instruction. We want to do our part in reducing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and make it easier for people to take the time they need to care for themselves or their families in the event they are directly affected by this disease. After the two weeks, we will examine the health level of our community to determine if we need to continue with alternative methods of instruction or return to our normal practice.
Students will be asked to remain at home and only our staff members will be asked to return to work on Monday, March 23rd. We will use the first two days to prepare for alternative methods of instruction. This may include online work, developing work packets for parents to pick up, or possibly scheduling individual or small groups of students to come to the school at assigned times to receive instruction. If you plan on coming to the school, we ask that you call ahead to schedule an appointment. This will assure that we do not develop a cluster of people.
For the safety of our staff working during the two-week period, we will have personnel stationed at a single entrance at each school to monitor those entering the building to determine if they have symptoms that may indicate they are ill.
Both certified and classified staff will be expected to report to work unless they are sick, caring for a sick family member, or self-quarantining themselves. In order to keep working staff members healthy during the two weeks, the full workday will be shortened, but we plan to schedule staff so that we can accommodate parents who need to pick up work before or after work.
Our Food and Nutrition Services is working closely with our Transportation Supervisor and Director of Operations to make lunch available to our students during a closure. We have already applied for a waiver that will allows the District to serve our students in a similar manner as our Summer Lunch program. We will continue to adjust this effort to meet the changing needs of our community during these uncertain times. More information will be available closer to the end of spring break.
Despite our efforts to keep extracurricular activities open, it is no longer possible to do so with the closure of our schools. At the time, the Moscow School District is suspending all extracurricular activities, including practices. We are still hopeful that once schools are reopened that an abbreviated spring sports season may still be possible. All large events are also canceled until May 1 unless conditions change.
The School Board meeting set for March 25th will still be held as required each month. However, alternative methods of accessing this meeting are being considered.
I recognize that this is challenging and will continue to monitor new developments and adjust as necessary. Please email your child’s teacher, school administrator, or myself during this next week if you have further questions. Thank you for being understanding. We all want what is best for our students, families and community during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Gregory J. Bailey
Gregory J. Bailey, Ph.D.
Superintendent