Dear Parents and Guardians,
At the time that this note is being published, we are planning on having school on Monday, March 16 and to continue with school this week. This is subject to change at anytime, as the Public Health Department may request our closure as the disease spreads or we get new information. Our administrative team will review information as it comes in and will continue to monitor the situation with our local and state level health authorities and the Nebraska Department of Education.
At this time, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our educational service unit area per South Heartland District Health Department and ESU 9 staff. I spoke with them around 5:30 p.m. tonight.
We have been involved in online meetings with Nebraska’s Commissioner of Education, state and local health officials, and our Governor as recently as this afternoon. We are also in communication with ESU 9 in Hastings. It is through these conversations and updates that we are making decisions.
We understand the virus to be contagious. Because of this, we are making some changes for this week and will extend these as long as we need to until we hear from health officials that the threat is gone.
We will not be having our students travel outside of school to any events. We won’t be attending field trips, sporting events, or other school activities outside of the district this upcoming week.
We will not be hosting any events for students from outside our district.
We will continue reinforcing hand-washing and other preventative measures with students during the school day.
We will continue with regular cleaning as well as an increase in the frequency of cleaning hard surfaces and frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, desks, etc).
We are asking that you help keep our students and staff safe by doing the following:
-If you are the parent or guardian of a student that has chronic health problems that could be vulnerable to the virus, we want to make sure that you know you can choose to keep them home. We want you to make the best decision for their health. We will work with you to help them stay current in their classes.
-Any student or staff member that isn’t feeling well needs to STAY HOME.
-Please continue teaching and following these practices at home:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Cover your mouth when you cough and/or sneeze
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects or surfaces
-If you decide to keep your student home, that is fine. We will not be giving any perfect attendance awards, nor will your students receive any consequence for being gone. If your student does stay home, please communicate with the school and your child’s principal each day as we don’t want them to fall behind academically. They will be expected to make up any work that they miss.
-It has been recommended by health officials that any students or staff that have been out of the country or have been in the states of Washington or California or in the city of New York not come to school for 14 days after arriving home.
Things are very fluid and seem to be changing by the hour. We want you to make the best decision for your family, and if that means that your child(ren) stay home, that is okay. Just let us know.
Sincerely,
Josh Cumpston