Letter from Superintendent - March 11 2020
March 11, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The purpose of this communication is to update you more specifically with information needed as our district responds to the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, I implemented a Pandemic Annex, which is a supplement to our emergency plan that outlines responsibilities, duties and procedures for responding to a pandemic, which is defined as a worldwide spread of a new disease.
I also sent this letter to parents and forwarded the same to all staff via email and posted it on our website, and created a webpage dedicated to information related to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
As the situation continues to evolve, I have been receiving updates from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) that inform our planning and actions.
I also updated the Board of Education at the meeting last night, the audience of which included community members and our local press. I have created a Coronavirus 2019 Update Slide Deck from that presentation that contains the information.
One of the more important take-aways in that presentation, based on information from the NYSED and NYSDOH is that if there is a case of COVID-19 discovered in our community, the schools will be directed to close for a 24-hour period to allow for an investigation after which the Oneida County Health Department will make recommendations that could include extended closure.
With hopes that we will not need to close, families should be prepared for the potential short-term and/or long-term closure of schools and be thinking about how childcare responsibilities will be covered in your homes.
Our Leadership Team is in the process of creating an Instructional Continuity Plan in the event that we do experience a related long-term school closure. An Instructional Continuity Plan would help us understand how we could possibly continue with instruction and student learning should we be forced to close. For example, using the internet for email and online learning activities and systems.
On Monday afternoon, our principals will be convening the Building Emergency Response Teams to discuss instructional continuity planning and other related issues, followed by a meeting of the District Emergency Response Team on Tuesday morning. I hope to have a draft Instructional Continuity Plan and an updated Emergency Plan by mid-next week.
Also, I have included some resources below that may help with conversations with your children, some of who might be experiencing stress due to the fear of this virus. These resources were also part of the slide deck presentation and will be posted on our website.
I am sorry that this is occurring, but I am confident that we can pull together and keep our community and your children safe.
If you have any questions and/or comments, please submit them using this Comments Form which links you to the website page form.
Sincerely,
Dr. Grimm
Following are resources that may be helpful in talking to students about the COVID-19:
- Just for Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus
- Fear of Coronavirus- A Good Time to Talk to Kids About Keeping Fears Realistic and Manageable. Lois M. Collins, Deseret News, Jan. 28, 2020
- How Do You Talk to Children About Coronavirus? Stay Honest and Simple to Avoid
Anxiety. Gene Myers NorthJersey.com, USA Today, Feb. 28, 2020
- How to Talk to Your Kids About the Coronavirus (and Ease Their Fears) Vivian Manning-Schaffel, NBC News, Updated March 2, 2020