Back To School Monday, Madison: What Families Need To Know Now

MADISON, CT — Summer blew by and it's back to school in-person and masked for Madison public school kids — and families —on Monday.

In his welcome back message, schools Superintendent Dr. Craig Cooke shared the latest on everything from Chromebooks to COVID -19 mitigation measures.

"Welcome back! It’s hard to believe that Monday marks the start of our 2021-2022 school year," Cooke wrote noting that this past Tuesday, new school staff members were also welcomed.

"Over the past three days our entire staff has been working hard to prepare for the return of our students," he said. "This is an exciting time for all of us and we often say, happy new year, as it truly is a new beginning full of new opportunities."

Here's some "important back to school information" for students and families. And folks can check out the district's Back to School page here.

Masking Requirements
Madison Public Schools will start the year requiring masks for all students, staff and visitors - regardless of vaccination status - in indoor settings. Masks will also be required on school buses. This action is in compliance with Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 13A (which requires masks in schools through September 30, 2021) but also follows the recommendations of Centers for Disease Control, CT Department of Public Health and the CT State Department of Education. At this time, masks are not required when students are outdoors. This includes outdoor physical education, recess and playing sports.

Students will have to comply with the mask policy just as they do any other policy regarding student behavior, student dress, etc. If a student arrives at school without a mask, they will be given a disposable mask and offered the chance to comply with the mask policy. If a student refuses, they will be sent home. We ask families to assist us in ensuring compliance with masking requirements.

Our goal is to offer a full year of in-person instruction to all our students. Wearing masks at the start of the school year is an important step to ensure we can offer that full year in-person instruction. It is our hope that we progress to more relaxed mask policies later in the 2021-2022 school year. Check the District COVID-19 page for more information.

Bus Runs
Bus runs are now available on the District website. All runs have a posted start time. For the first few days of school, please remember to get out to your stop early to get a feel for what time the bus will arrive. As a reminder, all students must wear a mask when boarding and riding the bus.

Lunch
MPS is committed to providing healthy meals that our students enjoy. Beginning Fall 2021, we are excited to return to our pre-COVID standards for meal and snack offerings. Students across the district will be able to eat in the cafeteria (not 5 days a week in all schools) and go through the lunch line.

The district will keep the cashless system developed during COVID. Parents/guardians can replenish student accounts online via the Meal Pay Plus system (transaction fees apply) or by sending/bringing a check to school. Remember to review your students' accounts and resolve any negative balances prior to the start of the year.

Chromebooks
Through our 1:1 program, all students have or will be assigned a Chromebook and a charger. Enotify messages have gone out from building principals clarifying Chromebook expectations for the first day of school. Please visit the district website to complete our district Network Use Agreement/Chromebook Pledge forms.

Events
Schools will be sharing information regarding upcoming events. Large scale events like open house again will be virtual. We hope to return to more in-person large scale events later in the school year.

Vaccine Reminder
If your student(s) are fully vaccinated, we ask that you share that information with your school nurse. Proof of vaccination should be submitted to your medical provider to be added to the student’s official immunization record. Once that has been completed, the pediatrician can then forward the updated immunization record to our health offices.

If you are experiencing difficulties sharing this information through your pediatrician, we ask that you share directly with the school nurse. Knowing our students’ vaccination status will allow nurses and administrators to know which students are exempt from quarantining.

Heat Warning
As everyone is aware, it has been very hot the last few days. While it looks like the weather may improve for the first day of school, parents should be aware that there could be times this fall when we would call an early dismissal due to heat. High heat index combined with lack of AC in many of our buildings and the need for staff and students to wear masks, can quickly create unsafe conditions.