Coronavirus Madison: New Schools Letter To Families

MADISON, CT — A detailed letter from superintendent Thomas R. Scarice to Madison Public Schools families explains how the district is moving forward, and preparing, as COVID-19 continues to spread across the state.

The missive from Scarice covers everything from cancellations to closures.

Dear MPS Community,

Yesterday, Governor Lamont's office declared a Public Health Emergency as Connecticut experienced its first diagnosed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In light of this, I wanted to take the opportunity to inform you of future actions that might need to be taken, provide important resources, and hopefully answer some of the many questions circulating right now.

All our efforts are intended to mitigate the spread of the virus in our schools and the larger school community. We will continue to follow guidelines and protocols directly from the CDC and Connecticut State Department of Public Health.

Prevention All experts in the field of public health continue to emphasize the importance of basic prevention strategies in slowing down the spread of the virus.

POSTPONEMENT/CANCELLATION OF EVENTS/GATHERINGS It is the recommendation of Governor Lamont that all towns and schools in Connecticut modify, postpone, or cancel gatherings of 100 people or more. Effective immediately, all afterschool events, and some non-essential “in school” events such as all-school assemblies, of 100 people or more will be postponed or cancelled through April 30.

We are currently accounting for all such events in our schools and adjusting or cancelling the events as appropriate. Communications about postponements or cancellations may come from your student’s school, sports teams, or other organizations hosting these events and activities. We will continue to review the calendar of events and reassess after April 30.

FIELD TRIPS All field trips are cancelled through April 30, 2020.

WINTER SPORTING EVENTS The CIAC made the decision to cancel all remaining winter tournaments, playoffs and championships.

SPRING SPORTING EVENTS The District will follow the recommendation of the CIAC and the State Department of Public Health regarding spring sports.
No recommendation to cancel spring sports has been made at this time.

TRAVEL The Madison Public Schools will continue to follow the CDC and Connecticut State Department of Public Health protocols regarding students and staff travel. If a student or staff member has travelled from a country designated as a “Level 3” by the US State Department, the returning student or staff member will be asked to voluntarily self-quarantine for a period of 14 days upon return.

BUILDING CLEANING/ HANDWASHING CAMPAIGN Countless posters have been placed in each building reminding students to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly.Foaming hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in all dining halls.Custodians have been instructed to ramp up efforts when cleaning and disinfecting high touch traffic points such as hand rails, light switches, cafeterias, and chair seats.We have ordered more disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer. Items are currently backordered but we are doing our best to get these items to staff members as soon as possible.

BUSES Our bus company and its employees are following guidelines set by the CDC. In addition, each school bus is being wiped down with a disinfectant solution after the morning bus runs and afternoon bus runs.

School Closures Due to COVID-19 At this time, school closures in Connecticut have not been directed by Federal or State officials and therefore closure remains a local decision. However, school closures are a possibility and I would like parents to understand the two scenarios that could occur:

Short-Term School Closures: Closures of up to two weeks may be called to slow the spread of the virus. The Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education shared that outright school closures will require extending the school year through June 30, similar to the practice of weather related school closures. In the event of a short-term closure, Assistant Superintendent, Gail Dahling-Hench, is working with a team to create optional online learning activities for our students. This approach is not unlike the bank of summer learning activities that some families choose to access and are not designed to take the place of instruction. They are designed to offer skills practice as well access to a bank of engaging activities and authentic problems for home.

Long-Term School Closures: Closures of longer than two weeks may also be called as a more advanced measure called to slow the spread of the virus. In the event of a long-term school closure, the State Department of Education will work with school districts on a case-by-case basis with regard to possibly waiving the 180 minimum school day law.

Since Federal or State guidance is unclear on this issue, we will be examining potential districtwide learning options in the event of a long-term closure. In an effort to minimize disruption to the education of our students, work will continue with small groups of teachers to identify curricular priorities in the event of a long-term closure. State authorities would require districts to consider all avenues of learning prior to making any concessions regarding 180 school days. In addition, we will continue to work with our regional partners to mitigate impact to learning during long term closures.

Technology: In the next few days, parents will receive an inquiry from your building principal inquiring about at-home devices. If your student does not have access to a computer, one will be loaned to your student by the district in the event of a long term closure. Only one device will be given per household.

General Wellness Advice As a reminder, everyone should continue to follow basic steps to keep themselves and others healthy:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based sanitizer.
• Avoid shaking hands as a greeting.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Students who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are urged to stay home and not come to school until they are fever-free, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). The district attendance policy does provide for consideration of extenuating circumstances.

Talking With Your Students With all of the news coverage and conversation about COVID-19 happening right now, it’s important to think about how this environment might be impacting your student’s mental health. To help parents speak with their children about this topic, our Whole Child Steering Team has pulled together several resources that can be found in the document below.

Parent tips for talking about COVID-19

Resources We encourage everyone to stay informed, sign-up for important news alerts, and refer to the following links:
State of Connecticut
Centers for Disease Control
Madison Public Schools
Town of Madison Health Department

I understand a lot of information has been shared with you here and I encourage you to reach out to your building principals or myself if you have additional questions and concerns. We are entering uncharted waters, but the administration is preparing to support students and staff in any way we can as this issue continues to unfold.

Sincerely,
Thomas R. Scarice
Superintendent of Schools