Madison Schools Cancel Europe Trip, Ramp Up Coronavirus Prep

MADISON, CT — In addition to myriad preparations that are under way and set to begin, Madison Public Schools has canceled a school-sponsored trip to Europe that was set for April, all in response to the coronovirus outbreak.

According to a detailed letter sent to families, the district laid out its "ramped" up response to the virus known as COVID-19. There have been no confirmed cases in Connecticut yea, but surrounding states including New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have.

Madison Public Schools are installing hand sanitizer dispensers, posters reminding students to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly are in all schools, all schools will be supplied additional hand sanitizer, "custodians have been instructed to remain vigilant when cleaning high touch traffic points such as hand rails, light switches, lunch tables, and chair seats" and staff will be given disposable wipes to wipe down Chromebooks and iPads between uses, among other measures.

Here's the full letter to families:

Dear MPS Community,

As COVID-19 or Coronavirus continues to spread, I wanted to make our school community aware of the steps being taken by the administration to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. Our goal as a district is to keep our community as informed as possible and do our part to slow the spread of germs.

Right now, Madison Public Schools is working closely with the Madison Health Department, in particular, the local Director of Public Health, Trent Joseph, Madison Public Schools Nurse Supervisor Stephanie Lesnik, and our Medical Advisor Dr. Karen Goldberg. Our experts are currently encouraging anyone who did not get a flu shot this season to please get one now.

We rely on the expertise of the professionals in the field of public health to guide any necessary responses. Additionally, I and superintendents across the state have a weekly conference call with the state commissioner of education to encourage information sharing.

We continue to follow the advice of the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We invite you to refer to information on the following websites to keep yourself informed:

• Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Madison Public Schools Health Webpage

In addition to the CDC guidelines, we have ramped up certain precautions to halt the spread of germs in in our school community.

Buildings: Posters have been placed in each building reminding students to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly. Furthermore, our facilities department as put a series of preventative actions in place including:

• Installing foaming hand sanitizer dispensers in all dining halls
• Supplying all schools with additional hand sanitizer
• Custodians have been instructed to remain vigilant when cleaning high touch traffic points such as hand rails, light switches, lunch tables, and chair seats
• Providing staff with disposable wipes to wipe down Chromebooks and iPads between uses

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 the afternoon bus runs.

The MPS Response: The administration has made the decision to cancel a school-sponsored trip to Europe over April break and will monitor other school travel as the situation develops. The district is not monitoring any staff or students unless we have clear reason to do so.