Saint Paul Public Schools Publishes March 18 COVID-19 Update For Families

From Saint Paul Public Schools:

March 18, 2020

"Dear Saint Paul Public Schools Family:

Thank you for your attention and flexibility during this time of uncertainty for our community. SPPS is dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date information about our plans for supporting your students’ learning and overall health and wellness during the statewide school closure due to COVID-19. You will receive regular updates and are encouraged to check spps.org/covid and our social media channels for additional information as it continues to develop.

Frequently Asked Questions

We know families have a lot of questions about what to do during this school closure and beyond. A new FAQ page is being updated regularly with answers to the common questions we are receiving. Please check back often as we continue to make updates.

If you have additional questions that you cannot find answers to on our website, please call the Student Placement Center at 651-632-3760 or email spc@spps.org for assistance.

Nutrition Services

Morning school bus routes are now being used as meal pickup locations. Parents are asked to accompany children, and each child will be provided a 1-week supply of meals. Bus stops will be scheduled each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday based on school start times. Additional meals will be available for curbside pick up at designated schools. Please visit spps.org/ns for a complete list of meal times and locations.

All families are welcome to meet the bus at any bus stop or school to receive meals. This service is open to all Saint Paul residents 18 and under, no questions asked.

Families who lack transportation or those with medically fragile children can request to have food delivered to their residence. Registration for home delivery is open at https://tce.me/hieVzY.

Distance Learning

Distance learning will not begin until Monday, April 6. If you were not able to pick up your student’s iPad Tuesday or Wednesday, please pay attention to messages from your school regarding additional pickup times. After this week, the district will work to get iPads delivered to those families that have not picked them up.

Once your student has their iPad, we ask that you work with them to keep it clean, charged and safely stored when not in use. Their teacher will upload a welcome activity to Schoology or Seesaw for them to view once their iPad is home.

Your student’s iPad will have a pre-installed link that directs to the SPPS Covid-19 webpage (spps.org/covid), where you can find information, resources and support for distance learning. For families who do not have internet access at home, Xfinity has free hotspots in place throughout the area, or contact your child’s teacher to request a Wifi hotspot.

Student Health & Wellness

If your student has medication or health office supplies at school, please contact your school health office staff to make arrangements to pick up or send home as needed. Health staff will also reach out to families to coordinate with iPad distribution when possible.

A limited number of Health Start locations are open for well-care, nutrition support, mental health support and health education during the school closure. Please note we cannot test for the flu or COVID-19 at these sites. For more information, visit the Student Health & Wellness page.

Childcare for First Responders and Healthcare Providers

Essential Kids Care is a childcare option for school-age students of first responders and other medical staff. Further information regarding registration, hours, locations, and requirements for documentation of work status as a first responder or medical staff is available at spps.org/ekidscare.

Thank you again for your support, and please stay tuned for more information as plans progress throughout the week."

This press release was produced by Saint Paul Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.