In an open letter to the public, Superintendent David Blackburn addressed COVID-19 concerns, the cancellation of all spring sports, and the possibility of school closures.
From Superintendent Blackburn:
I wanted to update you on some of the changing dynamics in the COVID 19 Pandemic. Last night many decisions were made that changed the landscape, from travel restrictions, to closure, to guidance. I have included the Governor’s guidance issued last night for school closures. In addition, there is one potential case in our community. While our students are not at a high risk, many in our community are. Our thoughts go out to those individuals as anxiety is a real thing.
We are working hard to mitigate the spread of disease with extra hand washing, extra sanitizing, and considering what needs to be cancelled. As of this moment (and it is changing hour by hour), there are no facts to trigger any closures. We are working closely with Public Health and other government staff to monitor our local scenarios. We were hoping to know by now whether there were any confirmed cases in our county. There are currently no confirmed cases. That could change before school starts on Monday (March 16).
CHSSA just announced that all spring sports are cancelled, including practices, through April 6th. In light of that guidance, all programs’ and buildings’ after school activities are cancelled through Spring Break. We will determine next steps as the situation unfolds. Athletics is definitely cancelled through the 6th. Any non-essential meetings outside of school are cancelled. The buildings will be closed to all outside users through Spring Break as our teams work to complete deep cleaning. Our cleaning standards are above the recommendations and we will continue to sanitize spaces when staff and students are not present. Our hearts go out to those students that will miss some opportunities these next few weeks.
Remember, children will cue off of your attitudes and behavior. Offer hope and a smile, while simultaneously taking care to reduce risks. If you have travel plans for Spring Break, please be thoughtful. You risk being quarantined for an additional 14 days (as the guidance currently stands) before returning to work or school.
School is not closed at this time; however, the district will make any decision for school closures by Sunday (March 15th). Take the time this weekend to relax and enjoy your family at home. As we know more, we will share more.
Thank you as always to our staff, families, and community for maintaining a flexible spirit. We walked our way through a forest fire and an evacuation this year, and we will navigate this as well. We are not in a crisis, and we are taking the matter seriously.
Respectfully,
David Blackburn
Superintendent
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