March 12, 2020 Update

March 12, 2020

Dear CVSD Community,

Please know that we are meeting regularly to address and discuss many topics related to COVID-19. We will do our best to keep people informed often, almost daily. Please check the front of the district’s website for all communications that have been shared as well as additional resources. We’ve received a number of questions and suggestions about COVID-19 concerns. We are diligently reviewing them all; however, we cannot respond personally to each inquiry. Understand that we are consulting regularly with our state agencies, local education colleagues, and statewide organizations in order to inform our decision making.

We are writing to provide you with information about the proactive steps being taken by CVSD to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact throughout our community. With the good news about the health of our Williston colleague, we can continue to confirm that at this time there are no known cases of COVID-19 in CVSD. This note will address the specific steps being taken today in our schools and the steps that may be taken should more extreme measures become necessary.

As of today, CVSD is following the current advice of the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Education and keeping all schools open while implementing several enhanced practices.

Enhanced cleaning (buildings and buses):

The custodial staff is now thoroughly trained and equipped to implement enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures. After a thorough cleaning, surfaces are being disinfected using a broad-spectrum antibacterial, virucide, and fungicide which is effective against Norovirus and approved for use in schools and hospitals. Walls, floors, doors and door frames, sinks, drinking fountains, windows, countertops, furniture; any surface that may be touched will be disinfected. Classroom contents are being cleaned and disinfected including keyboards and tablets. All spaces including hallways, gyms, cafeterias, and bathrooms are included. In addition, we are implementing a daily disinfecting protocol on all school buses. We no longer will be closing schools for deep cleaning as this is now our ongoing routine.

Enhanced health practices:

We are reinforcing the importance of following CDC recommendations for practicing common disease prevention measures as the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The first priority is to practice good hand-washing hygiene. Our staff has been encouraged to have students wash their hands when arriving at school, when returning to the classroom from any activity, before and after lunch and snack. Other CDC recommendations include: avoid touching your face with unwashed hands and staying at home when sick. We also encourage practicing the small habits to bolster overall health such as sleep, exercise, and talking with friends.

School Events:

The Vermont Principals Association has today suspended all student events. This includes things like basketball tournaments, Scripps Spelling Bee, and more. The district is attempting to remain in alignment with the VPA and other neighboring organizations that are making decisions about postponement, but it is challenging to do so because of how frequently things are changing. Information about school-specific events, such as drama productions and school productions, will be communicated directly from the school. In some cases, events may go forward with limited attendance, and in other cases events may be canceled based on each school’s unique circumstances. If formal guidance is issued that impacts these decisions, we will communicate that as soon as we can.

Travel and Field Trips:

Student and school-related staff travel out of state have been suspended through the end of April. Decisions about in-state travel are being made locally, with weight being given to the value of the experience to students versus the risk, particularly the number of people to which the students will be exposed and the care being given by the site to following CDC guidelines. Families should exercise their own judgment about field trips and keep students home if that is in their best interest.

Distance Learning and Special Circumstances:

Keeping schools open while practicing enhanced protocols is the level of response that is currently recommended by the Agency of Education and the Department of Health. While we do not anticipate school closure, please know that we are preparing plans for distance learning, including a contingency plan for students who may have additional needs in the event of a school closure or dismissal. This includes planning to support our students who are food insecure and students who have other special educational needs should we close schools to students (referred to as “school dismissal” by the AOE/DOH). This unprecedented decision for CVSD will cause real difficulty for many of our families, is likely to affect student learning, and will only be made with the guidance of the AOE and DOH.

We continue to understand that families are in different circumstances around this topic and respect personal decisions that must be made.

Please explore these resources for managing anxiety around COVID:

• NASP COVID19 Guidance.
• How to talk to kids about the Coronavirus (NY Times)
• What Kids Want to Know About Coronavirus (NPR Comic format)
• How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus (Seattle Times)
• Brainpop video about Coronavirus
• 5 Ways to Help Children with Coronavirus Anxiety - Little Flower Yoga

Above all, we recognize that this is a challenging time for our community. We believe we are making the best decisions we can with the information we have at the moment, and we are responding as quickly as we can to new and ever-changing guidance.

The Champlain Valley School District Administration