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

March 11, 2020 Update

March 11, 2020 Update

We are writing to provide you another update around COVID-19 concerns in CVSD.

As you know, both Williston schools were open today after a deep cleaning.

In addition, we are sharing information with you about the health of our Williston colleague. The employee is understanding of the concerns raised throughout this situation, and as a result, is voluntarily sharing some details with our district. Please understand that the district can only share this information because of the employee’s specific consent. Should similar situations occur in the future, the district would not be able to share the same type of information without the express permission of the employee.

Over February break, the employee stayed at a hotel where a large corporate meeting was being held. Upon their return, the staff member became ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, only then becoming aware that more than 70 cases of confirmed COVID-19 would be tied to the meeting at that hotel. After consulting with their physician and testing negative for the flu, the employee followed the direction of their physician and contacted the Vermont Department of Health as soon as they could. Our employee was subsequently tested for the COVID-19 virus. We were notified today that the test was negative.

It is important to note that as of this time there are no known cases of COVID-19 in CVSD.

We continue to be grateful to the employee for their appropriate and conscientious response to the situation, and to the school community for their patience during this process.


~ The Champlain Valley School District Administration

March 9, 2020 Update

March 9, 2020

Thank you for your patience and consideration as we work through many details and strive to get answers for all members of our communities. We have received many inquiries after our message went out this morning about closing the Williston Schools. We will do our best to answer the most common questions below. 

Will the Williston Schools be open tomorrow, March 10th?

The CVSD Leadership team has had the opportunity to consult with both the Agency of Education (AOE) and Vermont Department of Health (DOH), as well as to discuss the relevant details of our specific situation. After much consideration, we have made the decision to close the Williston Schools for one additional day; therefore, the Williston Schools will be closed on Tuesday, March 10th. Both schools will reopen on Wednesday, March 11th.

The original decision to close today (Monday) was based on the information available to the administration Sunday evening, without the benefit of guidance from the AOE and DOH. In an abundance of caution, we opted to close. This gives us time to fully clean our schools (see below for details about deep cleaning). While we are doing everything we can to keep our school community safe, it is also true that it is important for our schools to be open and available to students and families. Based on the guidance from the AOE and DOH, it is clear to us that the best decision is to reopen the Williston schools on Wednesday, March 11th. This allows our custodial team time to complete the deep cleaning process and also allows families and staff to feel more confident that the building is ready for learning. We trust that families and staff will make individual decisions as necessary.

The Agency of Education is in the process of developing additional protocols for situations related to the health and wellness of school staff and students. The District will continue to follow their guidance as it is shared.

Can you inform us about who the staff member was?

We need to respect the privacy of the staff member and cannot and will not be releasing that person’s name or other identifiers. 

Can you provide any details about how much interaction they may have had with other staff and students?

At this point, the district is awaiting guidance from the Department of Health about notification. We have been made aware that if notification is required, it would come directly from the Department of Health, as this is a public health issue. The District does not have the authority to release information about staff and students. We would advise that if you or your child becomes symptomatic, or if you have health-related questions, you should contact your physician or the Department of Health.

Is the staff member getting tested or will they be tested for COVID-19?

The staff person has contacted the Department of Health and is abiding by their recommendations regarding testing procedures. If the person tests positive, the Department of Health would manage any and all notifications.

Will the families of children who were in direct contact be notified?

Any notification would come from the Department of Health. We would advise that if you or your child becomes symptomatic, or if you have health-related questions you should contact your physician or the Department of Health.

Why were both of the Williston schools closed? What about siblings that attend CVU?

Closing both of the Williston schools is largely due to the fact that there are staff members that work in both buildings and our school buses are used for students in both buildings. CVU students do not ride the same buses nor do they have the same teachers. 

How long are the schools going to be closed? Families need this information for childcare and work purposes.

At this point, the Williston Schools are closed on Tuesday, March 10 in addition to today. It is our intention that schools will open as usual on Wednesday, March 11th. We will keep people informed as often as we can.

What type of disinfecting is happening at Allen Brook?

The custodial staff at both Allen Brook and Williston Central are cleaning and disinfecting all spaces from top to bottom. The custodial staff has received training in the proper use of disinfectants and are wearing appropriate Personal Protection Equipment. After a thorough cleaning, surfaces we will be disinfected using a broad spectrum anti-bacterial, 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. All classroom contents are being cleaned and disinfected including keyboards and tablets. All spaces including hallways, gyms, cafeterias, and bathrooms are included. In addition, all school buses are being cleaned and disinfected. 

Will Williston schools need to make up these two days?

State law requires that schools be in session for a minimum of 175 days. The CVSD School Board, with guidance from the AOE, will make decisions about the school calendar at a later date.

If we are canceling school because there was a potential threat of coronavirus will we be canceling if it spreads to others in our community? Is there an existing plan for online instruction if needed?

The original decision to close today (Monday) was based on the information available to the administration Sunday evening, without the benefit of guidance from the AOE and DOH. Today, we have had the opportunity to consult with the two lead agencies. The information gathered from those consultations, in addition to fully considering the information we have today has led us to the decision that it is in the best interest of students and families to reopen on Wednesday. Moving forward, we will continue to abide by protocols established by the AOE and DOH.

We remind everyone that there are proactive public health measures we can all use. We have shared information about handwashing and other recommendations from the CDC on the COVID-19 headline on the District’s website. www.cvsdvt.org

Thank you, 

The Champlain Valley School District Administration

Williston Schools Closed March 9, 2020

March 9, 2020

Dear Champlain Valley School District Families:

The situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve around the world. In the past week, we have heard from families who are seeking guidance on precautions and we have heard from those who are expressing concerns. We all understand that we have a social responsibility to each other in situations like this as we are one community. Here in our district, we take this responsibility seriously.

To that point, a staff member in our Williston school system returned to Vermont after staying at a hotel in another state at the end of the February break. Since then, it has been determined that multiple positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed with guests who stayed at the same hotel. Under the advice of the staff member’s doctor, the staff member has self-quarantined at home after sharing that they had some cold symptoms. That staff member is following CDC protocol and has contacted the Vermont Department of Health. At this time, there is no confirmation that the staff member's symptoms are connected to the coronavirus outbreak.

As we await more information, it is out of an abundance of caution that we have decided that both of the Williston Schools will be closed on Monday, March 9. We will fully and completely disinfect as a preventive measure and will wait for further direction from the Vermont Department of Health. Williston families and guardians have already been informed and we wanted the CVSD community to be aware as well.

In these unusual circumstances as the national picture continues to evolve and with the strong presence of social media, we know it is easy to begin speculating and questioning. We ask for your patience and respect for our staff member, their family, and our school communities.

If you have any questions, please email cvsdinformation@cvsdvt.org and we will try to answer as quickly as possible.

We will keep you informed via email and Connect 5 messages.

The CVSD Administration

Crossing Generations

Here's a guest post from Justine Benoit, grade 1 and 2 teacher in Harmony House at the Allen Brook School. 

First and second grade students in Harmony House have become pen pals with some very special people. They are writing to residents of the Wake Robin community in Shelburne. What began as a fun way to connect with the community outside of our school has become much more. Students are learning through the whole group, the teacher-led writing, and small group shared writing experiences. More importantly, they are learning about exciting experiences the residents have had. Mrs. Benoit's classroom had been reading a biography of Helen Keller. The most exciting surprise was receiving a letter from a resident that had met Helen Keller!

We asked residents of Wake Robin what they thought about student pen pals:

“I just plain love kids. They are my forte. I love when they ask me questions that others might not think of asking.” 

“ I love this activity. It brings all of us closer as human beings.”

We asked students why they enjoyed having pen pals:

"It's fun to see what they've gotten to do."

"We get to know people that we don't actually know."

"I like knowing someone that knows someone we've been studying about ." ( Helen Keller)

"Because we can be nice."

"I think how they are smarter than us and have done stuff in the old fashioned days and I want to learn. I want to learn about how they played and stuff."

Harmony House applied for a grant and will be visiting our pen pals in the spring. Making slime together is the plan!

Valentines that students sent to Wake Robin residents.

Valentines that Wake Robin residents sent to students.

March 6, 2020 Update

March 6, 2020

Dear CVSD Families:

With the increased intensity of news reports and social media posts regarding the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19), comes speculation about the impact this virus may eventually have on school communities. It is important for you to know the most accurate and timely information about this health concern.

We continue to work at the district level to ensure that we are planning appropriate precautionary steps while we work through this possible health and safety challenge. We are working closely with the Vermont Department of Health. Over the past several days, we have spent hours researching and in conversation with health authorities and the Agency of Education learning how they can help school districts in Vermont prepare for any possible health emergencies.

The safety of our students and staff is our priority. Please be assured that we are working with individual families who seek guidance and those who express concerns. What we are able to provide is the latest information that comes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the State Department, the World Health Organization and the Vermont Department of Health. This is a very fluid situation and the sites are updated regularly. We recommend you bookmark those sites so you can check them as you feel the need.

We have open and effective lines of communication with our public health officials and the Vermont Agency of Education and will alert students, staff, and parents if we receive direction related to COVID-19. Any potential school closing (and reopening) due to illness will be guided by public health officials. While education is important, the health and wellbeing of our students and staff are far more significant.

As a reminder, please use these preventative hygiene practices:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If not available, use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• If you are sick, please stay home and avoid contact with others.

According to public health officials, the way COVID-19 is spread is very similar to the flu and common colds. For this reason, we are encouraging our students and staff to actively wash their hands and take all of the same precautions they would normally take to avoid these illnesses. Please encourage your children to do the same at home as they build healthy habits.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update you as we have more information. You can find additional links and information on the District page of our website www.cvsdvt.org. If you have any questions, please email cvsdinformation@cvsdvt.org and we will try to answer as quickly as possible.

Thank you, 

The Champlain Valley School District Administration

March 1, 2020 Welcome Back

March 1, 2020

Dear CVSD Community:

Welcome back from what we hope was a restful and enjoyable break! Typically, Sundays before the return to school after a vacation provide mixed feelings for students, families, and educators alike; no matter how excited we may be, there is a normal level of anxiousness as we head back to work. For some, those feelings of nervousness are heightened after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent media attention that follows.

We write to let you know that CVSD is working with the Agency of Education and Department of Health to ensure we are appropriately informed and prepared if COVID-19 cases are reported. As of February 28, there were no cases of people with COVID-19 in Vermont; in addition, as of today, there have been no cases reported in CVSD. As was shared with us in a recent letter by Secretary Dan French, it is important to note that at this point, Vermont residents are much more likely to become sick with a cold or the flu than to be exposed to COVID-19. Many of the precautions that help prevent other respiratory diseases, like colds and the flu, can also help keep an illness like COVID-19 from spreading:

• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with your sleeve or a tissue. Throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

While the above is comforting in the short term, please know that we would rather be over-prepared than under and will share the information we learn going forward. For those who would like to learn more, please see the links below:


Vermont Department of Health Resource

What you need to know-COVID-19

COVID-19 Travel Resource


Thank You,


The Champlain Valley School District Administration