Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians, and Community Members,
Today, March 17, 2020, Governor Laura Kelly announced all school facilities will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Obviously this is impactful news and will place a tremendous hardship on our students, parents, staff and community. We are now in uncharted territory and will need to depend upon each other as we traverse this unfamiliar landscape. It is important to keep in mind at this very moment that we are in this together and as a unified group we will work through this successfully. As we continue down this path together, please know that Unified School District 456 - Marais des Cygnes Valley is greatly committed to the education of our students, the well-being of our students and staff, and the support of our families.
It is important to note that although school facilities will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, our duty to educate our students has not changed. Tomorrow, KSDE will release information about a plan they are heading up called "Continuous Learning." From this framework, school districts in Kansas will develop plans on how to continue with student learning for the duration of our designated school year. This work is expected to span into the duration of next week. Communication will occur as soon as those plans begin to materialize and certain details can be finalized.
KSDE and USD 456 have been working collaboratively on contingency plans since last week, including how we can meet the ongoing learning needs of our students and continue to provide food service. That communication and collaboration will continue to assist us with this newly assigned task.
Additionally, work is occurring on other critical issues, such as what this means for our seniors, extra-curricular activities, sports programs, the effect on the next school year and what impact this will have on our families and employees. We will provide updates on these issues as soon as the information is available.
We are committed to working together as a community to support one another throughout these unprecedented times, and communication will remain a top priority. Please continue to monitor district messaging through phone calls, texts, app notifications, and social media.
As a reminder, this school closure is in response to the current public health crisis. Please continue to focus on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Please be mindful of the following:
-Avoid large group social gatherings.
-Avoid exposing the elderly or people with compromised health.
-Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
-Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing
-Keep sick children at home.
-Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.
Follow additional guidance from these sources: National Center for Disease Control (CDC), Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)
Thank you for your support and do not hesitate to reach out to the school district office at 785-549-3521, if you need assistance.