Dear Parents/Guardians:
As this week comes to a close, we would like to share some important updates and information with you. First and foremost, at the Board of Education meeting on November 11th, an option of adjusting our instructional model was discussed. The Board of Education is in agreement with the recommendation to transition to full remote learning district-wide from January 5th - 18th, with in-person learning resuming on Tuesday, January 19th.
District-wide Remote Learning - January 5th - 18th
● All students will engage in remote learning
● More explicit details will be forthcoming
● In-person learning is expected to resume on Tuesday, January 19th
● The Manhattan Park District will reopen Camp Coyote 2.0 for the two weeks of scheduled remote learning to meet the needs of working parents. Registration will open on Monday, November 16. Visit www.manhattanparks.org for full details and online registration.
Transportation
While we are providing in-person learning as an available instructional model transportation will continue to be offered to all of the students who are eligible, however, we would like to encourage families to provide their own transportation, if able to do so. Physical space constraints of a school bus do not allow for maximum social distancing, resulting in many more students being quarantined as a “close Contact” when there is a positive case. If you would like to change your mode of transportation, please contact our transportation coordinator, Pam DeBoer at pdeboer@manhattan114.org.
COVID-19 Update
● We are committed to maintaining our current models of instruction, including in-person learning, up until winter break, however, with the current rise in cases, it is possible that we may need to revert back to full remote learning at a particular building or district-wide prior to the period of January 5th - 18th. We will monitor positive cases and quarantine numbers closely, and make every attempt to provide as much advance notice as possible.
● Please visit our website for our COVID-19 data. The number of positive cases will be updated weekly, and beginning Monday, November 16th the number of students and/or staff in quarantine will be updated daily at each site.
As we approach the upcoming holiday season we urge you to continue practicing social distancing and proper hand hygiene to help mitigate the impact that COVID-19 has on our ability to provide in-person learning as an instructional model. We are committed to meeting the needs of all our families while doing our very best to maintain the safest possible environment for our staff and students. We are grateful for your support and partnership in education.
Sincerely,
Rusty Ragon, Superintendent of Schools
Kristen Morphew, Director of Curriculum and Instruction