HCSD Announcement
Important Update COVID-19 3.11.20
HCSD Update on COVID-19 3.11.20
March 11, 2020 (Wednesday)
Dear Families,
Thank you for your continued attention to our COVID-19 communication and your flexibility and cooperation. As you know, we are working closely with the San Mateo County Office of Education and San Mateo County Health to understand the situation, including both the risks and the most appropriate response.
Earlier this week, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee attended a meeting in Sacramento held by Governor Newsom to address schools and Coronavirus. The following are some key points from this meeting, which are consistent with what we are hearing from San Mateo County Health as well as the guidance shared by the California Department of Education and the California Department of Public Health on March 7th.
Community spread of Coronavirus is now taking place in California. Therefore, we are focused on mitigation - or minimizing the impact of the virus.
COVID-19 is going to be around for a while. Therefore, schools need to do their best to continue educating children while pursuing steps to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
Children do not seem nearly as susceptible to COVID-19.
The State and County Health are focusing on what they can do to help schools stay open.
Closing school is hugely disruptive to the community and creates other health and safety concerns for students.
HCSD continues to:
Contract with an outside cleaning service to assist our hard-working custodial staff during this demanding time. All learning spaces on all campuses are cleaned and disinfected twice a week in the evenings.
Support classroom educators across the district. Teachers are spending time with their grade levels and/or departments in developing lessons for remote learning, in the event of a school closure and support staff are working to assist in lesson preparation.
This is a link to the latest communication to the community from Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Public Health doctor. His statement ends with, ”Please re-read it [his March 5th letter] slowly and carefully and consider your next actions. And please remember, we are all in this together. Showing each other extra measures of kindness will go a long way.” As HCSD Superintendent, I want to commend our staff for their commitment to best serving our students and families during these challenging times. They are knowledgeable, thoughtful and willing to do what it takes to make this situation as manageable as possible. Let’s all remind each other to practice kindness and patience in the coming weeks and beyond.
Updates to the HCSD Parent Letter dated 3/8/2020
In further response to The California Department of Education and California Department of Public Health Communication:
(NEW) All campus visitors, including parent volunteers, will need to check in with the office and complete a brief questionnaire before being allowed on campus. Parents who are volunteering will need to fill out the questionnaire each time they visit campus.
(UPDATED) All non-essential school activities have been or will be canceled through Spring Break. Site principals will send information to their parents regarding upcoming events. Site-based meetings including school site council, parent group and/or parent group executive board, superintendent coffees, etc., will either be done virtually, held at the District Office, or held at a parent’s home. Principals will coordinate with their parent leaders.
(NEW) We are continuing to work with our “vendors” who support our overnight field trips including the trips to Disneyland (Crocker music students), Washington DC (8th-grade students), and Yosemite (4th-grade students). We are sensitive to the money which has already been paid by parents and we are looking to make decisions on these trips as soon as reasonably possible.
(NEW) North County Recreation League which includes our Hillsborough Recreation program will suspend its 6th Grade Basketball Season and will reassess next steps after Spring Break (4/13). If your child participates in this program, Hillsborough Recreation Director, Tony Giacomazzi has sent a communication to you directly.
(NEW) San Mateo County HEALTH ALERT CENTER: The Alert Center allows you to view all alerts and emergencies in San Mateo County put out by SMC Health in one place. If there are alerts or emergencies, they will be listed here as soon as possible. To be instantly notified of alerts and emergencies subscribe to SMC Alert at www.smcalert.info.
Please continue to use your site principal as your main point of contact. All site administrators and District staff are deeply involved in the planning and communication of the District’s response and are well prepared to lead us through these uncertain times. We could not have more capable leadership at our schools. Please also refer to the HCSD COVID-19 FAQ for the most up to date information.
With gratitude,
Louann Carlomagno, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Hillsborough City School District
Email: news@hcsdk8.org
Location: 300 El Cerrito Avenue, Hillsborough, CA, USA
Phone: 650-342-5193
Facebook: facebook.com/hillsboroughschools
Twitter: @HCSD_k8