Important Message from Dr. Cain
March 16, 2020 ~ To all WSD Administrators
Good Afternoon,
We recognize that this is an unprecedented time and things are moving quickly. We will continue to provide as much information as possible as quickly as possible to support your students’ and teachers’ needs. We apologize for the length of the message, but please do take the time to read it in full.
Virtual Admin Meeting
You will be receiving a calendar invite for a virtual meeting tomorrow at 9am. Please make every effort to participate so we can share more information and answer any questions you may have.
Teaching & Learning
Included below is an email that will be going out to teachers and staff today. Some important components to be aware of at this time:
Continued Learning Plans: We are going to pause on our continued learning plans being sent home at this time. Because the extended school closure occurred sooner than we anticipated, we are asking that all continued learning plans wait and do not get sent out to students until after spring break. We will be in touch with more direction after spring break in regards to when learning plans should go into place. If you have teachers that have already been communicating with students, please let them know that work does not need to be started until after spring break. We want to give students and families and staff time to adjust to this unprecedented time.
Access to Schools: We realize that many teachers need to come up to school to pick up materials and access the work they are sending home to students. In addition, they need to bring home everything they need to complete grades. We are asking that all teachers come up in the next three days if they need to access materials. They are encouraged to bring home everything they might need at that time. At the close of the business day on Thursday, schools will be closed to all staff with the exception of critical personnel.
Delivery of Continued Learning Plans: Because we are holding off on sending out continued learning plans, we will not set up a system to get materials delivered to students at this time. We will be in touch with more details regarding this.
3rd Quarter Grades: Grades will continue to be due on March 29th. Teachers should bring home materials to complete grades at home during this time.
Access to Devices: At this time, we are not planning to send devices home with students in grades K-6. As this situation evolves, we may re-examine that and we are currently taking the necessary steps to ensure we know who might need access to a device in the future.
Requirements placed on students during this time: Nothing should be required of students at this time. Resources can be shared but we are asking that all required work and continued learning plans hold off until after spring break.
Human Resources and Payroll
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be open for any staff to come in and pick up any items they need. You might ensure that refrigerators are cleaned out. This will be the only opportunity to do so prior to April 3rd. To ensure deep cleaning is effective, we do not want staff other than custodians and a rotating administrator present in the buildings after Thursday at the close of business. This is not a time to get “caught up” at school. Salaried employees may choose to take work home and work from home, but we do not want people in and out of buildings. Except for approved extenuating circumstances and critical employees (custodians, maintenance), we should not be requiring hourly employees to work during this time. Please do not assign hourly employees to work. If you have a problem to work through, please ask Pam and Jen.
Please send Pam Glidewell a list of these specific long-term subs:
We will pay long-term subs who, at the time of closure, were considered the rostered teacher of a classroom when or if they are asked to continue to plan or engage with students going forward during the closure. Please include them on any emails that go out to teachers regarding picking up materials and e-learning opportunities.
Please approve Time Clock Plus for hourly staff in your buildings. Principals need to reconcile Time Clock Plus no later than Wednesday to ensure that payroll can be processed.We are adding the code “241-COVID 19” to Time Clock Plus for employee's time sheets. Questions should be directed to Emilie Vaughan or Rick Angevine for guidance.
HR will take care of reconciling all absences in AESOP.
If you receive any questions regarding FMLA, ADA, or any other HR related questions, please forward to Pam Glidewell and Jen Hecktor. There is an FAQ document for employees that will be updated regularly.
If you have active postings that will close, or if you are in the midst of an interview process, please get in touch with Jen and Pam. We will give you guidance on a case-by-case basis.
Any employees who are in buildings through Thursday, and custodians and building administrators for the duration of this closure, need to be highly aware of their own personal risk and potential to expose others. No employees should enter the building if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath). Please continue to exercise caution with social distancing.
Parents and students wanting to pick up items
We would like to provide times for parents and students to pick up items; including medication, personal items, etc. We are sharing that beginning at 12 Noon tomorrow (Tuesday) until the close of your normal school day, and during what would be your normal school hours on Wednesday, parents can come pick up those items. Please coordinate this with your school nurse for both days. You will need to have an administrator on-site during this entire window of time.
Meals for Students
We will be providing daily grab & go meals for students at the three high schools in a drive thru setting from 11:00am-12:30pm. We will provide lunch and breakfast for the next day at each distribution. Details will be in the parent message.
We are receiving a number of messages from the community inquiring how people can help related to providing food for students during the closure. If you hear from anyone, please forward them to Kathy DeLaquil so we can coordinate that with our Operation Backpack partners.
Thank you for everything you are doing to help navigate through all of this. We look forward to meeting (virtually!) with you tomorrow.
Curtis Cain, Ph.D.
Superintendent