Important Message from Dr. Cain
March 15, 2020 ~ To all WSD Administrators
Good Evening,
Good evening. After meeting today with the leaders of the St. Charles County Department of Public Health, we have made a decision to proactively close all schools in the Wentzville School District in response to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning tomorrow, Monday, March 16 through April 3. The goal of the timing and length of this closure is to proactively decelerate the transmission of this virus by limiting contact among individuals for a length of time that could potentially have a similar impact to a quarantine.
Thank you for all you are doing and will do in the coming weeks. I know you have been inundated with questions and feedback as to what we should do and you have led, as you always do, with poise and professionalism.
There are many moving pieces to all of this, but I want to assure you we are working to put the necessary processes in place to support you, our staff and our students.
In preparation for the extended closure that takes us past Spring Break, we are working on:
Providing learning support materials online, via email and hard copy. These are not meant to be a substitute for classroom instruction but will help students practice their skills and learn independently during the closure;
Opportunities to offer meals and continue the Operation Backpack program for students who need it;
Determining who needs to report to work during closure and planning for sustained employee compensation and care during the extended closure;
Identifying the individual needs of students and families and how we can best try to address those.
Here are the messages we have prepared for staff and families that will go out shortly:
This is a time of uncertainty and fear for many in our community. Your leadership will be paramount to helping your staff navigate through this situation both personally and professionally. Your staff members trust you and take comfort in the constancy that you provide. We are asking that you remain present for and responsive to them, as we will be present for and responsive to you. Coming together is critical to the success of all. As you know, we offer much more beyond academics for our students and families. During a closure, our collective leadership will be needed to help our community weather this unprecedented situation. As you work with your employees and families, please let us know what they need and what you need.
Again, thank you for all you do leading through times like this. We will update you as often as we can and provide you with as many resources as possible so that you can effectively manage your building or department through this rapidly-changing situation. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Curtis Cain, Ph.D.
Superintendent