DHS Update March 18, 2020
3/18/20
From Mr. Hatfield
Please see www.csdecatur.net/covid19 for district updates
Hey y'all,
First, I'd like to say a huge thank you to
- Our assistant principals, custodians, maintenance workers, and nutrition workers who have been at DHS the last few days making sure that everyone has what they need to be successful in the coming weeks
- Our counselors and support staff for are making sure students and families are cared for
- Our teachers for are making sure students are able to continue learning
- Our office staff and paraprofessionals for helping us communicate and check in during this closure
Thank you for everything you've done and are continuing to do in support of one another. As of 5 pm today, Decatur High School is closed to all non-essential staff and visitors, with the exception of students coming in for meals. Here are some implications of that closure.
Picking up your stuff
Until school reopens, we are no longer able to grant access to DHS in order for you to retrieve your belongings. Please do not ask to access the building during meal distribution times. These requests will be denied.
Requests for physical copies of documents
If you need to request a physical copy of a transcript you may do so, but please know that our timeline for turning around these requests will not be fast. Certificates of Enrollment must be printed and notarized. We cannot email them. We are, therefore, suspending requests for Certificates of Enrollment.
Stored Medication
Today was the last day that Nurse Fletcher was at the high school to return medication. If you need to request medication, please email her at hfletcher1@csdecatur.net. Again, we may not be able to handle your request.
Access to Facilites
All Decatur High School facilities are off-limits to families and students, including the field. We understand that many kids want to get out to work out and play and we sympathize, but we cannot allow use of the field.
Take care, everyone. We're going to continue to do our best on behalf of all DHS students. I'll be in touch regularly throughout this closure.
Support from DHS Counseling
Access Checks
Physical Copies of Work
Meals for Students
Meal distribution will begin on March 18. The Nutrition Department will provide all students the option to pick up two meals a day from Decatur High School. These meals will be a cold breakfast and shelf-stable lunch. The program is open to all City Schools of Decatur students. We are unable to extend this meal service to siblings who are not CSD students, parents/guardians, or the general public. Meals will be available for pickup daily 9:00am-11:00am. Students may only pick up two meals (one breakfast and one lunch) per day and may not purchase additional meals. The CSD student must be present to pick up their meal. To avoid lines and to adhere to social distancing best practices, we ask that you take advantage of the full window for pick up. Families will not be allowed to linger after meal pick up.
All meal prices will remain the same as a typical school day and all approved free and reduced lunch applications will be honored. It is unclear whether this is something our students will take advantage of; we will evaluate this program throughout our closure to determine if participation is high enough to continue or require modifications.
Questions or Needs During the Closure
The district has created a form to submit questions regarding COVID-19 so we can ensure we are addressing the things you want to know. Please submit your questions at http://bit.ly/CV19Q. We will issue updates at least once a day via email and our website (https://www.csdecatur.net/covid19) and our other communication mechanisms as more information becomes available.
Plans for work going forward
Starting Friday, March 27th, you can expect to see
- Students being assigned mandatory work in all of their classes
- Teachers assigning work that will be graded
- Some assignments that were paused last week picking back up where they left off
Starting Friday, March 27th, you should not expect to see
- Expectations for students to follow the DHS bell schedule from home
- Expectations that teachers follow the DHS bell schedule from home
Our teachers and our students are wearing many hats right now. Many of our teachers are not only teaching their DHS students, they're also homeschooling their own kids. Many are also taking care of family members in other ways. Many of our students have responsibilities to younger siblings and other family members during the day, as well. We will create a system that sets reasonable expectations of our teachers and students that gives all students rich learning opportunities.
Financial Procedures Paused
We have a limited number of yearbooks still available for purchase at jostens.com.