Weekly Closure Update #1
To keep you informed, and the emails limited!
State Updates- Governor and Commissioner
The Governor has released this order:
NOTICE: Executive order from Governor Lamont: All non-essential functions in Connecticut should suspend in-person operations beginning Monday, March 23 at 8:00 p.m. This excludes any entity providing essential services or functions, such as healthcare, food service, law enforcement, and similar services. Businesses are strongly encouraged to employ work-from-home procedures. Additional guidance for businesses regarding this order will be released over the weekend. >> Read the Governor's announcement
In my research about where schools fall in the Executive Order, we come under the Government Facilities Sector.
GOVERNMENT FACILITIES SECTOR
The Government Facilities Sector includes a wide variety of buildings, located in the United States and overseas, that are owned or leased by federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Many government facilities are open to the public for business activities, commercial transactions, or recreational activities while others that are not open to the public contain highly sensitive information, materials, processes, and equipment. These facilities include general-use office buildings and special-use military installations, embassies, courthouses, national laboratories, and structures that may house critical equipment, systems, networks, and functions. In addition to physical structures, the sector includes cyber elements that contribute to the protection of sector assets (e.g., access control systems and closed-circuit television systems) as well as individuals who perform essential functions or possess tactical, operational, or strategic knowledge.
Sector Overview The Education Facilities Subsector covers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools, institutions of higher education, and business and trade schools. The subsector includes facilities that are owned by both government and private sector entities.
So for this reason and the fact that we are continuing to use the schools as a home base to prepare food for delivery to all students and their siblings in the seven school districts, our schools will continue to stay closed to the public, but will be places of work for the Food Service Staff and the Custodians. Secretaries will continue to work in their school space, by themselves, if they are unable to do their work at home. Support staff will continue to work half of the allotted work time and will continue to receive full pay.
Food Service Staff and Custodians will continue to follow these procedures in the attached document.
This arrangement of work personnel may change if we receive different directives from the Governor.
Additional news from the State Commissioner in the Dept. of Education and CAPSS
(CT. Association of Public School Superintendents)
The Commissioner asked that CAPSS work on guidance in the area of non-renewal, grades, high school requirements, and equitable use of staff. Attorney Mooney and Attorney Natalia Sieira–Millan is working with us on that, and we will send that guidance to the Commissioner and membership within the next few days. We have also been asked by the Commissioner to work on district best practices on distribution of food, distance learning, engaging students without access to technology, and engaging in collaborative practices with bargaining unit leaders. CAPSS area chairs are presently gathering that information, and we will share it.
Mrs. Mott Updates
- Per the order above, Pam has requested that all teachers who need to get into the building to gather materials do so tomorrow. I know that this may not work for most of you, but if you absolutely need to get into the building, I would do it sooner rather than later. It is possible that another day this week, we could get a "State Shutdown" request, so we need to be prepared. Please email me if you need to come in- I will be running my Zoom meetings out of the office and can buzz you in the front door. We also need to let the custodial staff know which rooms have been occupied.
- Mike Ellington has recommended that we use Google Meet over Zoom as much as possible due to the State regulations on programs. If you are having trouble with Google Meet, please use Zoom to fit your needs.
- SBAC and NGSS assessments have been waived for this year. Yay!
- A device request for 3rd and 4th graders will go out tomorrow. We have had many requests from individual students and will try to get them all connected as quickly as possible.
- We are planning a Virtual Spirit Week for 3/30 - 4/3. Marci and I have been getting ideas from other schools- more info to come.
KCS March "Outing"
Happy Hour and Trivia!
Join your staff on Kahoot and Zoom for some friendly competition and virtual cheers!
More details to come.