DSD Health and Safety Update

DSD Information Regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

NO SCHOOL INDEFINITELY

We would like to reassure you that keeping our students and staff members healthy and safe is our top priority.

To help protect you and your family, please follow these basic health practices set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Health:
- Wash your hands frequently
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
- Stay home when you are sick
- Follow the Center for Disease Control’s travel guidance

We will keep you informed as we hear from our state agencies and as we plan locally for our own circumstances.

March 17th, 2020

To all DSD Families, Students, and Staff-

Just this afternoon Gov. Evers has altered the school shut down resolution to extend the shutdown indefinitely. In the language of the resolution, Wisconsin's K-12 schools are closed "for the duration of the public health emergency".

The governor also issued a ban on gatherings of 10 people or more.

Here is the link to the Governor's latest update.

https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2020/03/17/file_attachments/1403535/Gov.%20Evers_DHS%20order_3.17.20.pdf

In the meantime, we will continue to provide educational experiences and opportunities in whatever non-traditional ways work for each learner and subject. This entire experience is new to all of us and I greatly appreciate your patience and support.

Jeff Jacobson
District Administrator
Dodgeville School District

March 16, 2020

To All Dodgers and Families-

As we try to answer as many questions as possible, we will continue to communicate on a regular basis. This letter is intended to give you the latest. I am so grateful for the cooperation and support of our staff, parents and students. Let’s do this right and make it mean something. We’ll never know which actions were effective. We’ll do the best we can and rely on the experts to guide us.

ACCESS TO BUILDINGS:

Our school buildings will be closed starting Wednesday, March 18th.

School Office Schedule:

Monday, March 16th: 8 am - 3 pm
Tuesday, March 17th: 8 am - 3 pm
CLOSED: Wednesday, March 18th - remainder of school closure

In emergency situations, please contact our District Office at (608) 935-3307 ext. 5000

If your student needs to pick up belongings (medicine, computers, instruments, books, etc) our school offices will only be open today, Monday, March 16^th and Tuesday, March 17^th from 8 am - 3 pm.

LEARNING SCHEDULE:

More specifics regarding your child’s grade specific learning plan will be shared with parents through their child’s teacher(s). We do expect that our students will do their best, within their circumstances, to do the work their teachers assign.

MEALS:

Beginning today, Monday, March 16th and continuing through Friday, April 3rd, Dodgeville School District will offer free and healthy meals to all school aged students during the school closure period.

Please register for the meals by filling out https://bit.ly/2QgMU2n. If you do not have access to the form, please leave a voicemail at (608) 574-2991 to get registered.

Lunch and breakfast can be picked up between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm from Dodgeville High School or Ridgeway Elementary School.

If your whole family is needing meal assistance, please contact the Iowa Country Food Pantry at (608)935-2326 ext 603.

ATHLETICS AND EVENTS:

All buildings are closed to practices and other district and community group activities beginning Monday, March 16th and throughout the school closure. This includes athletics practices or other extracurriculars that regularly occur on school grounds. The Dodgeville School District also advises that you do not participate in group gatherings, open gyms, or games off-site either. As we learn more, rescheduled events will be posted on our district website at: https://dodgevilleschools.org/calendar

COMMUNICATION:

We will continue to communicate with you throughout the school closure. Please make sure your contact information is up-to-date in Infinite Campus. And, check our social media and website for updates. https://dodgevilleschools.org/district/district_news/what_s_new/d_s_d_health_and_safety_update

SOCIAL DISTANCING:

Schools are closed for a reason. Social distancing is being encouraged by medical experts to help slow the spread of COVID-19. While infected children may not develop severe symptoms, they can still be carriers of the virus and infect more vulnerable people. It is strongly recommended that everyone avoid large gatherings such as attending movies, malls, and other public spaces during the school closure. Avoid getting together with neighbors and friends, especially those who are ill. Video-chatting is a preferred option for social interaction. Try to keep daycare settings small and consistent. If you have any flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, trouble breathing), please stay home and call your doctor.

TRAVEL:

The CDC has very clear guidelines for those considering any travel in the coming days, weeks, and months. Please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html to see their full listing of areas/regions to avoid. Please carefully consider any non-essential travel in the coming weeks. An area may not be considered “high risk” now, but that could change daily. Therefore, we are asking our district families to consider the following:

1. In light of the seriousness of this spreading pandemic, we ask that you please follow the CDC guidance and avoid non-essential travel.

2. Please be prepared for the possibility that upon return from any trip, you might be directed to quarantine or isolate yourself. Any student or employee who is forced to self-quarantine will not be penalized. We have relaxed attendance rules for COVID-19 related issues. The goal is to stop the spread of the virus by limiting contact among ourselves (self-quarantining and avoiding large-scale events where there is a likelihood of exposure).

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES:

As a reminder, the most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to follow the standard preventive practices. There are a number of steps we can all take to minimize the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19:

· Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

· Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

· Stay home when you are sick.

· Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

· Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

This situation is new for everyone, and it is constantly changing. We are doing our best to make the right decisions for our staff, students and community. We will communicate with you any additional information or guidance as it becomes available. Thank you, again, for your patience and support.

March 15, 2020

DSD Families-

In the best interest of the health of our students, staff, and families, we have decided to also cancel class tomorrow, Monday, March 16th and Tuesday, March 17th. This closure will extend until through Sunday, April 5. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to navigate through this. Please stay healthy and safe!

March 14, 2020

Dodgeville School District Families-

The School District will be closed from Wednesday, March 18th through Sunday, April 5th. This includes all activities and events. Teachers will be working with their students to provide non-traditional educational opportunities.

Dodgeville School District’s Extended School Closure Meal Program:

Dodgeville School District will offer free and healthy meals to all school aged students during the upcoming school closure period. Please register for the meals by filling out https://bit.ly/2QgMU2n. If you do not have access to the form, please leave a voicemail at (608) 574-2991 to get registered.

Breakfast will be sent home with students on Tuesday, March 17th for Wednesday, March 18th. Beginning on Wednesday and continuing through Friday, April 3rd, lunch and breakfast can be picked up between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from Dodgeville High School or Ridgeway Elementary School.

If your family is needing meal assistance, please contact the Iowa Country Food Pantry at (608) 935-2326 ext 603.

March 13, 2020

In a press conference today, Governor Evers announced he is closing all Wisconsin schools from Wednesday, March 18, 2020 through at least April 6, 2020.

Our District’s Administration Team will be working throughout the weekend to continue planning for school closure and distance learning. We will touch base and communicate additional information early next week.

We know this decision will have an enormous impact on our students, staff, families, and community. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time as we work to provide answers to your questions.

March 13, 2020

To All Dodgers,

In the ongoing developments regarding the COVID-19 virus, the Dodgeville School District is canceling all student travel and all activities that would bring non-students/non-staff community members into our building until April 6. Concerts, performances, contests and activities that would bring an audience are postponed as of today. It is our hope that many of these activities can be rescheduled at another time, but we will watch developments across the country and respond appropriately. We will continue to have practices for school activities and athletics.

During this time, our buildings will not be available to outside groups. Our custodians work on a daily basis to disinfect our buildings and it is not prudent at this time to invite additional folks into our buildings. Everything I have read about this virus is that it is the flu. For those of us who are young and healthy, we might get sick but it probably isn’t life threatening. However, we are potential carriers and until we know more about how this virus is transmitted, we need to protect each other.

Spring Break Travels - I am aware that many of you will be traveling over spring break. At this time, the Center for Disease Control does not have travel advisories in place for domestic travel however, in the spirit of protecting each other we need to be smart about how we manage this travel. This website is an excellent guide for domestic travel. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html

If you are traveling to China, Italy, Iran, South Korea or going on a cruise ship,you should be prepared to self-quarantine for fourteen days after you return.

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Potential closure - There are states that have shut down their entire school systems. If this should happen in Wisconsin, or in Dodgeville in particular, our teachers are prepared to offer education in a virtual manner whether that be through electronic avenues or other planned activities for their students. We certainly know these activities are not an even trade for classroom interaction and shared learning experiences, but we will learn lots of different lessons.

There are many “what if” possibilities. If schools is unable to be held, know that we are considering the following:

Making meals available.
Allowing our support staff to work (in some capacity).
Ongoing instruction and learning activities.

Again, I appreciate everyone’s understanding in this situation that seems to change on a daily basis. We have our priorities straight, and that starts with student and community safety.

Jeff Jacobson
District Administrator

March 12th, 2020:

DSD Families-

We are all aware of the news involving the spread of the coronavirus and the measures organizations are taking to increase safety. Our School Nurse, Ann Jenkins, is in regular contact with the County Health Department and the State Health Department. In a call this morning, the County Health Department was not issuing any further precautions.

We repeat:
- If you are ill, stay home.
- Wash your hands frequently.

At this point, we are preparing contingency plans for school activities. As families, I would suggest you give some thought to the possibility that schools could be closed for an extended period. We aren't in that situation and there is much to consider if that conversation begins. If school closure were to occur, it would likely come from a State Health Department decree.

For now, practice the good habits that protect yourselves and others. I will keep you informed as we hear from our state agencies and as we plan locally for our own circumstances.

Jeff Jacobson
District Administrator

March 11, 2020:

Dodger Families-

We continue to watch the news carefully surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. With Spring Break fast approaching, many members of our community will be traveling. At this point, the Center for Disease Control has cautions published for travelers to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. These advisories recommend that travelers to these countries self-monitor their symptoms and be prepared to self-quarantine for 14 days after their return. More specifically, the Center provides the following guidelines for those who are in a self-quarantine situation:

Stay home for 14 days from the time you left an area with widespread, ongoing community spread (Level 3 Travel Health Notice countries) and practice social distancing.

Take these steps to monitor your health and practice social distancing:

Take your temperature with a thermometer two times a day and monitor for fever. Also watch for cough or trouble breathing.
Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not go to work or school for this 14-day period. Discuss your work situation with your employer before returning to work.
Do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares during the time you are practicing social distancing.
Avoid crowded places (such as shopping centers and movie theaters) and limit your activities in public.
Keep your distance from others (about 6 feet or 2 meters).

There are currently no warnings published for domestic travel so we are not restricting school trips. However, this is an ever-evolving situation and we will continue to assess using the best information we have available.

Should an outbreak occur locally, the Public Health Department will dictate our actions. These health care professionals are responsible to guide our actions as a society. We are individually responsible to monitor ourselves and protect ourselves and others. Should we need to close school for a bit, we will accommodate with virtual learning possibilities where practical. You never know, maybe we’ll end up being glad we haven’t had any snow days this year.

As is always true, should your student need to miss a significant amount of school due to contact with the coronavirus, our staff is willing to work with them to allow opportunity for make-up of any missed classwork. If you have questions regarding safe travel and return protocol, the Center For Disease Control website is a great place for additional information. On a more local level, our school nurse Ann Jenkins also works to stay familiar with the latest on how to stay healthy by protecting yourself and how to respond should you feel ill. Do not hesitate to give her a call.

Jeff Jacobson
District Administrator