March 13, 2020
Good afternoon Roseville Area Schools families,
This afternoon, Governor Tim Walz gave detailed guidance to schools on steps we should take to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. While the governor has declared a state of emergency for Minnesota, he and state public health officials strongly warned against broad school closures at this time.
However, to prepare for possible closure in the future, we have decided to extend spring break by two days for our nine-month schools and cancel school for students at Harambee for Monday and Tuesday to prepare for a potential future closure.
All Roseville Area Schools will be closed for students on Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17, including all after-school athletics and activities, Friendship Connection and programs at Fairview Community Center. Classes will resume on Wednesday, March 18. The school board will still meet on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
This will allow district staff to do extra planning for COVID-19 with our returning staff. Because many employees and students traveled over spring break, we need to assess exactly who is affected by the new CDC guidelines for a 14-day self-quarantine, which might include some teachers, students and support staff. We will also use these two days to review cleaning and hygiene routines for our schools and to finalize distance learning plans for students so that we are ready if schools need to be closed for an extended time.
The Minnesota Department of Health has asked schools to take these steps to limit social interaction to minimize the risk of person-to-person transmission of the novel coronavirus:
- Stay home when sick.
- We are in cold and flu season. COVID-19 symptoms are similar to these more common infections, and it is far more likely that anyone in Minnesota with respiratory symptoms is suffering from a cold or flu.
- Review federal travel advisories.
- Staff and students who recently traveled within the U.S. or to countries other than those identified as high-risk (click for countries with a Level 3 Travel Health Notice) by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do not have any special restrictions and do not need to seek health care unless they have been identified by public health officials as a contact of a person diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Implement social distancing measures, such as canceling assemblies and large events.
- Check the calendar on isd623.org to see if events are canceled.
- Offer distance learning to students who miss school due to self-quarantine as a result of travel or contact with COVID-19, or who may be staying home because they have an underlying medical condition.
- We will share additional information about distance learning next week.
Community information regarding this virus changes rapidly. We believe that by taking time with our staff for some extra detailed planning, we will create healthier environments for our students to return. Please continue to check isd623.org/coronavirus for regular updates, resources and information for students, staff and families.
As we have for the last couple of weeks, we will continue to communicate with you as circumstances change. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work together during these unusual and ever-changing circumstances.
Warm regards,
Aldo Sicoli
Superintendent
