Important Updates for Roseville Area Schools Families
October 8, 2020

In this message


Hello Roseville Area Schools families!
This message contains important information on a number of topics, including:
  1. Checking for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to school.
  2. Wear a mask and bring an extra in backpacks!
  3. Transitioning to the blended learning scenario.
  4. Assigning students to a blended learning cohort.
  5. Notifying families of positive cases of COVID-19.
  6. Getting tested for COVID-19.
  7. Reporting school COVID-19 cases from the Minnesota Department of Health.
  8. Accessing meals next week during MEA.
  9. A frequently asked question.
Click on the topic to jump directly to the info you are looking for!

Check for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to school 


All students that come to school must be healthy and have no symptoms that may be related to COVID-19. We need the help of families to make sure their students are well enough to attend school so that school is a safe environment for everyone.
Download this simple tool to help you determine each day if your student or any family member should stay home from school:
This daily screening tool helps you decide if you should go to a school building each day. MDH has provided guidance for schools, including a flow chart when a student or staff member is experiencing the following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Our screening tool is based on this flow chart, which is also available from the state:
COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth, and Child Care Programs (PDF).
Also available in Spanish, Hmong and Somali.
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Remember to wear your mask, and have an extra!


As more students begin to attend school in person, we want to remind you of the importance and requirement of wearing a mask at school at all times. Under the governor's statewide mask mandate, all students and staff in District buildings will be required to wear a face-covering (with the exception of early childhood learners and some special education students). See the requirements of the governor's mask mandate, as well as exemptions. 
Please make sure to have an extra mask in your student's backpack in case their mask becomes soiled or misplaced. Schools will provide masks for students if they need them, but we ask that you send your students prepared each and every day. 
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Transitioning from distance learning to a blended learning Scenario


Next week we begin to transition to a blended learning scenario in stages, starting with students in kindergarten and first grade who will begin attending school in-person four days a week (M, Tu, Th, F) – unless they have opted into the Distance Learning Academy.
Below is a tentative schedule for transitioning grades. The dates assume health and safety conditions are favorable for returning to school in person. 
  • October 12 - Kindergarten, grade 1
  • October 26 - ECSE, pre-K, grades 2 – 3
  • November 9 - Grades 4 – 6
  • December 7 - Grades 7 – 12
Read our plan presented to the board on transitioning to blended learning, and learn more about health and safety at our Reopening page.
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Cohort placement for grade 2 - 6 students in blended learning

Next week we will begin to notify families with students in grades 2 – 6 who have chosen to participate in blended learning of their students’ cohort placements. Students will be placed in either Cohort 1 (M-Tu) or Cohort 2 (Th-F). Families will receive their placement via U.S. mail.
Students placed into Cohort 1 (M-Tu) will attend school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and will participate in asynchronous learning from home on Thursdays and Fridays. Students placed into Cohort 2 (Th-F) will attend school in person on Thursdays and Fridays and participate in asynchronous learning from home on Mondays and Tuesdays. All students, regardless of cohort placement, will participate in asynchronous learning from home on Wednesdays. 
Please watch your mail next week for this important information.
Read the Elementary Blended Learning Handbook.
Read the Elementary Distance Learning Academy Handbook.
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Positive COVID-19 notifications to families


As we transition to blended learning, many families are wondering if and when they will be notified of a confirmed COVID-19 case in their child’s school. Given the local incidence of positive COVID-19 cases in our county and communities, it’s reasonable to expect that schools will see positive case reports from students and staff. When that occurs, there are two types of notifications that may be made if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our schools.

Close contact notifications

If any known school occupant has a confirmed case of COVID-19, school staff will partner with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to conduct contact tracing to identify close contacts of anyone with a confirmed case who attended school while infectious. Close contact is when someone is within six feet of the ill person for at least 15 minutes. All close contacts of a confirmed case will be notified of their exposure and asked to stay at home for 14 days since their last exposure to the confirmed case.

General notifications

The risk of exposure for non-close contact individuals present in the building on that date is no greater than the risk of contracting the virus in the general community. These students and staff are not considered to be at higher risk, and there is nothing additional they need to do. For privacy reasons, schools can’t share many details about the status of a person who tests positive for COVID-19. However, after close contact notifications have been made, schools may sometimes notify families of students who shared a classroom, learning space, bus route or small group with the infected person. Who is notified depends entirely on the specific circumstances of the person’s presence at the school. It is unlikely there will be a mass notification of an entire school community simply because of a single positive case present in the building.
Students and staff who are not close contacts of a person with a confirmed case or who were not in a shared space with an infected person should not expect to receive a notification from the school. These students and staff are not considered to be at higher risk, and there is nothing additional they need to do.
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COVID-19 testing sites


Community testing sites/events are offered by St. Paul – Ramsey County Public Health, and the Minnesota Department of Health, in partnership with local community organizations to provide safe and free COVID-19 testing.
Testing is free, no insurance required, and open to everyone whether or not you have symptoms. An appointment is required, and interpreters are available onsite.
Visit Ramsey County's COVID-19 Testing Site webpage for dates, times, locations and instructions for making an appointment.
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State of Minnesota now reporting school COVID-19 cases


The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is now publicly reporting on confirmed COVID-19 cases that are related to Minnesota schools. This school-related data is part of their weekly data reports that are updated on the bottom of this page every Thursday at 11 a.m. The school-related data will reflect confirmed COVID-19 cases in all Minnesota prekindergarten through grade 12 school buildings including public, nonpublic and tribal schools. Minnesotans will be able to see the aggregate number of school building-related cases throughout the state broken down by the number of cases associated with adults who are employed by a school and students. MDH will also provide the total number of schools impacted with a range of cases: one case, two through four cases, and five or more. School buildings with five or more confirmed COVID-19 cases will be identified by name on MDH’s website.
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Changes to meal pickup schedule next week


Because there is no school next Thursday and Friday (due to MEA), our meal pickup schedule has been changed for next week. We will not have meal pickups on days that school is not in session.
Next week, meals will be available:
  • Monday: RAMS and RAHS - 10 – 11 a.m.
  • Tuesday: RAMS and RAHS - 10 – 11 a.m.; Brimhall, Edgerton - 4 – 6 p.m.
  • Wednesday: RAMS, RAHS - 10 – 11 a.m.; Edgerton, Central Park, Harambee - 4 – 6 p.m.
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A Frequently Asked Question


Are there going to be increased cleaning procedures in buildings?
Custodians will clean and disinfect the common areas in buildings daily. Classrooms will be cleaned daily and disinfected on Tuesdays and Fridays, between cohorts of students. The custodial staff has been equipped with battery-operated sprayers to increase efficiency and accuracy in disinfecting high touch surfaces. We have also equipped our custodial staff with restroom cleaners that will increase the cleaning and disinfecting capabilities of restrooms district-wide. Teachers will have disinfectant for use throughout the day as needed on high touch areas in the classroom.
For more answers to frequently asked questions, visit the FAQ page on our reopening webpage.
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If you have questions, please contact communications@isd623.org.
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1251 County Road B2 W
Roseville, MN | 55113 United States
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