Prairie Lea ISD
Coronavirus [COVID-19] Updates
SUPERINTENDENT'S COVID-19 UPDATE LETTER RE: SCHOOL CLOSURE
Earlier today, Governor Greg Abbott announced an executive order to close all schools in the state of Texas for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. Prairie Lea ISD, along with all other districts in the state, will comply with this executive order and continue our remote learning that is currently in place for the rest of the school year. Although our buildings remain closed, students will continue to receive instruction and assignments through our Home Learning (Instructional Continuity) platform.
We know this news will be difficult for many of our students and staff to take in. Our students want to return to school and see their friends and classmates. Please know that our teachers are missing their students just as much. When we are able to return to school, we will be one big family together in one place, but for now, we must be together in spirit while remaining apart.
This closure through the end of the school year is not how our seniors envisioned their last year of high school, and we are especially heartbroken for them. The district wants to provide our seniors with the experience of walking across the stage and receiving their diploma. We have not yet officially postponed our graduation ceremonies currently scheduled for May 29, but we are exploring other options to provide our seniors with a graduation experience, as we do not know what orders our city and county will be under at that time.
Just as we have transitioned from our brick and mortar buildings to our homes, this unprecedented situation has also caused us to reconsider and transition our grading policies, regulations, and guidelines to fit our new reality. After much discussion and careful thought, our Board of Trustees approved adjusted grading guidelines and policies for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. We believe these new guidelines will allow us to measure a students' mastery of the district curriculum, provide timely and meaningful feedback to students and parents, and allow for multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of learning while at home.
A detailed outline of our COVID-19 grading guidelines can be found on our Home Learning website and the district's homepage. Please reach out to the teachers or principal with questions about these guidelines.
Please continue to monitor our website for further information and updates, www.plisd.net.
I am proud of each and every one of our students and teachers for how they have handled our transition to remote learning. Whether you are using online resources or our paper packets that are available, our PLISD family has not let learning stop through all this change. We are all in this together as one big family and we will continue to passionately serve in the best interest of students in PLISD.
Thank you,
Mr. Larry Markert
PLISD Superintendent of Schools
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Important Links
CDC on COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
CDC on COVID-19 in Texas: https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/
CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
CDC Confirmed Cases of COVID-19: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
Videos
CDC Handwashing Videos (English/Spanish)
______________________________________________________________________
- FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots
- Comcast COVID-19 response: offers free WiFi for 2 months to low income families plus all Xfinity hot-spots are free to the public during this time
- Charter/Spectrum COVID-19 response: Free Internet offer for 2 months
- AT&T COVID-19 response: offers open hot-spots, unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low income families
- Verizon COVID-19 response: no special offers, but following the FCC agreement
- Sprint COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, 3/17/2020, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge (it is assumed others will follow)
- T-Mobile COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, plus unlimited data to existing customers, and, coming soon, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge
Superintendent's Letter - March 26, 2020
COVID-19 UPDATE LETTER RE: SCHOOL CLOSURE
Prairie Lea ISD is committed to keeping families up to date with information on COVID-19 as we receive guidance from the CDC, the Texas Department of State and Health Services, local officials, and health care providers.
Superintendent
Superintendent's Letter - March 12, 2020 (English)
March 12, 2020
Student and staff health and safety remain our top priority. Although we have no confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Prairie Lea ISD or Caldwell County, we wanted all constituents to be aware of the preparedness plan we have in place.
District leadership monitors potential health issues by staying in touch with the CDC, the Texas Department of State and Health Services, local officials, and health care providers to prepare for and respond to any potential coronavirus situation. Health officials continue to consider the risk to our schools and the general public to be extremely low at this time; there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Caldwell County. Should a need arise for the District to take action on any aspect of our District health and safety plan, Prairie Lea ISD will inform parents and families through all District communications channels and local media. Any decisions would be made with the interest of our families in mind and in consultation with health authorities. The CDC has urged schools to plan for remote learning in preparation for a possible extended closures. We are certainly aware that many of our students don’t have internet access at home. This is a common challenge for many communities. In this case, it is recommended that we send classroom work home. Our Campus Leadership Team (CLT) is preparing plans for this and we will keep you up to date.
As a district, we will continue to clean and disinfect our schools and facilities for the safety of everyone. We have posted visual signs in hallways and restrooms regarding best practices. Based on the current information, health officials recommend we take the same steps to protect against coronavirus as we take to prevent the spread of everyday illnesses like the common cold or the flu:
- 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
- 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 mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow when you cough or sneeze; and
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Centers for Disease Control: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Information on PLISD’s response to coronavirus may be found at www.plisd.net/studenthealth.
Thank you,
Larry Markert
Superintendent, Prairie Lea ISD
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Superintendent's Letter - March 12, 2020 (Spanish)
12 de Marzo de 2020
La salud y la seguridad de los estudiantes y el personal siguen siendo nuestra principal prioridad. Aunque no tenemos casos confirmados del coronavirus (COVID-19) en Prairie Lea ISD o el condado de Caldwell, queríamos que todos los constituyentes conocieran el plan de preparación que tenemos implementado.
El liderazgo del distrito monitorea posibles problemas de salud manteniéndose en contacto con los CDC, el Departamento de Estado y Servicios de Salud de Texas, funcionarios locales y proveedores de atención médica para prepararse y responder a cualquier posible situación de coronavirus. Los funcionarios de salud continúan considerando que el riesgo para nuestras escuelas y el público en general es extremadamente bajo en este momento; no se han confirmado casos de coronavirus en el condado de Caldwell. Si surge la necesidad de que el Distrito tome medidas sobre cualquier aspecto de nuestro plan de salud y seguridad del Distrito, Prairie Lea ISD informará a los padres y las familias a través de todos los canales de comunicación del Distrito y los medios locales. Cualquier decisión se tomaría teniendo en cuenta el interés de nuestras familias y en consulta con las autoridades de salud. Los CDC han instado a las escuelas a planificar el aprendizaje remoto en preparación para un posible cierre prolongado. Sin duda, somos conscientes de que muchos de nuestros estudiantes no tienen acceso a Internet en sus hogares. Este es un desafío común para muchas comunidades. En este caso, se recomienda que enviemos el trabajo a casa. Nuestro equipo de liderazgo del campus (CLT) está preparando planes para esto y lo mantendremos informado.
Como distrito, continuaremos limpiando y desinfectando nuestras escuelas e instalaciones para la seguridad de todos. Hemos publicado letreros visuales en los pasillos y baños con respecto a las mejores prácticas. Según la información actual, los funcionarios de salud recomiendan que sigamos los mismos pasos para proteger contra el coronavirus que tomamos para prevenir la propagación de enfermedades cotidianas como el resfriado común o la gripe:
- Lávese las manos con frecuencia con agua y jabón durante al menos 20 segundos. Si no hay agua y jabón disponibles, use un desinfectante para manos a base de alcohol
- Evite tocarse los ojos, la nariz y la boca con las manos sin lavar
- Evite el contacto cercano con personas enfermas
- Quédate en casa cuando estás enfermo
- Cúbrase la boca y la nariz con el interior del codo cuando tosa o estornude; y
- Limpie y desinfecte objetos y superficies que se tocan con frecuencia
Para obtener información actualizada sobre el coronavirus, visite:
Texas Department of State Health Services: dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/
Centers for Disease Control: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Puede encontrar información sobre la respuesta de PLISD al coronavirus en: www.plisd.net/studenthealth.
Gracias,
Larry Markert
Superintendent, Prairie Lea ISD
|
