Covid-19 Update: 3/25/2020.  On Monday, March 30  from 8:30 - 11:30, families with their last name beginning with A - J can make arrangements to get students personal belongings. Then from 12:30 - 3:30 families with the last name beginning K - Z can come by to pick items up. Under no circumstances will the families be allowed in to the building.  Student belongings will be bagged along with possible homework assignments for some students. Our secretaries will meet you at the appropriate doors to the buildings. For the elementary building use the south door and the south parking lot. For parents coming to the high school building please use the north parking lot.

Covid-19 Update:  3/23/20.  Good afternoon everyone.  Starting today, March 23, 2020, we
have a team working on our plan with details to be available as soon as possible.

Covid-19 Update: 3/17/20.    Good afternoon everyone.   Today, March 17, 2020 Governor Kelly has announced the closure of all school buildings for all KSDE-accredited Kansas schools for the remainder of school year 2019-20.   This difficult but needed decision will undoubtedly place considerable hardship and stress on our families and staff and most importantly on the well-being of our children.  It is obviously a situation that we have never dealt with before and one that we would have much preferred not to but it is what it is.   It will be a huge challenge for all of us but we can and will find a way to continue some form of effective student learning in our district for the remainder of this school year and beyond if necessary.   

Dr. Watson the commissioner of KSDE shared that the Continual Education Taskforce (CET) will make its recommendation to the Governor and him tomorrow afternoon.   This plan will apparently include a combination of on-line instruction along with TBD small group instruction in a method and manner to be recommended tomorrow.   I am working with Ben Fox our technology director to develop and implement on-line instruction capacity that will be available to all of our students regardless of internet access.   I do not have details to share at this time but we will do our very best to make sure that no student is left behind in USD 390 due to lack of technology.    The matter of on-site small group instruction methods will be taken up when more details and expectations become available tomorrow afternoon.   From what was said today, this TBD instruction will be facilitated by our staff using the resources developed by the CET and in a manner to be determined at the district level.   Our team of administrators and TBD teachers will begin working on the 390 plan as soon as we know more details.   I don’t know what this will look like but I am very confident that we have the human and state resources needed to provide as much learning as possible to our students for the rest of this school year.   Dr. Watson emphasized that whatever results from the CET Plan and its implementation will absolutely not be the same as what would have been provided in the classrooms but it will provide the best learning opportunity possible given the limiting situation that we now find ourselves in.  Dr. Watson also said that KSDE will be working with school districts and local BOE’s as needed to ensure that this year’s seniors are able to graduate on time.  We do not plan to finalize our local plans until at least Monday, March 30 at the very earliest.   I will keep you informed as that response is developed, considered and implemented.

In addition to closing school buildings for the rest of the year, the Governor also put all state employees that do not provide essential services (approximately 80,000) on a 2-week paid administrative leave.  Those 2 weeks will be used by state agencies to develop plans to provide expanded essential services while calling back employees on an as-needed basis.  The Governor stated that all state employees would be paid during their furloughs and that all state payments would be made.    The same general payroll rule will be applied to USD 390 employees at this time and reconsidered by the 390 BOE if there are any changes to what the state will do in regards to future state aid payments to school districts.   

We are all committed to working together as a learning community to support one another throughout these unprecedented times and effective shareholder communication will remain a top priority.   You are getting this initial update via email or Facebook or Twitter or the district Home Page.  We will continue to use the best and quickest means of communicating with all of you.  Ideas, input and positive suggestions have never been more needed than they are right now and I will consider anything and everything that is shared with me.  I encourage you to do your part to help our children get through this bump in their road to educational excellence.   Thank you  

Just a reminder that this school building closure is in response to the current public health crisis.  The focus should remain on preventing the spread of COVID-19.  It is important to remember:

∙        Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

∙        Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing

∙        Please keep sick children and adults home

∙        Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms

We have always been a resourceful and resilient people and there is no reason to believe that our nation, state and community will be anything less while facing this crisis.  Working together, we can and will get through this challenge in a manner that we can look back on with pride and thanksgiving.     Hoping that you and yours are safe and sound at this time.   Greg Markowitz, USD 390 Hamilton Superintendent of Schools