Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue released a second communication to parents and staff regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on March 6.

She first released a message on February 27.

The March 6 letter reads:

Dear Parents and Staff,

While there is no reason to close schools now, we must be prepared in the event there is an outbreak in our schools. As you are aware, we are all dealing with the uncertainty of a pandemic that involves the spread of the Coronavirus within the United States and overseas. While this has not yet impacted Connecticut or our Newtown community, we are preparing for the likelihood that we, too, could be affected in some way. In my previous communication, I shared the latest updates with you and precautionary measures we are implementing, including the ongoing sanitizing of touch points in our buildings and on typical surfaces that are shared by students and staff. We have encouraged parents to keep students home if they are sick and promoted the frequent washing of hands — all recommendations by the CDC and our local health department.

On Wednesday, March 4, I met with my leadership team to begin to outline an Alternative Learning Plan for our students. This would enable learning to continue, even if schools are closed. Staff worked in their respective buildings during their professional learning community time to create a plan for all students to access instructional activities and resources, using both print and digital platforms. These plans will be shared with you next week. Depending on the grade level, plans will either include the use of Google Classroom, internet resources, and/or print resources to complete relevant instructional tasks in the event school is not in session. Please note that these plans are simply to maintain meaningful learning while school is out. The state will not grant waivers for days out of school until districts have fulfilled 180 days.

Should a closure be necessary at some point in the future, ongoing communication between home and school will be essential. Our website will highlight updates for you, including pertinent information about the length of school closures and the status of the impact on our community. Town and district leaders will continue to share updates. Newtown Public Schools will also use School Messenger as our typical vehicle to convey information, as needed, as well as posting information on our website.

While we are still in school and following the guidance of the Health Director and the CDC, sharing information with your children (age appropriate messages) is equally important so that students are aware of healthy tips that will minimize the spread of infections (washing hands, covering sneezes or coughs, etc.). Attached (see photos above) are two resources — one provides guidelines to talk to children about the virus in appropriate ways and the other includes tips about hand washing from our Nursing Department.

I realize this is stressful for all our Newtown families, students, and staff. We will continue to make decisions in alignment with local and state experts and share timely information with you. If you have additional questions, you can reach out to my office at 203-426-7621, or to our Health Director at 203-270-4291.

Thank you,

Dr Lorrie Rodrigue

Superintendent