{"id":8874,"date":"2020-03-23T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/staff\/?p=8874"},"modified":"2020-03-23T14:36:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T18:36:10","slug":"covid-closure-daily-staff-update-for-monday-march-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/staff\/covid-closure-daily-staff-update-for-monday-march-23\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID Closure Daily Staff Update for Monday, March 23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 6: Governor Announces All Schools Closed For the Remainder of the School Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that all K-12 schools will need to close until the end of the school year in response to the continued spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Governor made the announcement<\/a> at 2 p.m. on Monday, March 23. The Governor\u2019s announcement in full<\/a> will be posted online.<\/span><\/p>\n

The announcement to close all schools across Virginia means that Alexandria City Public Schools will need to ensure continuity of learning from home throughout the remainder of the school year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, our team has been preparing for this eventuality. Our staff is confident we can provide a continuity of learning for all students in ACPS. However, we need a few days to solidify those plans to make sure that our expectations are aligned with the Virginia Department of Education\u2019s guidance and every student within our school division gets what they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tomorrow, we are expecting more guidance from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) around graduation requirements, high school credits, Standards of Learning (SOL) testing, and how to move forward with continuity of learning that meet Special Education requirements. Once this information is released from the VDOE, we will begin to share our refined plan for the extended school closures with our families and staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

We will continue working collaboratively with the VDOE on these guidelines. If there are any specific questions, please direct them to the <\/span>feedback form<\/span><\/a> on the ACPS-at-Home website. We will address them in the next few days via the <\/span>Superintendent’s video Q&A<\/span><\/a> at 3 p.m each day and in our <\/span>FAQs<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we start week two, we need to remind each other of the urgency that we all share to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. It\u2019s going to require a change in behavior from all of us to ensure that we slow down the spread across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

This weekend, all Alexandria recreation centers, playgrounds (including school playgrounds), and fenced play areas were closed to help promote social distancing needed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) has recommended these changes because public play areas have continued to attract groups of more than 10 people despite earlier warnings against this practice. Social distancing \u2014 including avoiding gatherings and maintaining at least six feet of personal space whenever possible \u2014 is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the virus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read the <\/span>City\u2019s news release<\/span><\/a> and view a <\/span>complete list of City recreation facility and service adjustments<\/span><\/a>. All unfenced parks, trails and fields remain open to the public. We encourage you to use these trails \u2014 but to use them wisely, avoiding unnecessary contact with others and please make sure that you are frequently washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.<\/span><\/p>\n

We know that our students need to remain engaged in physical activity to stay healthy both mentally and physically. One of our ACPS partners, RunningBrooke is offering a free poster and exercise cube for any student in ACPS who requests it. Families can send a request to <\/span>info@runningbrooke.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also exercise breaks between the Smithsonian programming on ACPS-TV. We are in the process of exploring how to get other educational programming on TV in the near future. Please remind your students how to access these resources. In the meantime, <\/span>check out the new Smithsonian programs on ACPS-TV this week<\/span><\/a>. Families can watch ACPS-TV on local cable channel 71 or online at <\/span>www.acps.k12.va.us\/acpstv<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we are expanding our meal distribution plan. Families with children in ACPS can now pick up two days worth of breakfast and lunch meals free on Mondays and Wednesdays, and one day worth on Fridays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at <\/span>Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology, Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, William Ramsay Elementary School, <\/b>and<\/span> T.C. Williams High School. <\/b>Visit ACPS-at-Home for all the details<\/span><\/a>. Please make sure your students and their families are aware of these resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other organizations and businesses are also stepping up to assist our staff and families in need. Dominion Energy has suspended all service disconnections and are reconnecting residential customers whose services were recently shut off in the light of the coronavirus crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we head into week two, it\u2019s time to appreciate just how community-minded we are in Alexandria. We may be facing an unprecedented situation, but we are also seeing an unprecedented response by our community. And for that we are truly grateful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please stay safe, healthy and connected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
\n<\/span>Superintendent of Schools<\/span><\/p>\n

REMINDER OF STAFF EXPECTATIONS<\/h2>\n

Staff now have a complete packet of the <\/span>Division Expectations for Staff During School Closures<\/b><\/a>. You can find these on the ACPS-at-Home website or in the Communications course on Canvas. These include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n