|
Staff, parents and students may have questions and concerns about the novel (new) coronavirus outbreak, now called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly if staff or students have traveled to an area in which COVID-19 is spreading within the community. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with other state and local agencies to share information as it becomes available.
Schools may be wondering what they should be doing. MDH has posted information on their website at Information For Schools, Colleges, and Universities on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Please share this information with your school administrators and health personnel, and ask them to share information with parents as they deem appropriate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted updated COVID-19-specific school preparedness/planning guidance on its website. Please also review CDC’s Pandemic Preparedness Resources for more information about what schools and other organizations can be doing to help protect our communities.
This is an evolving situation, so check back to the MDH Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) website often for the latest information. For assistance with questions, you can reach the Minnesota Department of Health at health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us.
Distance Learning
The CDC has recently issued guidance that travelers returning from an area with widespread ongoing community spread (Level 3 Travel Notice includes China, Iran, Italy and South Korea) should stay home for a period of 14 days from the time you left the area.
If a student needs to stay at home due to CDC recommendations for after-travel health precautions, they can participate in distance learning and be considered enrolled for daily membership hours. The Minnesota Department of Education expects that students who are participating in distance learning receive daily interaction with their teacher(s) and access to appropriate educational materials.
Weekly Calls with MDH
Experts from the Minnesota Department of Health will host a weekly update call/webinar on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. to update school nurses, administrators, and superintendents on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and answer questions.
Details:
Date: Every Wednesday, from Wednesday, March 4, 2020 to Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Time: 10:30 a.m., Central Standard Time (Chicago, GMT-06:00)
Session number: 968 776 855
Session password: Oshii2020#
Enter MDH COVID-19 Update WebEx Session
Toll Free: 1-855-282-6330 | Access code: 968 776 855
Notes from the March 4, 2020, call are available here:
Meeting notes
Sample Letter to Families
MDH Presentation
Back to top
ACTION ITEMS
School leaders are invited to join the network to learn from other school leaders throughout the metro about how they are serving their Somali communities. Each session will feature a panel of Twin Cities school leaders who will tell the network about their journeys toward racial equity. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and better understand how you might refine your practices as a leader.
We have three more sessions this school year:
Join us to gain insight, ideas and inspiration for supporting your Somali students. If you have questions, contact Elizabeth Vaught at 651-582-8250.
Back to top
The Minnesota Department of Education is working with CSforAll-MN to develop a landscape report of K-12 computer science (CS) education in the state of Minnesota. Please complete the CSforAll-MN survey to help us collect information for the report. The survey should be completed by whoever is most knowledgeable about computer science at your school and/or district.
Back to top
|
