Dear Parents and Students,
This letter is to inform you of our current COVID-19 status in the school district. As of 9 AM this morning, we have 17 positive COVID-19 cases. All are in grades 9-12, and these cases have been identified in the last four days. We had six confirmed cases this morning, and none of those students were part of the group of students who were quarantined earlier this week due to exposure. At this time, we have no positive cases in the elementary and middle schools.
We have been working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health and the School Board regarding what is happening in our area with COVID. We are the hot spot of the County right now and asked for their recommendation as to what to do next for the safety of our students. Their recommendation is to move to distance learning immediately for 14 days in high school. The expectation is that we will stop the spread and be able to bring back students for the last couple of weeks of school. If you have received quarantine instruction from Mrs. Dodson this week, please continue those instructions until May 6th.
Elementary and middle school students will continue their current learning model, which is subject to change at any time. High school students (9-12) will change to distance learning starting tomorrow, Friday, April 23, and continue through May 6. Students will come back starting Friday, May 7; likely, we will have students come back in a hybrid model on that day. More information regarding that will come out during the pause.
Advanced Placement tests will be rescheduled for those students after the distance learning period. High School MCA Science tests will be rescheduled after the distance learning period. Prom will be rescheduled for May 22nd at the Event Center, and more information will follow. All graduation plans remain in place as is for the May 30th ceremony at this time.
All outdoor activities for grades 9-12 will be allowed to continue at this time for students not on quarantine; There will be no open gyms. Teams will be expected to follow safe social distancing guidelines, including wearing masks and not sharing equipment. 7th and 8th-grade activities will still take place as much as possible. Coaches will be communicating with their athletes directly about practices.
Nutrition Department Update:
The Nutrition Department will offer meals to all distance learners, including 9-12 grade students during the distance learning period. Students/families will have the option to order meals for daily pick up OR a 5-Day meal pack that can be picked up on Friday afternoon. The first 5-day meal pack pick-up will be April 30th. Please look for additional details in the upcoming meal order forms. If you are interested in ordering meals for next week (4/26-4/30), please follow this link to place your order: https://lacrosse.co1.qualtrics.com/.../SV_5gAsYunLI9TaQ2W
If you have any questions, you can contact any of the administrators below to help you find answers to your questions.
Sincerely,
Kevin Cardille, Superintendent
Steve Smith, Secondary Principal
Josh Mallicoat, Assistant Principal / Activities Director
Jeff Copp, Elementary Principal
Lauren Dodson, School Nurse/Covid Director