Dear Mansfield Families,
We have been communicating regularly with our local health department and state officials regarding Coronavirus. At this time, we have decided to close schools for two weeks as a preemptive measure. Schools will be closed from Monday, March 16- Friday, March 27. We hope to reopen schools on Monday, March 30 but will continue to evaluate the situation. It may be that schools need to be closed for a longer period.
This decision was not entered into lightly and was made with concern for the children, staff, and families in our community. We know that social distancing has been shown to reduce the spread of viruses such as the Coronavirus and many steps have been taken to limit exposure using this strategy. Having students stay home from school supports the practice of social distancing.
Today, the governor announced that districts will not be held to the 180 day minimum attendance requirement. It is expected that students will be in school until June 30 but the minimum attendance waiver provides us with some flexibility. The exact effect of this two week closure on our school calendar will be determined in the coming days but I did want to prepare you for a long spring.
We will be taking steps in the coming days to support our students in the following ways:
Food Services
Our Mansfield Public School Food Services program will continue to provide lunch and breakfast to families who request this service. Tomorrow you will receive information on how to order meals and the locations around town where they will be delivered for pick-up.
Continuation of Learning
To support continued learning for our students, we will be developing supplemental learning materials that you MAY choose to use during our school closure. These will be shared with you early next week.
In the coming weeks we expect that normal routines and practices will be disrupted for all Americans. We remind you that the best source for information on COVID 19 can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus. Please keep your family safe during this time.
Sincerely,
Kelly M. Lyman
Superintendent of Schools