Dear MTSD Families,
The purpose of my communication today is to express my gratitude and share with you what considerations the school district has been making as we have continued to monitor the changing landscape of an ever-evolving pandemic. I appreciate the ongoing engagement and feedback shared by parents and guardians, whether communicated via email, during public forum at a Board of Education meeting, or via the family surveys being provided throughout the school year. District leaders have gained further insight through the internal and external COVID-19 related data that we have been able to collect as the school year has progressed, and through updated guidance from local, state, and national health officials. As a leadership team, we have more information now than has been made available to us previously, and are able to further assess the effectiveness of our daily operations with regard to the pandemic and its influence on our schools.
In the Mequon-Thiensville School District, our buildings have been open for on campus learning since September 8, 2020. During a time when many school leaders across the nation are still grappling with how to open their doors to students, the collective efforts of our community have afforded our students the opportunity to engage in on campus learning for the past 25 weeks. We’ve collectively endured months of high COVID-19 infection rates and challenges related to instruction as well as social and emotional well-being. Though the 2020-2021 school year has taxed us in more ways than we could have imagined, there are still uplifting points to acknowledge.
Together, we have mitigated risk associated with the spread of the virus and brought our community COVID-19 burden level to the lowest point it has been since September.
Together, we can celebrate three months without implementing an isolated school or classroom closure.
Together, we have engaged in dialogue and problem-solving on behalf of our students.
Together, we have provided families with choice in learning environments, to ensure each student and family are able to learn and grow despite individual circumstances.
Thank you for prioritizing your children’s education throughout this school year. While trying, your support and understanding have been critical to our students’ successes.
In preparation for the start of the 2020-21 school year, we formalized an operating plan focused on mitigating risk associated with the spread of the COVID-19 virus and it has acted as a guide for a responsible return to school for our students. This plan has been and will continue to be updated throughout the year to reflect new evidence and recommendations as they are made available. Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released updated guidance for schools that affirmed the numerous measures we are taking to support both on campus and distance learning through the pandemic are considered best practices.
Using the data that is available to us, we are consistently working to ensure the growth and achievement of each of our students and seeking ways to move forward as safely as possible. After careful consideration, we are implementing the following updates in our operational procedures, available in Version 9 of our Responsible Return Operating Plan:
- Resuming two-way traffic in our high school hallways, effective Monday, March 1. Up until this point, Homestead has been operating on a one-way traffic system to reduce contacts and congestion in the hallways. Due in large part to the high school’s two-block schedule, which reduces the number of students in the halls or on campus at any given time, we feel it safe for hallway traffic to resume as normal. Floor markings to support two-way traffic in the hallways will be applied next week.
- Eliminating staggered dismissals at the middle and high schools, effective Monday, March 1.
- Sharing health department communications and resources related to access to the COVID-19 vaccine for employees when doses become available for eligible staff members.
While these changes may seem small, they also serve as a representation of the greater progress our school community has made together, and serve as what I hope will be more steps in a positive direction. I look forward to the prospect of implementing Instructional Scenario B, and school district leaders are diligently reviewing data, collaborating with health officials, and learning from our colleagues in other school districts, to find ways to enhance the learning environment for our students and staff members, where we are able. In our efforts to manage the pandemic in our schools, we remain committed to continuous improvement and open communication.
Like each of you, I, too, look to the future and our ability as a school district community to move forward. As superintendent, I remain committed to providing our students and staff members a safe learning environment in our schools.
Thank you for all that you’ve done for our students so far, and all that you will continue to do as we move forward, together.
With gratitude,
Dr. Matthew Joynt
Superintendent
Mequon-Thiensville School District
