During the week of October 18, the spread of COVID-19 in our community rose to a level deemed very high risk by the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department (WOPHD), and it has continued to rise. Since the pandemic began, the District has maintained regular contact with the WOPHD, and while the risk of transmitting COVID-19 remains very high, we have increased our engagement with public health officials to determine if a shift to Instructional Scenario D: Distance Learning for All Students, is warranted in the MTSD.
Since this time, the school district has received numerous questions regarding whether it would close and temporarily transition all students to distance learning. District officials continue to monitor local burden levels in collaboration with our health department, and while this data remains crucial in understanding the spread of the virus in the Mequon and Thiensville communities, the school district’s internal decision-making factors will heavily influence the decision-making process for school or district closures and shifts in instructional scenarios. When, as a school and district community, we begin to experience a rise in cases or an increased number of students or staff members affected by COVID-19, we will make decisions to promote the health and safety of our students and staff and to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
When school closure becomes necessary, the District will work with public health officials to determine the least disruptive level of temporary closure or dismissal needed to halt outbreak transmission of COVID-19. The scope of the temporary closure will focus on the smallest unit affected, or partial transitions to distance learning by groups of individuals, classes, grade levels, or programs. Individual building closures will be considered first to maintain the option of on campus learning across the District, when possible. Recent classroom and building closures across the MTSD are examples of our approach to school closure as a means of mitigating risk.
Please note, prior to the start of the 2020-21 school year, the District’s sole decision-making factor was the external data point of community Burden. Without internal data available to inform decisions regarding the risk associated with COVID-19 in our schools, the community spread of the virus was a focus of the District’s decision-making in August 2020. With guidance from the WOPHD, and without knowledge and experience of how on campus instruction would affect the spread of COVID-19, it was determined then that thresholds regarding Burden levels would drive a need to shift learning scenarios. To date, the District has an abundance of data relating to the availability of students and staff and the effectiveness of school and District mitigation procedures. The MTSD COVID-19 Monitoring System Dashboard is maintained on the District’s public website and includes data associated with both internal and external decision-making factors.
Last week, the District’s internal decision-making factors also experienced a rise in the effects of COVID-19. During the week ending November 6, an average of 13.30% of all District staff were unavailable for on campus instruction. Additionally, an average of 15.70% of our on campus students across the District were unavailable for on campus learning. With that being said, our collective efforts to mitigate risk associated with the spread of COVID-19 remain effective. Today, Monday, November 9, we expect 95% of our on campus students at Homestead High School to return to the classroom, ending the school’s temporary closure. Districtwide, that impacts 7.5% of students that were unavailable for on campus learning last week. We eagerly anticipate a return to on campus learning for our high school students and their families today.
In a time when COVID-19 has presented all MTSD stakeholders so many challenges, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our students and staff members must remain a collective priority. With the use of external and internal data, school district leaders are committed to maintaining an approach of using research, assessment, and measurement to inform decision-making and accountability. School and District officials will continue to align decisions regarding public health with the recommendations of our local health department as the COVID-19 pandemic remains active. The flexibility required of our students, families, and staff members as we navigate the pandemic is ongoing and is not easy. District leaders are grateful for the support and partnership of each member of our school community as we continue to manage the 2020-21 school year together.
Thank you, MTSD!
