Updated - Monday | March 30, 2020

Dear Parents,

As we begin the first full week of online instruction for your students, we recognize how challenging this new situation can be for some students… and for some parents. In an effort to assist you through these hard days, our District social and emotional learning coordinator has added numerous resources to the District Wellness webpage. The resources can be found at https://www.washk12wellness.org/. Take a few minutes to look through everything and find those items which will help you or your student the best. These resources are for both parents and students, and we hope you will find them helpful throughout this transition. 

Best of Luck,

Updated - Tuesday | March 24, 2020

Dear Parents,

We were notified last night that the soft closure of schools will continue through May 1.  Our teachers have been preparing for this contingency and will have appropriate online learning ready for students through May 1. As this process continues for the next several weeks, we encourage you to create a daily schedule for your children to help them better maintain good study habits and adjust to this dramatic change. 

In addition, our food service workers have been exceptional in preparing lunches for children. There were a few hiccups on the first day of delivery, but we are hoping to have all of the bugs worked out of the system and things should continue to get better and better. Yesterday, on the first day, we passed out more than 9,000 free grab-and-go lunches to children. We look forward to seeing your students again today and will continue to perfect this system for our community.

Now, more than ever, we need to come together as a community to help each other. The old adage says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We need your help to look out for not only your own children, but also the children that may be struggling in our community. Students who perhaps didn’t have many friends or used to eat lunch alone will feel even more isolated and cut off. Please reach out to your neighbors, lend a hand, help someone, and just be a friend. Thank you for your support of our students!

Sincerely,

Updated - Monday | March 23, 2020

Dear Parents,

We have added some additional bus and van stops to the free grab-and-go lunches. When picking up a lunch, please go to the location nearest you, as all ages are welcome at any bus or van stop. This service is intended for families most in need, but no child will be turned away. #OneUtah

LUNCH DELIVERY LOCATIONS - Updated @ 10:15am, March 23, 2020.

Updated - Friday | March 18, 2020

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your patience as we worked, reworked and finalized our free grab-and-go school lunch deliveries which will begin Monday, March 23. Special thanks to our transportation and food services teams who have been working on this throughout their spring break to finish this process. Any child 18 and under is eligible to receive a lunch (this includes pre-school children). 

Buses are slated to hit the listed stops at the listed times and remain for 10 minutes. This will provide food workers time to deliver meals to students waiting at those stops. Buses then will move on to the next stop. Each time and location is posted on the attached PDF, along with a map showing the routes for delivery. Blue circles are the stop locations for buses, while orange circles are the stops for food service vans. 

Please look at the maps and find the stops that are closest to your home.

LUNCH DELIVERY LOCATIONS - Updated @ 10:15am, March 23, 2020.

These maps will also be posted on our website www.washk12.org under the COVID-19/Coronavirus Information.

Updated - Wednesday | March 18, 2020

Dear Parents,

As promised, here is the updated information about Chromebook availability and Grab-and-Go lunches. Again, we will update you with more information as it becomes available.

• Chromebooks will be available to borrow/checkout from your child’s school.
  • Chromebooks will be prioritized for the families with the greatest need first.
    • If you already have a computer in your home, please use that first.
  • Parents will need to print, sign and bring in the attached authorization form to the school (please call to make an appointment on or after Wednesday, March 25 to arrange for Chromebook pickup). 
    • Agreement in English
    • Acuerdo en Español
    • If you need assistance with printing the document, please contact your school directly.
  • Parents will be responsible for monitoring/supervision of use and care of the Chromebooks.
  • Borrowed Chromebooks will need to be returned once school resumes or at the end of the school year.

• There are a few local internet service providers offering free internet for low-income families over the next 30-60 days. Parents will need to reach out and make these arrangements directly with these companies. 
  • Greater Washington County residents can contact TDS at 1-888-287-8156.
    • New customers 60 days free but will need to cancel before the end of 60 days.
  • Water Canyon and Enterprise families can contact South Central Communications at https://socen.com/scc-providing-access-to-students/

• Grab-and-Go lunches will be provided beginning Monday, March 23.
  • Final locations will be announced tomorrow, with multiple locations in each high school cone site.
  • All students 18 and under will be able to take a lunch.
  • Plans include lunches to be delivered by school bus to more than 30  locations throughout the county.
    • We will share exact times the buses are scheduled to arrive at each location.
  • We will try to have a map of all lunch distribution locations in tomorrow’s communication.

Please look for another update tomorrow with details about Grab-and-Go lunches. Additional information will be forthcoming from your child’s school as it becomes available. Thank you for your support.

Superintendent Bergeson

Washington County School District

Updated - Tuesday | March 17, 2020

Dear Parents,

Information is changing daily and we are doing our best to adapt and keep you informed as you plan for the new remote learning for your children. Here are a few things to keep in mind as we prepare for the 1st day of remote learning, Wednesday, March 25:

• We are asking teachers to be patient with students.
  • We recognize some homes may have multiple students and need to share a computer or device.
  • We also understand that some older siblings may need to help with childcare as parents adapt to changes.

• Starting Wednesday, March 25, we are asking teachers to respond to parent emails and requests within 24 hours.

• There are a few local providers offering free internet for low-income families over the next 30-60 days. Parents will need to reach out and make these arrangements directly with these companies. 
  • Greater Washington County residents can contact TDS at 1-888-287-8156.
  • Water Canyon and Enterprise families can contact South Central Communications at https://socen.com/scc-providing-access-to-students/

• We are aware that some families do not have access to chrome books or other computing devices at home. We are working through the final details of addressing this and will provide more information to you tomorrow.

• While schools and teachers are creating schedules for instruction, we would encourage you to create a daily schedule for your children. 
  • Students crave the consistency of schedules and will have an easier time adjusting if you prepare a set daily routine that includes time for learning, time for chores and time for physical activities and fun. 

We are meeting daily to specifically discuss the current situation and how to best support the students of Washington County. More information will be distributed as it comes available. We ask that you be patient, as there is no guidebook for this situation.  

Thank you for your support and concern for the children throughout our community.

Updated - Friday | March 13, 2020

Dear Parents,

We have been notified by the Utah Department of Health and the Utah State Board of Education that all schools in Utah, including all schools in Washington County, will be dismissed beginning Monday, March 16, through Friday, March 27. This dismissal will be regularly evaluated during that time and may be extended.

As a reminder, we will be on spring break, March 16-20. We will communicate any and all urgent updates to you through our District website at www.washk12.org. Please look for the RED banner at the top of the website for these updates.

• In order to provide teachers with the time to prepare lessons, remote learning instruction will begin for students, in their own homes, on Wednesday, March 25. Information regarding remote teaching will be communicated to you directly from your child’s school. 

• Teachers will still be in school buildings, students will be learning from home.

• All school and UHSAA sponsored activities, events and practices are cancelled throughout the duration of this dismissal.

• We are anticipating providing grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches for students. We will be communicating times for students to come to designated sites during the dismissal to receive these meals. Because Washington County School District will be on spring break March 16-20, grab-and-go meals will begin on Monday, March 23.

• In addition, kindergarten registration has been postponed until further notice.

Thank you for your support throughout this process.

WCSD Communications Department

Updated - Friday | March 13, 2020

 We are continually receiving information from the Utah State Board of Education as we do we will continue to post them on this page. Please take a moment to view their "Coronavirus Information and Resources" page with the following link.

• USBE - Coronavirus Information and Resources

Updated - Friday | March 13, 2020

Please view the following attachment from the Utah State School Board with information regarding Coronavirus. 

• Utah State Board of Education News Release

We are continually receiving information from the Utah State Board of Education as we do we will continue to post them on this page. Please take a moment to view their "Coronavirus Information and Resources" page with the following link.

• USBE - Coronavirus Information and Resources

Updated - Thursday | March 12, 2020

Here are some current updates based upon the Governor’s news conference today, March 12, 2020:

• At this time, the Governor’s task force has instructed Utah school districts not to close schools unless specifically directed to do so by a local health department officer. 

• School will be in session tomorrow and we plan on school resuming after spring break on March 23. Any changes to these plans will be posted on the District website at www.washk12.org.

• The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) has cancelled all sanctioned spring sports and activities beginning March 16 for at least two weeks. This may include practices, we are checking into that and will let you know. 

• All school related out-of-state travel has been suspended immediately. 

• Many of our local school-related events and gatherings are being evaluated and some are being cancelled. Please check with your school to see if your event is cancelled.

• We are continuing preparations to take care of student academic needs remotely.

Any official District communication will be posted on our District website at www.washk12.org.

Updated - Monday  | March 9, 2020

The School District continues to be in direct communication with the Southwest Utah Public Health Department and is ready to act accordingly to any concerns that come up. We will communicate and coordinate our response to COVID-19 based upon the input of the health department, Governor’s office, along with State and local officials. 

Currently we are:

• Taking proactive steps to keep our students safe and healthy by implementing our annual seasonal influenza plan
• Strict cleaning and disinfecting protocols in place at our schools
• Encouraging students and/or staff to stay home if they are sick
• Bringing teachers up to speed on online curriculum to better assist students that may be quarantined

We are prepared to:

• Provide direct communication from the health department to parents
• Take care of student academic needs remotely 
• Implement possible cancelations of individual schools and schools district-wide

We assure you that student safety is our priority and we will be vigilant in our efforts to ensure student academic and physical well-being throughout this process. We appreciate your concern and diligence with  your student and every child in our community.

If you have additional question please contact the Washington County School District directly.