After the decision was made by Governor Laura Kelly to cancel in-person schooling, Superintendent Todd White sent out an email earlier today detailing the five step process the Blue Valley School District started weeks prior in the event school might be suspended. The topics discussed include the postponement of Prom and Graduation, a meet the basic needs campaign which the district is working with other governmental agencies to provide and a student learning plan, which students are scheduled to begin the week of March 30. White promised more details are to come on what exactly the student learning plan will look like.
Here’s the five step process White discussed in the email:
Phase 1: CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Three weeks ago we began working in the background to address “What if?” scenarios. That preparation has allowed us to gear up quickly for the implementation of a Blue Valley plan. We’ve conducted daily virtual planning meetings throughout Spring Break to formulate and finalize action steps.
Phase 2: DEEP CLEAN BUILDINGS
This week custodial and maintenance staff have been deep cleaning buildings. A big shout out to them for the great work they are doing in keeping all of us safe.
Phase 3: MEET BASIC NEEDS
- Free grab-and-go breakfast and lunch will be available from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at four locations across the district beginning Tuesday, March 24. We will be communicating additional details with families later this week.
- Johnson County school districts and Johnson County Government have formed a task force to identify solutions to provide childcare needs for health care workers during the pandemic. County-wide planning and partnerships will be critical to ensuring health care professionals have the 24/7 support they need to do their jobs.
- Johnson County has launched a new community COVID-19 hotline. Community members can call 913-715-2819 between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday to ask general COVID-19 health-related questions, including when to seek medical attention. Thank you to our Blue Valley school nurses who are helping to staff this hotline.
- The district is working on a plan for families to pick up medication and medical supplies in the coming days.
- Community needs will be addressed in collaboration with public and private partners when possible.
Phase 4: PLANNING FOR LEARNING AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS
- We have a team working on a learning plan that will be coordinated with other Johnson County schools as well as the state’s Continuous Learning Task Force recommendations.
- Students will begin engaging in our learning plan the week of March 30. More details to come.
- District staff are ensuring we have supports in place to attend to staff and student social-emotional needs.
Phase 5: IMPLEMENTATION AND REVISION
Implementation will be subject to on-going adjustment as we learn how to best support our staff and students in a distance-learning environment. Be patient, give grace and keep the end goal of providing a safe and healthy learning and work environment in mind.
Filed on March 18 at 7:54 p.m.
