Governor Inslee made the difficult decision to close all public and private schools until at least Monday, April 27 in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. We recognize how disruptive this has been to daily life. It has been reassuring to see families, educators, community partners, and staff coming together in this time of uncertainty to support students and each other. It is a strong reminder of Seattle's resilience and ingenuity.
As this continues to be an evolving situation, Seattle Public Schools is committed to keeping you informed and sharing information as it becomes available. You can depend on communication directly from the Office of Public Affairs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. Please help us by passing along this information to friends, neighbors, and your networks.
Hear directly from Superintendent Juneau in today's message: https://youtu.be/jRw18kGbopA
Student Meal Distribution
Schools are foundational to the infrastructure of our communities and we appreciate our staff's commitment to student and family wellbeing. Our first priority has been to reduce barriers to food and support basic needs. This week, our dedicated staff served close to 2,500 meals (breakfast and lunch) over the course of two days. Student meal sites operate from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are 26 locations across the city, and meals can be picked up by anyone in your family. You can learn more, including where the student meal sites are located, on the COVID-19 resource page. On Friday, March 20 over 1,500 bags of food to support families in need will be delivered to all 26 Student Meal Distribution Sites. Families should go to the meal site that is most convenient for them and are invited to take the non-perishable items needed for meals over the weekend. We will assess participation and increase or decrease the number of bags for the following Friday. A huge thank you to the Backpack Brigade, a group of volunteers and partners who have graciously coordinated these efforts.
Access to Learning Resources
Starting Monday, March 23, we will be providing educational programming on SPS TV, social media, and our website. These videos will feature Seattle Public Schools educators in short segments to support optional learning in a variety of subjects and grade levels. We will also be offering aligned, printed materials at school lunch distribution sites for families who do not have access to TV or internet.We cannot replace the amazing instruction that our teachers offer in the classroom. Teaching is an art and a science that takes years of college preparation, expert mentoring and collegiality, and lots of professional development to perfect instructional practice. While in-classroom instruction cannot be replaced, we will do our best to make sure that the resources we provide are high quality and supportive of your efforts at home. We will provide more information, including a schedule of the provided programing, in our Friday family communication. We will start on March 23 with K-5 programming and other grades and subjects will be added in the coming weeks. These resources will be supplemental to communications and support from your child's regular teacher or teachers. Many educators have already reached out to support families and students. A huge thank you to our incredible educators who have been unwavering in their commitment to student learning and emotional wellbeing during this time. Teachers have been asked to continue communicating with families and students about academic work. Specifically, they have been asked to communicate with families at least two times per week via Schoology, email, phone, or the typical way they connect with families throughout the school year. For most students, recommended tasks or activities will be optional, ungraded work and focused on reviewing material, concepts, and skills already addressed.Additional centrally coordinated learning resources can be found on the COVID-19 Resource webpage.
Child Care Resources
Child care is top of mind for many families, especially those on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Many of our parents work in the healthcare industry, are providing emergency meals to families, and providing critical safety services. While the district is not a child care provider, we want to do our part to support the broader community's COVID-19 efforts. Seattle Public Schools is working with our existing child care providers -- City of Seattle, Public Health Seattle and King County, and the State Department of Children, Youth, and Families -- to develop potential approaches for families with the most critical need, including first responders to COVID-19. We continue to receive updated guidance from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families on how school-based providers might offer child care as safely as possible in our buildings while ensuring recommended social distancing. SPS does not have funding to pay for child care. We are working with philanthropic and other municipal partners to find solutions to support operational and staffing costs. We will continue to keep families informed if child care options become available.
Athletic Fields and Playgrounds
School playgrounds and athletic fields remain open at this time for community use but will not be supervised by SPS staff and play structures are not being disinfected. Please remind children and others using our open spaces of social distancing recommendations.
JSCEE will remain closed until March 30
The JSCEE has been closed to the public this week, and this will extend through next week, March 23-27, in an abundance of caution and in alignment with social distancing recommendations from Public Health. Even though the building is closed, staff are still working to provide critical services including enrollment and customer service. Please check our website www.seattleschools.org for more information. Thank you to everyone for your flexibility in this uncertain time. A lot has changed over the last two weeks and the landscape continues to evolve. We want to express our deep gratitude to our students and families for navigating this unprecedented situation with us. It is important that we continue to respond to each other's needs and concerns with compassion and urgency. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with suggestions, questions, and concerns. Your engagement helps us better support you, your child, and your family.
Please continue to stay in contact through publicaffairs@seattleschools.org and look for the next family communication, including the SPSTV broadcast schedule, on Friday, March 20.
-Office of Public Affairs
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