COVID-19 Preparedness

April 10, 2020

Dear Hartford School Community,

The past few weeks have been beyond words, hard to describe. We all face challenges, have worries and are concerned about the future. What I have seen is a community that has grown stronger, stronger together as we strive to continue our mission to provide for and educate our children. Our teachers and instructional staff have worked diligently to change, overnight, the way they do their jobs. This has not been easy for anyone. We know it has been stressful for the students, their parents and also for all of our staff. I am very sorry about that, please know we are all trying to do the best we can.

Next week is April vacation, we want everyone to take a break. Do what you can in this difficult time to enjoy yourself, and your families and have some fun if possible. When we start school back up on April 20, and throughout that first week back, the teachers and staff will be working to change things. We will be trying to make everything easier. Easier for the students to engage, easier for the staff to plan, prepare, instruct and monitor the progress of the students and hopefully more manageable for the parents to assist with their child’s schoolwork. Our goal is that this will all result in better outcomes for our students, while reducing the stress and strain on all of the adults.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their efforts and most of all for their patience and understanding of each other’s needs in this unprecedented and unpredictable time. We can get through this, I am sure, so long as we continue to communicate and cooperate with each other.

Please note that the food service will continue through vacation, let us know if your needs have changed in this area. Also, and as always, do not hesitate to let me know if you have a concern, a thought or want me to know something. Thanks and have a great vacation.

Tom DeBalsi
Superintendent of Schools
Hartford School District

Here are some additional resources to help you prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Masks

The CDC is now recommending that people wear a "mask" when out in public if you may be closer than 6ft to others (ex. grocery store). People should be using scarves or other homemade face coverings so medical grade masks can be reserved for healthcare providers. It is important to understand that such masks are not intended to protect you from contracting COVID-19 as much as they are a barrier to prevent the wearer's respiratory secretions from being spread. After wearing in public, remove from the straps (careful to not touch the front) and launder the mask. There are some good DIY videos on YouTube. Using Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19

VT 211

VT 211 provides connection to multiple kinds of resources within and around our community. Their home page also has links to the CDC and VT Health Department webpages for more information on COVID-19. http://www.vermont211. org/

School Nurses

The school nurses are still available to you. Please do not hesitate to contact them by email if you have any questions or concerns. They can assist you with accessing medical services if you are having difficulty with this, to triage symptoms or just to check in and chat.