March 11, 2020

Good Evening Shrewsbury Families & Colleagues,

Please note the following information and updates to our school district’s approach to the Coronavirus situation.  

  1. There are no confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Shrewsbury at this time.  The Shrewsbury Public Schools continue to communicate with our local health department and follow the guidance provided by them, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).  For information on Coronavirus, please see the CDC’s website here.  
  2. Governor Baker has declared a “state of emergency” in Massachusetts in order to provide the state government with “more flexibility to respond to the developing outbreak.”  This status does not currently directly affect our daily operations. 
  3. Our schools and school buses continue to undergo enhanced cleaning, including regular disinfecting. Schools will continue to be open unless circumstances change.  Given the evolving circumstances, families and staff should be prepared for a potential school closing with short notice, such as when a snow day occurs.
  4. We continue to evaluate whether to hold school co-curricular activities or gatherings on a case-by-case basis.  We have not canceled any events at this time, but this may change at any time as the situation evolves. The Governor’s message urges older adults and those with health issues, or those who live in households with vulnerable people such as elderly parents, to avoid large crowds and events.  If we take action regarding a specific event, we will notify students, staff, and families as soon as the decision is made. I know that there are events coming up that people have questions about and we will be communicating further on this topic tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and understanding as this situation continues to unfold.  
  5. Updated guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) states that school districts “are urged to cancel any out-of-state travel they have planned.”  In accordance with this guidance, the Shrewsbury Public Schools will cancel all out-of-state student travel for students and staff scheduled to take place over the next 30 days. Staff who are in charge of planning trips will communicate with those students and families in the coming days regarding specifics.
  6. Our current plan is to evaluate future daily in-state field trips on a case-by-case basis as we get closer to those dates.  

We will be in further communication at some point tomorrow with updated information.

Respectfully,

Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools

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