On behalf of the Superintendent, this is to advise you that that we are, effective immediately, temporarily closing in-person learning at Woodstock High School. The school will reopen for in-person classes on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
In-person students will learn from home on Monday, Dec. 14, with classwork provided through the Canvas learning management system in a manner similar to that which was utilized during the spring school closures. In-person students will take their final exams at home online as scheduled from Tuesday, Dec. 15, through Friday, Dec. 18; students will receive specific instruction from their teachers through Canvas. Teachers and staff will report to campus next week and will be available online during regular school hours. The building will be thoroughly sanitized over this weekend in advance of staff returning. The closure has no effect on students already enrolled in Digital Learning.
Students who need to pick up medication or other items that they must have during the closure should call the school’s front office on Monday to make an appointment. The school will be closed to students from Dec. 19-Jan. 4 for Winter Break; Tuesday, Jan. 5, will be a Digital Learning Day, with students learning at home through Canvas, as previously announced due to the use of CCSD schools as polling sites for the General Election runoff. Extra-curricular athletic activities will continue after school with additional safety measures in place, but continuation will be closely monitored for possible cancellation.
CCSD School Nutrition will prepare free to-go meal bags containing breakfasts and lunches for the week. They will be ready for pick-up between 9 AM and 10 AM on Monday, Dec. 14, in the bus lane; students do not have to be with parents who pick up these meals.
Over the last two weeks, the number of positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff has increased to a total of 27, with 476 of its 1,555 in-person students now under precautionary quarantine, and additional tests pending that could further increase the positive cases and quarantine total. We understand these closings create hardships and are disappointing to students and their families, but these are necessary measures to avoid potential spread within our schools.
The number of COVID-19 cases across the country and our community continues to rise, and the surge is leading to higher case and quarantine rates among our students and staff and affecting our ability to keep schools open.
As Dr. Hightower shared at the School Board meeting Thursday (you can read a recap at https://bit.ly/CCSDbbb1220), wearing masks when we cannot social distance needs to be viewed by all us of as more than encouraged or strongly recommended, but also as expected in our schools. Please stay home when you’re sick (use this checklist: https://bit.ly/CDCchecks); get tested if you’re symptomatic or if you have had a close contact with someone who is positive (read the steps at https://bit.ly/CCSDqupdate as to how you can shorten your mandated precautionary quarantine); report your child’s positive test to their school; if you are directed to quarantine, follow the instructions and limit interaction with non-family members; social distance when you can and wear a mask when you can’t.