Who is saying What about the Coronavirus in Chester?

With all of that being said, I know there are many questions surrounding this most recent decision and I will provide as many answers as possible, but please realize this issue is very fluid and clearly subject to change. At this time, the questions that have been most asked are as follows:

1) Will we have to make up the days that we will be closed during this period of time? We have been told that we will be able to apply for a “waiver” for the days in which we have been directed by the Governor to shut down and I plan to take advantage of the “waiver” and will apply accordingly in order to avoid having to make up these days.

2) Will graduation still be on the same date as proposed? The “waiver” is of course a big part of that answer and should I be successful in that process, I don’t see why we would not graduate on the date that is already set.

3) Will work be sent home while we are out for these two weeks? At this point in time we will not be sending work home. However, I would expect that at some point next week we will be contacting you to encourage your children to spend time reading and working on basic skills that will enhance previously learned instruction. Please know that we will NOT be teaching any new curricular material during this time of closure. Rather our main concern is to make sure our students, staff and community members do whatever it is in our power to prevent the spread of this COVID-19 and STAY HEALTHY and in some cases GET HEALTHY!

4) Is there any chance that we may be out longer than the time period already outlined by the Governor’s directive? There is always that possibility but my hope is that this mandatory shut down will help to eliminate some of the spread of this COVID-19 thus allowing us to get back to business as soon as possible.

5) Will we be eliminating spring break due to this mandatory shutdown? At this point in time I don’t see that happening. However, please know that this issue is very fluid and changing constantly so please just be patient as we are a number of weeks away from spring break and my concern right now is dealing with the immediacy of this evolving situation.

6) What will happen with the 3rd marking period and will it be adjusted? I am sure we will make adjustments in the same manner as we have done in the past when snow days had a similar effect on the 3rd marking period.

7) Have there been any people identified within our district who may have been exposed with the COVID-19 virus? No, as of the time I am preparing this document (Friday afternoon)

At this point, those have been the most widely asked questions that have been presented to me and I am sure there will be more to come that I will answer accordingly. I will do my best to provide updates regarding this matter and I ask for your patience and support as we navigate these uncharted waters together.

There are a number of families who are scrambling right now to find child care for their children while balancing their jobs and many other issues associated with this situation so let’s all be supportive of one another in this unique time of need!

Our number one goal is to do whatever we can to prevent the spread of this virus and to make sure that we get back to business as usual in as short a period of time as possible while keeping our community healthy.

Juan R. Baughn, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools