***UPDATE 3/13 5:30pm:
Pinellas County Schools’
Community,
Based on the
direction of the Florida Department of Education, Pinellas County Schools will
now be closed from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. All
extra-curricular activities are also canceled for this
time-period. During this time, deep cleaning of all school buildings will
occur. We will continue to communicate with all stakeholders regarding the
availability and expectations for digital learning during this time.
We continue to
coordinate with our local health officials, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida
Department of Education and Pinellas County Emergency Management within the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Please note that FDOE has
announced that statewide assessments that were scheduled during the first week
of April will be postponed to dates that will be determined by the state.
Thank you for your continued
commitment and service to your children and our community during this rapidly
changing time. We will continue to update the community of any changes through
email, our website (https://www.pcsb.org/coronavirus) and social media.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Grego, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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Pinellas County
Schools' Community,
The
health and safety of our students, staff, and community remains a top priority. Pinellas County Schools continues to work closely with
local health officials, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida
Department of Education and Pinellas County Emergency Management to ensure the
health and safety of our students and staff.
Following Spring Break (Monday, March 23 for
staff and Tuesday, March 24 for students), a specific procedure will begin for
any student, employee or person who needs to come to a school and meets the
following criteria:
- Has traveled out of the country OR
- Has gone on a cruise
Anyone (students/faculty/staff/etc) who travels anywhere out of
the country or on a cruise MUST self-isolate for 14 days upon return. In addition to the
regular procedures for reporting an absence, call your principal, tell them you
need to report a mandatory self-isolation.
This
requirement from the Department of Education, Department of Health and CDC
could change, even during Spring Break. We will continue to follow and
communicate any new requirements.
Pinellas
County Schools continues to prepare and plan for all contingencies that could
result from COVID-19 in the coming weeks. Our goal is to keep students safe,
healthy and learning. We understand that the current situation may be causing
apprehension for our families and community. At the
current time, schools will be open following spring break based on the
direction of and constant communication with local health officials, the
Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Education and Pinellas
County Emergency Management. Coordination with our local health officials
is directly aligned with the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools-faq.html):
“Any decision about school dismissal or
cancellation of school events should be made in coordination with your local
health officials. Schools are not expected to make decisions about dismissal
and event cancellation independent of their local health officials. Dismissal
and event cancellation decisions should be considered on a case-by-case basis
using information from health officials about the local conditions."
Should
the situation change we will notify our students and families via all
communication channels including our website and social media. We will also
continue to post updates regarding COVID-19 on our website: pcsb.org/coronavirus.
Sincerely,
Michael
A. Grego, Ed.D.
Superintendent
