Updates from the Superintendent

Good Afternoon,

As we mark the first week of summer, I wanted to provide you with some updates from the Parchment School District as we look towards the fall.

1. Return to Learning Planning: We have been preparing for a multitude of scenarios for the fall over the past months. As you know, guidance and restrictions are “fluid” as they pertain to COVID-19 around the state and nation. We do not pretend to know what will happen in two weeks, let alone on August 31. However, we want to be as prepared as possible for whatever stage or set of circumstances we are faced with to best serve our children and community.

Three Scenarios that all school districts are looking at are as follows:

1. Return to face to face school as “normal” with increased disinfecting, hygiene practices, mitigation strategies, etc.

2. A “Hybrid” or blended school between remote learning and in-person learning taking place.

3. Continuation of remote learning with increased rigor and assessment expectations.

Our hope is that we can return to “normal” in the fall. We TRULY hope this will be an option for us! However, we must plan for different scenarios to be as prepared as possible. Governor Whitmer has formed a return to school committee to shape the framework for school districts. This will guide the solidification of our planning over the summer. We do know that we need to be prepared for the possibility of moving to a remote learning environment at any time in case of mandatory closure due to COVID next year. The Parchment School District will also be providing an on-line option for students and families that would prefer this option. Again, any plans for the fall could change tomorrow at this point. We have formed a committee of staff, parents and students to help guide our work in this area. Thank you to those that have filled out our survey and given feedback. This help shape our focus for planning. If you have not taken the survey and wish to, please click here.

We will continue to communicate frequently throughout the summer on our fall planning.

2. Daycare and Athletics:

a. The Parchment Daycare Center at Northwood is planning for a phased reopening beginning the week of June 22^nd. Given distancing guidelines and capacity restrictions, availability is limited. Again, thank you to those who took the survey to gauge demand. There will be many new procedures and policies to be followed as we reopen the center. These details will come from the center. If you are in need of daycare and are not contacted by the end of this week, please contact the daycare office at 488-1345. Again, spaces and availability are limited due to restrictions for centers.

b. Athletics- Voluntary High School Athletic conditioning will be starting on Monday, June 22^nd. All athletes and coaches will undergo a mandatory temperature check and health screening and must maintain social distancing at all times. All activities must take place outdoors. No indoor access for student athletes. Further details will come from the athletic department.

Take good care,

Jason Misner

Dear Parchment Families, Staff and Community,

The death of George Floyd and the proceeding, justified, calls for social justice have again brought light to the decades-old issues of systemic racism and inequities that continue to plague our society to this day. As I have watched the events of the past week unfold I have taken the opportunity to listen, analyze my own privilege, mindset and attitude. It is vital that we all recognize the impact of systemic racism, inequities and disparities and how they directly impact our communities. We must do this to truly move forward in our society. Let’s make this the time for genuine, meaningful and transformational change in our society.

The change starts with ALL of us. As a school district, it is incumbent upon us to reflect and analyze our systems and methodology to promote these values. We are working to analyze and foster school systems that value equity, and to dismantling systematic racism and discrimination. We pledge to continue working to change the painful narrative of racial inequities that have stained our society for generations.

This past year, the Parchment Board of Education developed and approved our strategic plan which places intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as a guiding principle. We will be releasing information next week pertaining to equity initiatives that we will be continuing to enhance so that we can further our mission to connect, challenge and inspire EVERY child to reach their full potential.

Please know that as we close out the school year, we will be working tirelessly to improve our district to create a better future.

Respectfully,

Jason P. Misner

Superintendent, Parchment School District

4/16/20

Parchment School District Family,

We hope that communication continues to find you healthy, well and active. Furthermore, I hope this communication finds you! We have been working overnight and throughout the day with issues in our email server. Please check your spam folder for messages from the school district as some may have ended up there. (parchment.k12.mi.us) You can mark them as “not spam” if you do find them. The following information is a very high level overview of our continuing learning plan for the remainder of the school year. Much more detailed plans will be coming from your school building level. Again, we do not want to overwhelm you with information but we also want to make sure you have what you need to successfully engage in continuous learning.

Seniors: You should have received communication from Mrs. Edds and Mr. Stamas regarding your requirements for graduation. A mailing is going out with a letter from the audit conducted for progress towards graduation requirements. This lists what you need to complete for Michigan Merit Curriculum requirements and how you will do that.

Grades 9-11: New learning and courses will continue at the high school through virtual learning. Google classroom is the platform we are using for continued learning. Device distribution for those in need of a device will occur at the high school on Friday from 9-2. Specifics of that have already been sent out. Paper packets will be made available to access curriculum as well to those who cannot connect.

Middle School: Material distribution begins today and also tomorrow. We are planning on having a device distribution for middle school students on Monday the 20^th so we may move to a virtual platform more efficiently at this level as well.

North 4-5: Mixed media will be used to begin the continuation of learning at all elementary schools. This means that content will be supplied in paper packet distribution and on-line. Google classroom will be utilized district-wide. Material distribution will be announced from the building level.

Central and Northwood (K-3): Mixed media will be utilized at these levels. Paper packets for continuation of learning will be emphasized while promoting the use of Google classroom as well. Material distribution will be announced from the building for next week.

Barclay Hills: Continuation of course material will be maintained.

GSRP: We are still awaiting guidance from the MDE on this but connections will continue to be made and continued learning materials and activities will be distributed to families.

Food Service: Our amazing food service staff, transportation department and volunteers continue to provide food for our community. The current schedule is distribution on Tuesday and Friday from 11:30-12:30. The station at the high school remains as well as bus route distribution. MDE continues to provide best practice guidance for health and safety and if any changes need to occur, we will communicate those. Other services for families are available by calling 211.

A lot more to come from your schools! We are excited for the opportunity to continue to serve our children and families in a new capacity.

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

4/15/20

Good Evening,

“Relationships before Rigor, Grace before Grades, Patience before Programs, Love before Lessons”

–Dr. Brad Johnson.

I wanted to begin this communication with a quote that I had sent on 3/27. The reason for this is highly intentional. This evening I am writing to inform you that we will be beginning our continuity of learning plan for the remainder of the year on Monday, Aril 20. Why does this quote matter for this announcement? Because it serves as the foundation of our plan in the Parchment School District. I could not be more proud of our staff as they have tirelessly worked to create this plan to best serve the children and families of our district. And we ALL have been deliberate in keeping this as our focus. We are all truly here to serve you and that is clearly evident with the passion and effort that has, and will continue to be put forth on your behalf. I want to break this down a little more clearly in the following:

Relationships before Rigor: We fundamentally understand that relationships are the guiding force in our work. Our plan will place contact, communication, engagement and care before all else. It will certainly look and feel different than a hug in the hallway or a conversation in the traditional classroom. However, we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of maintaining and strengthening relationships first. We need it now more than ever! Our staff desperately misses all of you and we know you miss your educators.

Grace before Grades: I have received many communications throughout our closure and I thank you for all of them! One that sticks out to me is this paraphrased scenario at home; Both parents are working from home and their older children need to watch the younger siblings so the parents can continue to be employed. When and how can schoolwork be prioritized over this essential function? This is many of our realities and we hear and understand you. I am blessed with three children at home. A fourth grader, a first grader and a three-year-old. My wife is an RN and she will be working….and we currently do not have daycare. We do not pretend to know everyone’s situation at home. However, we WILL show grace to work with children and families to best serve them in our work. Grace will be extended and prioritized in our plan and proceeding work. This will be a steadfast and unwavering commitment.

Patience before Programs: We have worked hard to get where we are and we will continue to work to best serve our community. We are all learning how to best navigate our new reality. Please extend patience and grace to our staff as they roll out their plans. This process has been one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences of my professional career. I am overjoyed every day to witness the group of professionals who work for the Parchment School District. They continuously strive for excellence in an expedited manner. And I know why they do it: because they lead with a servant’s heart and show true passion for their children and families.

Love before Lessons: I did not intend to get too deep in my communication tonight, so excuse me if I do. However, I fundamentally believe the following statement and feel it from our staff.

These are the guiding principles of our plan. You have obviously noticed that I have not made mention of instructional design, delivery in a remote platform, pedagogy of instructional methods, essential standards, protocols, policies, grading or content. This is intentional. I wanted all of you to know our approach to tackling this endeavor. I am a firm believer in being principled and staying strong to your values. We have done that in our plan and all of the important details mentioned above were formulated with these core principles in mind.

Tomorrow, I will be sending out a high level overview of our continuity of learning plan. This plan will begin next week. After the district level communication goes out, building specific plans will be communicated to families. You will then receive individualized communications from your teachers.

Our aim is to not overwhelm you with communication but roll this out in a highly strategic and intentional format.

Much more to come in the proceeding days, weeks and months.

Be well, take good care and be kind,

Jason Misner

4/9/20

Parchment School District Family,

As our local, state, federal and global community continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, I truly hope that this communication continues to find you healthy and well. I wanted to provide you with an update on our continued learning plan for the remainder of the year. We have been working hard to meet the requirements of the plan as well as ensuring that is the right plan for our families and employees. This plan needs to be approved by KRESA, the Michigan Department of Education and begin implementation by April 28^th. We are hoping that we can start our implementation before this date.

We will communicate the specific details of the plan before implementation begins. These communications will come from both the district level (big picture), building and teacher level. We will make sure to phase this through so that people are not overwhelmed after the initial roll out. We will continue to use our current forms of communication and work to provide clear, concise and meaningful information. We encourage you to continue using the learning resources that have been provided until this point to keep your children engaged.

• Commencement Exercises such as HS graduation, 8^th grade promotion, etc. We will hold these ceremonies if and when we are allowed to do so. We are committed to finding a way to celebrate our children.
• -Access to Buildings: Buildings are closed to students and community. Students will need to gather their belongings and we will find a way to do this. However, it is still to be determined how and when this will be able to happen.
• -Food Service: Our amazing food service staff, transportation department and volunteers continue to provide food for our community. The current schedule is distribution on Tuesday and Friday from 11:30-12:30. The station at the high school remains as well as bus route distribution. MDE continues to provide best practice guidance for health and safety and if any changes need to occur, we will communicate those.

A lot more to come in the near future! We are excited for the opportunity to continue to serve our children and families in a new capacity.

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

4/2/20

Parchment School District Family,

Let the sun shine on your face, take a deep breath, slowly exhale and be calm. Know that we are all in this together and we will remain together to serve.

Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-35 earlier today which suspends in-person K-12 instruction for the remainder of this school year. We will continue to provide, and extend, learning opportunities to our community through the remainder of the school year. As I stated in my previous communications, this was not unexpected but still tough to process for our children. It brings up even more emotions and questions. Especially for our seniors. Seniors, just know that we see you, hear you and truly feel for you. We will do everything in our power to ensure you will be recognized and celebrated.

We will continue to receive direction and clarification on the order from the state level and we have been proactively working on plans for this scenario. Please show us grace and patience as we work with our employees, local school districts and KRESA to provide the best and most equitable solution to continued learning in these unique circumstances.

There are a myriad of questions that need to be solidified such as grades, graduation requirements/credits and grade promotion. Also questions such as, “can I get my belongings out of my locker”. We need to solidify plans for this with consultation from the health department so we can continue to keep everyone safe and healthy. We will communicate all of these plans as they are solidified. Please remember to keep perspective of the big picture.

We are a strong community and we will get through this together. The next few months will be different and challenging on a number of fronts. The most important is the health and safety of everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are here to serve in any and all capacities and stand ready to meet our new challenge in the continuation of learning.

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

4/1/20

Good Morning,

It’s hard to remember that next week is our official “Spring Break” with everything that has transpired in the past few weeks. Many of you had travel or other plans for next week that have obviously changed now. Take some time to design a “staycation” with your family where you unplug, shut-down and simply be present and intentional with one another. I plan on taking a few days and doing this next week-to un-plug and attempt to unwind. I know that I need to do this for my health.

The Governor is set to announce her executive order regarding the rest of the school year on Thursday. As I mentioned before, we will all hear about it at the same time. We will review and process the information in the order and then will communicate with you. We have been making plans for a number of scenarios for weeks. I want to thank our staff for all of their continued efforts, especially our administration team. We are ready to serve!

Continued Education for students: New resource packets for distance learning will be distributed with the food service delivery program. Please check out our district learning resources page on our district website, https://www.parchmentschools.org/, in the distance learning section on front page of the site. We encourage you to continue to visit our page for the most up to date information. Again, these are resources to help students continue to learn from home. We will continue to update this page with learning opportunities. Furthermore, please continue to check your email and communications for distance learning opportunities such as Google classroom and communications from district staff. We will be making a large transition in the coming weeks.

Daycare/PELC: Remains closed at this point.

Functionality of the District: Central office is drastically reducing our hours at this point and working remotely where applicable. Please call ahead at 488-1050 to check availability.

Calendar/graduation/ credits/extended school year: Again, this executive order announcement will happen on Thursday. We will review the order as soon as we receive but most of these issues will be clearly stated in the order.

What should I be doing? Keep your family healthy, secure and well. The next few weeks will undoubtedly see a surge in COVID-19 cases in our area. Stay home, Stay safe. As mentioned earlier, it is imperative that you fill out our survey if you have not yet. As we may move towards virtual learning for the remainder of the school year, we need to know how to best serve ALL of our families.

Our food delivery program is still running on schedule to provide for our families for this week. We will be announcing a change to Tuesday and Friday delivery for next week. (3 and 4 days of food) You inspire all of us with your continued servant leadership. If you wish to sign up to volunteer, please do so at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084BA8AA2EAAF94-parchment

Any inquiries about our food distribution volunteer program can be directed to foodhelp@parchmentschools.org

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

3/30/20

Good Evening,

“Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.”

-James Lane Allen

This is the beginning of week three of our school closure and I hope you and your family continue to be healthy and well. After dinner tonight (post a long day of staring and interacting on a Zoom meeting screen) my children and I watched a YouTube video from North elementary staff. Every time I start to get run down or feeling low, I am reminded of the cohesion and positivity that we are seeing in this crisis. It is important that in this time of crisis and challenge we seek to find the positives. Furthermore, we can all be the positive force in other people’s worlds. And when we are past this period, will we remember the compassion, love and support for our fellow man that we have exhibited? I hope we will. What I see from people in our community is the revealing of tremendous character and integrity. I am genuinely proud of all you!

You were sent an email today with a link for a survey to complete. If you have not done this survey yet, please take a few moments to complete it as soon as possible. This will help us identify and address the best method to continue to serve you and our children. We have baseline data on this information but we are looking to focus this to better serve you in this time.

Continued Education for students: New resource packets for distance learning will be distributed with the food service delivery program. Please check out our district learning resources page on our district website, https://www.parchmentschools.org/, in the distance learning section on front page of the site. We encourage you to continue to visit our page for the most up to date information. Again, these are resources to help students continue to learn from home. We will continue to update this page with learning opportunities. Furthermore, please continue to check your email and communications for distance learning opportunities such as Google classroom and communications from district staff.

Daycare/PELC: Remains closed at this point.

Functionality of the District: Central office is drastically reducing our hours at this point and working remotely where applicable. Please call ahead at 488-1050 to check availability.

Calendar/graduation/ credits/extended school year:

We expect executive action on this topic either tomorrow or Wednesday. There are published articles eluding to this decision. I do not see a reason for these articles to be misleading but we want to make sure that we hear the information from the source. We have been planning for multiple scenarios even before the closure was announced. Please know that we are here serve you to the best of our ability with the guidance we have. And that will never waiver. You will probably hear of the announcement at the same time we will. I have been in constant contact with our associations, colleagues and the legislature around this issue. We will need some time to process the information in full and then develop a plan. We will communicate that plan with you as soon as possible. Please know that we will always do the best we can for all of our children and families. I wanted to share this graphic again today:

Click for"Can/Cannot Control" image

What should I be doing? Keep your family healthy and secure while encouraging and supporting engagement in continued learning. Use the resources provided to support your children! If you need support with ANYTHING, please reach out to your building principal through email or phone. We are all here to serve. You can call their direct school number as we will be continuing to check voicemail daily. We will work to get you the support you need. We are here for you and will support you today and always.

Our food delivery program is still running on schedule to provide for our families. Learning packets will continue to be available. Thank you to our employees and volunteers for their continued service! You inspire all of us with your continued servant leadership. If you wish to sign up to volunteer, please do so at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084BA8AA2EAAF94-parchment

Any inquiries about our food distribution volunteer program can be directed to foodhelp@parchmentschools.org

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

3/25/20

Good Evening,

I hope this communication finds you all healthy, well and abiding by the order set forth by our Governor this week. I also hope that you had the ability to spend some time outside in the beautiful weather today. (While abiding by the guidelines set forth in the stay home, stay safe order)

Continued Education for students: We are streamlining our resources for parents and children on our website and in packets for ease of use. This section on our website will be broken down by specific grade level and content area so it is easily digestible. This will be fully operational by tomorrow morning for access. (It will not be different than what you may already be using-we are simply attempting to consolidate this into one place) We will send a direct link out to this as well. A reminder; these are resources to assist in distance learning. These will not be graded or counted for credit. We hope to receive further clarification/direction from the state on this by in the very near future.

Daycare/PELC: Remains closed at this point.

Functionality of the District: Central office is drastically reducing our hours at this point and working remotely where applicable. Please call ahead at 488-1050 to check availability.

Calendar/extended school year: Today, a statement was sent to state officials of government from major educational associations regarding many of the unknown variables that are not yet answered. Our associations are calling on state officials to give educators, students and families these answers we need as a priority.

HS credits and graduation: We know the anxiety, stress, and uncertainty this is creating for our students and students across the country. Seniors, this is not how any of us anticipated your senior year playing out. I don’t have any words that can change our current reality. If I could give each one of you a hug and tell you it’s going to be alright, I would. Just know that we will advocate for you in every way possible. We will work to provide clarity and answers for you as fast as possible.

What should I be doing? Keep your family healthy and secure while encouraging and supporting engagement in continued learning. Use the resources provided to support your children! If you need support with ANYTHING, please reach out to your building principal through email or phone. You can call their direct school number as we will be continuing to check voicemail daily. We will work to get you the support you need. We are here for you and will support you today and always.

Our food delivery program is still running on schedule to provide for our families. Learning packets will continue to be available. Thank you to our employees and volunteers for their continued service! If you wish to sign up to volunteer, please do so at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084BA8AA2EAAF94-parchment

Any inquiries about our food distribution volunteer program can be directed to foodhelp@parchmentschools.org

Be well, be kind and take good care.

Jason Misner

3/23/20

Good Afternoon,

I hope this communication continues to find you all healthy and well. Undoubtedly, you are aware of Executive Order 2020-12, issued today at 11:00. The order to “stay home and stay safe” is one that we need to abide by for the safety of all. As I stated in my previous communication; This is bigger than just us. Be selfless enough to recognize that by following the mitigation strategies you are helping our entire society. We are at a transformational moment right now. One that is not exactly like others that we have read about in history but does draw some comparable relations. Every generation has had to make sacrifices for the betterment of society and now it is our turn. And the way that we do this is by following the direction of our leaders to slow the spread of this virus. I especially want to urge our young people to take this seriously. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to feeling invincible at points in my life. However, when we recognize that our “invincibility” could be someone else’s demise, it change’s perspective. Parents, please model this and reinforce with your children. We are all in this together and will overcome this together!

As we were having a virtual administrative meeting today, I was reminded of a few very important items. As we were conducting our meeting, there were two different worlds going on. In front of and behind the camera. I was in front of the camera conducting the meeting. On the other side, there were three children that were doing their best to control themselves. (They made it to the front of the camera a few times as well) It reminded me of the power of mind set. There could be two distinct ways of looking at this scenario of our children being home every day; a burden or a blessing. I am choosing the mindset of it being a blessing. I know first-hand some of the challenges the school closure creates with children home all day and find that my mind set is the most important factor in my approach. I hope that you can find the appropriate mind set for your family as well. Use this time to intentionally focus on each other void of life’s major distractions.

Continued Education for students: There have been, and will continue to be, a lot of resources for continued learning pushed out from our district. We also have learning packets that continue to be distributed at our food distribution sites. We are looking to streamline resources for parents and children on our website and in packets for ease of use. There is a LOT that we have put out and we want to make this easier to digest.

Daycare/PELC: Remains closed at this point. KRESA has been working on a plan to provide child care to essential employees in the county. We will continue to monitor and review the status of our child care facility.

Functionality of the District: The buildings remain closed to only custodial, maintenance and administrators. (on a needs basis) Food service and volunteers will also be at the high school. If you NEED to get into the building, you need to contact your building principal. Central office is drastically reducing our hours at this point and working remotely where applicable. Please call ahead at 488-1050 to check availability.

Calendar/extended school year: No new updates here. I believe we need to focus on letting the state, national and global picture surrounding COVID-19 form before we even begin to process this.

HS credits and graduation: See above. The Governor did state that she wants to ensure all seniors graduate and no one is retained.

What should I be doing? *Take care of yourself and your family. Take care of those in greater need than yourself. Follow the directives set forth from our local, state and federal officials. Help your children process this moment while supporting them socially and emotionally. *

Our food service employees and volunteers are considered essential employees under the governor’s executive order so we can continue to serve our students and families! We are continuing as normal for now. We will continue to monitor and adjust this program where needed. We will announce any and all potential changes as they occur but know that we are committed to this vital program. We still encourage you to volunteer for our food distribution program. Please contact foodhelp@parchmentschools.org to volunteer if you are able.

As always; be well, be kind and take good care.

Respectfully,

Jason Misner

Superintendent

3/20/20

Good Morning,

I hope this communication continues to find you all healthy and well. I want to write to you today from two lenses. Those of you that know me well understand that I don’t see these lenses as mutually exclusive from one another.

1. School Superintendent: We had a state level conference call with Governor Whitmer and State Superintendent Michael Rice, facilitated by MASA yesterday. No new information was given during this but it was highly beneficial to seek clarification and guidance on many issues related to the emergency closure of schools. Our amazing educators continue to work to connect and provide resources for families and students during this time. And we will continue to adapt to needs throughout the closure.
2. Father/husband/human being (opinions): I had an epiphany recently. I (we) have been working around the clock on how COVID-19 is impacting our schools and ensuring that we are meeting the basic needs of our children-and this will NEVER waiver. However, I did not fully realize that my own children had a lot of questions that I had not discussed with them yet about this pandemic. And, they have anxiety and fear around this issue. They deeply miss their teachers and friends! My wife and I have been blessed with three beautiful children aged 9,7 and 3. We were taking a family walk in the woods in the evening when this realization hit us. Our strategy was to sit down on a log and have a real conversation with them in a calm, reassuring and direct manner. I don’t know if this was the right way to do this but it felt right for my family. I say all this to let you know that there is no perfect answer to anything in life. There is no such thing as a perfect parent, superintendent, or whatever other role we have in life. It’s important that we do not let the fear of not being perfect paralyze us from addressing issues. Clearly define your priorities and focus on those. I have linked some resources to help you explain this to your children as I believe it is important. We watched Curious George, season 7, episode 4 titled, Toot, Toot, Tootsie Goodbye to show how germs are spread! Hey, whatever works! I would encourage you to make sure your children’s social and emotional needs are taken care of as a priority. We will be sending out links for mental health and social emotional resources as well. That is also the priority of our school district. I do believe that our daily lives will continue to change to mitigate the spread of this virus-and more sacrifices will need to be made in the best interest of society at large. I encourage all of us to follow the direction of our officials so that we can “flatten the curve” and come out of this stronger. Through all of this, please make sure that you are involving your children, where appropriate, and helping them process. This is the most important thing you can do to ensure they come out of this to the best of their ability.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-coronavirus

Where we are:

Continued Education for students: There have been, and will continue to be, a lot of resources for continued learning pushed out from our district. We also have learning packets that continue to be distributed at our food distribution sites. (buses and high school from 11:30-12:30

Functionality of the District: The buildings are closed to only custodial, maintenance and administrators. (on a needs basis) Food service and volunteers will also be at the high school. If you NEED to get into the building, you need to contact your building principal. Central office is open at this point with reduced hours schedule. Please call ahead at 488-1050 to check availability.

Calendar/extended school year: No new updates here. I believe we need to focus on letting the state, national and global picture surrounding COVID-19 form before we even begin to process this.

HS credits and graduation: See above.

What should I be doing? Take care of yourself and your family. Take care of those in greater need than yourself. Follow the directives set forth from our local, state and federal officials. This is bigger than just us. Be selfless enough to recognize that by following the mitigation strategies you are helping our entire society.

We still would also encourage you to volunteer for our food distribution program. Please contact foodhlelp@parchmentschools.org to volunteer if you are able. We can’t just show up as we have to manage crowd size and roles. Thank you to all that have committed to volunteering already!

We still don’t have all the answers, and that’s ok! Just know that we will continue to update you as soon as we have them. Take good care of yourself and your family. Remember, we’re all in this together.

Respectfully,

Jason Misner

Superintendent

3/18/20

Good Morning,

I hope this communication finds you all healthy and well. Taking care of yourself and your family is always priority one and we should make sure there is even more intentional focus on this during this moment. We are committed to continuing our communication with you during our closure. At this point I want to communicate at least three days a week. This will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am also getting back into the Twitter game during our closure. There is SO much information coming in every hour and if you would like to get the most recent updates, please follow me @Mr_Misner on Twitter. This is my personal account, and opinions are my own (disclaimer). Please also make sure to follow The Parchment School District on Facebook and Twitter.

I will try to provide updates in a format that is easy to digest. Again, there are some very complicated pieces to all of this and we are learning as we get guidance. This will be a marathon, so it’s important that we don’t try and run a sprint. Take breath, process and do the best we can with the most recent guidance. Remember perfectionism is the enemy of functionality.

Where we are:

Continued Education for students: This is counter-intuitive for us as educators but we can NOT provide direct instruction to students during this closure! (at this time) This is per the legal guidance presented to all school districts at the state and federal level. Instead, we can provide RESOURCES to help children and families manage their time off. These resources should all be practice or review. Nothing that is provided will be for a grade or credit-and it is not required. It is simply our way of helping you manage your time during this closure. Resource packets are available for distribution and pick up with our food delivery. This goes against every fiber in our being but it is what needs to happen at this moment and I know that our fantastic educators are still working diligently to provide students and families with creative resources to help! Why? Because they lead with a servant’s heart and care deeply for all of you. We will continue to receive updated guidance and will plan accordingly and communicate when it comes in. For now, it never hurts to READ!!!

Functionality of the District: At this point, all buildings are closed to only custodial, maintenance and administrators. (on a needs basis) Food service and volunteers will also be at the high school. If you NEED to get into the building, you must contact your building administrator to see if it is feasible. Central office is open at this point but has limited access. Please call (269) 488-1050 to access central office staff as we will have in person restrictions here as well.

Calendar/extended school year: Your guess is as good as mine. Yesterday, the legislature adjourned for recess without taking up important legislation surrounding forgiveness of days, continued pay (we are already committed to this) and many other issues related to the emergency closure. So, stay active and I will provide updates as we receive them.

HS credits and graduation: We know nothing at this point. This is a wait and see situation.

What should I be doing? Take care of yourself and your family. Take a moment to breathe. You are probably overwhelmed by the barrage of things coming at you and the changes to our daily lives. Let your children know that we love them and are working hard to support them in this unknown time. We miss all of you already but remember this is only day 3 of our closure. Pace yourselves.

We would also encourage you to volunteer for our food distribution program if you are able. Please contact foodhlelp@parchmentschools.org to volunteer. We can’t just show up as we have to manage crowd size and roles. Thank you to all that have committed to volunteering already!

At a time like this, we don’t have all the answers. As for when we will return to school: right now, I go by the time frame put forth in Executive Order 2020-5. When you add in our spring break, our scheduled return date is April 13^th. We will control what we can control.

I have started to believe that this is much like Michigan weather; if you don’t like it right now, wait 5 minutes. So, stay tuned and we will do our best to keep you informed.

Be well!

Respectfully,

Jason P. Misner

Superintendent

Parchment School District Families,

There is a significant amount of information circulating regarding the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the media, and on social media, and it can be confusing. Our schools have been closely monitoring the situation and our primary concern is always for the health and safety of our students, staff, and community.

We are following the guidance of our local health department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Our schools work closely with public health officials and follow all of their expert recommendations to best ensure the safety of everyone in our school community. The following guidance comes from the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department:

The best way to protect yourself and your family, and to stop the spread of viruses such as the flu, common cold, and COVID-19 include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol).
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick and contact your healthcare provider.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

People should be diligent about preventing flu since there have been thousands of influenza-like illnesses reported throughout the country. Individuals within the United States are still at a higher risk of getting the flu than COVID-19. If you have not received your flu shot, it is highly encouraged you do so now.

We have been working to educate and reinforce these practices with students and staff in all of our buildings with intentional education and promotional material distributed throughout buildings. We have also increased our disinfecting and cleaning routines to include regular disinfecting of touchpoints throughout the day and during scheduled cleaning times. Furthermore, all buildings are being fully deep cleaned/disinfected at least one time per week at minimum. We have also been disinfecting our buses on a regular basis.

We remain sensitive to implicit biases that may be associated with the virus. All members of our school community have the right to be safe, valued, and respected and misinformed assumptions can only harm others.

We will continue to watch the developments surrounding COVID-19 closely and will take the appropriate steps necessary to protect the health of all of our students, staff, and school community with the direction of our health officials. In regard to children specifically, please see the CDC's Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and Children and this MDHHS Fact Sheet.

We encourage you to stay informed from experts in the health field. For the most up-to-date information from national, state and local health officials you can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or the Kalamazoo County Health Department.

The resources contained in this communication (also on our website) are meant to help inform all of us around this developing and complex health issue.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to keep our community healthy.

Jason Misner

Superintendent