Coronavirus Information Update – March 16, 2020

Posted on March 16, 2020

Team Chesterfield staff members,

Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this quickly evolving community health issue! Please remember that the steps we take as a school division are designed to support and protect our students, staff and community as a whole.

In an effort to continue to provide mitigation strategies related to social distancing (as state and local guidance continues to reduce the acceptable number of people in one place at one time), the school division has re-evaluated its plans regarding open periods for schools and school division offices. The following decisions have been made:

• Schools and school division offices will be closed effective with the close of business on Tuesday, March 17. Individuals identified to report to schools on Monday and Tuesday should work from home starting Wednesday and be available as necessary. (See more below.)
• Meals service for students will continue as scheduled. The locations identified over the weekend will continue to operate. Staff associated with those meal distribution points will continue to report to work as scheduled.
• Facilities team members will continue to report to work to support the continuity of operations, as will Payroll staff who are needed to assist with payroll operations. Technology team members will be updated by their department’s leadership. Cabinet members will continue to report to work as well.
• Parents and students can come to schools on Tuesday between 8 a.m.-1 p.m. to pick up materials that are essential to allowing the student to continue to learn. Families will be notified of this opportunity centrally this afternoon, and reminded that this is only for students who need to pick up items critical to their continued learning experience.

We continue to monitor changing conditions, understanding many are asking for additional updates. At this time, it would be premature to project anything beyond the March 27 closure date already announced. We continue to look for guidance from the Governor’s Office, the Centers for Disease Control, the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Education. The latter will be involved in helping school divisions across the state determine what, if any, makeup time is required. Those decisions will impact how we operate during the latter stages of second semester.

Staff within the Payroll Department has developed processes to ensure that full-time staff members’ salary and benefits are not adversely affected by school closures and that everyone gets paid. As a friendly reminder, staff members are expected to continue to be available while working from home. We also know that some teachers have communicated specific “office hours” to families, so that students know when they will be available to provide support and don’t mistakenly believe that they are available 24/7.