COVID update-11/13/20
Our county COVID rates and numbers continue to escalate in Brown County. We expect our 14 day case rate to climb exponentially as well. This week's 14 day number is 54 and we anticipate that the number will be around 118 by next Thursday.
Our school numbers have increased the past couple of weeks as well, however we can contribute increases to a specific athletic activity and to family to student spread, We have not seen cases spread amongst our students in our building. I presented our current isolation and quarantine information at our board meeting on Tuesday so many of you that had the opportunity may have seen this information. Isolation in this case means a person with a positive case and quarantine represents a person that has been identified as a close contact to a positive case.
Elementary school: Isolation:1 Quarantine: 16
High School: Isolation: 10 Quarantine: 28 plus 2 staff
Many of our students will return from both isolation and from quarantine by Tuesday, November 18. At this point the elementary actually have zero cases in isolation.
We believe that the school district staff and students are doing a great job with following our mitigation efforts such as masking and social distancing. We also do not see any school based spread of the virus.
At this point the school district is planning to stay with the current in-person elementary and hybrid high school education delivery model as long as we do not see school based spread and are able to provide adequate staffing. We will continue monitoring our situation and may make a change if our data would call for it.
Three factors have led us to continue what we are doing....
1. The educational benefits of our students being in school.
2. The mental health benefits of our students being in school.
3. The fact that our schools control the safety of our students for a large portion of their day in a safe environment.
There have been a few districts that have opted distance learning, but for the most part this is a result of staffing and operational issues.
I do not remotely claim to be a medical expert but I do take this pandemic seriously. I do believe that our student population is safer in school for COVID concerns, mental health needs, and nutritional welfare concerns. When I add in the benefit of teacher contact and other educational benefits it is hard to justify closing down schools that are a lifeline for many students.
John Cselovszki, Superintendent of Schools
An important notice to all parents of Sleepy Eye Public School from Superintendent, Mr. John Cselovszki - Covid Related Information
A letter to Parents - Free and Reduced Lunch Application
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is now offering additional funds for the families of children ages 5 to 18 who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. This new program, called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), will provide $325 per child that families can use to purchase nutritious food for their household. Families with children who received free or reduced-price meals at school, and who were between the ages of 5 and 18 on September 1, 2019, may qualify. Benefits are available to two groups:
- Families receiving Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on March 18, 2020. Benefits for these families were issued automatically and appeared on their EBT balance on May 30, 2020. These families do not need to take any further action.
- Families receiving free or reduced-price school meals, but not SNAP or MFIP benefits. These families need to fill out a . Families can apply between June 8, 2020, and June 30, 2020. If approved, families will receive a P-EBT card in the mail, which will arrive with the funds preloaded.
Families in need of assistance accessing or using their P-EBT benefits are urged to contact the P-EBT Hotline at 651-431-4050 or 800-657-3698.
If your family or someone you know needs additional ongoing assistance accessing healthy foods, please contact your local tribal or county human services office, visit ApplyMN, or call the Minnesota Food HelpLine at 888-711-1151.
Mental Health Resources - Keeping our mental-wellness in check during this distance learning experience is important! If needed, here is a list of Mental Health Resources available in our community and county.
2020-2021 School Year Calendar
Sleepy Eye Elementary is still looking for volunteers for Junior Achievement. If you are interested please contact Chelsey Mason-email: chelsey@jaum.org
State of Minnesota Report Card on Sleepy Eye Public School
Standards Based Learning and Grading Presentation by Garnet Hillman
Restrictive Procedures Plan
