Good Saturday Morning Marshall Owls!
As promised, I wanted to get in touch with our MPS family and provide any updates on the coronavirus crisis. I have met with the several individuals and groups who are working very hard to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff. In our district, these are the measures taken, in addition to the ones I communicated yesterday:
- Opaa!, our food service company, is making several changes (to reduce points of contact) which will be in place Monday morning. 1) All bars usually set up separate from the serving line(s) will be brought back into the interior serving area. 2) Salads will be visible and available on the serving line. 3) Condiments will be provided either at the serving line or in packets. 4) Teachers will have salads available, if desired. Thanks to Jennifer and Opaa! building and office personnel who are working on this reorganization.
- As of today, all school schedules, activities, and events are planned to continue as scheduled.
- Rosie Hammer, Sam Gibson, and Grace Durham will continue to meet with our local health department. A more wide-ranging meeting with MPS administration, the health department, city officials, Fitzgibbon Hospital, and others will be planned as soon as feasible.
- Again, the MPS administrative team is meeting Monday morning at 7 a.m. and an update will be provided after that meeting.
Here are updates at the state level:
- Governor Parsons has declared a state of emergency in Missouri but also stressed that school closures were, at this time, a local decision to be made by school board and administration.
- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced Saturday morning that the fourth case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Clinton in Henry County.
- The other new case the governor announced Friday was from a patient in St. Louis County. That patient tested presumptive positive. There is also a presumptive-positive case in Greene County and a confirmed positive case in St. Louis County, which means the patient's test results have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- This update is the update from the Missouri State High School Activities Association: No changes to the Spring Activity/Sports Season at this Time: The MSHSAA staff and Board of Directors have not made any alterations to the spring sports or activities season at this point in time. We encourage each school to make the best decision for their school and community regarding the regular season. Please continue to monitor the MSHSAA website for further updates and information.
Please continue to follow official updates from MPS administration. In a time like this, rumors run rampant so it is important to keep lines of communication open with accurate and frequent updates. The Central Office Administrators plan to keep the district and community informed of all local and state plans and decisions.
As quoted in the NY Times, "Schools don’t just provide an education, but also food, mental health care and other services," as one Indiana teacher told our education reporter Dana Goldstein. “If you think about it, the school is a city we provide to kids.”
I want to thank the many people behind the scenes who are working tirelessly to continue to serve Marshall kids and families. MPS will keep our school "city" as safe and healthy as possible, maintaining vital services we provide to our students. As information becomes available, I will provide updates as quickly and accurately as possible. Thank you for your cooperation and support. Dr. Carol Maher