Dear SHPS Students and Families,

Last night, March 15,  the Governor ordered a three week shut down of all public and private K-12 schools in the state (not including residential and day schools for Special Ed. Students), given the evolving data regarding COVI-19 cases and out of the abundance of caution for students and staff. All SHPS will be closed until April 7th. The suspension of educational programming will not necessarily affect the availability of school buildings for the provision of food or other essential non-educational services. The administrative team, Matt Hoagland and the cafeteria staff, will work together with the School Committee to determine the best way to distribute meals to our students in need. More information to follow once details have been ironed out.

During this period, it is critical that students and their families, as well as school staff, stay home as much as possible. If you leave your home, it is essential to strictly follow social distancing guidelines by avoiding crowds, canceling social gatherings, and maintaining a safe separation of at least 6 feet from others. Restricting access to school buildings will have little impact on public health if these best practices are not followed in good faith.

Although schools must suspend in-person educational operations, staff are planning for how best to equitably provide alternative access to student learning opportunities during this period and potentially beyond. Teachers have been asked to provide activities and resources on their websites by Wednesday, March 18th. While these activities are not mandatory, it is strongly suggested that students follow routines as much as possible to provide normalcy in their lives. I will keep you posted as I receive updates.


Sincerely,

Diana Bonneville
Interim Superintendent SHPS