Dear Verdigris School Family:

As you may be aware, Grades 9^th-12^th have experienced positive COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks. Per CDC guidelines, some students and staff members in Grades 9^th-12^th have been asked to quarantine. This number represents approximately 30% of students Grades 9^th-12^th. After discussing the situation with local health officials, we have made the difficult decision to transition Grades 9^th-12^th to Distance Learning for the remainder of this week in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus. Distance Learning will begin Tuesday morning, October 6^th, 2020, with on campus learning expected to resume Monday, October 12^th, 2020.  Our administrative team will re-evaluate this situation on Friday, October 9, 2020 to determine if an extension to Distance Learning may be necessary.

**All other schools will continue to attend class on campus at this time.**

**Extracurricular events will continue as scheduled per your coaching staff for none quarantined students.**

**This move to Distance Learning does not change the start and end date for any student or staff member that are currently in quarantine.**

About Distance Learning
We just completed a Distance Learning Day, so students should have their Chromebooks and other resources necessary for this transition.  Contact your site administrator if you are in need of your Chromebook or another academic resource.  The numbers are: High School 918-266-2336, ext. 2211 and the Junior High 918-266-2336, ext. 2111.

About COVID-19
As more COVID-19 cases are being confirmed across the state, including in our community, please remain vigilant. Monitor yourself and your family for symptoms, which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and the loss of taste and smell. If you or any member of your family exhibit these symptoms, please contact your medical provider for advice immediately. Symptoms usually appear 2-14 days after exposure. 

There is nothing more important to our district than the safety and health of our students, our staff and their families. We understand this sudden transition will be inconvenient and your student will miss being in school; however, we greatly appreciate your family’s flexibility, patience and support. We are optimistic that following mitigation protocols recommended by health officials will help increase the probability that students can have a safe and productive school year.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve the students of Verdigris Public Schools and we will get through these situations together as a cardinal family.

Sincerely,

Michael Payne
Superintendent

Verdigris Public Schools