Sent to all district families & staff on May 7, 2021

RE: School Health & Safety Updates

Dear Shakopee Public Schools Staff and Families,

On May 6, 2021, Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced changes to the required health and safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were major changes in these protocols for the State of Minnesota. However, both the Governor and the Minnesota Department of Education were clear to point out that most of these changes do not impact schools in our State during the typical school day, or while riding school buses to and from school, for the remainder of this school year. During the typical school day, schools in the State of Minnesota will continue to follow MDE’s Safe Learning Plan through the end of the regular school year, which is June 10, 2021 in our district. 

During the School Day

During the regular school day, the only real changes to COVID-19 health and safety protocols from now through the end of this school year are in regards to outside activities. Persons participating in activities outdoors like recess, Physical Education, track & field/activity days, lunch, etc. are no longer required to wear a face mask. 

Events Held Outside the Regular School Day 

Outside the regular school day, starting on May 28, there are significant changes for school related events, both indoors and outdoors. Participant and spectator limitations, that were created due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, will no longer exist. Persons attending indoor events will still need to wear a face mask. Persons attending outdoor events with a crowd size greater than 500 persons will be required to wear a face mask. 

From May 7 until May 28, there remain capacity limits for indoor, school related events, held outside the regular school day. Outdoor events held during this time period no longer have capacity limits. Here is a link to find specific information on the rules and capacity limits for this particular time period.  

Current School Day Procedures that will Remain

During the regular school days through June 10, 2021, IHD students will continue to learn in-person, five days a week. They will also continue to adhere to the following COVID-19 health and safety protocols during the school day:

• Masks/face coverings are still required for students and staff while inside school buildings, except when eating or drinking during lunch.
• Social distancing of 6 feet or more, with a minimum of 3 feet or more, remains in effect for students and staff within the building. 
• Close contact guidelines and contact tracing for exposure to a positive COVID-19 will continue at this time.
• Anyone exposed to someone who has tested positive (PCR test) for COVID-19 within 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or longer will still be considered a close contact and therefore required to quarantine. This includes in-school or out-of-school exposures. Persons who have been fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine when considered a close contact.
• The safest quarantine period is still 14 days since the first date of exposure. Shortened quarantine options are available to those who qualify. The Shakopee COVID nurse team will provide guidance on eligibility.
• COVID-19 health and safety protocols for students riding school buses are unchanged and will remain in effect through the end of the school year. 

Custodians and staff will continue to disinfect and clean high touch surfaces in our school buildings throughout the day. The Pandemic Response Advisory Team (PRAT) will continue to monitor pandemic health and safety. Pandemic response information and data will continue to be posted on the district website.

Students should stay home if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, and call your school to report the absence. 

Shakopee Online is a year-long virtual program and will continue to run as normal. 

We appreciate the continued support of students, staff and the community as we work together to end the school year on positive and safe notes!

RE: Secondary IHD Transition to In-Person Learning

Dear Shakopee IHD Secondary Families,

Per an action item approved (7-0) at the March 22 School Board business meeting, Shakopee secondary IHD students in grades 6-12 at East Middle School, West Middle School and Shakopee High School will transition into the in-person portion of the learning model per the below adjusted schedule. 

Important Dates | Click here for the full district calendar

o    March 26 | No school, all K-12 students including IHD and Shakopee Online

o    April 1| End of third quarter

o    April 2, 5-9 | Spring Break | No School for PreK-12 students; April 2 is a work day for staff 

o    April 12-15 | Secondary IHD students in hybrid learning model, standard A/B rotation; April 12 is an A day

o    April 16 & 19 | No school, secondary IHD students only | Secondary IHD teacher planning/preparation days 

o    April 20 | All secondary IHD students return to in-person learning model, every day

Please note, Tokata Learning Center follows components of the IHD program, but has additional flexibility in providing services due to the unique nature of their programs. Therefore, their programming may not follow the above schedule.

Additional Secondary IHD Updates & Information

• School Start/End Time & Schedule
• Secondary IHD students will keep the same school start and end times as well as the daily class schedule they have been using during the hybrid learning model.
• East and West Middle Schools: 4 period block schedule; 7:45am - 1:55pm
• Shakopee High School: 4 period block schedule; 8:20am - 2:30pm
• Transportation 
• Secondary IHD students will ride the same bus route (stop times and bus unchanged).
• Reminder details are available in parent portal.
• If your student(s) is eligible for transportation but presently does not take the bus and would like to, please fill out the opt-in transportation form that can be found here as soon as possible. Please allow 2-3 days for your bus request to be processed. If you have additional transportation questions, please contact Transportation@shakopee.k12.mn.us 

• Meals 
  • Per the USDA extension, school meals will continue to be offered to ALL students free of charge, which includes onsite meals for secondary IHD students. Students and their families will not need to fund meal accounts.
  • Questions? Please email Carol in Food Services at ctscheak@shakopee.k12.mn.us or call (952) 496-5141.

• Health & Safety
• The return to in-person learning means we need to maintain our diligence in keeping our school community safe. Click here for a COVID-19 reminder resource.
• Please remember to stay home if you experience any COVID-19 symptoms and call your school to report the absence.
• Mask wearing is required for students and staff. Physical distancing is expected when possible. Frequent hand washing is strongly recommended.
• Custodians and staff will continue to disinfect and clean high touch surfaces throughout the day.

• Future Communication 
• Your student’s home secondary school will provide further details on programming, building resources/procedures and other day-to-day related items. Please continue to check your Canvas account and district email on file for updates.
• District and County COVID-19 data will continue to be posted on the district website along with weekly building wide COVID-19 courtesy communications sent every Wednesday.

Shakopee Online Reminder:

• Shakopee Online is a year-long virtual program separate from the IHD program. Students enrolled and participating in Shakopee Online are not included in transition/planning day schedule adjustments nor are the above details applicable. 

Sent to all secondary IHD families & staff on March 3, 2021

RE: Secondary IHD Program to Transition to In-Person Learning

In their meeting yesterday (March 2), the Pandemic Response Advisory Team recommended that the Secondary IHD program transition from the hybrid learning model to the in-person learning model on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. 

The Pandemic Response Advisory Team recommendation to shift the Secondary IHD program to the in-person learning model on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 will now go to the School Board for approval at their March 22 regular meeting. The secondary schools in the IHD program include East Middle School, West Middle School and Shakopee High School. 

Additionally, there will be NO school for secondary IHD students on Monday, April 12, 2021. This day will be used as a preparation day for teachers to return to in-person learning. 

Please note, Shakopee Online will continue to provide distance learning for K-12 students in their program.

NOTE: Tokata Learning Center has additional flexibility in providing learning services due to the unique nature of their programs. 

Additional Secondary IHD Updates & Information

• Important Dates | Click here for the full district calendar

  • April 2-11 | Spring Break | No School for K-12 Students 

  • April 12 | No School for Secondary IHD Students | Teacher Transition Day 

  • April 13 | All IHD secondary students return to school every day 

• Meals

  • In-school meals: Per a recent USDA extension, school meals will continue to be offered to ALL students free of charge, which includes onsite meals for secondary IHD students. Students and their families will not need to fund meal accounts. 

    • A free and reduced meal form ( application for educational benefits) should still be on file for those families who qualify as funds are applied to additional areas outside of meals.

• Questions? Please email Carol in Food Services at ctscheak@shakopee.k12.mn.us or call (952) 496-5141.

• School Start/End Time & Schedule

  • Secondary IHD students will keep the same school start and end times as well as the daily class schedule they have been using during the hybrid learning model.

    • East and West Middle Schools: 4 period block schedule; 7:45am - 1:55pm

    • Shakopee High School: 4 period block schedule; 8:20am - 2:30pm

• Transportation 

  • Secondary IHD students will ride the same bus route (stop times and bus unchanged)

    • Reminder details are available in parent portal.

• Health and Safety

  • The return to in-person learning means we need to maintain our diligence in keeping our school community safe.  This gives us the greatest opportunity to have all our students in our buildings each and every day. 

    • Please remember to stay home if you experience any COVID-19 symptoms and call your school to report the absence.

    • Mask wearing is required. Physical distancing is expected when possible. Frequent hand washing is strongly recommended.

    • Custodians and staff will continue to disinfect and clean high touch surfaces throughout the day.

Sent to all secondary families & staff on February 19, 2021

RE: Important Change - Early Release on Monday, February 22

Dear Shakopee Public Schools Secondary Families,

The district continues to work through staff COVID-19 vaccine availability and priority guidance with Scott County and the Minnesota Department of Health.  This morning we received new information that impacts secondary student schedules on Monday, February 22.  100 COVID-19 vaccines will be available for secondary staff  in the afternoon on Monday, February 22. In order to accommodate secondary staff vaccine appointments, the following adjustments will occur on Monday, February 22 (‘A’ day):

• East & West Middle School IHD students will be released at 1:15 p.m. (normally 1:55 p.m.)
• Shakopee High School IHD students will be released at 1:45 p.m. (normally 2:30 p.m.)
  • Additional adjustments may also be made to the daily schedule in order to accommodate this early release (i.e. adjusted block times, lunch time). Students and families will receive direct communication from the building, if applicable. 
  • End of day transportation routes will be adjusted to accommodate the early release.
• Tokata Learning Center will NOT be released early and therefore operate as normal on Monday, February 22.
• Shakopee Online secondary students may experience slight adjustments during their 4th block as some teachers also provide instruction in the secondary IHD program. A student’s teacher will relay any changes directly to the impacted class. 
• The above adjustments ONLY apply on Monday, February 22. Secondary IHD classes will resume per the normal schedule on Tuesday, February 23 as a ‘B’ day.  

Thank you for your flexibility and supporting our staff and community.

Sent to all IHD families & staff and Pearson Early Learning Center families on February 17, 2021

RE: COVID-19 Health Protocols

As a district, we understand schools do not operate in isolation from the greater community. In an effort to provide as much onsite learning opportunities for our students as possible, we want to continue to encourage persons in our community to make choices that follow the most current health safety protocols from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  Our collective actions will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and infections of students and staff within our schools, as well as the greater community. 

In regards to students and staff attending or participating in onsite school and activities, please continue to:

• Take your (or your child’s) temperature daily prior to attending school/work.
• Protect yourself and others by wearing a face covering when at the school site; wash your hands often with soap and water; cover your cough and sneeze; and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
• Stay home from school, work, child care and other activities when you feel ill. 
• For reminders on COVID-19 symptoms and district health services resources, click on the appropriate student and staff IHD guide noted below.
• Elementary 
• Secondary 
• Follow health safety guidance from the MDH and CDC
• While our district will not require special travel notification, restrictions or attendance/absence travel management beyond the standard process, we ask that all staff and students please familiarize themselves with the most current guidance from the MDH and CDC as it relates to travel.
• For a summary of CDC travel guidelines, which includes recommendations on domestic and international travel COVID-19 testing and reduction of nonessential activities, please click here.
• The Minnesota Department of Education and MDH strongly recommend students and families in the hybrid or in-person learning model receive a COVID-19 test every two weeks. Shakopee Public Schools does not offer COVID-19 tests for students and their families. Families can find locations for free COVID-19 testing on the MDH’s website as well as Scott County’s website.

Thank you for working together to keep our schools and community safe. 

COVID-19 Student Attendance Line Reminders

An IHD student who is attending school in-person or in the hybrid portion of the learning model should stay home and their parent/guardian contact the attendance line in the following situations:

• When a student has COVID-19 related symptoms (one more common symptom or at least two less common symptoms).
• When a family member in their immediate household has COVID-19 symptoms (one more common symptom or at least two less common symptoms) and/or is in the process of being tested OR has a positive COVID-19 PCR test.