On August 6th a meeting with the Minnesota Department of Health was held to discuss the local COVID-19 numbers in our communities.  After consulting with an MDH Epidemiologist, they are in agreement our numbers are low enough to support in-person learning for all grades.  

We are confident in our ability to safely return students to the classroom and so all students in grades PreK-12 will be returning to school in-person on September 8th!

Staff and students must complete the below health screening daily before reporting to work or riding school district transportation vehicles. 

Symptoms of COVID-19 - MDH Decision Tree 8/31/2020

Stay home and contact your healthcare provider based on the questions below. 

Daily Health Screening Checklist: 

• A new onset cough or shortness of breath by themselves
  

OR at least 2 of the following:

• fever (100.4ºF or higher), 
• chills,
• muscle pain, 
• sore throat, 
• fatigue, 
• congestion, 
• loss of sense of smell or taste, 
• gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea. 

If a person has a new symptom (for example, a new loss of smell only) with no other diagnosis to explain it, they should stay home and talk to their health care provider about testing for COVID-19, even if it is the only symptom they are experiencing.

Bussing is available to all students who need it with in-person learning.  However, we are asking parents, who are able and willing, to drive their students to do so to help reduce crowding on busses.

If you are able to commit to driving your students to and/or from school, please contact the Transportation Department. 

Dassel-Cokato Schools take the health and safety of our students and staff very seriously and will be following all of the requirements as set forth by the Mn Department of Health. 

Below are examples:

• classroom arrangements will be spaced out to allow for distancing between desks,
• students and staff will be required to wear masks (see Mn Statewide Masking Mandate below),
• PPE will be provided for direct support student services,
• hand sanitizer will be available in classrooms and in various stations,
• increased cleaning of high touch surfaces throughout the day,
• signs/dots/markings will help remind students about social distancing,
• nonessential visitors/volunteers/external groups will be limited,
• students, staff, and families will be educated on the importance of self-monitoring their health, 
• meals will be served in individually packaged containers.

Yes.  All students in grades Kindergarten-12 will be required to wear a face-covering while on school district transportation vehicles and while inside the school buildings.  Please see the "Mn Statewide Masking Mandate (Executive Order 20-81)" below for more details.

NO.  Neither the school nor the teachers will be testing students for COVID-19.  We will be relying on families to self-monitor their health and keep students home if ill.  We will be providing information and resources regarding self-assessments.  Please contact your primary healthcare provider with any questions regarding your family's health.

Students who develop symptoms during the school day will have their parents/guardians notified and will be sent home if necessary.  Families should then contact their primary healthcare provider with questions regarding symptoms.

If the school learning models are lifted, and the state directs schools to return to "normal" and all students are able to return to the classroom - Virtual Learning would be discontinued. 

If the learning models stay-in-place for the duration of the school year - Virtual Learning will continue being offered.

Yes.  Families with students in in-person learning are able to transition to Virtual Learning should their circumstances change. Building principals will work with families to make this transition.  

Virtual Learning can also be used as a way of keeping students current with schoolwork should they need to quarantine at some point. This would be a short-term solution to help keep them up-to-date until they are able to return to the classroom.

What we ultimately do not want to experience is families choosing to move back and forth between the options.  Please contact your building principals for discussions and help in making these decisions.

No.  Families who choose Virtual Learning do not have to stay in it for the entire school year.  We are asking those who feel this is the best option for them to commit for the quarter/trimester as it directly affects class schedules and the number of students in each classroom.  Building principals will work with families to make the transition back into the classrooms.

Virtual learning will keep pace with the classroom curriculum but through an online experience.  Students will be completing the same work within the same timelines as their peers in the classroom.  However, they will have more opportunities for a flexible schedule as they will be accessing pre-recorded lessons online at times that work best for them. 

Younger (elementary) students will have more ability to assess their assignments online, print, and complete by "paper and pencil" if they so desire.  Whereas older students will access and complete most assignments online as they would if they were still in the classroom.  

There may be some opportunities for students to attend class "live", listen to the lesson being given by the teacher and have the ability to ask questions the same as their classmates. 

We are still working on the details, confirmed student numbers are needed before we can finalize details to share with families.