The School District of Philadelphia has announced the indefinite closure of its schools until further notice. Safeguarding the health and well-being of our students, our staff and the broader Philadelphia community is our highest priority. We will continue to work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and other agencies to determine when it will be safe to reopen our schools. This letter provides important information about District operations over Spring Break and the new program to support learning at home for all students.
Spring Break
The District will be observing Spring Break from April 6-9 and will be closed on Friday, April 10th for the Good Friday holiday as was originally planned. I understand that this will not look or feel like a traditional Spring Break but we do want to recognize that our educators need time with their families and away from work, just as they do during the more traditional school year.
Chromebooks for K-12 Students*
As part of its digital learning plan, the District will loan a Chromebook to every District K-12student who needs one for learning at home. It will also make digital learning resources available to help students retain, learn and apply skills and strategies with the support of a teacher. The loaner program is free and there’s no obligation to participate. If your child needs a Chromebook for learning at home, there’s nothing you need to do at this time. Principals will notify families of the exact date when they can pick up Chromebooks from their child’s school. There will also be other opportunities for families that miss the school distribution window. All devices must be returned once schools reopen. You can learn more about the program by visiting www.philasd.org/coronavirus/chromebooks. If you are fortunate and have computers at home to support your child’s learning, we ask that you please reserve this program for those who do not.
Pre-K families will not receive devices in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatric’s recommendation to limit screen time for children ages 2-5. Pre-K families will receive a hard copy learning guide in the mail over the next two weeks to support your child’s development. Pre-K teachers will be reaching out individually to families while schools are closed to support home learning and answer any questions families may have.
Meals and Learning Guides
K-12 Learning Guides and grab-and-go meals are available for students at 49 District school sites on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon. There are still lots of questions to be answered. We ask for your patience as we continue to work through them thoughtfully and always with the best interests of our students in mind. For more information, you can connect with us by calling our District Hotlines, emailing us at [email protected], visiting www.philasd.org and joining me at my @PhillySchoolsFacebook Live event every Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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