CARMEL — A petition circulating online is calling on Carmel-Clay Schools to allow e-learning as an option for students to stay at home amid concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Parents concerned about the outbreak started the petition hoping the school will take action before the virus spreads.
"There's going to be parents and community members upset no matter what happens," Denise Moe, a parent, said.
The petition has more than 1,000 signatures.
Some parents, like Nicki McNally, say the outbreak is scary for them.
Other parents, like Alexa Griffith, hope the schools will stay open if they can protect students.
"I hope that we have the availability to stay open as long as that we can do protective measures and commonsense measures to protect our students," Griffith said. "However if we're getting information that this is more communicable than we are ready for or we need to keep our kids home to prevent the spread to vulnerable populations that we need to think about everybody else, then I'm ready to do that as well."
On Wednesday, the following message was sent to parents:
CCS Families,
We understand there are many questions surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its impact on our schools. We want to emphasize that there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools at this time. As you know, this is a fluid situation. Our plans are being updated on a daily, and even hourly basis. We will share new information with you as it becomes available.
Our plan is to follow national, state and local health department guidelines and recommendations. If we are directed to close one or more of our schools, our staff is prepared to use Canvas and G-Suite Tools to deliver instruction and learning experiences for our students.
In addition, we have created a new web page to answer common questions such as spring break travel, attendance, district/school events, and more. To access the web page click here.
Below are two steps you can take to prepare for virtual learning if one or more of our schools are closed.
- If you are using a personal device at home, test for connectivity and ensure that your student can log in to their Canvas account. For frequently asked questions regarding Canvas, you can click here.
- If you do not have access to a device (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) for virtual learning, we will provide a device for your family. To do so you can click here to submit the “Family Mobile Device Check-Out” form.
Any school closures or other emergency information will be communicated using the district’s standard channels of communication, including phone calls, emails, text messages and the CCS website. Parents and guardians should verify that their phone numbers and email addresses are correct in PowerSchool to ensure notifications are received. For phone numbers registered within PowerSchool, CCS families can receive text alerts by texting YES to 68453 on your mobile device.
This is an unusual and challenging situation, but we are confident that together we can do whatever is needed to best serve our students. Thank you for your partnership and support.
All for now,
Dr. Michael Beresford
Superintendent
Carmel Clay Schools
