Stoughton Coronavirus: School Canceled Next 2 Weeks

Stoughton MA

13 March, 2020

3:07 PM

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STOUGHTON, MA — School officials have closed all public schools in Stoughton for the next two weeks following growing concern surrounding the new coronavirus. School will be closed from Friday through March 27. All other school-related activites have been canceled during this time. "This decision was not made lightly," Superintendent John Marcus said in a statement. "We recognize that this represents a major disruption in people's daily lives, but we feel this is essential to better protect the overall health of our community based on the information we have now." Regardless of the number of school days missed, Marcus said the last day of school will be June 22. he said the district doesn't have to make up any more than the five snow days allotted. "We are treating the first four days as the equivalent of snow days," Marcus said. "Similar to a snow day, teachers will not be sending work home. During this time, principals and staff will be developing learning experiences for students outside of school to ensure the continuation of learning even while the facilities remain closed." School officials said principals will provide further information on continuity of learning experiences by March 19th. School Access School and district administrators will be in offices as usual, but public access to schools will remain closed. Administrators will be available by phone and email. Faculty members can come to school on Monday. This will allow the schools to be completely cleaned and thoroughly disinfected over the next several days. Food ServicesBeginning on Monday, the district will offer "grab and go" breakfast and lunch bags available for any Stoughton Public Schools student. School officials said there will be three drive-thru locations, one at the Dawe, one at the Gibbons, and one at the middle school. Pick-up times will be 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. each weekday. "We cannot overemphasize enough that the purpose of closing schools is to ensure that social distancing is occurring across our community," Marcus said. "While it would be easy to view this time as vacation, we expect our students to continue to be engaged in academic activities and to minimize their interaction with large groups. By Thursday, parents and students will be receiving more specific instructions from their school. However, I will continue to send out updates frequently as this fluid situation continues to evolve." More on Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21. As of Wednesday there were 95 cases of coronavirus in Massachustts, including 23 in Norfolk County. >>>Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment. According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available. To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces. See more on Massachusetts Coronavirus coverage: MA Coronavirus Cases Hit 95, More Than 1,000 QuarantinedMA Coronavirus Cases Hit 92 As State Of Emergency DeclaredCoronavirus: MIAA Scrambles To Finish Basketball, Hockey Playoffs