Weather Update 9/14/20

Due to the track change and slowing of Hurricane Sally, the closure of all Walton County schools, including extracurricular activities, will be extended through tomorrow, Tuesday, September 15^th.  Closures include both students and employees.  Based on information from Emergency Management, tropical storm wind speed is a 70% probability for the Walton County area this afternoon into Tuesday as well as a possible threat of tornados through tonight and tomorrow.  The WCSD will continue to monitor the weather with our local experts.  Stay safe and continue to check our district and schools’ websites and social media platforms for more information.   

Re-opening Update for Parents 9/11/20

We have now completed four weeks of school!  This week has been the smoothest yet - with very few COVID-19 cases and/or exposure.  Most of the cases that we have experienced during the first month have been community acquired, or occurred in non-school settings.  For example, a parent testing positive may cause his or her child to miss school due to exposure, or a teacher’s spouse testing positive may cause a teacher to miss work due to exposure.   

We believe school cases are not occurring a this time due to your tremendous support and vigilance regarding the self-monitoring of symptoms and the seriousness of which you are following school procedures and CDC protocols.  We want to thank you for being our partner during these uncharted times!  Thank you for screening your child at home, and thank you for keeping your child home when they are sick.  Screening has made a difference!  Please continue to screen, and if you are in need of a thermometer, please reach out to your school as we do have a limited supply for parents.  We appreciate all of our students and employees who continue to take safety precautions to heart, including social distancing and/or wearing of masks, as we believe it has been key to our success. 

As a reminder, if your child is exposed to a positive case at school, we will continue to work with the Florida Department of Health (DOH), and parents will be notified.  As the Florida Department of Education (DOE) instructs, we will continue to use surgical precision in the tracing of contact, which can include direct contact definitions, seating charts, and a timeline of symptoms.

We are excited to be moving forward, and we are excited to be back in school.  We want to again thank our schools, employees, students, parents, and communities for a strong start!  We cannot praise you enough! Let’s keep up the good work!

Fall sports have begun!  Students are excited about fall activities, and we know this gives them a semblance of normalcy!  To all of our student athletes, coaches, and spectators - please be safe, and thank you for following CDC protocols.  Spectators are encouraged to follow social distancing guidelines, water fountains will be turned off, random temperature checks will occur at all entrances, and all concession workers will be wearing gloves, masks, and/or face shields.  Please be aware that ticket sales are limited due to social distancing, and games may sell out.  Please plan ahead, and contact schools or visit school websites for more information.  Because attendance is limited, if you want to support your school in other ways, please reach out to them as well.

As the weeks continue, please know we will continue to make the necessary adjustments and best decisions for our students.  We want to continue to build upon our success with transparency.  We want our re-opening to be a positive experience for our community.

Superintendent Hughes was at Paxton School early this morning to help with Student Drop Off and had the pleasure of taking a picture with Gavin styling his Cowboy Hat and Big Smile ready for a great day of learning in Bobcat country!

While at Paxton Superintendent Hughes dropped into Mrs. Chest’s class and witnessed group work that looks different in this 7^th Grade Civics Class because of CDC Guidelines but the same great Teamwork  to make it happen!  #SocialDistanceorMask

Great Job students, parents, and teachers!

FORWARDED ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FDOE

The United States Census occurs every ten years and has a powerful impact on the future of Florida communities and their voice in Congress. The United States Census Bureau has announced that they will complete counting throughout the United States on September 30^th. It is critical that the Florida education community take this brief survey as it directly benefits Florida students and families and informs the amount of federal funding distributed to states for programs that impact schools, students, and families.

Data from the 2020 Census will impact federal funding for programs that supports students in low-income areas of the state, services for students with disabilities, career and technical education programs, adult education, and many other programs important to the education of students in Florida. Census data informs federal funding for sanitization and personal protection equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies and other materials needed to help combat COVID-19 in schools.

We hope you encourage your education families, neighbors, and communities to participate in the census by sharing this message.

To complete the census online, visit http://www.2020census.gov.

To complete the census via phone:

English: 1-844-330-2020

Spanish (7 - days a week, 7am - 2am): 844-468-2020

Haitian-Creole (Monday – Friday, 8am -10pm): 844-477-2020

Thank you!

Commissioner Richard Corcoran