COVID-19 Updates

Based upon Governor Gretchen Whitmer's executive order on April 2, Clarkston Community Schools will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year.

The district is in daily contact with public health agencies, Oakland Schools and the State of Michigan and we will advise of any school closures beyond this mandated period of time. 

For the health and safety of our students, staff, families, and the Clarkston community at large, it is important that we stay home at this time. If you are missing an item that is critical to the learning process (i.e. medication, glasses, a musical instrument, etc.) please contact your building's principal by email. 

We are working on a plan for this, and all of the other important implications of the premature end to our school year and expect to communicate this out by the end of April.

1. Avoiding unnecessary exposure of our staff and students to illness.
2. Working to the best of our ability to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning in Clarkston.
3. Protecting the health and well-being of our multigenerational community, especially those who are most vulnerable to illness.

With this in mind, we will enact the following measures:

• All buildings are closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, including the Early Childhood Center.
• Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) athletic competitions and tournaments are canceled. All after-school activities and spring sports practices are canceled.
• All assemblies and performances are canceled.
• All pre-arranged parent-teacher conferences are postponed.
• All field trips are suspended until further notice.
• All school-sponsored travel is suspended until further notice; this includes participation in academic and extracurricular competitions unless individual student travel and chaperoning is provided by parents.
• All community meetings, rentals, and gatherings scheduled to take place within our school facilities between now and spring break are canceled. This includes scheduled PTO events or meetings and all facility rentals.
• All student awards or incentive programs for "perfect attendance" are temporarily suspended, effective immediately. 
• Spring assemblies and awards are canceled or postponed. Moving-up ceremonies, "clap outs" and senior celebrations are being evaluated as we make a plan for an appropriate finish to this unprecedented school year. We expect to communicate this out by the end of April.

Virtual At-Home Learning began for all Clarkston Community Schools students on Monday, April 6. Learn more about our online learning program at www.clarkston.k12.mi.us/virtual. Further enrichment opportunities can be found at www.clarkston.k12.mi.us/enrichment.

As a learning institution, we will keep students engaged and enriched while navigating the opportunities and challenges of social distancing. In developing our plans for a possible long-term school closure, we are also considering the various unique needs of our community, including families with food insecurity, students with intensive special needs, households with one or no digital device, and students preparing to graduate or take important tests. 

We have investigated various solutions for providing remote teaching and learning for students and will spend the two weeks our buildings are closed working with teaching staff to grown our knowledge and experience of these platforms. Our district is unique in that we have a robust Instructional Technology team and a thriving virtual program. Members of these teams, along with our instructional team, are exploring the ways in which we could deliver curriculum remotely if need be. We are also aware of potential hurdles, but we are confident in the expertise of our team to conceptualize creative solutions.

YOUNG FIVES — Grade 5  

All students will advance to the next grade level.

• We will remain focused on the well-being of our students and families during this unprecedented time.  
• Students will not have any academic scoring implications during our Clarkston’s Virtual At-Home Learning experience. 
• Continued feedback and comments will be given in response to students’ learning and participation.
• There will not be a Learning Feedback Document for the Spring of 2020.  

Grade 6 - 7

Pass/Incomplete will be the final indicator for the last Quarter at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.  

• We will continue to provide social/emotional support to students through their PAWS teacher, or caseload teacher, who serves as their mentor. Counseling and administrative assistance is also available upon request.  
• Continued feedback and comments will be given in response to students’ learning and participation.
• A letter grade will be determined by students’ teachers based on their current standing as of March 12 and the end of Quarter 3. A participation score will be taken starting the week of April 20 each week for the remainder of the school year. Students will stay enrolled in Quarter 3 classes and not switch to Quarter 4.  
• Students will be given the opportunity to make up any missed work prior to March 12, 2020. 
• We will remain focused on the well-being of our students and families during this unprecedented time.  
• Beginning April 20, staff will use the Virtual At-Home Learning Participation Model to indicate student participation in each class.
• There will be no grades for the final quarter of school.  

Grades 8 - 12

The following options will be available for all students in Grades 8-12.

Option 1: A letter grade will be used as the final indicator at the end of the second semester for the 2019-20 school year.  A student's overall course grade can only increase from March 12, not decrease. These grades will be calculated into a student’s overall GPA.

A letter grade will be determined by using a student’s grade as of March 12, with an opportunity to improve a grade with the continuation of graded learning starting April 20.  

• We will remain focused on the well-being of our students and families during this unprecedented time.
• We will continue to provide social/emotional support to students through their 4th hour teacher, or caseload teacher, who serves as their mentor. Counseling and administrative assistance is also available upon request.  
• Students will be given the opportunity to make up any missed work prior to the suspension of school on March 12.  
• Students will be given the opportunity to improve upon the grade for each class that was recorded on March 12.  
• With respect to grades, no student's grade will decrease in any way during our Clarkston Virtual At-Home Learning experience. Students’ grades can only increase from their March 12 standing. A grade increase will be based on their learning outcomes from April 20 through June 5.  Multiple opportunities for credit recovery will be offered to students who are failing a course.
• Teachers will utilize their current gradebook recordings/procedures to record final grades.
• Assessments will be designed by content area teams which may include projects, portfolios, written responses, virtual interview/exit. Students will be able to show what they know in a variety of ways.

Option 2: A Credit-Only option for second semester for the 2019-2020 school year. This option will not affect GPA. This option may have an impact on post-secondary opportunities, which are grade dependent (college/post-secondary program acceptance, scholarships, athletic pursuits, military, job opportunities, etc.).  This option can be selected and communicated to teachers in any, or all, classes.

• We will remain focused on the well-being of our students and families during this unprecedented time.
• We will continue to provide social/emotional support to students through their 4th hour teacher, or caseload teacher, who serves as their mentor. Counseling and administrative assistance is also available upon request.
• Students will have an opportunity to opt into a Credit-Only option for their second semester classes. This will not change a student’s overall GPA.
• If a student was not passing by March 12, in order to opt into the Credit-Only option, the student will need to continue to engage in the learning and be passing the course (minimum 59.5%) by May 19 (seniors’ last day of school), or June 5 (for 8th-11th grade students’ last day of school).
• Families of current seniors will need to communicate this option to their individual teacher by May 19 (seniors’ last day of school).
• Families of current 8th -11th grade students will need to communicate this to their individual teachers by May 29 (the Friday before final class assignments are to be completed before the last day of school on June 5).
• Students will be given the opportunity to earn credit toward graduation after June 5 (the official end of the 2019-2020 school year) through summer school or work extensions. 

Incomplete Grades

Students who receive below a 59.5% and do not earn either a letter grade or Credit Only option in a course by June 5 will receive a mark of Incomplete.  After June 5, students will be given the opportunity to earn credit toward graduation through summer school, deadline extensions, or make up work from semester II.

There are certain risk factors that make some people more vulnerable to coronavirus infections. Take the Beaumont Hospital COVID-19 Online Risk Assessment to see if you may be at greater risk.

Staff, students, and families should continue to practice general common-sense precautions to prevent illness including:

• Remain at home if you are sick and contact the Oakland County Health Division, your primary healthcare provider or our on-campus health center for advice.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
• Cover cough with a tissue or sleeve. 
• Provide adequate supplies within easy reach, including tissues and hand sanitizer.
• Disinfect common area surfaces and objects

It’s also not too late to get a flu vaccine to help avoid other seasonal respiratory illness. The best way to prevent the spread of any illness - including even the common cold - is to stay home when you’re sick and call your doctor to determine whether or not you need to be seen and/or tested for coronavirus.

Our CCS Health Center Physician Dr. Erica Harding says, "Let's go through what will happen if you are sick."

"If you have mild symptoms you will quarantine and stay at home. We'll advise three days of no fever and no cough before you can come out of quarantine. Most of us won't need testing.  If your family member is sick, you will stay at home for two weeks and watch for symptoms, but you can do some limited activities like shopping in order to do essentials of daily living. In this case it might be good to chat with your doctor to make sure your family member's illness is consistent with COVID-19. If you have been exposed to someone at work, not a close contact, and you have no symptoms, you probably don't need testing and you'll practice the social distancing like we all should be doing. "
 
"Here's the thing: it's two weeks max that we would quarantine and limit exposure. So we don't need to have 24 cans of tuna and 48 rolls of toilet paper! We could get by with one loaf of bread and have a friend or neighbor drop one off on our porch when we run out! If we stockpile supplies, our friends and neighbors who are helping to take care of sick people will need to go to more places to find what they need and potentially spread the virus further!"

If you or someone in your family is showing symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), talk to the Oakland County Public Health Division, your primary health care provider, or the Clarkston Community Schools Student Health Center. They will tell you if your child should be tested.

According to CCS Health Center Physician Dr. Erica Harding, there is no vaccine or cure for COVID-19, but most healthy patients can manage the milder symptoms of this illness at home, just as they would with a severe cold or the flu. An important first step is to schedule a telemedicine consultation as soon as you’re feeling sick. 

• HAP Telemedicine (CCS Insurance)
• Clarkston Medical Group Telemedicine (CCS Health Center)

Your doctor can suggest possible therapeutic treatments, quarantining, and whether or not you should be tested.

What about Motrin? I’ve heard it is not effective against coronavirus infections.

There are some reports out there that say that  ibuprofen (aka Motrin, Advil) makes coronavirus infections worse. There's not a lot of hard data behind this. 

Additionally, some patients should never use drugs like ibuprofen, for example, if they are on blood thinners, have kidney problems, or an ulcer and babies less than six months. So that means if we rush to stock up on Tylenol, those patients can't get it. Thankfully a lot of the fevers we are seeing are low grade.
 

How to Quarantine

1. YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE: Not for scenic drives, take your dog for a walk, or work in the yard.
2. YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE: You call your family, friends, or neighbors and ask for groceries, medication, or supplies to be left on the porch.
3. YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE: Unless specifically instructed by your doctor or you are so short of breath you can’t finish a sentence, you have severe chest pain, or you are lethargic.

 
If You Live With Others Who Have No Symptoms

1. YOU STAY IN YOUR ROOM: You use a separate bathroom if possible, if this is not possible, clean thoroughly with a bleach solution, using gloves if possible.
2. YOU COVER YOUR FACE WITH A SCARF when others are in the room to check on you. There are no more masks to buy. Masks need to go to the hospital or doctors offices that are actively giving care right now.
3. Your doctor will give you specific instructions on when you may end quarantine.

Our last day on campus with students and staff was Thursday, March 12. This means we are out of the window of time that would put our school community at risk for an exposure that occurred on or before that date.

If we are alerted that someone in our school community has presented with a new positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Clarkston Community Schools will partner with the Oakland County Health Division to determine any possible risk to our immediate community and our plans for next steps. Please make sure your ParentVue contact settings are up to date, and that you are following the district social media so that you are receiving all school communications. All communications are also posted on the district website at www.clarkston.k12.mi.us.

School-related travel for students and staff is suspended, as are any out-of-district professional learning conferences.

For personal travel, we strongly advise all students, faculty, and staff  follow travel alerts from the CDC and DOS. The CDC has also issued an advisory for cruise ship travel. If you or someone in your family has traveled to one of these countries or is planning a cruise, please be aware of CDC guidelines for self-reporting/self-isolating as recommended upon your return.  Contact our administrative offices at (248) 623-5400 with questions about your specific circumstances.

The Clarkston Community Schools 2020-2021 calendar has not been set at this time, but our district follows Oakland County's common calendar for major holidays. Please use this calendar for future planning purposes.

This is a continually evolving situation. Updates with the most current available information will be shared at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus, CDC.gov/Coronavirus, and on the World Health Organization's website. Here are other important resources for you and your family:

• Oakland County Health Division Public Toolkit for COVID-19
• Oakland County Health Division Coronavirus Information & Resources
• Oakland County Health's Coronavirus website
• CDC Protects and Prepares Communities
• CDC Traveler's Guide
• Talking to Children about Coronavirus
• CDC's Coronavirus Disease-2019 and Children
• Coronavirus Guide for Kids (NPR)

We will also continue to share with you as more information becomes available.