Good morning Spring-Ford community:
First and foremost, thank you for your support yesterday. In full disclosure, we had no prior knowledge that there would be a state mandated shutdown of all Montgomery County schools. I would like to commend our leadership team, building administrators, teachers, support staff, and students for reacting quickly and calmly to this news. We had just over an hour’s notice to shut down operations, and I am thankful for the support of the entire school community.
I realize that families have many questions right now, and I hope this message provides some answers as we go into the weekend.
Q: How will this closure affect the school calendar?
A: The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has state that "no school district will be penalized if it fails to meet the 180 day or school hours requirements." Spring break remains a part of the calendar as is and will take place April 8, 2020 to April 13, 2020. We do not foresee a change in the end of the school year, though we will not be able to make a final determination until are schools are open and we have greater clarity from the state.
Q: Are the SAT's still scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2020?
A: No, SAT Testing at Spring-Ford is cancelled for this Saturday, March 14. If you were registered for the SATs, the College Board will be contacting you in the next 48 hours with directions on how to reschedule.
Q: What about PSSA, Keystone, and AP tests, will these dates change?
A: The state has not made a decision with regards to these tests. As well, there has been no guidance from the College Board (Advanced Placement Program) as to any changes to the timing of the spring tests. We will update the community as soon as we have answers to these specific questions.
Q: When will meetings be rescheduled?
A: All parent/guardian meetings, including IEP, GIPE, Kindergarten Registration, school meetings, etc., will be rescheduled once the District reopens.
Q: Should students continue schoolwork over the next two weeks?
A: Our Curriculum and Instruction Department has been developing meaningful enrichment activities that will be available on Monday. These activities are designed to reinforce skills and allow opportunities to continue practicing previously taught skills while at home.
Q: My child was not in school on Thursday and did not bring schoolwork home. Can they go into their school to pick up academic work?
A: No. As of today, the message from the Governor’s office is that all buildings are closed to all employees. We will contact families should we be permitted to open the building for a short period of time next week.
Q: My child has medicine that is at school, what should we do?
A: Please contact your medical provider and/or insurance carrier for instructions on how to request a refill.
Q: Are the March 16 and 23, 2020 School Board Meetings cancelled?
A: Yes, both the School Board Work Session Meeting and Action meeting have been cancelled.
Q: How can students who rely on school breakfast and lunch get food?
A: We have been in contact with our local food pantries and hope to share a plan next week directly with our Free and Reduced families.
I realize that employees, students, and families will have many more questions over the next two weeks, and it is my goal to answer as many as possible as we work through this shutdown together. Our next communication will be on Monday, March 16th with additional information and links to the enrichment activities. I ask that if you do have a question, that you reply to this email so that we can compile a list and respond accordingly.
I wish everyone the best over the weekend, and will be in contact again on Monday.
Thank you,
Dr. David Goodin
Spring-Ford Superintendent