News

COVID-19 Update April 2, 2020

Parents, we want to ease your mind regarding food. Governor DeSantis issued a new executive order which defines essential services during our COVID-19 Emergency. One of those essential services is food distribution in which the Walton County School District is providing for our community during this pandemic.

Food distribution will continue as scheduled today, Friday, and Monday (April 6th). Beginning, Tuesday, April 7^th, Superintendent A. Russell Hughes has streamlined food distribution to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and to also help you maximize your resources (gas costs and time). Our revised plan will focus on a single week day distribution - Tuesdays. On Tuesdays, parents will be provided with 10 meals per child (five breakfasts and five lunches). Our five food distribution sites will remain the same (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle, and Freeport High School); however, transportation routes will adjust slightly due to the larger distributions (please see the attached list). Our revised plan will begin April 7^th and run every Tuesday for the month of April (April 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th). On Tuesdays, food distribution sites will stay open longer - from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - to accommodate the larger amounts of food being disbursed.

In addition to providing food, education is also an essential service and K-12 schools in Florida will continue to facilitate distance learning. Walton County Schools will continue to provide virtual education for your children through the At-Home Learning Calendars provided on your school’s website. Although our school campuses will minimize interactions to help slow the spread of COVID-19, our school leaders, teachers, and other support staff are essential workers and are able to be a resource for you and your family. Please continue to call or submit online questions to your child’s school if you need information about food, technology help, computer devices, paper portfolios, and more. We are here to help and continuing your child’s education is important to us!

COVID-19 Update March 31st, 2020

We have just received official word from the Florida Department of Education regarding school campus closures. The 3/31/20 press release states:

"Today, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran recommended that all Florida public and private K-12 school campuses extend campus closures through May 1, 2020. This recommendation follows President Donald J. Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) extension of social distancing guidelines until April 30^th."

Parents, please know that we always want to provide you with accurate and up-to-date information, which is why we waited until FDOE’s official press release. Based on the information above, Walton County School District will continue our At-Home Education Plan and school campuses will remain closed to students through May 1^st.

Please be sure you have visited your child’s school website to receive this week’s school-based At-Home Learning calendar. The calendar will provide a list of resources for core subject areas. For specific questions about curriculum, instruction, and/or technology, please refer to your child’s teachers and/or your school. The district is continuing to work with the Florida Department of Education regarding attendance and grades, and updates will be provided soon.

Please remember that you can submit a question online to your school or school district by using the “Contact Us” tab on our websites. We are also available during regular school hours by phone. Again, thanks to everyone for being patient and understanding during this trying time.

Parents and Guardians,

Please take a moment to complete this brief anonymous online survey. This is the survey that you usually receive along with your child’s report card each quarter. The feedback that you give to us on these surveys helps guide us in making decisions for Maude Saunders Elementary School. There is a link to the English version and Spanish version below. You may choose to use the QR code provided. Simply hover over the code with your camera phone and the survey will pop up. We appreciate your feedback!

Thank you!

English:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=OiUJugsuok2fpgZAQ5LOGMr6YtetRKhJnoNf9b5EcmZUMFhDOUc3VlRSR0FQRE1JRkNFMDJEMUUzMi4u

Spanish:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=OiUJugsuok2fpgZAQ5LOGMr6YtetRKhJnoNf9b5EcmZUNlVGQkhIU0I0QllaR0RWUU5MRkJFOTBEWC4u

We have added 2 new tabs at the top of our webpage; At Home Learning and COVID-19 Food Distribution.

Please visit these tabs for all the information, tutorials and student links related to our at home learning and for important up-to-date information on Food Distribution.

COVID-19 Update March 27, 2020

We hope you can watch our newly released video message. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes, along with his district office staff, would like to dedicate this message to all Walton County School District students, parents, and employees. The video serves as a special thank you to parents, who are the rock stars of our first ever At-Home Learning model. We could not have done this week without you, and we appreciate you! We also miss our students and employees dearly and all of you are in our hearts and minds as we navigate these uncharted waters TOGETHER.

Before we get to academics, we must give a big thank you to our extraordinary bus drivers and food service workers. Because of you, along with district and school teams, the WCSD is feeding approximately 1,500 children, a total of 3,000 meals, on a daily basis. Due to this response, we will continue to provide meals for children ages 1 to 18 at our five school sites and on bus routes throughout Walton County. We also want to thank our partners, the Florida Department of Agriculture, Food for Thought, The Matrix, and numerous restaurants and organizations throughout Walton County.

We do have two changes that are coming Monday, March 30^th in regards to food distribution. First, food pick up at our five sites (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle, and Freeport High School) will now be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Also, there has been small changes to our bus routes, which were posted yesterday. These changes include lengthening stop times and adding additional stops.

Looking at academics, we want to thank and recognize our parents who have started WCSD’s At-Home Learning plan. We have heard from so many of you, and we appreciate your dedication to your children and your positive attitudes. We can see our students logging on daily to Class Link and their success in our many online platforms, such as Compass Learning, Study Island, Khan Academy, and more, which we are now so grateful to have had in place.

As we are transferring instruction back to schools, please visit your school’s website. Each individual campus will post their own At-Home Learning Calendar for the week of March 30^th. Many of the schools’ plans may mirror our initial At-Home Learning Calendar as we are using parents’ feedback from this week. Many of you have said you appreciate straight forward and clear directions as you embark on this new journey.

Parents, we have mailed report cards home, so you can view your child’s grades for the third nine weeks, which reflects work prior to Spring Break. Please expect report cards on Monday. Teachers will also begin to reach out to you regarding how we will capture your child’s work during our At Home Learning model.

We also want to welcome back our teachers and staff at schools next week; however, as we continue to keep our employees safe, we may work in a variety of different settings and times in order to follow CDC guidelines. Parents, as teachers return, you will start to see them reach out to you via phone or other technology. When we reach out, please let us know any individual questions or concerns you may have. This can include technology help, curriculum clarifications, and content questions. Your school’s administration will also be available as school offices will be open Monday through Friday during your school’s typical hours. Please contact your individual school for questions and concerns. You can also submit a question via any school or district webpage. We are here to help you and your child!

As a final note, we just want to say thank you again to students, parents, employees, and the entire Walton County community. We have received well wishes and positive messages from so many groups and individuals, and it is appreciated more than you know. We are so blessed to be a part of such a strong community that values education! Please continue to stay safe, and thank you!

Click play to view the video or follow this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksLW2znZj10&feature=youtu.be

Summer VPK registrations for the week of March 23- 27th are cancelled and will be re-scheduled.

Please monitor our school district's webpage for updated VPK registration information.

Students in grades K-5 will begin the pathways already generated for them in Compass from STAR for Reading and Math. Students in grades 3-12 using Study Island will take the diagnostic test to create a pathway for their course in Study Island's Florida Program courses. Tutorial videos for both of these programs are on the website located On our Parents page and on the Academics page. Students on access points will continue to use TeachTown at home.

We have several updates for you today. Please see information below regarding food distribution and student medication pick up that will start Monday, March 23. Educational updates will roll out this weekend along with a video message from Superintendent A. Russell Hughes.

Food Service

Starting Monday, March 23, 2020, five school sites will begin to provide food for children ages 1 to 18.

* Paxton

* Mossy Head School

* Maude Saunders Elementary

* Walton Middle School

* Freeport High School

These five sites will provide a grab and go meal in the school’s car rider line. You do not have to live in the school zone to receive food at the above sites. If possible, if your school is not a site, please visit the site nearest to you. For example, if your child attends Dune Lakes Elementary, a non-distribution site, you may pick up a meal at Freeport High School, a distribution site. Children must be present in the car to receive a free meal.

School sites haven been chosen based on specific criteria as put forth by the Florida Department of Agriculture. We may open additional sites as we can.

The schedule for food pick up at the five sites above are as follows:

* Monday, March 23 from 11:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m. – lunch provided

* Tuesday, March 24 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – lunch provided and next day’s breakfast

* Wednesday, March 25 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – lunch provided and next day’s breakfast

* Thursday, March 26 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – lunch provided and next day’s breakfast

* Friday, March 27 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – lunch provided and next day’s breakfast

Starting Wednesday, March 25^th, food distribution will also begin via bus transportation. Over 95 bus stops will be put into place throughout the Walton County School District from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and look similar to our summer routes. Buses will spend 10 minutes at each stop for parents to receive breakfast and lunch at the bus stop instead of visiting school sites. School sites will also remain open as well. More information about your area’s routes are to come.

As we provide meals, please know that we are taking health and safety protocols seriously. All individuals preparing and delivering meals will follow CDC guidelines.

Medication

If your child has medication at school that you need at home, you can pick up medication from the school’s nurse starting Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Medication will only be released to a student’s parent.

All school campuses will be staffed with a small team on Monday, March 23. Parents may enter the school office based on CDC guidelines regarding gatherings of 10 people or less. If you are sick, please call your school instead of visiting.

The Walton County School District does have an online system to answer any of your COVID-19/School Closure related questions. Please click on the “Contact Us” tab on the right side of our website to submit a question or concern. District staff is available to answer questions over Spring Break. Thank you for your continued support and understanding in this time of uncertainty. We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and patience.

We want to thank everyone for your support this week and would like to report that all Walton County students have made it home safely as we begin our district’s regular scheduled Spring Break. Beginning tomorrow (Friday, March 13, 2020), the Walton County School District will begin a deep clean of each school campus. Due to these efforts, students will have limited access to their school until we return on Monday, March 23, 2020.

During your time off from school, please continue to make best health practices a way of life, such as hand washing; covering coughs and sneezes; limiting touches to your eyes, nose, and mouth; and staying home if you are sick. If you need additional guidance concerning COVID-19, please call the Florida hotline at 1-866-779-6121.

For the most up-to-date information on school functions, events, and/or changes, please refer to our district and/or your school’s website and social media. For travel notices, please continue to refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Even though school is out, rest assured that Superintendent A. Russell Hughes and his leadership team in conjunction with your school’s administration will be working on plans for a safe and healthy return to schools. Thank you again for your support during this difficult time. Please stay safe and healthy.

The Walton County School District is staying up-to-date on COVID-19 through consistent communication with the Florida Department of Education and the Walton County Health Department. The health and safety of our students is always our number one priority. As always during the flu season, our schools are working hard to keep all school surfaces and furniture clean and sanitary, but we have extended our efforts in order to be as proactive as possible for our students and employees.

All of us can also help prevent the spread of germs. Reminders can include:

* Wash hands often with soap and water

* Use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available

* Appropriately cover coughs and sneezes

* Keep hands away from eyes, nose, and mouth

* Stay home if you are sick

The number and websites below provide additional information:

* State Hotline for Florida - 866-779-6121

* Florida Department of Health - floridahealth.gov

* Walton Department of Health - walton.floridahealth.gov

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Permalink: https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/2020/3/important-information-regarding-covid-19

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Important Update-COVID-19

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Anonymous Parent Survey

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New Important Information

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COVID-19 Update 3.27.20

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COVID-19 Update 3/12/20

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