The COVID-19 pandemic has culminated in the most complicated and challenging school year of our lifetimes. Now more than ever, school and district leaders must be prepared to manage a wide variety of situations and communicate clearly and effectively.
Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools and the Donovan Group are working together to promote honest, transparent, equitable, freely accessible and public health-informed communication templates and guidance. This resource is a result of our ongoing efforts.
We hope this resource helps foster strong communication with your families and students, including those with more intensive and specialized needs for whom this pandemic has been especially difficult.
Please note that the specific strategies and messages you use will depend on factors like your district’s reopening plan, guidance you receive from state and local entities, and the status of COVID-19 in your district or community. Please check this site regularly — we plan to expand on these templates and guidance in the weeks to come.
Templates:
Thank you to our contributing partners:
Positive Cases & Closures
A student in a school has tested positive for COVID-19 and has likely had close contact with others.
A teacher or staff member in a school has tested positive for COVID-19 and has likely had close contact with others.
A student or staff member has been potentially exposed to an individual with COVID-19 outside of school.
Communicating with stakeholders as a school or district investigates a possible outbreak of COVID-19.
A section of a school must be temporarily closed due to one or more individuals testing positive for COVID-19.
Classrooms or sections of a school are safe to reopen after a temporary closure and/or period of quarantine.
Instructional Model Changes
A school district or system will reopen after beginning the year with 100% virtual learning.
A school district will move from full in-person learning to a hybrid model.
A school district will move from a hybrid model to full in-person learning.
A school district will move from full in-person learning to a 100% virtual model.
A school district will move from virtual model to full in-person learning.
A school will move from in-person learning to a virtual model due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
A school will move from full in-person learning to a hybrid model due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
A school will move from a hybrid model to full in-person learning.
A school will move from a virtual model to a hybrid model after a temporary closure.
A school will move from a virtual model to full in-person learning after a temporary closure.
Responding to Situations
Communicating with students, families and staff members about a confirmed case and/or quarantine.
Communicating with a student or staff member as they come back to school after a quarantine.
Communicating with families when a student is placed in isolation after experiencing symptoms.
A student is denied access to a school or facility due to a confirmed/suspected case of COVID-19.
A student is in violation of mitigation protocols and intervention is needed.
Additional Resources
LINKS:
TEMPLATES WE'RE WORKING ON:
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Communicating Meal Service Information