Letter from the Superintendent - August 2021
Dear Patrons and Students:
It’s that time of year again, back-to-school. Although we are entering school with much better conditions than last year, we still have a great deal of processes and procedures to pay attention to. At the current time, we don’t have any directed health measures issued by the State of Nebraska, so we’ll continue some common-sense guidelines and hopefully our families will do everything they can to help in our pursuit of a healthy school year. I urge each family to listen to their own health care provider regarding COVID-19. Take care of your family as well and be considerate of all of our families, staff and students. Do not send sick students to school! Masks are optional at Southwest Public Schools, just like last year. We will continue to clean and disinfect our schools, including fogging both schools (and all buses) every day, to knock down as many viruses (including influenza, which we had an extremely limited amount of last year) as we can. Students should bring a water bottle to fill. We have increased the level of filters installed into our HVAC systems to increase the air quality in our schools. At the elementary, we have split large classes as much as possible to create smaller numbers in each classroom. That will also allow for more attention for each student.
The free school meal program is returning again, which is great news. All students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school, and our after-school program will have free snacks, as well. You probably received a packet of information asking you to fill out an application to see if you qualify for free or reduced price meals, which may cause you to ask “why would I need to fill this out if the meals are free?” Good question, and here’s the answer. These forms determine a great deal more than whether a student gets free or reduced meals. They also determine how much in federal dollar support we may receive through other programs such as Title I. This is very important. In addition, if a family does receive EBT or SNAP benefits, this may qualify them for more help in benefits. That’s a big deal, so please help out. It’s all part of what is called the SSO meal program, or “Seamless Summer Option.” These figures will carry over beyond the end of the school year, so please participate, fill out the forms, and save your own family some funds and help our school funding.
Mr. Springer and Mrs. Fries are ready to welcome back students for a fantastic school year. The Return to School Plan and ESSERS Grant Fund input forms are our website if you have any further ideas for uses of the grant funds or returning back to school. We will operate in a safe, clean environment, so we will watch updates to State ordered directives carefully. To reassure you again, we will not be adopting the proposed health standards from the Department of Education, nor will we be considering teaching any other controversial subject matter. Again, please be safe and considerate for all students and staff as we navigate through these unprecedented times. We will do our best to keep things as “normal” as possible.
Sincerely,
R. Todd Porter