March 12, 2020

Dear Parents or Guardians,

I want to provide you with an update regarding our efforts to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, parents, and community regarding the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).  

We have remained in regular contact with the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) at the diocese as well as with the St. Joseph County Health Department. The CSO has been in constant contact with local and state health departments as well as with other dioceses. We will continue to monitor information and follow the recommendations of the health department. As of this writing, based on those recommendations, we will be conducting school and school activities as usual as possible.  

This week, we have consistently communicated preventative measures to our students and staff. We have provided extra hand sanitizer in the hallways as well as cleaning supplies and gloves to classrooms. We have also been doing enhanced cleaning of all high-touch surfaces in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.  

If the local or state health departments advise us to close, we will fully comply. We are actively working on plans to provide eLearning to students in the event of a school closure. These plans are based on our normal eLearning procedures with modifications to sustain learning for two or more weeks. We will also submit an application for a waiver of instructional days if that is needed.  

We continue to expect that families comply with health department recommendations in terms of self-quarantine due to travel or direct contact with someone with COVID-19. We will work hard to support students that are absent from school due to self-quarantine. This will be done through Canvas and other technology tools. We ask that all families consider the implications of traveling during this time. Please continue to inform our Office of Student Life ( mdavidson@saintjoehigh.com ) or (574) 239-7665 to report any travel within your family that may require quarantine.

Please utilize resources such as the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) or the CDC for information about COVID-19. The diocese has also created a webpage for our diocesan parishes and schools: www.diocesefwsb.org/covid-19 . We will be posting information under a COVID-19 tab on the main page of the Saint Joseph High School website ( www.saintjoehigh.com ) within the next few days. That tab will contain our revised eLearning procedures if extended eLearning becomes necessary. 

Know that we remain ready and prepared to respond to various scenarios related to COVID-19. We will continue to consult with the diocese and the Health Department and make decisions based on their recommendations.  

You, your family, and everyone in the Saint Joseph High School community are in my prayers during this time. Thank you for your continued cooperation and God Bless.   

Sincerely,
Mr. John Kennedy
Principal
453 N. Notre Dame Ave.
South Bend, IN 46617
www.saintjoehigh.com