April 30, 2020
The school district is committed to keeping you updated throughout the COVID-19 closure of Des Moines Public Schools' buildings and our completion of the school year through distance learning. Today's edition includes a note about food distribution for children in need, a new partnership providing internet to students and how you can help, and even though we're out of the office, we're still hiring!  
NEW PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES INTERNET TO STUDENTS
As Des Moines Public Schools completes the school year through distance learning, making sure every student can access the internet has been a big priority. DMPS is working with Mediacom to address this need. The school district is providing "hotspots" to students as a temporary solution as Mediacom then connects nearly 2,000 households to cable modems. The effort is being funded by DMPS, Mediacom, and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, with a thank you to the Greater Des Moines Partnership for their support. Click here to read more about this important partnership for equity in connectivity.  
 
If you would like to help in this important endeavor, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines is accepting donations. Just click the graphic below.
DMPS@HOME: GROUND ZERO FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
DMPS@HOME is our school-away-from-school during this time of distance learning. If you haven't yet visited it, do so soon.  Within this section of our web site you will find educational tools, such as:
  1. Subject workbooks for grades PK-8;
  2. Links to high quality, online learning resources;
  3. Activities and lessons in Canvas, the digital learning platform at DMPS.
Click here to visit DMPS@HOME and bookmark it on your browser for quick and easy access to educational materials for your child.
A NOTE ABOUT MEALS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED
Throughout the COVID-19 school building closure, Des Moines Public Schools is serving approximately 10,000 breakfasts and 10,000  lunches per weekday. Even as we do our best to prepare for turnout at all 50 of our meal distribution sites, we are still running out of food at some locations.  
 
Our goal is to make sure that no Des Moines child goes hungry in our city, and the United States Department of Agriculture provides the district funding for meals with the understanding that the meals will feed children in need who are ages 1-18. It is up to each family to determine what need looks like during this uncertain time in our world. We appreciate the support of our DMPS community in following these guidelines to help us make sure every hungry child has enough to eat.
 
Rain or shine, we will be at all 50 meal distribution sites each weekday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM to serve our kids. Click here to see a list of the meal sites.  Be sure to see the map on this web page to find the site most convenient for you.

Thanks to contributions from the community, DMPS has been able to add healthy snacks for children to eat during the stretch between lunch and breakfast the following day. If you would like to contribute to this effort, just click the green bar below. 
CORONAVIRUS: RELY ON THE EXPERTS FOR INFORMATION
Accurate health information about COVID-19 is important as people around the world respond to help put an end to this global pandemic. Stay informed and look for information on Coronavirus from reliable and trusted expert sources:
It is the policy of the Des Moines Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you believe you (or your child) have been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact Susan Tallman, 2100 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321; phone: 515-242-7709; email: [email protected].