March 12, 2020
Dear USJ families,
We wanted to take this opportunity to communicate with you the steps we have taken since our last letter home regarding coronavirus. USJ continues to take measures to plan for the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community. We have been proactive in this process and continue to monitor guidance coming from CDC, The World Health Organization, and the National Association of Independent Schools. As a result of a collaborative effort with our senior leadership team, we created a crisis plan which has been shared with the board of trustees and the leadership team. The senior leadership team meets daily to discuss this ever-changing situation.
A few things to note:
- There is a plan in place for a deep cleaning, including the use of a fog machine, over spring break.
- Our janitorial staff has been doing deep cleaning during the school day and will continue the practice going forward.
- Because of a generous donation of a parent, the school will now own two electrostatic cleaning machines (one for each building). Our staff will be trained and will implement this cleaning as soon as the machines arrive. Information about the devices can be found here: https://www.cloroxpro.com/products/clorox/total-360/
- We have a plan in place for online teaching and learning. As a precautionary measure, please make sure your child brings home needed books and supplies when they leave for spring break. This would be a good idea to do daily when we return from spring break.
- School community members who are scheduled to travel should be following the recommendations of the CDC. Community members should be aware that if you have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus during your travel, you are advised to self-quarantine and not return to campus for at least 14 days. All USJ community members traveling should follow the CDC’s preventative safety measures regarding COVID-19 and monitor the CDC’s travel website.
- We are currently evaluating plans as they relate to field trips. We will communicate any changes that are made as soon as possible.
- We have a crisis management plan in place to deal with this situation.
USJ is prepared to take all necessary steps to help safeguard the health of our community as we continue to focus on our mission.
We appreciate your continued support. Thank you for your patience and commitment as we respond to this evolving situation together.
Sincerely,
