Hiawatha Elementary School
600 Miami St.
Hiawatha, KS 66434
785-742-7181
(FAX) 785-742-2545
Lonnie Moser, Superintendent Paul Carver, Principal
Dear Hiawatha Elementary School Families,
As you likely have heard, the school board elected to make masks optional for students and staff starting after school ends on Friday, April 16. I’d like to update you on what that means at the elementary level.
Firstly, I want to reiterate that our students’ health remains our top priority followed directly by our ability to deliver high-quality instruction. Our healthy habits like frequent hand washing, sanitizing, and cleaning practices will remain in place. Students will still remain distanced as much as possible while in class. However, small group work, intervention groups, and indoor recesses will likely involve students being in closer proximity to each other.
Families can choose to send their children with masks, however, our staff will not be responsible for monitoring family masking preferences. Students may still utilize screens during dining, however, as these served a similar purpose as our masks, they will become optional. Contact tracing efforts for those exposed to the Covid virus will continue to the best of our ability. However, individuals whether masked or unmasked will still be subject to the quarantine policy from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Our school policy still dictates that students who have experienced a fever of greater than 100 degrees remain home for 72 hours without a fever and the use of fever-reducing medications. Students experiencing Covid- like symptoms will be asked to provide a medical professional’s note to resume school, a negative test result, or self-quarantine for 10 days from the onset of their symptoms.
Our goal remains to conclude the school year with as many rich experiences and quality learning opportunities as possible while continuing to be responsive to the changes occurring. As has been the case all year, our ability to predict the future is ineffective, but our response to challenges is still done so with a spirit of perseverance.
Sincerely,
Paul Carver
Hiawatha Elementary School Principal