Toolkit available to help families prepare for school year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020

CONTACT: Mary Stadick Smith, South Dakota Department of Education, 605-773-7228, mary.stadicksmith@state.sd.us or

Ruth Raveling, South Dakota Department of Education, 605-773-2593, ruth.raveling@state.sd.us

 

Toolkit available to help families prepare for school year

 

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Education has developed a toolkit to help families prepare for the 2020-21 school year. Families and caregivers will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of face-to-face learning. For many students, the consequences of not being in school are greater than the health risks of COVID-19. The full school experience provides vital academic, social, emotional, physical, and nutritional benefits.

 

“School districts have worked tirelessly all summer developing plans for keeping their students, staff, and communities safe,” said Secretary of Education Ben Jones. “Families can do their part by keeping children home if they are sick and teaching their youngsters healthy hygiene habits. Finally, employers can do their part by providing flexibility to employees whose children become sick.”

 

The toolkit provides information about how schools and classrooms might look different with COVID-19 precautions in place, how parents can monitor their children for symptoms, teach their children healthy hygiene habits, talk with them about COVID-19, and develop a plan for what to do if someone in the household gets sick. There are also resources available in multiple languages.

 

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