Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update - March 19, 2020
Dear Porterville Unified School District Community,
Thank you for your patience during this difficult time as PUSD works to best service our students, staff, and community. The District continues to work closely with the Tulare County Office of Education and the Tulare County Health Department to follow both state and federal guidelines to protect students, families, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The public's health and safety is PUSD’s number one priority during this time. After careful consideration, effective immediately, PUSD will close all schools. School closures are projected to last until at least April 14th, 2020. However, the schools may remain closed longer dependent upon further guidance from the government or healthcare authorities.
At this point, no person within PUSD has been identified as having been exposed to COVID-19. If PUSD is notified by the Health Department that anyone infected by the virus has been in contact with students, we will contact families and staff immediately. In the meantime, district staff will continue to provide essential services that will be available to all students. These services include:
- Offering school lunches and breakfast to children between the ages of 1 and 18. Per USDA guidelines, students must be present to pick up meals. Food can be picked up Monday through Friday from 11:00 until 12:30 pm at all schools. Food pick-up will be a drive-thru or curbside service. Meals are meant to be picked up and taken home. This program may be adjusted as needs dictate.
- Providing instructional resources for students. For the week of March 23rd through March 27th, instructional resources will be available through the PUSD website. Starting Monday, March 30, 2020, your student's teachers will work to provide work online. If students are unable to access online materials, schools will work with families to provide a way to access the materials.
If your child does not currently have access to a device (i.e. Chromebook, iPad), please contact your child’s school by calling the office. PUSD may provide the option for students to check out a device to use at home. Once devices are requested, a PUSD staff member will work with you to check out a device.
School closure is difficult for families and staff members. This is new and uncharted territory for everyone. We will continue to work on our systems and processes to ensure that PUSD is providing the best support we can to our families during this time.
Please continue to check the PUSD website or our social media posts for updates. (https://www.portervilleschools.org). If you have any questions, please see our website for our upcoming FAQs or call (559) 793-2456 or (559) 793-2453.
Sincerely,
Nate Nelson, Ed.D.
Superintendent