Welcome Back to School!

September 11, 2020

Good Evening Sanford Families:

On behalf of the Sanford School Department, we are excited to welcome back our students.  This will be a school opening like no other.  We are opening our schools in an entirely different model, attempting to balance the safety needs of our students, staff, and community with meeting the educational needs of our children. 

Every morning prior to coming to school, parents/guardians will need to complete a Daily Screening for their child.  The screening process for students and staff is an important part of keeping our students and staff safe.  If you answer YES to any of the screening questions, students must remain home.  Daily self-assessment questions include:

  • Fever of 100 degrees or higher
  • Chills or repeated shaking with chills
  • Sore throat
  • Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
  • Unexplained muscle aches
  • New cough
  • New loss of smell or taste
  • New runny nose or nasal congestion (different from your normal allergies or seasonal fever)
  • Vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours
  • Do you live with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is still symptomatic in the past 14 days?
  • In the past 14 days have you traveled outside the US or outside Maine, NH, VT, CT, NY or NJ?

In addition to the daily screening checks, all students are required to:

  • Wear a mask/face covering at school and on the bus that covers their nose and mouth,
  • Maintain an appropriate physical distance, and
  • Wash/sanitize their hands frequently throughout the school day.

Links to other helpful information to assist in the return to school:

Back to School PSAs

Remote/Distance Learner Meals

K-4 Bus Routes

5-12 Bus Routes

School Calendar

School Nutrition

 Covid-19 Information                                                                               

K-4 Distance Learning Update

In closing, I want to say thank you to all our families, staff, and community members.  We are following the guidance of the MCDC and MDOE but there is no “playbook” for all the decisions we are making to reopen our schools.  I am confident that our plan to re-open schools is solid and our opening will be both safe and positive.  We understand that there is no way that everyone will be happy with every single decision made.  We will continue to encourage patience, kindness and understanding as we navigate these challenging times together and work together to solve any problems that arise.  Can’t wait to get started this Monday!

Sincerely,

Matt Nelson

Superintendent