Dear Bolinas-Stinson School Community:
Thanks to all of you who have stepped up and shown amazing toleration, respect and patience as we navigate the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hard times provide us with an opportunity to express the best parts of our character as a community and as individuals and it has been inspiring to see that in action.
I need to share with you some important information after the latest conference call with Public Health and Marin County Schools. Even though we are seeing signs that the shelter-in-place order and physical distancing have been helping, it is clear that we are in still in the early stages of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the prediction is that hospitalizations and fatalities in Marin will increase rapidly for the next 2-6 weeks. While we cannot stop the pandemic there are some very important things that you can do.
· Our school campuses are closed. That means only personnel designated in advance by the school administration should be on the grounds or in buildings. To be specific, playgrounds, basketball courts, and fields are no longer available to the public. Bathrooms with outdoor access will be locked from now on because they provide an especially potent location for disease transmission.
· Please wear some kind of face covering when you leave your residence. The Health Officer advised us this morning that even home-made masks, gaiters or bandanas will help in efforts to slow the rate of the pandemic.
· Please continue to follow all of the hygiene advice that has been provided so far: Wash hands frequently. Stay at lease 6 feet away from people with whom you do not share a residence. Check the COVID-19 FAQ provided by public health. It is updated regularly:
https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org
· We expect to receive another press-release early next week with more information about continuance of the shelter-in-place and school closures in Marin.
There is good news too: We expect 100% of our student to be connected to the internet (regardless of where they live) sometime next week. Our staff has done great work in making that happen at rapid pace. Local non-profits including the school have coordinated to make sure the community is able to feed and care for itself. Along with our partners, we will be sharing information about food distribution and doing our part to make sure everyone can connect to essential services. Of course our very successful school lunch program will continue through Spring Break and beyond.
Thanks again for your cooperation and patience.
John Carroll, Superintendent