UPDATE #8 - March 17, 2020

As we continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation regarding COVID-19, we would like to share updated information regarding school closure.

Today, direction was provided to Florida school districts that all public schools in Florida continue to be closed through April 15, 2020. Therefore, Collier County Public Schools will be CLOSED to all students from Monday, March 23rd through Wednesday, April 15th. Additional school closures will be re-evaluated in two weeks and any changes will be communicated as soon as available.

This continued school closure includes ALL:

• CCPS sites
• before and after-school programs held at CCPS sites
• extracurricular activities, including athletic practices and competitions, will be canceled
• Adult and Community Education classes will be canceled
• District leases will be suspended
• planned District-sponsored student in- and out-of-county travel will be canceled

Additionally, the Governor has canceled ALL state assessments for students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.

Collier County Public Schools is ready to transition to virtual/online continuous learning for students. We will provide further details about our Continuous Learning Plan in an update later this week.

Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility while we navigate uncharted territory during these challenging times.

We thank our CCPS Family for their continued patience and flexibility as we diligently work together to navigate the rapidly changing situation regarding COVID-19.

As a reminder, there will be no school for students this week (Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20) and all CCPS sites will be closed to the public. Any additional school closure information will be communicated to parents this week, if needed.

UPDATED: CCPS FREE MEAL PICK-UP SITES

As mentioned in a previous update, during this week's school closure, starting tomorrow (Tuesday, March 17th), Collier County Public Schools will be offering FREE meals for ALL children age 18 and under at 27 locations throughout the District.

This free meal service will begin on Tuesday, March 17th, with pick-up available each weekday from 9am to 1pm. The meals will be “grab and go” style. Students will be able to pick up two  meals (breakfast and lunch OR lunch and next day's breakfast). Participating families will also receive a daily activities page. School buildings will be closed; therefore, meals must be consumed offsite.

IMPORTANT: Per federal regulations, children 18 and under must be present to receive meals.

Click here to view a list of all pick-up locations. If your child's home school is not listed, you may visit any of the participating locations. You may also click here to search for your closest pick-up location using your address.

NEW: HARRY CHAPIN FOOD DISTRIBUTION

The Harry Chapin Food Bank will also be providing food distribution at locations throughout Collier County. Please click here to access the Harry Chapin Food Bank locator.

UPDATED: CONTINUOUS LEARNING

CCPS is committed to supporting children and families in continuous learning. When the schools are closed for any reason, CCPS encourages parents and caregivers to have students engage in academic activities. As such, the CCPS Curriculum and Instruction Division has developed lessons and resources to ensure learning is continuous. We encourage you and your child to visit our eLearning webpage at www.collierschools.com/eLearn for grade-level resources.

For additional continuous learning and parent resources, click on the links below.

REMINDER: SELF-ISOLATION GUIDANCE

According to guidance from the Florida Department of Health-Collier, as of March 13th at 3:30pm, employees and students must self-isolate for 14 days due to travel to:

• China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, or Hong Kong
• all Level 3 countries (click here for list)

Regarding cruises:

• only cruise passengers that are part of a known contact investigation are considered Level 2 and need to self-isolate for 14 days
• general cruise passengers (Caribbean, etc.) are considered low risk and do not need to self-isolate

If self-isolation is needed based on the guidance above:

• the 14-day period starts upon return of travel (not the end of Spring Break)
• if your child is self-isolating, please click here to complete our Reporting Self-Isolation Due to COVID-19 form.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND PARENT RESOURCES

• Keep Learning Alive
• Family Activities
• Talking to Children about COVID-19

UPDATE #6 - March 14, 2020

As we continue to provide updates to assist parents during the CCPS school closure set for next week (Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20), please review the information and resources below.

NEW: FREE MEALS FOR ALL CHILDREN 18 AND UNDER

During next week's school closure, Collier County Public Schools will be offering FREE meals for ALL children age 18 and under.

This free meal service will begin on Tuesday, March 17th. Pick-up will be available each weekday during the school closure from 9am to 1pm. The meals will be “grab and go” style. Students will be able to pick up two meals (breakfast and lunch OR lunch and next day's breakfast). School buildings will be closed; therefore, meals cannot be consumed onsite.

There will be 27 meal pick-up sites. Location details are being finalized and will be shared in a future update and on the District's Health Information Update website.

Per federal regulations, children 18 and under must be present to receive meals.

NEW: SELF-ISOLATION GUIDANCE

According to guidance from the Florida Department of Health-Collier, as of March 13th at 3:30pm, employees and students must self-isolate for 14 days due to travel to:

• China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, or Hong Kong
• all Level 3 countries (click here for list)

Regarding cruises:

• only cruise passengers that are part of a known contact investigation are considered Level 2 and need to self-isolate for 14 days
• general cruise passengers (Caribbean, etc.) are considered low risk and do not need to self-isolate

If self-isolation is needed based on the guidance above:

• the 14-day period starts upon return of travel (not the end of Spring Break)
• if your child is self-isolating, please click here to complete our Reporting Self-Isolation Due to COVID-19 form.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND PARENT RESOURCES

• Keep Learning Alive
• Family Activities
• Talking to Children about COVID-19

UPDATE #5 - March 13, 2020

With the ever-changing situation related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we thank our CCPS Family for their patience and flexibility. We continue to monitor this rapidly changing situation.

The Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education has directed all public schools in Florida to be closed for two weeks inclusive of their Spring Break. Since CCPS was on Spring Break this week, our second week of closure will be next week. CCPS will be CLOSED to all students Monday, March 16th through Friday, March 20th. Please click here to see a chart provided by the Florida Department of Education regarding school closure dates for all counties.

CCPS employees will receive further guidance regarding reporting to work in a separate communication tomorrow, Saturday, March 14th.

This school closure includes ALL:

• CCPS sites
  
  
• before and after-school programs held at CCPS sites
  
  
• extracurricular activities, including athletic practices and competitions, will be canceled
  
  
• Adult and Community Education classes will be canceled
  
  
• District leases will be suspended
  
  
• planned District-sponsored student in- and out-of-county travel will be canceled

Further cleaning of school sites will occur next week. CCPS continues to work diligently to have online learning options ready to implement as warranted. A parent survey regarding computer and internet access at home for virtual learning purposes will be sent to parents tomorrow, Saturday, March 14.

We know this can be a challenging time for children and families. Click here for a resource to help guide parents in talking with children about COVID-19 and changes in routines. For activities that children may engage in next week, click here for the CCPS Keep Learning Alive resource.

UPDATE #4 - March 12, 2020

As we plan to return from Spring Break, we hope our students, staff, and families enjoyed time off with family and friends. We continue to work with the Florida Department of Health in Collier County (FLDOH-Collier) to provide you with the latest information related to COVID-19.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS
At this time, CCPS school operations will continue as normal on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. It is important to share that any school closure(s) related to a health situation, such as COVID-19, is made in cooperation with the Florida Department of Health. Currently, a districtwide closure is not anticipated. Any future closure(s) will be evaluated on a school-by-school basis.

Supplemental activities such as field trips, musical performances, and athletic contests are under review. Updates on these activities will be provided in an update on Monday, March 16, by 4:30pm.

NEW CRUISE INFORMATION
The Florida Department of Health in Collier County, following the updated guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is now recommending avoiding Cruise Ship Travel due to risk of infection to passengers and crew members related to the COVID-19 virus. If your family has returned (or will be returning) from a cruise since Wednesday, March 11, 2020, FLDOH-Collier is recommending that you monitor your health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the United States – this includes not attending school or work. Students and staff may return to school after limiting interactions for 14 days if they are symptom free.

CONTINUED TRAVEL GUIDANCE FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF
Per the direction of the Florida Department of Health in Collier County (FLDOH-Collier), this is to advise that in the event students and/or District staff travel to China, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Iran, or Hong Kong, they shall voluntarily self-isolate for a 14-day period upon return. The District will notify the FLDOH-Collier accordingly. If students and/or District staff return from these countries and enter our building sites without voluntary self-isolation, Collier County Public Schools has been directed to promptly notify the Florida Department of Health in Collier County. 

TRAVEL ADVISORIES
Increased travel advisory levels have been placed on the following countries due to COVID-19 outbreaks:

• China
• Iran
• Italy
• South Korea
• Japan
• Hong Kong

Click here for further information on the most up-to-date travel advisories related to COVID-19.

PREVENTION TIPS
As the health and safety of our CCPS Family continues to be a top priority for our District, we want to remind everyone of the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid illness.

Today, all students will be receiving a copy of handwashing flyers to take home. The flyers are school-level specific and are shown below. We encourage you to review the steps with your family in order to continue building the good habit of handwashing.

Click on the links below for printable posters.
Elementary Handwashing Poster
Middle and High School Handwashing Poster

UPDATE #3 - March 5, 2020

With Spring Break next week, many of our students, staff, and families may be embarking on planned travel or enjoying our beautiful community during the vacation.

Per the direction of the Florida Department of Health in Collier County (FLDOH-Collier), this is to advise that in the event students and/or District staff travel to China, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Iran, or Hong Kong, they shall voluntarily self-isolate for a 14-day period upon return. The District will notify the FLDOH-Collier accordingly. If students and/or District staff return from these countries and enter our building sites without voluntary self-isolation, Collier County Public Schools has been directed to promptly notify the Florida Department of Health in Collier County. 

TRAVEL ADVISORIES
Increased travel advisory levels have been placed on the following countries due to COVID-19 outbreaks:

• China
• Iran
• Italy
• South Korea
• Japan
• Hong Kong

Click here for further information on the most up-to-date travel advisories related to COVID-19.

PREVENTION TIPS
As the health and safety of our CCPS Family continues to be a top priority for our District, we want to remind everyone of the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid illness.

Today, all students will be receiving a copy of handwashing flyers to take home. The flyers are school-level specific and are shown below. We encourage you to review the steps with your family in order to continue building the good habit of handwashing.

Click on the links below for printable posters.
Elementary Handwashing Poster
Middle and High School Handwashing Poster

UPDATE #2 - March 2, 2020

On March 1, 2020, Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-51 declaring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) a public health emergency in Florida. His Order is in line with multiple guidances issued by several departments of the Federal government. In light of this, and prior to visiting our campus sites, we ask parents, students, staff, and volunteers to consider the following questions as a matter of personal and collective responsibility and act accordingly in the best interest of all.

1. Have you been in the U.S. for the last 15 or more days?
   
   
2. Did you travel outside of the U.S. prior to this 15 day period?
   
   
3. Did you travel to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, or Hong Kong?
   
   
4. Have you been in contact with persons or travelers to any of these countries at any time prior to today?
   
   
5. Have you experienced flu-like symptoms, coughing, or shortness of breath?
• If so, have you been seen by a physician or other health care provider such as a Registered Nurse?

As a reminder, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) always recommends everyday preventive actions like handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and staying home if you are sick. Click here for additional prevention tips and resources.

UPDATE #1 - February 27, 2020

As coverage of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak in China and subsequent positive cases in the United States continues, Collier County Public Schools would like to provide some important health information. Please know that, as we do in all health-related cases, we are working closely together and receiving additional guidance from the Collier County Department of Health (CDH), the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is also important to understand that as of this writing, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Collier County or in Florida. This is a rapidly changing situation, and one that we are monitoring closely.

According to the CDC, most people get infected with viruses similar to COVID-19 at some point in their lives. The 2019 novel strain at the center of the current issue is a new one and has a more severe impact in terms of respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. The CDC is still studying how the virus spreads, though currently it is reported to be spread much like the flu.

Practicing good hygiene can help to limit the spread of viruses in our schools. A virus may live on surfaces such as desks and doorknobs, so as a safeguard, custodial staff will continue to regularly clean classrooms and common areas.

The current recommended precautions to avoid exposure to the virus are the same precautions you would take to avoid the flu. To keep your family safe:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds (hand washing tips). According to the CDC, if soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow, not your hands

• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

• Avoid close contact, kissing, hugging, and sharing cups, food, or eating utensils with others

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs and handrails

• Stay home if you are sick

• If you have asthma, follow your asthma care plan, and call your doctor if you are sick (asthma resources)

• Get a flu vaccine (flu facts)

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, but there is a vaccine for seasonal influenza (flu) which is recommended for all persons over the age of 6 months.

We will be continuing our partnerships with public health experts and updating you when new relevant information is available. You may find additional information at:

• Centers for Disease Control
  
  
• Florida Department of Health
  
  
• Collier County Health Department