Coronavirus Information for Schools

AWSA Events:

AWSA has and will continue to adjust our professional learning opportunities to fit members' needs during this health emergency.  You can find information on AWSA academies, conferences, and coaching in the Professional Learning Catalog or upcoming events page of the website.

AWSA Forums

AWSA, along with education leaders from around the state, will begin posting templates and plans for their schools and districts in the AWSA Member Forums. We encourage AWSA members to look over these plans, post their own, and/or ask any questions they may have. 

All AWSA members have access to the Member Forums. If you are having trouble joining or posting in any of our Forums, please contact our Communications and Technology Coordinator Jena Sebald at [email protected]. 

Communication Support/Templates 

The Donovan Group, which provides communication support to AWSA members, has created a webpage for information and guidance on how you can best communicate with parents, staff, students, and community members including great communication templates. 

They have also created the Communication Plan for Reopening Schools. The plan includes a month by month roadmap of recommended communication tactics and a wealth of templates for your use. This brief video provides an overview of how to take advantage of the resources in this new resource.

This page will continue to be updated as more information becomes available regarding confirmed U.S. cases of coronavirus. If you have any further questions we encourage you to contact the Donovan Group at 414-409-7225 or at [email protected].

Announcements

• NEW! (9/22/20) Governor Evers Issues New Emergency Order
• (9/22/20) Tony Evers extends expiring statewide mask order another 60 days, pushing mandate to Nov. 21
• (9/11/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 9/11/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
  • Updated COVID-19 District Flexibility Application
• (9/10/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 9/10/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
  • Updates on Face Coverings, Meal Programs, and PPE Request
• (9/8/20) US Department of Education Will Not Waive Testing Mandates This Year. On September 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos informed states that they should not count on getting the same waivers from federal testing mandates for this school year that they got last spring as the pandemic shut down schools.
• (8/25/20) Recording of WASDA/DHS Outbreak Guidance Meeting
• (8/24/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 8/24/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
• Regulatory Flexibility Framework Update
• (8/19/20) DHS Guidance on COVID-19 Outbreaks in Schools
• (8/17/20)  Answer to Frequently Asked Question Related to Governor's Order on Face Coverings

  On July 30, the Governor issued an order mandating face coverings. Under exceptions, the order reads “vi. While a single individual is giving a religious, political, media, educational, artistic, cultural, musical, or theatrical presentation for an audience, the single speaker may remove the face covering when actively speaking. While the face covering is removed, the speaker must remain at least 6 feet away from all other individuals at all times.”  
  Question: Does this mean a teacher is NOT required to wear a mask while teaching?
  Answer: Yes.  This exception includes teachers leading a lesson.

• (8/12/20) Mike Thompson has released the following message concerning ESSER and Guidance Updates
• (8/7/20) DPI Releases COVID Regulatory Flexibility Application/Information
• (8/6/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 8/6/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
  • New Health-Related COVID-19 Resources
• (7/7/20) Governor Tony Evers announced the distribution of free face masks and thermometers to public and private schools.  If you did not yet order your masks and thermometers, you can still do so.  Please see the Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) DPI’s earlier communication for information on accessing the form to place your order. The Department of Health Services has created a flyer for families to support the use of facial coverings. Additionally, the document Cloth Face Coverings in Schools provides information for school staff.
  
• (6/30/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 6/30/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
  • COVID-19 School Bus Safety Guidance
• (6/23/20) Educators are busy preparing for what comes after the state’s school closure order expires on June 30.  Yesterday, the DPI released its comprehensive Forward Education guidance document. District administrators and local health officials met yesterday via zoom to discuss this guidance (here is the link to the recording of the meeting).
• (6/22/20) On June 22, 2020, the DPI released guidance  for reopening schools for the upcoming fall semester.  The document, Education Forward, provides information and resources, including:
  • A School Health Services Infection Control and Mitigation Toolkit
  • A Reopening School Buildings Risk Assessment Tool
  • Interim COVID-19 Transportation Guidance
  • Interim COVID-19 Cafeterias and Food Service Guidance
  • A COVID-19 Infection Control Checklist for K-12 Schools
  
  
• (6/18/20) On June 18 the WIAA released Guidance for Summer Activities. The WIAA expects to release additional information (e.g. sport-specific guidelines) in the coming weeks. 
• (6/16/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 6/15/20 COVID-19 Updates Including:
• Mask and Thermometer Allocations to Schools
• (5/21/20) Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson 5/21/20 COVID-19 Update

Announcement Archive (Prior to 5/30/20)

Links to Resources and Guidance 

• What Are Districts Doing This Fall?
• What are schools doing around the nation?
• Johns Hopkins University eSchool+ Initiative Analysis of School Reopening Plans
• Our First Look at District Reopening Plans
• A recording of AWSA's "Helping Students and Staff Cope with Crisis and Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic" is available online. 
• How Can Student Teachers Help School in the COVID Era? AACTE, which is the national organization for colleges of education, released these two reports that identify how student teachers and teacher candidates can help support schools during COVID.

• AWSA's communication partner, the Donovan Group, has created the Communication Plan for Reopening Schools. The plan includes a month by month roadmap of recommended communication tactics and a wealth of templates for your use. This brief video provides an overview of how to take advantage of the resources in this new resource.

• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Resources
• Guidance
• Forward Education Roadmap
• Infection Control
• Transportation 
• Food Service
• COVID Information Page
• Submit your own questions about COVID-19 to the DPI

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services COVID-19 Information
• Extra-Curricular Guidance
• WIAA
• Policy and Human Resources Information from WASB
• CDC Resources
• Promotional Health
• Guidance for School Settings
• Guidance for Administrators of US Childcare Program
• Mitigation Strategies
• IDEA related Q&A
• Templates for families have been provided the Donovan Group (see other communication resources here)
• Guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists about talking to children and families
• Education Week Coverage of Coronavirus and Schools
• If you are looking for assistance in a particular area please use your AWSA resources:
• For legal issues contact AWSA's Attorney Malina Piontek
• For communication support and resources contact AWSA's partner, the Donovan Group
• For practical resources and questions post a question to an AWSA Forum.  
• If you don't receive the resources or answer you need please complete this support form.

Resource Archive