COVID

Thank you for choosing Litchfield Elementary School District!
 

HealthyVerify Certified
We are pleased to announce that Litchfield Elementary School District has successfully completed its intensive HealthyVerify certification process. We are among the first school districts in the state to achieve this status that represents a rigorous third-party examination of our health and safety protocols. Thank you to our A+ staff members who've committed themselves to the health and safety of our Litchfield family. 

Updated November 20 

Litchfield Elementary School District’s most recent benchmark data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health shows a substantial spike in the metrics. Our percent positivity is now above 8% and our cases per 100k people have increased nearly 70% since last week to 236.25. 

Our data-informed, consultative process involving a wide variety of stakeholders has led us to the decision that all of our schools will remain in Distance Learning format through January 4 and until further notice. Superintendent Gunning will offer another update on December 18 to announce whether we will extend Distance Learning beyond January 4 or return to In-Person Learning (5 days per week in classrooms) on January 4.

Adherence to public health recommendations is our best chance at getting students back into classrooms. We urge you and your family to do everything that you can to slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. Especially as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we implore you to physically distance and avoid gathering with people outside of your household, wear face coverings, wash hands frequently, and stay home when you do not feel well. 

We believe strongly that the best place for most children is in a classroom with their peers and a qualified teacher. Until this can be achieved in a manner that is safe and healthy, then it is our honor to offer high quality online education with live teaching lessons, award-winning social emotional development practices, and certified teachers whose professional lives are devoted to the support and development of your child. 

All children age 18 and under are eligible for free meals for the entire school year. This program is fully funded by the USDA. You may find that the easiest way to access this convenient opportunity is to visit our website weekly and order a week’s worth of food for your child to be picked up at your child’s school every Friday. You can also access free meals daily at your child’s school or at a variety of bus stop locations that are advertised on our website. Please contact our Food Services Department directly if there is anything we can do to support you during this challenging time.

Thank you to our Technology Department for their hard work and for the grace of our families who experience technical difficulties at times. We are in the process of upgrading our bandwidth that will allow for network speed at ten times our current rate. This upgrade will be implemented as soon as parts that are on order can be received and activated.

In this season of gratitude, we are thankful for the grace and support that our families have offered in this unprecedented time that Superintendent Gunning has dubbed our year of flexibility. Thank you for choosing Litchfield Elementary School District.

#Maskup

We need your support to ensure students have the opportunity for quality education in a classroom. It is imperative to follow public health recommendations not only at school, but also when we are away from school and in the community. We urge you to protect yourself, your family, and others by staying home when you feel ill, avoiding gatherings, physical distancing, washing hands frequently, and wearing face coverings. 

devices for students

LESD COVID-19 Dashboard

Updated: Friday, november 20
 

We believe in the value of strong communication as a cornerstone of quality education. The purpose of this data is two-fold:

1) To provide our Litchfield Elementary School District families and staff with a transparent summary of active COVID-19 cases by school resulting in exclusion from school activities. An active COVID-19 case indicates that a student or staff member participating in on-campus activities has tested positive for an active COVID-19 infection. Individuals who test positive are excluded from participation in any in-person/on-campus activity until the isolation period and guidelines are met. Once the individual has completed the isolation period they are no longer considered an active case and their case is removed from the dashboard count.

2) To provide our Litchfield Elementary School District families and staff with a transparent summary of active quarantine cases by school resulting in exclusion from school activities. An active quarantine case indicates that a student or staff member participating in on-campus activities has been exposed to someone with COVID (either at school or somewhere else) but has not developed any symptoms of COVID-19 themselves. Active quarantine cases are excluded from participation in any in-person/on-campus activity until the quarantine period and guidelines are met. Once the individual has completed the quarantine period they are no longer considered an active quarantine case and their case is removed from the dashboard count.

The communication regarding positive, or potentially positive, COVID-19 tests falls within the HIPPA guidelines and the privacy rights of students and staff must be protected. When a positive case is reported to any LESD school it must be reported to Maricopa County Health Department first. 

After Maricopa County Department of Public Health has investigated and confirmed the positive case, the school will gather additional information, identify any potential close contacts, and prepare communication for staff and the community. Anyone who is identified as a "close contact" will be sent a notification that they may have been within six feet for 10 minutes or longer with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19. If anyone is required to quarantine as a result of being in close contact, their notification will include a return date (a negative COVID-19 test will not allow an individual to return earlier than specified). Once an individual has completed the isolation period, they are no longer considered an active case and their case is removed from the dashboard count. (Note: The dashboard is updated every Friday which includes adding any new cases and removing any inactive cases at that time).

Disclaimer: All COVID-19 data shared by the Litchfield Elementary School District is for informational purposes only and will be updated every Friday. Information shared is based on what is shared with the district and can be verified with MCDPH. Data in the table below is current as of 12:00 PM on the Friday that it is published. Litchfield Elementary School District is not liable for lack of information we have not received or been able to verify.

Data posted when Litchfield Elementary School District is in the Distance Learning format applies to staff and students expected to be on campus during the week. This includes students participating in the free onsite learning opportunities, support services, and the staff on campus to support them. This excludes students participating in Distance Learning and Digital Learning Academy at home, as well as teachers and staff working from home.

Current Active COVID-19 and Current Active Quarantine Cases by School 
(data is updated every Friday)

Updated: Friday, November 20

The next update will be posted on Friday, December 4.
(No update will be posted on the Friday of Thanksgiving break.)

MCPH Contact info
 

If you have questions about an exposure notification you received from your child's school and need further clarification of the guidelines Litchfield Elementary School District is following for COVID-19, please see Maricopa County Public Health's FAQ's. You can also speak to someone directly at MCPH by calling the COVID-19 Parent Hotline. Dial 2-1-1, then press Option 6 for COVID-19, and then Option 3 to connect to a hotline staff member. You also can submit your questions through MCPH Contact Us web form.