UPDATE: COVID-19

Dear MDU Family,

As you are probably aware, our local schools have changed course from last week’s school board approved plans to open both “face-to-to face + virtual instruction” to opening “virtually only” for at least the first 30 days of fall.

Before I share our plans going forward, let me share this: I have sat in (virtually) on weekly planning meetings with the schools and the County since June. In that time I have witnessed nothing short of an amazing group of professionals working cooperatively and diligently to manage a challenging and continuously changing situation. The local schools, along with our county officials, had an impossible task and made impossible decisions. We support the decisions that have been made and we cheer on our local schools. We will also continue to attend weekly meetings and foster good communication with our friends in public education.

That said, we are going to stay on our path of gradually and responsibly opening services and learning to live in this new world.

A gradual and responsible opening has been our path since day one and we haven’t changed. When the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the Governor’s Safer-at-Home order we could’ve opened back at full capacity, but we didn’t. We stayed on our plan for a gradual and responsible opening.

And, we are staying with our plan for a gradual and responsible opening now. Because for as much as we identify with, and support, our colleagues in public education, we are different:

• The public schools have 250+ “switches” that need to be adjusted each time the Coulee COVID Compass changes. We don’t. We have just five.
• The public schools have students in their buildings for 40+ hours per week. We don’t. Half our students are here for just 30 minutes per week - that’s 1% of the time they would spend in school.
• Many of our public schools have aging facilities. At only two years old our facility is equipped with modern and massive air handling capacity.
• K-12 education is compulsory. Participation in our programs is voluntary.

It is because of those differences, our comprehensive planning, as well as the CDC acknowledgment of the benefits of in-person instruction that we stay on our path of gradual and responsible reopening. According to the CDC, social interaction among children in grades K-12 is important not only for emotional wellbeing, but also for children’s language, communication, social, and interpersonal skills. A weekly dance class supports all of those functions as well as addressing the need for physical activity and creative expression.

Additionally, when we surveyed our families 93% wanted a return to traditional instruction. All summer we have been testing our systems and slowly building capacity to meet that expectation.

On August 17th we will open our fall classes at 50% capacity. To learn more about our plans for fall, including an option for supported virtual academic learning during the day, please join me for an MDU Family Chat on Saturday night, August 1 at 7pm. Click here to attend.

We hope you will consider joining us as we ALL learn how to move forward in this new world.

Respectfully,

Misty Lown