Coldwater Community Schools Superintendent Terry Ann Whelan is posting a sobering message on the district website. The district is being ordered into virtual learning by the local community health agency. The order also impacts special education programs in the district and closing KLA preschool and Kids Club daycare.

The Branch Hillsdale – St. Joseph Community Health Agency is requiring the district shut down due to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the district Transportation Department. Superintendent Whelen does not specify in the district communication but that presumably involves bus drivers and department maintenance workers.  The Superintendent is telling parents that students need to be reminded this is not a vacation for them. She is also pointing out that parents and guardians need to work to keep their students contact with other people in their neighborhoods and communities to an absolute minimum to help prevent further spread of the virus.

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Whelan points out the district may be hit with an imposing task at an inopportune time, but she believes it is not an insurmountable obstacle, saying, “As a district, this is something that we have spent a lot of time planning for as we knew that this pandemic would probably require us to do this at some point during the year. What we didn't plan for is that it would happen so soon. We are grateful that our Chromebooks came in last week so that we can continue to educate our students virtually. We know that this is an additional burden on our families, and we wish we could still be face-to-face. However, we will continue to work through the challenges and provide the best instructional opportunities possible to all of our students.” Parents and guardians in the district are receiving specific instructional information about the online learning programs for their student’s classes.

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