Frequently Asked Questions

              COVID-19 State-Mandated K-12 Closure

Updated March 26, 2020

Updated March 23, 2020

With the governor’s “stay at home” executive order, will the LPS Curbside Meal Program continue?

Yes, at this time, the district plans to continue this important service for families. Following the guidance of Wayne RESA, via the governor’s office, the food program will continue and all safety precautions will be taken. If this changes, we will notify families via email and social media.  For Curbside Meal Pick-Up information, please click on FLYER HERE. 

When will students return to school?

Based on the Governor’s update today (3/23), she announced that schools would be closed until April 13, 2020.  This coincides with the return from our scheduled spring break recess.  If we receive any further updates, we will of course share them with our families. 

Will standardized tests such as the M-STEP and PSAT/SAT tests be held as originally scheduled?

No. The Michigan Department of Education has cancelled all standardized testing that was to occur this spring.

My child is enrolled in AP courses in high school. What will happen with the previously scheduled AP exams?

The College Board has recently communicated to districts on this issue.  Your child’s AP teacher will be contacting students directly with an update and further information. 

My child is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program at Franklin.  Will he/she still be taking the IB exams?

We received an update from the IB Director General on March 22, 2020.  Mrs. Weber and Mr. Pesci will be communicating directly with our IB students.  

My child has enjoyed working with the academic enrichment resources provided by the district, but are there any plans to move forward with something that is more structured?

Yes. Your student’s teacher(s) will be reaching out this week to “check in”, as well as to update them on information that will be coming to them each week, with additional academic guidance. 

While there is no way to replace the meaningful teaching and learning that goes on in person between students and teachers, we are hopeful that the information you will be receiving each week from your child’s teacher(s) will help provide some additional structure and guidance to their days.  The lessons and activities for our students that you will receive are intended to be reinforcement of prior learning and a deepening of understanding of content that has been covered this year.  Please look for this to come from your child’s school and/or teacher(s) later this week.   

Additionally, the parent letter which was emailed on March 23 explained this next phase of academic support in more detail. 

Prior FAQ below are from March 13, 2020 Please note, some information has changed and is addressed above.

What is the exact time frame for the state-mandated closure?

Governor Whitmer ordered all schools close starting Monday, March 16 through Sunday, April 5. Reopening on Monday, April 6. 

LPS spring break is scheduled for April 6-10, will the district close during that week as well? 

This is a question that is still being addressed. The governor urged districts to move their spring breaks to fit within the mandated closure window, and we are gathering more clarification on this. We realize that many parents, students and staff have made significant financial investments in their spring break travel plans. We also understand the state has requirements of our schools, thus we want to seek a clear understanding before finalizing the return date to school.  We will update you as soon as possible. 

Will we have an extended school year, due to the closure? 

We are not anticipating this, however, that could change with many factors being out of the district’s control during this unprecedented time. 

Are all school buildings closed for all activities and events?

Yes. This includes off-site sports practices, outside facility rentals and all school-based activities and events. No exceptions. The MHSAA has outlined clear guidelines for all student athletic activities.   

What about the larger events such as prom and graduation that are planned for later this spring? 

We know that these are very special events for our students.  Therefore, we do not want to make a premature cancellation without more definitive information.  We will have to wait and see how long the mandated closure will last and then go from there.   

What if my child needs to pick up personal items from the school? 

We realize that the closure did not allow our students and staff the opportunity to gather their personal belongings. We will have one open time frame during which students and parents may briefly stop by the schools to collect items they may need. This includes student medications (to be picked up only by parents/guardians).  

The open hours will be from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16. Please use the front vestibule entrance only.  After that time, we will not be allowing entrance into the schools, due to the ongoing deep cleaning that will be taking place.  We are seeking to keep the schools as disinfected and sanitized as possible for student and staff return.   If there is a hardship in accessing needed medications, please notify your student’s principal via email. If you have duplicate medications at home, please consider leaving the medications at the school for use upon student return.  

Will my child be expected to do online learning or classroom homework during the closure? 

In keeping with federal equal access laws, the district will not be requiring online academic instruction. The Michigan Department of Education has been clear in their guidelines related to equal access for all students, and it is our intention to follow these guidelines carefully.

We will, however, provide families with a number of resource and enrichment resources that students may access and utilize during the closure, in order to stay engaged and active.  Please look for this information to come to you on Monday, as we are finalizing the information for each grade level band.  See below for computer access.  

Optional printed resources for students accessing the Essential Elements curriculum are available at the schools. These are enrichment resources and are optional. The resources will be organized by grade level bands and content areas. 

What if my child does not have a computer at home? 

If your child is in need of a device to utilize at home, Chromebooks will be available for check-out on Monday, March 16 during the item pick-up hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at your child’s school.  Please be aware that the Chromebooks will not function as video game devices and student log-in credentials will be required, just as they are during normal school days.   We will ask them to check out the Chromebook and power cord, then return upon arrival to school.  

How can I keep my child on track, academically, during this closure? 

Read. Read. Read. Additionally, we are assembling a list of optional educational resources for parents and students to access reading and enrichment materials from various online sources. We encourage our students to read books that they may have on hand at home and utilize the online sources to keep their reading skills sharp while we are away from school. Encourage your students to journal or write short stories -- these can be fun ways to pass the afternoons. Research STEM activities to explore and be sure to log into the sites we will provide for you.  Watch for a list of resources early next week. 

I know that many LPS families depend on school meals being provided for their children during the school day.  Is there a plan for providing food during the closure? 

Yes, this is an important resource we want to provide to our families and are currently working hard to coordinate this process.  We are working on a plan to be able to provide food for families who currently receive free or reduced-price meals and will send further communication once the details are firm.  Please look for this early next week.  

I have my children enrolled in School Aged Child Care (SACC) for before and after school care. Now, I am now facing additional childcare expenses during the closure. Is the district considering offering relief for families who have pre-paid their SACC tuition? 

Yes. We are cognizant that childcare costs could be a factor for many of our families. SACC parents will be updated on the specific plans in the near future, but be assured that you will not be charged SACC fees during the closure. We want to do what we can to alleviate this burden for our families.  

Aren’t we supposed to receive our elementary student report cards soon?

Yes. However, they will be a bit delayed and will be available for view on Parent Connect on Wednesday, March 25. We will not be printing and mailing the reports for this marking period. We realize this is a change for elementary parents. You should have your Parent Connect log-in information saved from the beginning of the school year when you checked your students’ classroom teacher assignments. 

I’m not certain how to access Parent Connect. 

There is a Parent Connect link on every school website, under Quick Links, and also under the Parents tab. We have attached a PC tip sheet to this email. 

What if we are expecting special education progress reports? 

Reports will be emailed to parents the morning of March 25 by the case provider. 

We want to help.  What can my child or I do for our school community during the closure? 

Remain engaged by frequently checking your email inbox. Check out the various donation opportunities that are posted on Facebook. Some great ideas are starting to come together to assist families in need during this crisis. We have noticed babysitting provider lists of high school students who are willing to help working parents; food drop-off information; resources and more. Throughout the day today we were touched by the kindness of so many in our community looking to assist others...our community is truly amazing!

Not surprisingly, my child seems anxious about all that is happening. What can I do to help alleviate the fears? 

This is a great question. We have attached a list of resources for parents. Please take a moment to review the information. Additional resources for general assistance can be found here Community Resources.  We have also set up a social-emotional hotline for our students and families.  Please see the email sent to parents with the phone number and email address.  

During these coming weeks, we hope you and your family remain healthy and safe.  We look forward to the return of our LPS students and staff and will keep you updated in the days ahead.  

March 23, 2020

Good Afternoon LPS Families,

It is a priority for us to keep in contact with you on essential information during this mandated school closure.  Thankfully, we have a number of venues to do this, with our e-mail “blasts” being the most common.  Please also regularly check our social media, both Twitter @LivoniaDistrict and Facebook “Livonia Public Schools”.  Your child’s school is also a very important source of information, so be sure to look for their regular updates as well.  

First, we want you to know that our focus and decisions continue to be on how to best serve our students, staff and school community while we are not in session.  The well being of all of our LPS family is paramount, and we are so grateful for each and every staff and community member who has joined us in the effort to take care of one another! 

Academic Support for Students

Today, we are pleased to share with you information about the next phase of academic support for our LPS learners.  As you know, one week ago we shared with you a specially designed resource site for LPS families that included information for our learners at every level, Pre K through post secondary.  We continue to add to those sites so that they are a rich resource for our students during this time of mandated school closure.  https://www.livoniapublicschools.org/domain/3007

Now, we are moving into the next phase of academic learning support.  First, you will be receiving a contact from your child’s teacher and/or additional providers, with an initial “check in” with them.  Positive relationships are foundational to the work that we do each day in our classrooms, and we are seeking ways to continue to stay connected as a school community.  

Next, while there is no way to replace the meaningful teaching and learning that goes on in person between students and teachers, we are hopeful that the information you will be receiving each week from your child’s teacher(s) will help provide some additional structure and guidance to their days.  The lessons and activities for our students that you will receive are intended to be reinforcement of prior learning and a deepening of understanding of content that has been covered this year.  Please look for this to come from your child’s school and/or teacher(s) later this week.   

Social-Emotional Support for Students

During these unprecedented times, we understand that some of our students may be experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues over the extended school closure.  We want to support you. If your student is struggling with mental health issues, and would like a contact from a mental health provider from LPS, please use our Social Emotional Support Hotline. If your student is experiencing significant difficulties and has expressed suicidal ideation, please call 911.

Livonia Public Schools Social Emotional Support (SES) Hotline.  Parents, Guardians & Students can contact:

• Call (734) 744-2737  or (734) 744-2SES
• Email ses@livoniapublicschools.org

Meal Support for Students

Our next food distribution will be tomorrow, March 24th, at each of our high schools from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.  This distribution will include 5 breakfast and 5 lunch meals per student, along with milk.  The locations are:  Churchill HS, Franklin HS and Stevenson HS.  Please see our website and social media for address information.  

Other Important Information

We have updated the FAQ that was sent to you previously, based on current guidance from the MDE, the Secretary of Education and the Governor’s office.  This should be a helpful resource in answering some of the questions you may have.  You will find it attached.  

Thank you for all of the ways you continue to partner with us, LPS families!

With our best regards,

Andrea Oquist 

Superintendent

March 16, 2020

Good Afternoon LPS Community,

Our goal is to keep you informed and updated throughout this time.  Our LPS family is a strong one, and we know that there is nothing we cannot tackle together!  Today, the focus of our communication is to provide helpful information related to supports available for your child/ren and family, as well as important calendar updates. Many thanks to each and every LPS staff member who has contributed to pulling together these resources for our families!

We know that our families are anxious to receive answers to several outstanding questions. We are trying our very best to provide answers, but there are a few questions that we cannot answer definitively at this time, due to the ever-changing nature of this situation. However, we do have a good deal to share with you today.  

Specifically, we are highlighting the following:

• Food service support for our families via Curbside Meal Delivery at each of our high schools  

• An LPS Social Emotional Support hotline that families can access if their child(ren) or family are in need of social/emotional support 

• LPS Academic Support Resources & Enrichment site for at-home use

• Calendar Updates

Thank you for your review of this important information. 

LPS Curbside Food Program

We are happy to announce that we will hold a Curbside Food Program, beginning this Wednesday, March 18. We will provide five breakfasts and five lunches per student, weekly. The program will run on Wednesday, March 18, then on every subsequent Tuesday during the closure. There are no income requirements and the program is completely free to all students ages 18 and under, as well as our students ages 18-26 who are serviced with an IEP. Please see attached flyer for all of the details. We look forward to supporting our families with this resource.

Enrichment Learning Resources

Our Curriculum Department, guided by our Chief Academic Officer and the directors of Student Services, Elementary Programs and Secondary Programs, along with teaching staff from across the district, have compiled a grade level list of educational enrichment online resources to keep our students’ minds engaged and their bodies healthy throughout the school closure. 

Importantly, we know that every child’s situation for at-home learning will look different, and their needs vary across a continuum. These resources are not intended to serve as curriculum instruction or replace the learning that can take place in a classroom with one of our dedicated staff members. They are, instead, well-vetted resources that can be utilized to support learners and keep them academically engaged.   

We have created a webpage dedicated to all of the COVID-19 information and communications from the district and we will post the learning resources there as well as to the latter portion of this communication. 

Please visit www.livoniapublicschools.org and click on the COVID-19 Updates page to access the list of resources.

Social Emotional Support Hotline

During these unprecedented times, we understand that some of our students may be experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues over the extended school closure.  We want to support you. If your student is struggling with mental health issues, and would like a contact from a mental health provider from LPS, please use our Social Emotional Support Hotline. If your student is experiencing significant difficulties and has expressed suicidal ideation, please call 911.

Livonia Public Schools Social Emotional Support (SES) Hotline

Parents, Guardians & Students can contact:

• Call (734) 744-2737  or (734) 744-2SES
• Email ses@livoniapublicschools.org

Opportunity to Donate

We have received many requests from parents, staff and community members who would like to help families who may be struggling, financially, during this time. Please know that the district is able to provide the resources committed to our families; however, this is an option for families who have asked for a way to help their fellow LPS families.  

Therefore, in response to that request, we have set up a donation link on PaySchools for those who wish to contribute funds. The funds will be used to supplement the food resources that the district is already providing to students. 

To donate, click on the PaySchools LINK HERE.   

Thanks to everyone who is actively seeking ways to help our LPS families. We know that we truly are Better Together!

Calendar Items: Events/Activities/Registration Dates

We know that our students are eagerly awaiting decisions related to special events in their lives such as prom, school concerts and performances, athletic and extra-curricular activities, field trips, etc.  First and foremost, we absolutely understand this and empathize with our students ~ especially our seniors ~ who have been looking forward to many of these events for weeks, if not years.  Please know that we do not want to make premature cancellations of anything beyond the mandated closure timeline.  These decisions are high on our radar, and will be made as responsibly as possible, while we follow the developments of state and federal mandates.  

Changes to school-based and program-based events and registration deadlines will be communicated by the school and/or program coordinators. All registration dates (ie: Young 5’s, SACC, etc…) that fall within the window of March 16 - April 13 are cancelled, and will be rescheduled once school is reopened. Please watch your email for updates regarding specific events, activities and registration dates.

Governor Whitmer has mandated school closure from March 16, 2020 - April 5, 2020.  Our spring break will take place as scheduled from April 6 - April 10, 2020, with our students and staff returning on April 13, 2020.  

Online Resource Links 

The following resources are also posted on the LPS website, under the special section called COVID-19 Update.

Preschool and Young 5's

Elementary

Upper Elementary

Middle School 

High School 

Post Secondary 

Sending the very best to our LPS students, staff and families, be well!

Andrea Oquist

Superintendent

March 15, 2020

Good Evening LPS Families!

A few key updates for you…

School Access:

We wanted to be sure and remind you that tomorrow, March 16, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. you may visit your child's school to access any personal belongings and student medication that he/she may need during this school closure. As a reminder, medications may only be picked up by a parent or guardian.   

Chromebook Access:

Additionally, as shared in our FAQ sent to parents Friday evening,  https://tinyurl.com/tcxqk9u, we will have Chromebooks available for students to check out during this time, along with a power cord, for use at home if he/she does not have a device available.  Many of the resource and enrichment ideas we will be sharing with families tomorrow include online links, accessed via a personal/mobile device or computer, so we wanted to be sure to remind you of this option.  We ask that if you have a computer or mobile device for your child to access at home, that we reserve those available for check out to families that do not have one available. Thank you.  

Resources for Families:

We will be sending out a "Resource Update" tomorrow afternoon which will include helpful information for our families with regard to accessing food distribution sites we are setting up in LPS, along with other community and school-based supports.  Please look for this to come to you via email, as well as added to the special page on our website devoted to updates related to the COVID-19 school closure https://tinyurl.com/rcam2to .  

Parents, we thank you for your patience and understanding as we pull together these resources to support our learners and our families. I want to thank our entire LPS team for the efforts they are putting forth to respond to this unique circumstance, and working together in the best interest of our school community.  You are #livoniapride without a doubt!

Wishing you and your family well,

Andrea Oquist

Superintendent

Good Evening LPS Families,

Thank you for your patience as we worked through several issues today in an effort to provide you with the most up-to-date information regarding the state-mandated school closure.

Please see the attached information and be sure to continue to check your email inbox next week for further updates.

Thank you for your partnership!

• Coronavirus FAQ
• ParentConnect FAQ
• COVID-19 Parent Handout

Good Evening LPS Families and Staff,

Thank you for your attention to an important update regarding the coronavirus situation in our area.  

Tonight, Livonia Mayor Maureen Brosnan announced that the confirmed case of COVID-19 that was previously announced in Wayne County is a middle-aged man who lives in Livonia and is being treated at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

In light of this information, and out of an abundance of caution, all schools in the Livonia Public Schools School District will be closed tomorrow, Friday, March 13. At this time, the closure is for one school day only. This is an evolving situation both in our city and state, and we understand the heightened concern felt by our families and staff. 

Tomorrow's closure will give our district leaders the time necessary to continue to stay updated with our local, regional and state partners from government agencies and to continue to plan for any potential school closures, if the need arises.  Our district will continue to follow the guidance provided by our governor, as well as state and county health departments.

While we understand that closing school can be difficult for our families, this is a highly unusual situation that calls for our careful and thoughtful response in order to maintain safe and secure learning environments for our students and our staff.  We appreciate your continued partnership with us.  

Thank you.

Andrea Oquist, Superintendent

Good Evening LPS Families,

As a follow-up to our prior communication regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how this public health concern could affect our school community, we wanted to take a few moments to provide additional information to our families. 

This evening, the governor issued State Recommended Community Mitigation Strategies for school districts, businesses and other organizations, based on the known cases in the state of Michigan. This guidance included cancelling or postponing non-essential activities and gatherings of more than 100 people. 

In accordance with these guidelines, parent/teacher conferences at the high school level will be cancelled for tomorrow evening. As always, parents are encouraged to contact their child's teacher(s) with questions or concerns regarding student academic progress. 

Moving forward, principals will communicate with their school communities on other school event cancellations or postponements, through spring break. These decisions will be based on the state guidelines regarding large scale gatherings. 

Our school district leadership has been in regular contact with local, county and state officials and will continue this close communication. Based on the guidelines from the county and the state, there are currently no plans for school closures in our district. 

Be assured that thorough cleaning and deep sanitization continues to take place on an ongoing basis across the district. Our maintenance and operations staff has been working tirelessly in this regard. Additionally, our school bus fleet is being sanitized as part of our ongoing cleaning protocol. 

It's important that we remain positive with our children and empower them to use recommended hygiene practices. It is also key that we curtail the spread of misinformation and keep the lines of communication open between our schools and our families. We pledge, as always, to keep you informed and we appreciate your partnership.

Sincere regards,

Andrea Oquist

Superintendent