McKinley Tech High School – Urgent message on virtual learning for all students

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This message was sent to McKinley Tech High School families on December 19, 2021.

Dear McKinley Tech High School Families,

Due to the impact of these several reported cases on school operations, we will transition to virtual instruction for all McKinley Tech High School students from December 20 through December 22.

The decision to shift the entire school to virtual instruction for the next week did not come lightly. However, with many students required to quarantine and limited staffing availability, virtual learning will allow all students to end the calendar year strong.

To note, McKinley Middle School will remain open.

To date, we have notified the McKinley Tech High community of 11 reported cases at school since December 13. As we previously shared, unless you received instructions to quarantine directly, your student has not been identified as a close contact of a positive individual concerning one of these cases

Here are three important things to know as your student transitions to a temporary virtual learning plan:

  • Students have already been assigned a device and should not need to pick one up.  If there is an issue, please call the school at 202-281-3950, or reach out to your grade level administrator, Kimbria.Jackson@k12.dc.gov for 11th and 12th grades and Melvina.Jones@k12.dc.gov for 9th and 10th grades. Visit https://dcpsstrong.com/resources/technology/ for any troubleshooting assistance.
  • To allow teachers to prepare for virtual instruction, students who will just be starting virtual learning will be asynchronous on 12-20-21 and virtual for 12-21-21 through 12-22-21. This means that those students should log into Canvas and access their self-guided lessons for the day. Your teacher will provide additional information about this period of virtual instruction.
  • Students who have already been learning virtually this week due to quarantine protocols will follow their normal school schedule tomorrow. Please log into Canvas to access your classes.

Getting yourself and your child vaccinated is the best way to protect your family against COVID-19, and I urge our families to take this important step for all students 5 years or older. Visit vaccinate.dc.gov for free vaccine clinics across the city, including walk-up sites this week at schools.

If you need a COVID-19 test and your health care provider is unable to give one, you should utilize one of the free testing sites in DC, including a home testing kit option. Visit https://coronavirus.dc.gov/testing for more information.

I know that this is disappointing news as we approach winter break and the holiday season, but the well-being of our community is our top priority. I will continue to provide updates as they are available in the coming days. If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to me via email at louise.jones@k12.dc.gov.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work with our public health partners to swiftly address this situation and have a safe and restful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Louise Jones
Principal, McKinley Tech High School