March 19 – DMPS Closure Update

The district is committed to keeping you updated during the Des Moines Public Schools COVID-19 closing, which began on March 13, with a reopen date tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 13.

DEEP CLEANING SCHOOLS
Our operations staff have been moving from building to building deep cleaning since Saturday. There were a number of media requests to see what it involves, so we opened Central Campus for one hour today for cameras to capture what was happening. You will probably see coverage in our local news. The district also captured some video of the work, you can see it on the DMPS YouTube channel. All buildings remain closed to all but essential staff.

FOOD SERVICE
Food distribution will continue for the duration of the COVID-19 district closure.

  • The Food Bank of Iowa and Des Moines Area Religious Council continue to have food available for students and/or their families at different school sites on weekdays until next Wednesday, March 25. Click here for locations, dates and times.
  • DMPS will offer meals weekdays beginning on March 26 from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM at all DMPS middle school locations. NEW: The district will offer a grab-and-go lunch and breakfast for the next day. On Fridays, staff will send home additional food for the weekend.
  • Thank you to everyone who as inquired about contributing to our food service efforts. We have set up an option in Revtrak for those who wish to make an online donation to supplement the additional support being provided by our Food and Nutrition department.

 OTHER REMINDERS

  • School end dates have not changed, assuming school resumes on April 13.
  • During Spring Break, district administrators are exploring online resources and options for remote student learning. We hope to have more information early next week.
  • All buildings are closed to everyone except essential operations staff until April 13.

IN THE NEWS

Activities for Home
While the state says the district cannot require students to work from home, there are a variety of education-related games and activities to engage in, if they wish. Director of Teaching and Learning Sarah Dougherty talked to WHO-TV News to share some tips and ideas. See and read their story.

2020 Census
Have you received your 2020 Census form in the mail? Take some time to fill it out. Schools. Health care. Public safety. Roads and bridges. The census can shape many different aspects of our community. Des Moines Public Schools encourages everyone in our community to take seriously your responsibility and respond to the census.

Why does it matter?

  • Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year.
  • The results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets.
  • It’s mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2: The U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since 1790.

For more information, be sure to visit the 2020 Census web site.

STAY CONNECTED WITH DMPS
In addition to regular emails, for additional information, updates and reminders about what Des Moines Public Schools is doing to support our students, staff and families please visit dmschools.org/coronavirus. In addition, if you are on social media, be sure to follow DMPS on Facebook and/or Twitter.