Dear DCPS Community:

Following guidance issued by DC Health on canceling non-essential mass gatherings, DC Public Schools (DCPS) is taking preventative measures around travel and high-attendance events for students and staff.

Effectively immediately, DCPS will enact the following:

• Restrictions on Large Gatherings: Non-essential District-wide and individual school events that accommodate approximately 500 people in one room will be canceled through March 31. This may include assemblies, athletics events, and field trips. To that end, tomorrow night’s 5th Annual Math Bowl at Roosevelt High School is canceled. Recognizing the situation is dynamic, we will continue to provide critical updates around this guidance, as needed.

• Student Travel: DCPS-sponsored student travel outside the District of Columbia is suspended through May 1. This includes out-of-state and international field trips.

• Staff Travel: DCPS-sponsored staff travel is limited to essential duties only. Reminder: No School for Students on Monday, March 16 Earlier today, we also notified students and families of a change in our school schedule for next week.

Students will not be in session on Monday, March 16 to accommodate a Professional Development Day for staff to ensure that our educators are fully equipped to support distance learning as needed. Students will no longer have the day off on Friday, March 20.

DPR’s Fun Day Camp originally scheduled for Friday, March 20, will now take place on Monday, March 16. Visit this link for locations across all 8 wards. DCPS afterschool programs will be canceled on Monday, March 16, but resume a normal schedule from Tuesday, March 17, through Friday, March 20. Information about afterschool programs run by partner organizations will be communicated to families directly. Please see the chart below for the updated schedule for next week.

I encourage you to visit https://coronavirus.dc.gov/ for the latest information from DC Health and learn more about prevention tips for your home, how to identify symptoms, and when to contact your health provider. DCPS will continue to post information for families on our website at https://dcps.dc.gov/coronavirus and share on our social media channels. Thank you once again for your understanding and ongoing commitment to making the safety of our students, staff, and school communities a priority.

Sincerely,

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D. Chancellor