Free breakfast and lunch and other resources available during closure
March 16, 2020
Dear Shaler Area families,
As you know, Shaler Area School District facilities are closed and all activities and events are canceled through Friday, March 27. In an effort to continue to support our students and families, we are sharing information related to the following resources that are available to our families.
Food Service
The district will offer free grab-and-go breakfast and lunch each weekday starting Tuesday, March 17. The meals will be packaged together and available for pick-up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Northern Area Boys and Girls Club, 100 Howard Street, in Millvale (the former Holy Spirit Parish School) and Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 66 Grant Avenue, in Etna.
The free breakfast and lunch service is available to any student age 18 and younger. To encourage social distancing and prevent the spread of illness, we ask that students and families not congregate at the site after receiving the meals. This service is not available on the weekends. If you have additional questions, please contact Sue Cook at [email protected].
Flexible Instructional Days (FID)
As we communicated on Friday following Governor Tom Wolf’s declaration that all K-12 schools close for two weeks, we re-evaluated our intention to use Flexible Instructional Days (FID) during this closure.
Shaler Area received additional guidance from the state Department of Education late last week following the Governor’s announcement. Based on this guidance, Shaler Area will not use FID during this two-week closure. We will continue to monitor any future guidance provided by the Governor’s Office and the Department of Education.
Home Internet Service
As this situation evolves, Shaler Area will continue to share important updates by email. If you or any family you know does not have access to Internet at their home, Internet Essentials from Comcast is offering new customers two free months of Internet service effective today, March 16. More information on this program is available on our site: http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us/COVID-19.aspx.
Other Resources
To help our families stay informed, we will continue to share relevant information and resources on our website: http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us/COVID-19.aspx. The site includes tips on how to talk to children of all ages about the coronavirus, educational resources that can be used during the closure, and preventative measures that you can take at home. Please continue to use this site as a resource during this closure.
The health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority, and we ask that you exercise extreme precautions during the following two weeks and not participate in any group functions. We will continue to stay in constant communication with health organizations and Pennsylvania Department of Education for guidance and share any updated information as it is available. As always, thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Central Office at 412-492-1200 ext. 2801.
Sincerely,
Sean C. Aiken
Superintendent of Schools