Dear Parents,

With the fears and concerns of COVID-19, commonly referred to as the Coronavirus, having a potential impact on South Florida as more cases are reported we thought it would be prudent to put out a notice to our families. As of the writing of this notice, the School District of Palm Beach County has sent out a notice noting that they are working closely with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to monitor COVID-19 and have furthermore indicated that there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Palm Beach County. While there are very limited steps we can take from our end, we are committed to taking a proactive approach to try and minimize any exposure to our children, parents and staff alike. As part of that approach, we are conducting deep cleaning sessions along with enhanced after hours and weekend specialized sanitation sessions. We would like to encourage everyone to take part in using the provided hand-sanitizer which can be found at the front entrance. While we have procured additional self-serve sanitizing wall pumps, they have not been installed as of today as we anxiously and patiently wait for the sanitation solution to become available; at this time it is currently out of stock. As more solutions become available, self-serve sanitizing pumps will be installed in various locations throughout the school, including but not limited to the exterior of the facility, the playgrounds as well as they will be installed outside of every classroom. For those concerned about the surfaces used in the process of child check-in and check-out procedures please be assured they are cleaned thoroughly throughout the day, however; we highly encourage everyone to use the provided hand-sanitizing solution after every use. We discussed this internally and temporarily going back to pen and paper would pose an even greater exposure as we cannot effectively wipe the surfaces onto which things are written to, the paper. In addition, it would require the wiping of writing instruments, binders, counter surfaces, etc. after every use which would be extremely hard to follow with accuracy, and yet still it would leave the paper surface exposed as it cannot be effectively wiped down.

We realize that for many, we are just one of many stops on everyone’s normal day-day ventures and so our efforts are only strong as those carried out by others in that chain. We are also proactively monitoring any developments and we reserve the option to cancel any out of school activities and/or field trips at any time due to health concerns for the students and staff.

As many of you may already be aware, Spring Break is right around the corner. We ask that you please monitor and review the travel advisories that have been put in place and we ask that you notify us if you travel internationally so that we can assess the impact to the school and advise our parents accordingly.

As communicated by the School District of Palm Beach County on 3.9.2020:

“Upon returning to Florida, self-monitor for fever, cough, or other respiratory symptoms for 14 days. If you do feel sick within 14 days of returning from China, Iran, Italy, Japan or South Korea, the CDC advises you should:
• Seek medical care; contact the health care provider by phone ahead of your visit and tell them about your recent travel and symptoms.
• Contact your county health department: (floridahealth.gov/chdepicontact)
Avoid contact with other people.
• Delay any additional travel plans until you are no longer sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Please continue to monitor information provided by the FDOH, the CDC, and information provided on the District’s dedicated Coronavirus website.”

At Storybrooke, our commitment is to the safety and care of all our children, parents and staff alike. We sincerely thank you in advanced in your mindful cooperation of the above guidelines.

Additional information regarding any changes or potential impacts to our schools will be proactively and effectively communicated as they become available. Along with e-mail, please monitor our website and Facebook page for any school developments.

For any updates and/or developments regarding COVID-19 we urge you to visit the Florida Health Department website as well as the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website.  For a list of actively reported and positively diagnosed cases refer to the Florida Health Department website.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us immediately.

Thank You,

Karina Nunez