Coronavirus Information and Resources

Updates to this page will be made as needed and as new information is released. This page was last updated on January 22, 2021. 

MGSD facilities remain closed

MGSD buildings and facilities remain closed; information related to the 2020-21 school year is below. All students in grades 4K-12 are currently in "Virtual Learning 2.0" (more information below).

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here. This document will be updated as things change and as new information is available. 

MGSD Data Dashboard

The information above was last updated on January 22 at 12 pm. The dashboard is updated weekly.

**Cumulative Cases: Staff contact tracing began in September 2020; student contact tracing began in November 2020 

*Any cases or quarantine levels between 1 and 5 are aggregated/suppressed in order to prevent release of identifiable information

Anyone, staff or student, with a positive test for COVID-19 is in isolation and is not recounted in the quarantine category. In other words staff and students in quarantine are close contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Positive staff cases includes all staff, whether working in-person or virtually. Positive student cases includes students in school or in-school activities.

Update on Phased Reopening

On October 6, the Monona Grove School Board held a special meeting to consider whether to begin a phased reopening of in-person instruction for grades 4K-2 at the beginning of the 2nd quarter (materials, supporting documents, and recording of the meeting are here). At the conclusion of this meeting, the School Board asked me to survey 4K-2 teachers and 4K-2 families in order to have more information. The survey is being developed right now and will be sent as soon as possible; a copy of the questions will be posted on this page when it is available. At this time, the Board has a regularly scheduled meeting on October 14, but may schedule another special Board meeting for this topic. When we know more about the timeline, we will send families and staff an additional update. 

On October 8, families with students in grades 4K-2 received an email with a link to the survey. A copy of the questions is available here. This survey is not asking families to make a final decision, but rather asking for likely choice. If the School Board decides to move forward with a phased reopening, a separate request will be sent with additional details such as schedules, transportation needs, deadlines for decision-making, etc. If you have a student(s) in grades 4K-2 and did not receive the survey, please email Katy Byrnes Kaiser at kathleen.kaiser@mgschools.net or call (608) 316-1960. The survey will be live through 11:59 pm on Monday, October 12. We anticipate sharing results of the survey with the School Board before their next regular meeting which is scheduled for October 14.

On October 14 (materials, supporting documents, and recording of the meeting are here), the School Board voted to follow the Public Health Madison Dane County guidance and metrics in considering reopening. They set a reopening date for grades 4K-2 of December 1 (with the option for families to continue Virtual Learning 2.0). We’ll have additional information on those plans very soon, likely by the end of the week of October 19.

On October 21 (materials, documents, and recording of the meeting are here), the School Board met and revised the date to begin offering an in-person option for grades 4K-2. That revised date is now January 25, 2021. Any family who wishes to remain in Virtual Learning 2.0 at that time may continue to do so. The School Board also approved an AB/AB hybrid instructional model for when students return. We will have more information for you on that, as well as our ongoing safety planning, soon.

On October 30, families of students in grades 4K-2 received an instructional options message and survey. If you are a parent/guardian of a student in grades 4K-2 and do not receive the message by 4 pm on Friday, October 30, please send an email to kathleen.kaiser@mgschools.net. Slides with a voiceover (in English) are available here. 

November 2: Families of students in Grades 4K-12 received a Virtual Learning 2.0/Technology survey that coincides with the end of the first quarter. 

December 21: The School Board held a special meeting to go over details related to reopening (the materials are here). The Board set a reopening date of February 8 for grades 3-5. A plan for reopening grades 6-12 will follow the elementary planning and implementation. In addition, the Board will be holding a listening session for teachers who serve grades 4K-5 on January 6; additional information will be sent to those teachers and staff tomorrow.

December 22: Families of students in grades 3-5 received an instructional options message and survey. If you are a parent/guardian of a student in grades 3-5 and do not receive the message by 4 pm on Wednesday, December 22, please send an email to kathleen.kaiser@mgschools.net. Slides with a voiceover (in English) are available here.

January 13: The School Board set a reopening date of March 15 for grades 6-12. More information for families of those students will be available soon. 

Monona Grove School District Phased Reopening Dates 

Ongoing: Virtual learning choice continues for 4K-12
January 25: 4K-2 students return to in-person hybrid
February 8: Grade 3-5 students return to in-person hybrid 
March 15: Grade 6-12 students return to in-person hybrid

Additional Resources

The coronavirus situation changes virtually every day. For the most up-to-date information, visit the pages below. 

• 2020-2021 School Facilities Operating plan
• Transportation for Re-Opening 4K-2
• K-12 School Requirements during COVID-19
• Action plan for a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case in a Dane County School

• Public Health Madison and Dane County page on COVID-19

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services page on COVID-19

• Centers for Disease Control page on COVID-19

Hours of Engagement

Teachers are expected to be engaged in teaching duties throughout the students’ daily hours of engagement. MGSD Handbook language states “normal” hours of work for full-time teachers shall be 7.5 hours in length, exclusive of a 30 minute duty-free lunch period. Because student hours of engagement are not 7.5 hours, teachers are expected to fulfill their “normal” hours of work, which can be worked in a more flexible manner, not necessarily the 7:30-3:30 or 7:45-3:45 schedule that is traditional.  

School Nutrition for Fall 2020

Great news! Monona Grove School District has been approved to provide FREE to ALL school nutrition meals to children 18 years of age or younger regardless of income or school enrollment. Enrolled students aged 19-21 are also eligible. This  program is currently approved through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Families do not need to qualify for free or reduced meals to receive these free meals. 

How the program works:

1. All meals will be delivered for families living within the Monona Grove School District  boundaries as well as families that are open enrolled into the District.  

2. Families must sign up weekly by Tuesday at 11:59 pm the week prior for the following weeks meal delivery

   1. Meals are delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 10:30 am 

   2. Tuesday’s Delivery will include:

      • Tuesday Lunch

      • Wednesday Breakfast and Lunch

      • Thursday Breakfast

   3. Thursday’s Delivery will include:

      • Thursday Lunch

      • Friday Breakfast and Lunch

      • Monday Breakfast and Lunch

      • Tuesday Breakfast

3. Families that sign up for meals will get both a breakfast and lunch 

4. The meals are free of charge and are for ALL children in your household 18 years of age or younger (and for students enrolled in MGSD who are 19-21 years old)

5. Daily breakfast and lunch menus can be found here.

How to sign up:

1. Complete the online order form - MG Virtual 2.0 School Nutrition Meal Order Form 

2. If you don’t have access to a computer, please call Terri ONeil (608) 316-1894 or Dee Matthys (608) 316-1911

3. Any questions can be emailed to School.Nutrition@mgschools.net

4. Reminder:  Orders must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Tuesday the week before delivery

• For example:  Submit your order by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd for deliveries on Tuesday, September 29th and Thursday, October 1st

Student Services Request for Assistance Form

If you would like to consult with a Student Services team member regarding your child's social-emotional wellbeing, a mental health issue or any challenge you're experiencing during the school closure, please complete this brief form and a School Counselor, Psychologist, Social Worker or Nurse from your child's school will respond to you within 1-3 days.

Looking to Help?

The student services team is working hard to support all our families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our MG community is filled with generosity and we have had several individuals reach out, inquiring about ways to support those in need. If you find yourself in a position to offer assistance, donations of gift cards are the biggest need. Please contact kelsy.dieckhoff@mgschools.net (Cottage Grove) or leah.kutschke@mgschools.net (Monona) if you would like more information on how to donate.

Talking to Your Family About Coronavirus

Some schools are reporting an increase of student anxiety related to illness and pandemic planning. Consider talking with your student(s) as a family. Some suggestions include:

• Stick to the facts. It can be scary to hear about a disease outbreak, but learning the facts can help ease your mind.

• Help your student remain calm, and assure them their risk is low. 

• Remind your family that when we are prepared for difficult situations, we make informed decisions and have more control.

• It's important that we avoid assumptions or stereotypes about who you think may be sick. Viruses cannot target people from specific populations, ethnicities, or racial backgrounds. A person’s race does not make them more or less likely to be sick or to get sick. 

Additional resources for talking with your family:

• Brainpop video aimed at kids that explains coronavirus
• Webcomic and 3-minute audio story aimed at kids on coronavirus
• How to Talk to Your Kids about coronavirus (PBS/Daniel Tiger - for young children)
• Article and podcast on "What to Say to Kids When the News is Scary"
• "Talking to Teens and Tweens About Coronavirus"
• The National Association of School Psychologists have an entire page of resources on this topic here.