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Milwaukee parents, students adjust to first day of school closures

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Posted at 5:18 PM, Mar 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-16 22:25:30-04

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Public Schools families got through the first day of closure on Monday, as dozens of students and parents quickly picked up meals and learning materials for the day.

MPS is offering lunch, breakfast and educational packets at 20 sites across the city

Families can pick them up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday until at least April 14, when MPS is scheduled to come back from a previously scheduled spring break.

Students won't have to turn the homework in, but some students like Jason Rodriguez wants to make sure he stays on track. He's sad he won't have in-person classes for weeks.

"I won't see my friends and I can't see the teachers," Rodriguez said.

Parents are still adjusting to the changes.

"It's going to be rough, but we'll make do," said Elizabeth Perry, who is a mother of five.

MPS officials say this plan is still a work in progress, and they may add more sites should the need arise.

"We have been working night and day to make sure that we have things available for our young people and our families," said MPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Posley.

Posley couldn't provide any update on the MPS employee who recently tested positive for the virus. He also said he's paying close attention to the governor's directive if or when in-person classes could resume.

Posley said workers are being cautious as they hand out supplies to families.

"Some of those individuals are serving as greeters and also monitoring what's happening out to make sure that we can keep the line moving swiftly through and also keeping that distance," Posley said.

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