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Milwaukee Public Schools detail preventative measures amid coronavirus spread

Posted at 8:19 PM, Mar 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-05 09:29:40-05

MILWAUKEE — As the coronavirus spreads and new cases pop up in the United States, officials at Milwaukee Public Schools said they are taking preventative measures to make sure students are safe amid the outbreak.

MPS officials said they've been discussing plans surrounding the coronavirus since the outbreak began and formally began meeting about preventative measures starting last year.

"Keep kids home when they're sick," said Linda Williams, MPS' supervisor of student health services.

It's a simple message, but Williams said those basic sanitary instructions could go a long way if the coronavirus makes its way through schools in southeastern Wisconsin.

The district sent a notice to MPS family and staff but are also taking proactive measures including:

  • Adjusting school cleaning schedules to provide more thorough and frequent cleaning.
  • Considering off-site locations for meals should a school happens to close.
  • Creating sanitary stations in schools comprised of Kleenex, sanitation wipes and hand sanitizer.
  • Working with students to finish academic requirements should time in class is compromised.

"We came together as a centralized staff in early February," Williams said.

The school districts serve roughly 70,000 students and have around 9,500 staff.

"[It's important] if you have kids and are depending on the school to provide the lunch and after school activities. A lot of people depend on MPS to provide those services," said Sandy Folaron, who sends her granddaughter to MPS.

Click here to see the MPS notice.

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