March 25, 2020

Dear Verdigris family:

Today, we learned that Oklahoma students will not return to the classroom for the remainder of the current school year, following a vote by the state Board of Education. Instead, districts, including Verdigris Public Schools, will implement continuous learning plans that will allow students to complete the school year at home. State education and health officials believe this move will help our state fight the spread of COVID-19.

We are sharing this information with you now so you can prepare accordingly for your family. We understand this change is in the best interest of everyone’s health, which is our greatest priority as a district. The state board’s vote also means that all extracurricular activities and special events will be canceled or postponed as well. It is believed, that making these difficult decisions, is simply the right thing to do for students, staff, and our community. 

Verdigris Public Schools is continuing to develop a plan to ensure your child will continue to have opportunities to learn and to grow academically, especially with parental support.  As you can imagine, this is a significant transition for our students and our teachers. Verdigris will spend the next few days planning for this effort and will share details with your family as soon as they are available.

In the next few days we will be posting information on our website, including information about meals. The Verdigris Public School website, will be the primary area to gain information from the District, Site Principals and Teachers.  Administrators, Faculty and Staff may also use the Remind Service to let you know when new information has been posted on the website.  

This is an extraordinary situation, and it has required an extraordinary response.  As soon as we identify our next steps, we will share them with you.

Thank you for your continued support of Verdigris Public Schools. 

United for Education,

Mike Payne