Friday, March 13, 2020
TIME: 8:00 PM
Dear EPLA Families & Colectivo:
I want to first assure our families that we understand there is some uncertainty and worry about COVID-19, referred to as the Coronavirus. While there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in El Paso County, we are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that the safety and health of our families, scholars and staff is our top concern.
In coordination with other El Paso School Districts, EPLA will move forward with an extended Spring Break through Friday, March 27th with an anticipated return date on Monday, March 30th. Please visit our website, pick up those pesky robocalls, visit our app and our Facebook page for continued updates where we will provide more details on EPISD schools that any child between the ages of 1 and 18 can visit to pick up breakfast and/or lunch during the extended school closure, plans for distance-learning as needed and any and all emergency plans that we have developed for our families and scholars.
We know that many families use spring break as an opportunity for travel, please consider the current state and national travel restrictions and CDC guidelines and practice the recommended self-containment precautions before returning to school.
Basic precautions like washing hands for 20 seconds, not touching mouths, noses and eyes and avoiding large gatherings will help immensely in avoiding contracting the virus. Our elders are of the utmost focus so if there are any worries about whether a family member has contracted the virus please visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and/or visit a local hospital, clinic or soon a Walgreens, Walmart, Target or CVS to get tested.
In the past week, the campus has responded with an elevated health and sanitary plan which includes continued education of proper hygiene practices and a higher frequency of sanitization in high traffic areas. We will continue to clean and go above and beyond in our sanitation efforts during break.
We are closely monitoring the latest developments, with our superintendent tracking the most up to date data to ensure we take care of one another and act in the best interest of the El Paso community. We are following guidance from the CDC, Texas Education Agency, and city/state officials as we take necessary precautions moving forward.
We will be working with our local health officials to track the most up to date information and, as a result, updates will be incredibly important for our families to read and decisions will be made with teamwork and the combined efforts of our leadership team. If there are major concerns please contact our Operations Manager, Julian Casillas (jcasillas@epleadershipacademy.org), and/or our Principal, Dianne Jones (djones@epleadershipacademy.org) and they will promptly respond. Considering the worry of many parents, I am sharing my cell phone number with you all to contact me directly over text and I will respond within an hour to any and all of your concerns. You can reach me at (650) 248-6627. As this is my cell phone, I ask for both a text and your patience as I field responses as quickly as my thumbs can type.
We are trained to deal with emergencies and have incorporated this form of leadership training to our students so rest assured we will all prevail, handle this calmly and complete this school year top in the state of Texas as we have continued to do for the past three years. Con Animo!
Sincerely/Sinceramente,
Omar Yanar & The EPLA Leadership team
