The situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change quickly. All policies, procedures, and information are subject to change based on the advice of our local health department and/or the Diocese of La Crosse. Any and all changes are and will be effective immediately. It is important to keep in contact with your school and read all communications.
Procedure if Student/Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19 (September 17, 2020 Update)
We are following the guidance of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department when any individual connected to our school system tests positive for COVID-19. President Kelly K. Mechelke is in constant communication with the Eau Claire City-County Health Department and we follow its guidelines as it relates to sharing information on a confirmed positive case.
With this in mind, it is important for you to know and understand…
- The Eau Claire City-County Health Department does not allow us to release specific details as it relates to an identified positive COVID-19 case connected to our school system. This is to protect the privacy rights of the individual who has received a positive test result. We cannot share the positive person’s name, his or her role in our school (i.e. student or staff member), how severe his or her symptoms are, etc. We can only identify which building (or classroom, if so directed) or group (i.e. athletic team) has been identified as being connected to the positive case. We understand it may be frustrating not to know all of the details of every case, however, we follow the protocol established by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department on this.
- When a positive COVID-19 case connected to our school system is confirmed, we will send an email communication to the parents/guardians of individuals, a specific classroom, or school building(s) as instructed by the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. We will NOT email ALL parents/guardians within the system each time. This means you may hear about positive cases at one of our schools your child does not attend or within an activity your child does not participate in via word-of-mouth or media coverage.
- If your child is considered a direct contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department will reach out to you DIRECTLY. If you do not receive this communication directly from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, you/your student(s) are not considered a direct contact.
- If a positive COVID-19 case impacts future education for any individual student or classroom, those families who are directly impacted will be notified as to the plan moving forward.
Please know and understand all of us here at Regis Catholic Schools are doing our very best to ensure the safety of our students and staff and react to situations in the best way possible. We respectfully ask you to not speculate in conversation, especially via a public forum like social media, regarding confirmed positive cases within our system.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we all navigate through this school year with many new challenges.
Q | Will masks be required for students and staff? (Updated August 3, 2020)
A | Yes. Effective August 1, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers implemented a mandatory face covering mandate for the entire state. The order requires every individual, age five and older, in Wisconsin to wear a face covering when indoors or in an enclosed space. Face coverings are strongly recommended in all other settings, including outdoors when it is not possible to maintain physical distancing. Face masks can be removed when eating or drinking. The order defines a face covering as a piece of cloth or other material that is worn to cover the nose and mouth completely. That does not include face shields, mesh masks, masks with holes or openings, or masks with vents. Face masks will be required for all K-12 students. Our staff will also be required to wear a face mask when working closer than six feet to students or co-workers and when moving throughout the building. The state order allows a teacher to remove his or her mask when teaching direct instruction in front of the classroom and when six feet away from others. National and local experts agree that masks are an integral component for reducing the spread of COVID-19. Medical recommendation is mandatory masking as a condition of enrollment for in-person education. In the event a student, staff member, or teacher has a medical condition, disability, mental health condition, or other sensory sensitivities that prevent them from wearing a mask, a medical note must be provided. Simply choosing not to wear a mask will not be allowed. If that is the case, the student will need to remain at home and utilize our virtual learning option. The state order expires on September 28, 2020. We will review our mask policy at that time and alert our families to any changes. The Regis Catholic Schools mask policy will remain in effect unless families are notified otherwise.
August 25, 2020 Update
The Eau Claire City-County Health Department recently shared an updated version of its COVID-19 Toolkit for Schools with us. This document included some new information we have incorporated into our 2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) guide.
Please follow the link below to access the updated guide, paying close attention to those updated sections marked with today’s date.
2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) (Updated August 25, 2020)
If you have a specific concern or question, please reach out to your building’s principal.
We look forward to welcoming our students back into the classroom beginning next week!
August 19, 2020 Reminder | Virtual Education Option (Opt-In)
Our plan for the 2020-21 school year is to reopen all of our school buildings for in-person instruction five days a week beginning in September.
Unless we hear otherwise, we will assume your child(ren) will be attending school in-person to begin the school year and not utilizing our virtual education option.
IMPORTANT: If you would like your child(ren) to opt-in to utilize our virtual/at-home education option beginning with the first day of school, you must contact your school’s principal directly to indicate your decision. By opting-in, your child(ren) will receive instruction at home five days a week and not attend school in-person. The deadline to opt-in for virtual education is Monday, August 24.
Please note, families will be required to commit to the virtual education option for a minimum period of 25 school days at a time. After that time has passed, your family can either decide to a) return to in-person education full-time or b) continue with virtual education for another 25 school day period.
Please refer to our 2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) guide or contact your school’s principal for more information on our virtual learning option.
Face masks will be required for all K-12 students to comply with the mandatory face covering mandate in place for the entire state of Wisconsin. While exemptions for medical reasons (with a medical note) will be allowed, simply choosing not to wear a mask at school will not be allowed. If that is the case, your child(ren) will need to remain at home and utilize our virtual learning option.
August 3, 2020 Update
Included below are some important and recently updated resources for you to review regarding our policies and procedures for the reopening of our schools next month. (Please follow the link to access each resource.)
2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) (Updated August 3, 2020)
As you will notice, this guide was updated today to reflect new policies necessary to ensure a safe reopening of our schools. Please review this updated document in its entirety, noticing the areas where there is an updated date in red text. (Most notably, our mask policy for the start of the 2020-21 school year.) This guide is meant to serve a helpful reference for you and your family as we all prepare for the next school year. If you have a specific concern or question, please reach out to your building’s principal.
2020-21 K-12 RCS Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) Quick Facts (Updated August 3, 2020)
As we move forward with our plans to offer in-person instruction five days a week beginning in September, we are receiving many inquiries from families who are interested in enrolling their child(ren) at Regis Catholic Schools. We want to ensure all of our current families that we have identified and put into place student number caps at each school and for each specific grade level to ensure we can maintain proper recommended physical distancing in our classrooms. In fact, these caps are lower than they are in a “normal” school year, a decision that was absolutely necessary to maintain the safest standards at this time.
Many of our class sections have already reached capacity and we are maintaining a large waitlist at this point. If you know of a family that is considering Regis Catholic Schools for the 2020-21 school year, please ask them to contact Andy Gorniak, our Enrollment & Tuition Coordinator, at agorniak@RegisCatholicSchools.com or (715) 830-2273, ext. 1400 to inquire about availability.
Our number one priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and we want to make sure you are aware of this important step we are taking in regards to enrollment numbers for the coming year.
July 20, 2020 Update (2020-21 RCS Face Mask Guidelines)
All face masks worn at school must adhere to the following guidelines.
- The mask must fit each child appropriately, covering both the nose and the mouth.
- Any solid colored and/or patterned mask is acceptable. A mask featuring characters (i.e. Mickey Mouse, Paw Patrol, etc.) is acceptable. Please steer away from any mask featuring writing/words and/or logo(s) unless it is a Regis Catholic Schools logo.
- Masks cannot feature political-related content (words and/or images), profanity (words and/or images), or any message and/or image deemed inappropriate or distracting. All masks must reflect Catholic values.
If Regis Catholic Schools leadership deems a mask inappropriate, extra masks will be available at each school for the student to wear if he or she is asked to change his or her mask.
As a reminder, our schools will provide one (1) washable mask for each K-12 student. We encourage each student to have multiple washable masks available at home to ensure a clean mask can be worn to school every day. Each K-12 student will be asked to keep at least one (1) extra mask in the classroom (elementary) or in his/her backpack (middle and high school) in a reusable plastic bag.
July 17, 2020 Update
We know you are anxious to hear our plans for the reopening of our school buildings this fall. Over the past several weeks, members of our Regis Catholic Schools leadership team have been working with local medical and health leaders, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and the Diocese of La Crosse to formulate our plan to reopen our school buildings five days a week come September. We have also been paying close attention to what state leaders and organizations are recommending.
We thank you for responding honestly to the survey we sent out in June. We received 395 responses, with nearly 70% of those respondents saying they feel ‘Very Comfortable’ or ‘Comfortable’ with having their child(ren) return to our school buildings this fall. We appreciate and value your thoughtful responses as we all navigate how to best return to school in just a few short weeks.
Included below are some important resources for you to review. (Please follow the link to access each resource.)
2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian Information (COVID-19) (July 17, 2020) (Version now outdated. Please reference August 3, 2020 version.)
This guide is meant to serve a helpful reference for you and your family as we all prepare for the next school year. It outlines the safety measures, policies, and procedures we are implementing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope it answers many of the questions you have. If you find you have a concern or question that is not directly addressed in this guide, please reach out to your building’s principal.
2020-21 K-12 Parent & Guardian (COVID-19) Quick Facts (July 17, 2020) (Version now outdated. Please reference August 3, 2020 version.)
As you can see, our theme for the coming school year is "Healthy Habits"; with a focus on mental, physical, and spiritual ways we can all stay healthy. We ask you to please focus on these “Healthy Habits” in your home as we prepare for and during the coming school year.
The dates for our open house and orientation events at our schools, along with the first full day of school, all remain the same. Our 2020-21 school calendar has not changed at all.
Each of our individual schools will share building-specific details as the start of the school year approaches. Our back-to-school mailings, which will be sent in early August, will include much of this information. Please take the time to read all paper and email communications that are shared. Policy and procedure changes may happen quickly and this will be the best way for you to stay up-to-date.
As we move forward, rest assured all confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be handed in conjunction with recommendations from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department.
Thank you for your prayers and support the past several months and we look forward to seeing all of our students back in our classrooms very soon.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
July 1, 2020 Update
The planning process continues as we prepare to reopen our schools for the 2020-21 academic year. Our Regis leadership team is working on putting together the safest plan possible for reopening five days a week come September.
We invite you to CLICK HERE for an update from Regis Catholic Schools President Kelly K. Mechelke regarding the planning process.
Thank you for your patience and for your support of our schools.
June 17, 2020 Update (Diocese of La Crosse)
On June 17, Bishop Callahan from the Diocese of La Crosse announced our Catholic schools will be opening this fall according to regular schedules and policies, in conjunction with state and local policies.
You can read his full letter to all of our Catholic school parents and guardians by following the link below.
Bishop Callahan Letter to Catholic School Parents (June 17, 2020)
Our school leaders have started reviewing the feedback we received via our RCS Parent & Guardian Survey regarding COVID-19 and are meeting on a regular basis to continue planing for the 2020-21 school year.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
