COVID-19 Update Regarding Meal Distribution
Today, we received notification from an employee, who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. This employee had contact with staff that may have been making and distributing meals to our community. However, this employee did not prepare or distribute meals. This employee also was in our district office building on May 13. It is also important to know the individual tested negative on May 15. The individual was retested on Sunday and tested positive. While we must protect the privacy of the person involved, we believe it is best to communicate transparently with you so you can make well-informed decisions for you and your family.
Nearly all of our food served is pre-packaged and all of our staff wear gloves and protective masks. Per the CDC, the transmission of COVID-19 through food, food packages, or even food handlers has not been identified as a risk factor for this illness.
There is nothing more important to us than the safety and health of our students, our staff, and their families. We have been in contact with public health officials and while they deemed it safe to continue meal distribution, out of an abundance of caution, we will be temporarily suspending meal distribution to clean and disinfect the production facility and district office. We will also be training additional staff to help resume meal distribution as soon as possible. Please note, the distribution may look different when we are able to restart.
In the meantime, we will remain in frequent communication with this individual in order to ensure the individual is not contagious prior to returning to work. Please continue to self-monitor your health and realize that there is a community spread of the virus which can occur anywhere in our community. Thus, if you develop symptoms, including a cough or experience difficulty breathing, please practice social distancing and contact your physician.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside you, especially as we face this challenging situation together. Thank you for your support of our school district and most importantly, each other.
Additional Sites Available During Temporary Closure
West Des Moines School District
- Locations: Valley High School, Stillwell Junior High, Indian Hills Junior High, and Clive Elementary
- Days: Monday and Wednesday
- Times: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Urbandale School District
- Locations: Jensen Elementary (11-11:20 a.m.), Karen Acres Elementary (11:30-11:50 a.m.), and Valerius Elementary (12-12:30 p.m.)
- Days: Monday-Friday
In addition, the USDA has a resource called Find Meals for Kids. If one of the above sites does not work for you and you would like to attend another site listed on their website, please consider doing so.
