March 24, 2020

Dear Maya Angelou Students and Families: 

On March 11, 2020, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Mayor Muriel Bowser declared both a state of emergency and a public health emergency. During this unprecedented public health emergency, Maya Angelou Schools remains committed to ensuring the well-being of our students and school communities. Therefore, starting Monday, March 16 through Monday, April 27, MAPCS will modify operations to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our region. In our ongoing efforts to address community health risks and ensure the continuity of learning for our students, MAPCS will follow an updated schedule between March 16 and April 27: 

• Monday, March 16 — Teachers and staff will report to school to finalize plans for distance learning. No school for students. 
• Monday, March 16 — Students and families are asked to pick-up educational packets from the school at specific times according to the last names.  
  • A – L -9:00-12:00  
  • M – Z 12:30 – 3:00pm
• Parent-Teacher Phone Conferences are taking place by phone between Tuesday, March 17 to Friday, March 20, 2020.
• Monday, April 27 — Schools will resume operations.

During this period, there will also be no school-sponsored activities such as athletics, extracurriculars, field trips, or events. Office hours: Monday, March 16, 2020, 9:00 – 4:00; Tuesday, March 17 – Friday, March 20, 10:00-2:00pm.

We are grateful for the patience, flexibility, and cooperation the MAPCS community is demonstrating as we manage the dynamic nature of this event. As we approach the next few weeks, we ask for continued patience. 

While this decision was made to prioritize the health and safety of our entire school community, we understand it will be disruptive to our families. With that in mind, I want to share some additional details about what distance learning will look like for our MAPCS students and the supports we have in place for families over the next few weeks.

Free Meals for ALL DC Students/ Kids

Meals will be available to students on weekdays from Monday, March 16-Friday- April 24 from 10 am – 2 pm at the following sites:

• Anacostia High School 1601 16th St. SE (Ward 8)
• Ballou High School 1700 East Capitol St. SE (Ward 8)
• Banneker High School 800 Euclid St. NW (Ward 1)
• Brookland Middle School 1150 Michigan Ave. NE (Ward 5)
• Cardozo Education Campus 1200 Clifton St. NW (Ward 1)
• Columbia Heights Education Campus 3101 16th St NW (Ward 1)
• Coolidge High School 6315 5th St. NW (Ward 4)
• Eastern High School 1700 East Capitol St. SE (Ward 6)
• Jefferson Middle School 801 7th St. SW (Ward 6)
• Kelly Miller 301 49th Street NE (Ward 7)
• Kimball Elementary School 3375 Minnesota Avenue NE (Ward7)
• LaSalle-Backus Education Campus 501 Riggs Road NE (Ward 4)
• McKinley Ed Campus 151 T St. NE (Ward 5)
• Stanton Elementary School 2701 Naylor Road SE (Ward 8)
• Walker-Jones Education Campus 1125 New Jersey Avenue NW (Ward6)
• Woodson High School 540 55th St. NE (Ward 7)

We recognize the significant impact this extended closure will have on our entire community. Closing MAPCS for two weeks due to a citywide health emergency mid-year is unprecedented. We acknowledge the anxiety this may cause our students, especially our seniors, who are focused on graduation. We also recognize the burden this will place on our staff and working families. As we learn more, we will share that information with our school community. 

Thank you for your understanding and ongoing commitment to making the safety of our school communities a priority.