Per executive order of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Thursday, March 19, Fargo Public Schools will remain closed due to COVID-19 until further notice.  This closure is inclusive of all schools, programs, activities, trainings, meetings and building rentals.  The governor has waived the need to make up a total of 12 days of closure due to COVID-19. 

Distance Learning - Started April 1
Fargo Public Schools submitted its distance learning plan to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for approval on Tuesday, March 24; the plan was approved on March 27.  Fargo Public Schools began distance learning with students on Wednesday, April 1.  View the videos below for additional information on the plans by program level. If you have any questions regarding the Fargo Public Schools plan, please submit them through the form available at this link. A Frequently Asked Questions document has been developed as a resource for parents and students.  

Staff
For FPS staff members, the essential personnel list is fluid and may change on a daily basis as needed during this time of closure.  Employees needing to report to work will be contacted directly by their principal or supervisor with further instructions.  All other employees should not report to work.  The District Office is closed to everyone other than essential personnel; other staff members may contact a department via email if an appointment needs to be arranged.  The public may find contact information for departments or employees using our staff directory.  

We know this closure decision is extremely impactful to our community. These decisions have not been made lightly by state and local leaders. Working together as a community, we can mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19 in our community and North Dakota.

From Monday, April 6 through Thursday, April 9, Fargo Public Schools will provide free meals to children due to the COVID-19 school closure. Grab & Go cold breakfast and lunch meals will be provided using a drive-through or walk-up meal pick-up process at sites listed below; families need not leave their vehicle to receive a meal. Locations and distribution times have been adjusted for the week of April 6.  Note: Thursday meal service will include meals for Friday; there will be no distribution on Friday, April 10 due to the school holiday.

Free meals will be available for any child up to the age of 18 (up to 21 if receiving special education services). The free meal distribution will be solely for the pick-up of meals; meals will not be consumed at the site. Families may go to any location to receive a meal and are asked to watch for the yellow school bus.

Beginning Monday, April 6, children do not need to be present to receive a meal as long as an approved form of identification is presented at the meal pick-up site.  Approved forms of identification are:

• K-12 Student ID card from any school/school district
• A bus bag tag from any K-12 school/school district
• Student’s name or lunch account/Student ID number (subject to verification at time of pick-up)

A limit of three (3) additional meals will be provided upon request for non-present children for whom one of the three forms of identification is not provided (i.e. children ages 1-Pre-K).

For more information, including distribution sites and times, click here.

In order to keep all children safe, Fargo Public Schools asks that children and families refrain from visiting playgrounds at our school sites.  This is to ensure all children and families remain safe and healthy during this time of COVID-19.  Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the equipment is germ-free nor can we monitor social distancing or the number of those gathering at playgrounds.  We look forward to the time when the community can again enjoy our playgrounds.  Thank you, FPS families, for your help in stopping the spread of COVID-19!

During the Emergency Board meeting on Tuesday, March 17, School Board members approved administration creating a plan of alternative learning for students to submit to the state for possible use during school closures caused by COVID-19, which may possibly waive the 175-student contact day requirement included in EL-14: District Calendar. Administration will continue to work on plans and provide updates to the community once ready. 

The School Board canceled the regular Board meeting scheduled for March 24 in light of the overall impact of COVID-19 and the work administration needs to complete. The Board is statutorily required to meet at least once per month. Special meetings will be scheduled as needed going forward for any COVID-19 related needs.

During the closure of the Fargo Public Schools District Office to the public due to COVID-19, those interested in filing for one for the four seats on the Fargo School Board in the upcoming June election are asked to make arrangements to submit paperwork prior to the April 6 filing deadline.  District Office staff will accommodate arrangements for candidates wishing to file paperwork between now and the 4:00 p.m. deadline on April 6, 2020.  Potential candidates should contact JoLynn Mathern at 701-446-1027 or matherj@fargo.k12.nd.us to make arrangements.

Due to COVID-19, all North Dakota state-wide assessments for accountability have been canceled for the 2019-20 school year.  This includes NDSA, NDAA and ACT. 

Additionally, all ACT makeup testing dates have been canceled by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) for spring 2020.  ACT has provided North Dakota 11th graders who were not able to test on the initial test date of March 3, 2020, the opportunity to take the ACT with Writing on either the June or July national test date at no cost to them.  NDDPI will provide vouchers for these tests. Students will need to go to ACT’s Website to register for the national June or July test date, using the voucher. On this registration site, students will be able to choose an available test center nearest to them.  More information will be coming concerning the voucher request process.

College Board has provided information on their website regarding AP exams this spring.  Through College Board, students have access to free resources through the exam day.  Students also have the ability to cancel at no charge

Per the executive order of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all Fargo Public Schools are closed indefinitely due to COVID-19.  During this time, families may need to enroll or exit their student(s) to or from the Fargo Public Schools.  This will occur through appointment at the school building.  Parents should contact the building principal to set up their appointment.   

The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) has provided direction for spring activity participation due to the closure of North Dakota schools by Governor Burgum.  The direction provides limitations for coaches and directors and is effective indefinitely.  For the full directive, please visit the NDHSAA website.  The NDHSAA will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary.

For FPS families that have paid spring activity fee(s), the District will hold these fees until a final decision on the spring season is made by the NDHSAA. If the season is cancelled in its entirety, the District will place these paid fees into the student’s lunch account for the next academic year; for graduating seniors or students transferring out of the district, these fees paid may be transferred to a sibling’s lunch account or refunded, upon request.

The essential personnel list is fluid and may change on a daily basis as needed.  Employees needing to report to work will be contacted directly by their principal or supervisor with further instructions.  All other employees should not report to work.  All standing Fargo Public Schools committee meetings are canceled until further notice. 

The District Office is closed to everyone other than essential personnel; other staff members may contact a department via email if an appointment needs to be arranged.  Please use the Employee Portal to look up employee or department contact information. 

Staff members are asked to check their email daily for important announcements and updates regarding COVID-19.  Additionally, a FAQ page has been developed for staff members and will be updated as needed.  

The Fargo School Board authorized administration to continue to pay all staff their regularly scheduled days or hours during the 2019-2020 school year due to COVID-19 related closure and not require the use of leave during this time.

Wondering what to do if you are or someone you live with is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms?  View this guide for direction.

The state of North Dakota has issued travel quarantine orders for ND citizens.  All individuals traveling back to North Dakota from international locations and states in the U.S. that have been classified as having widespread disease by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must quarantine immediately upon reentry to the state of North Dakota and for a period of 14 days. 

For the full travel quarantine orders, including requirements and the states identified with widespread community infection, click here.  Also on the website is a brief travel questionnaire for those who have recently traveled and an assessment you can take if you are feeling unwell.  Fargo Public Schools staff and students who have recently traveled should follow these protocols.  There will be no professional travel for Fargo Public Schools staff members until further notice.  

Additional information related to travel is available at this link.