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Ballard R-2 SRCSP

Ballard R-II Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan

(SRCSP)

School Year Starting August 24, 2021

 

At home before school:

Families are asked to screen your students at home for any concerning COVID symptoms prior to getting on the school bus or coming to school. Symptoms to watch for are: 

• Cough
• Fever of 100 degrees or higher
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Vomiting / Diarrhea

If your student is experiencing any of these symptoms, we ask that you please remain home and consult your student’s primary care physician. 

 

Any absences occurred during the school year related to illness or quarantine due to COVID will not negatively impact your student’s attendance under the following circumstances:

• Students who are placed in isolation or quarantine by the LPHA qualify for homebound instruction and must participate in 5 hours of instruction each week (can be virtual) in order to be considered “present” for school attendance purposes. However, IF the student does not participate in this virtual instruction, they MUST be counted absent. 
• All school work will continue to be provided in either paper or electronic form regardless of the students’ participation in the 5 hours of “homebound instruction”.

 

School buses:

We are still running complete bus routes and welcome students to ride each day. Each bus will have a seating chart and will be loaded back to front. 

 

Breakfast:

Students should not arrive at school before 7:40am. Upon arrival to school, breakfast will be served in the cafeteria for grades 7-12. Elementary students will sit at assigned tables with their grade level to eat breakfast. Elementary students not eating breakfast will report directly to their classrooms. High school / Junior High students will report to their first hour classes after eating breakfast in the cafeteria. Teachers will need to be at school at the regular report time of 7:40am to assist in supervision of students.

 

Lunch:

Students in grades K-6 will sit with their cohort during lunch time. These are the students they are with most of the day. Grade 7-12 students will be spaced out as much as possible throughout the cafeteria and have the option of sitting outside as weather permits. 

 

 

Day to day class activities: 

Teachers will attempt to arrange their classrooms to allow for social distancing when possible. We understand there will be times when this is not possible so the following measures will be taken in classrooms each day 

• All areas of the campus are mask friendly and if staff or students wish to wear a mask, they are more than welcome to do so.

• Sanitation of desks and high touch surfaces will be completed multiple times throughout the school day.  In 7-12 classes that switch each hour, desks will be sanitized between each class.

• Recess times will be split out so there are only one or two classes in a particular playground area at a time.

• We will avoid having students share materials in class and when this is impossible, materials will be sanitized before being shared with another student (ex. calculators)

 

Students who become ill at school:

If students become ill at school or show any of the above mentioned symptoms, they will be sent home to self-monitor with recommendations to call their primary care physician. If a student or staff member is exhibiting concerning symptoms, they may return to school once they are symptom free for 24 hours or receive a note from a doctor.

 

Students and staff members with possible COVID:

We will be working closely with the Local Public Health Authority (LPHA) to manage any possible cases of COVID. If we receive confirmation from the LPHA there is a student or staff member in our building with COVID, we will assist them in contact tracing and LPHA will be responsible for reaching out to anyone considered a close contact.  A close contact is identified as being within 6 ft or less for 15 minutes or more with a confirmed positive case. The district’s sole source for this confirmation is the LPHA.  Therefore, the district will not be able to act on hearsay or “second hand” reports of someone testing positive until the report comes from the LPHA.  Any person considered to be “exposed” to the student or staff member will be quarantined as directed by the LPHA and will be able to re-enter school if no symptoms are present.  It is certainly possible that school could be shut down for several days following a positive case for tracing, cleaning, etc.

• If a student has confirmed COVID or is placed in quarantine due to being a close contact, instruction will continue in a virtual or paper packet format for those students. Staff members will check in with students throughout their absence and provide feedback via email, Google classroom, phone, etc. In order to be considered “present” for attendance reporting purposes, the student must engage in 5 hours of instruction (virtually).

 

Re-Entry After Illness Guidelines:

Current guidelines reflect the following - 

• Positive cases of COVID may return to work/school as directed by the LPHA if they have been fever free for at least 24 hours.
• Individuals placed in quarantine must remain for the duration of the assigned length of time as dictated by the LPHA.
• Notes from doctors are highly recommended when returning.

 

Bathrooms:

• The bathrooms will be routinely sanitized throughout the school day. We will limit the amount of students in the bathroom at one time and we will ask the line to form out in the hallway to allow for social distancing.

 

Extra-Curricular Activities:

• Students are expected to ride district transportation to sporting activities. At activities, students will still need to be “signed-out” so the coach can account for the whereabouts of all students. Questions should be directed to the principal.

 

Field Trips:

• All field trip requests will be dealt with on a case by case basis and approval processes will still go through the principal.

 

Other considerations:

• All students should bring a water bottle to school to be filled instead of drinking directly from water fountains. The school is happy to provide a water bottle to anyone who can not provide their own.
• 7-12 students will be encouraged not to congregate at lockers during passing times.
• All classes will have mandatory seating charts which will be turned into the office to assist in contact tracing if needed.
• Visitors to school must seek prior approval from the main office to ensure we are able to maintain our ability to provide contact tracing to the LPHA. 

Mitigation & Prevention Strategies Summary:

 

Mitigation Strategy	District Plan
Masking	Masks allowed
Physical distancing and cohorting	Social distancing when possible Mandatory seating charts Grades PreK-6 will remain in cohorts as much as possible.
Handwashing and respiratory etiquette	Students will be frequently reminded to wash hands  Proper handwashing taught and reinforced Sanitizer and tissue provided
Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation	Increase cleaning for high-touch surfaces. Upgrades to HVAC as funds and equipment become available
Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the State, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments	Contact tracing by the local public health authority (LPHA) with assistance from LEA. Quarantine and isolation orders from the LPHA.
Diagnostic and screening testing	Testing provided onside for staff members. Students and staff with concerning symptoms will be assessed by the nurse and sent home if necessary.
Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff, and students, if eligible	District communicates opportunities available in the community to become vaccinated if desired.
Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to the health and safety policies	Accommodations as necessary or as mandated by Individual Education Plan

 

Continuity of Services:

• The district returned to fully in-person learning in August of 2020 and continues to provide in-person instruction moving forward.
• If there are further interruptions of in-person instruction due to quarantine, isolation, or temporary school closures, the district will continue to provide instruction via distance learning. Students with disabilities will continue receiving services as outlined in their IEP.
• The LEA will continue to provide for the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students and staff during in-person instruction and during any interruptions of in-person instruction by ensuring our at-risk coordinator is available in person and virtually to all students and staff. The at-risk coordinator will conduct monthly guidance lessons for students in grades K-6 and is available by appointment and small group instruction to ALL students and staff.

Periodic Revision:

• The LEA will periodically review and revise, if necessary, the SRCSP, no less than every six months at a public session of the school board. The next public meeting regarding this SRCSP will be during the September 2021 school board meeting.

 

Understandable Language:

• The SRCSP is available in languages understandable to stakeholders. The SRCSP will be available in english and spanish in the district office and on the district website. Stakeholders who employ the oral tradition or who need a copy in another language may contact the office.

All information in this plan is relevant as of 06/10/2021, and is subject to changes as necessary.