Junction Hill C-12
Reopening Plan Outline
It is essential for the school and community to work together in order to prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in the school environment and in the community while still providing a quality educational program. State statute gives public school districts the authority to exclude students who have a contagious disease such as COVID-19 or who are liable to transmit the disease after having been exposed to it. See 167.191, RSMo. In addition, the local health department has the authority to exclude students from school and may order students and others to isolate or quarantine. 19 CSR 20-20.05. Local Educational Agencies (LEA’s) are encouraged to work closely with their local health departments.
Screening for health related symptoms starts at home. If your child is sick, please keep them at home to prevent any possible spread of germs. Temperature screenings will be done daily as students enter the building. If a student displays a fever or displays a combination of the following symptoms (refer to a-k list) they will be required to wear a mask to prevent possible spread until you arrive to pick them up.
Exclusion from School
Students and employees may be excluded if they test positive for COVID-19 or display any combination of the symptoms of COVID-19 based on CDC Guidance that is not otherwise explained:
a) A fever of 100° F or greater
b) Cough
c) Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
d) Chills
e) Repeated shaking with chills
f) Muscle pain
g) Headache
h) Sore throat
i) New loss of taste or smell.
j) Diarrhea
k) Runny nose
If a student has a fever, all siblings who live in the same house and attend school will be screened for symptoms as well. Procedures for pick-up. We ask that the parents call the school once they arrive and the student will be escorted by the nurse or administration to their vehicle.
Return to School After Exclusion
Once a student or employee has been excluded from the school environment, they may return only when they satisfy the recommendations of the CDC. Currently those guidelines are:
1. Untested. Persons who have not received a test proving or disproving the presence of COVID-19 but experience symptoms may return if the following conditions are met:
a. They have not had a fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers); and
b. Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved);
2. Tested. Persons who experienced symptoms and have been tested for COVID-19 may return to school when the following conditions are met:
a. They no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours (without the use medicine that reduces fevers); and
b. Other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath
have improved)
3. Tested with no symptoms. Persons who have not had symptoms but test positive for COVID-19 may return when they have gone ten (10) calendar days without symptoms and have been released by a health care provider.
Minimizing Building Access.
To minimize the need for people to be in the building other than necessary employees and students, the District requests the following:
- Parents will not be allowed beyond the school entryway/foyer (unless emergency)
- Parents are encouraged to call ahead if they have a need to visit the school, other than in emergency situations
- Visitors will not be allowed in the building unless they are providing services for the school (maintenance/repair/vendor for supplies etc.)
Procedures for Monitoring and Prevention
- Maintain regular contact with local health authorities and review relevant local/state regulatory agency policies and orders for updates.
- Developed a plan to conduct daily health checks (e.g., temperature screening and/or symptom checking) of staff and students.
- Identified an isolation room or area to separate anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or who has tested positive but does not have symptoms.
- Established procedures for safely transporting anyone who is sick to their home or to a healthcare facility, if necessary.
- Monitor absenteeism of students and staff
- Developed a plan for organizing students and staff into small groups that remain together while social distancing, with limited mixing between groups
- Implemented staggered mealtimes to reduce the number of students within a cafeteria(s)
- Monitor and ensure appropriate accommodations, modifications, and assistance for students with special healthcare needs or disabilities
- Ensure each student’s belongings are separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or designated areas.
- Ensure limited sharing of electronic devices, toys, books, and other games or learning aids, and clean and disinfect between users.
- Developed a schedule for increased routine cleaning and disinfection in collaboration with maintenance staff, including areas such as the following:
- Buses
- Frequently touched surfaces (e.g., door handles, desks)
- Communal spaces (e.g., bathrooms)
- Shared objects (e.g., gym equipment, art supplies)
- Developed a protocol to limit nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations as much as possible.
- Identify and prioritize outdoor activities where social distancing can be maintained as much as possible
- Recess
- P.E.
- Monitor use of gloves and masks when food is prepared and served
- In transport vehicles, ensure only families sit together if deemed possible
Facilities Protocols and Preventative Measures
Social distancing and minimizing exposure
- Provide social distancing seating markings in cafeteria
- Systematically review and evaluate school transportation capacity with the goal of creating as much space between riders as possible, recognizing that it is not always feasible to have 6 feet of social distancing.
- Systematically review and evaluate classroom capacity with the goal of creating as much space between people as possible, recognizing that it is not always feasible to have 6 feet of social distancing during primary instructional time in the classroom.
- Have staff monitor arrival and dismissal to curtail congregating and ensure students go straight from vehicle to their classroom, and vice versa.
- Nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations should be restricted.
- Discontinue self-service food or beverage distribution in the cafeteria. Meals, snacks, and
beverages served at school must be individually packaged, wherever possible. Where individual packaging is not possible, food and beverages must be served directly to students. As always, ensure the safety of children with food allergies.
Protecting vulnerable populations
The CDC considers the following individuals to be at high risk for severe illness due to COVID-19:
- Are 65 years and older
- Have underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well-controlled, including: Chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- Serious heart conditions
- Compromised immune system
- Severe obesity (body mass index of 40 or higher)
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- Liver disease
- Hemoglobin disorder
Hygiene practices
- Ensure the availability of appropriate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (e.g., soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and tissues) and strategically place supplies in areas where they may be frequently used.
- Build routines of hand hygiene into the daily school schedule for all students and staff, including handwashing and sanitation breaks during or between classroom activities. Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or the safe use of hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol by staff and older students.
- Supervise the use of hand sanitizer by students.
- Ensure that children and staff with sensitivity or skin reactions to hand sanitizer can use soap and water.
- Reinforce handwashing during key times including but not limited to: arrival and dismissal; before and after eating food; after using the bathroom; after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing; after touching objects with bare hands that have been handled by other people.
- Use media, posters, and other tactics to promote health etiquette expectations in highly visible locations.
Transportation
- Systematically review and evaluate school transportation capacity with the goal of creating as much space between riders as possible, recognizing that it is not always feasible to have 6 feet of social distancing.
- Clean and disinfect transportation vehicles regularly, focusing on frequent cleaning of touched surfaces in the vehicle (e.g., surfaces near the driver’s seat, hard seats, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, grab handles) between routes.
- Keep doors and windows open when cleaning the vehicle and between trips to let the vehicles thoroughly air out.
- If a driver becomes sick during the day, they must follow protocols outlined for people who are ill and must not return to drive students.
- Provide hand sanitizer to support healthy hygiene behaviors on all school transportation vehicles for safe use by staff and older children.
- Consider keeping windows open if appropriate and safe while the vehicle is in motion to help increase air circulation.