Jones Center Health and Safety
Back to School Special Edition - August 2021
Safety is our Priority!
The number one priority at Jones Center is the health and safety of our students and staff. As the COVID cases continue in our area, we will continue with safety practices as guided by the Park Hill School District. These guidelines are available at Park Hill's Pandemic Plan. Plans may change as we receive more information and guidance from public health officials. We will notify you if we make changes. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we begin the 2021-2022 school year!
COVID-19 Self Assessment
If a student or a staff member is sick, it is more important than ever that they stay home. Please help us keep our community safe by being cautious and staying away, even if you think an illness could be allergies. The nurse at your school will be happy to help you talk through your symptoms.
Students and staff should screen for these symptoms each day:
- Fever or chills According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a fever is 100.4 F or greater.
- Cough
- Rash
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle or body aches
Quarantines
5 Pillars of Prevention at the Jones Center
1. Hand Hygiene
- All learning spaces will have hand sanitizer.
- All classes will wash their hands and/or use sanitizer before and after lunch, before and after recess, and before and after RT.
- Teachers will also develop hand hygiene routines specific to their classroom schedule.
- All teachers will teach and review proper hand-washing techniques.
2. Physical Distancing
We will take steps to promote physical distancing, although we cannot always keep everyone six feet apart.
- Common Spaces: We will stagger the use of common spaces, when possible. Physical contact will be avoided when possible. Few people will be allowed in the front office. Visitors will be asked to use the camera doorbell.
- Assigned Seats: We will use markers to indicate where each student should sit each time they visit the cafeteria, and during class.
- Hallways: Sit spots have been placed throughout classrooms and the hallways to indicate appropriate social distancing while in lines, such as the bathrooms.
3. Cleaning
4. Cohort Groups
- Students will remain with their cohort group throughout the day.
- At lunch, students will have assigned seats.
5. Masks
- All staff and students are currently required to wear masks when in the building, regardless of vaccination status. Masks must be worn at all times except when eating, drinking, exercising, or playing outside during recess. Students and staff will take brief 'mask breaks' when appropriate.
- Students and staff without a mask will be provided reusable mask if needed.
Precautions and Prevention
In the Health Room
Our school nurse will follow all of the recommended health and safety guidelines if a child is sent to the health room with Covid-19 symptoms. The following is a list of extra precautions we have in place for the health room.
- Frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, gloves, with proper PPE worn based on the individual's health needs
- Cots, chairs, and other surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected between staff/student visits and throughout the day as needed
- A stop sign will be used outside the health room to encourage students and staff to stop before entry. This will allow the nurse an opportunity to promote: social distancing, appropriate personal protective equipment, and hand hygiene.
- Nurse Melissa will provide each classroom with a more extensive than usual first aid kit. This will help staff manage minor health needs without sending students to the health room.
- Teachers will call the nurse prior to sending any students. We will also continue to use health room passes.
On the Bus:
First Student will train drivers about health and safety precautions for COVID-19. We will open windows when possible.
- Hand Hygiene: We will provide hand sanitizer.
- Physical Distancing: First Student will create assigned seats for students riding the bus. The seat behind the driver will remain empty.
- Cleaning: First Student will disinfect all surfaces on the buses at the end of each route.
- Cohort Groups: When possible, First Student will assign drivers to a single bus and route.
- Masks: Students must wear masks. Drivers will wear masks when students are boarding and getting off the bus.
At Breakfast and Lunch:
All students will be offered breakfast, and return to their classroom to eat.
Students will wash their hands before lunch and/or will use hand sanitizer before lunch. Students will eat lunch with their classroom cohort.
We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. If families or teachers would like to purchase birthday treats for their students, please work through our Nutrition Services Department.
A few more things...
- For the safety of our students and staff, visitors will not be allowed in the building. Only school district employees are allowed to enter the Jones Center. Unfortunately this means no lunch or classroom visitors, including the first day of school.
- We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. If families or teachers would like to purchase birthday treats for their students, please work through our Nutrition Services Department.
- Please send a reusable water bottle to school with your child.
- Please be patient with us as we navigate through another unusual school year.
- If your student is directly exposed to someone with COVID, our school nurse will contact you. No news is good news!
- Please contact us if you have questions!
- For more detailed information. Please refer to the Health and Safety Precautions on our district website: HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTION