Ready for Learning Plan 2021-2022
Ready for Learning Plan 2021-2022
Safety
The Arkansas Department of Education, in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Health and the Governor's Office, released 2021-2022 COVID-19 Guidance for Schools (DESE, July 27, 2020) Click Here.
Students PK - 12 years of age-
Because students under the age of 12 are not eligible for vaccination at this time or are not yet fully vaccinated, it is important to emphasize implementing prevention strategies to protect people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, staff, and other members of their households, especially in areas where community transmission is elevated.
Springdale Public Schools will continue practicing preventative measures such as encouraging masking, physical distancing, screening, testing, ventilation, handwashing, and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine, and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection.
Vaccinations
Students who are ages 12 and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccination. Most local pharmacies have vaccines readily available.
Fully-vaccinated students or staff do not need to quarantine if deemed close contacts unless they have/develop symptoms.
Masks/Face Coverings
Although masks or other face coverings can no longer be mandated in Arkansas public schools, as prohibited by Act 1002 of 2021, the CDC currently recommends the following regarding the wearing of masks in school settings:
● Indoors. Mask use is recommended for people who are not fully vaccinated including students, teachers, and staff. Fully vaccinated people in areas of substantial or high transmission are recommended to wear masks in public indoor settings.
● Outdoors. In general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors. However, particularly in areas of substantial to high transmission, the CDC recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people who are not fully vaccinated.
School Settings: Universal masking is recommended by the CDC for all students, staff, and visitors to schools regardless of vaccination status.
Individuals exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not need to be quarantined if they have no symptoms and both the infected and exposed individual consistently and correctly were wearing a mask.
Because children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 at this time, Springdale Public Schools encourages consistent and correct mask usage while indoors in all school settings with children under age 12. In addition, consistent mask usage is encouraged in any classroom setting where the vaccination status of students of any age cannot be confirmed.
Physical Distancing
To facilitate in-person learning five days a week for Arkansas students, Springdale Public Schools will implement practices that promote physical distancing between individuals and groups of individuals when possible but will do so in a way that does not impede student engagement.
It is suggested that these recommendations be combined with indoor mask wearing by individuals who are not fully vaccinated to reduce transmission risk. Mask use by individuals who are not fully vaccinated is particularly important when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Alternate Method of Instruction (AMI)
In the event that the Springdale School District or an individual school must modify on-site instruction and pivot to remote learning, the district or school will follow the Springdale Public Schools approved Alternate Method of Instruction (AMI) plan. If positive cases have evolved to the point that an AMI day is necessary, the superintendent shall take the following steps:
● Notify the designated DESE Point of Contact (POC)
● Report the AMI day in the LEA Insights portal. The AMI day for the school or district will also be reported in eSchool; and,
● Participate in consultations with the DESE and ADH.
Teachers and staff will report onsite if a school pivots to AMI due to COVID. The After School Program (ASP) will work with the school to provide essential worker child care.
Attendance Policy
For onsite days, students will be marked absent or present in accordance with policies JEA, JEB, and JEC.
For remote learning days, parents are responsible for making sure students engage with the assigned work. Students will be marked absent for the days that they are not actively engaged in the lesson as evidenced in the learning management system.
If students are unable to engage with the assigned work on remote learning days, documentation must be provided to the school for the absence to be excused. Absences on remote learning days will be coded per the excused absences listed in policies JEA and JEC.
Transportation
While on buses, windows will be open or cracked if it does not pose a safety risk. Keeping windows open, even a few inches, improves air circulation. ADH and ADE also recommend maintaining as much physical distance as possible between riders on the bus. In addition, keeping siblings/household members seated together is also a helpful strategy. Masks are recommended due to the close nature of a bus environment.
Springdale’s transportation staff will be working with drivers, office staff, and building administrators to help encourage social distancing.
All bus drivers will be encouraged to wear masks and will frequently use hand sanitizing.
All buses have hand sanitizing stations for the driver and students.
Students should sanitize their hands before they enter the bus.
All buses will be deep cleaned and sanitized daily.
Due to COVID-19, visitors to school buildings will be limited to only those with essential school business, as determined by the building principal.
Parents - Checking Students In and Out
For contactless student check-in and check-out, parents can complete a Contactless Student Check-In / Check-Out Form (example form). Schools will post QR codes outside that parents can scan to access the form (example signage #1, signage #2).
Parents - Eating Lunch With Children
At this time, guests will not be allowed to eat lunch with students in school buildings.
Parents - Meeting With Teachers
Parents are encouraged to meet with teachers via phone or video conferences when they have any questions or concerns. Currently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) recommend limiting any nonessential visitors to schools. If necessary to meet face to face, parents who are requesting to meet with a teacher should follow the school’s visitor process.
Parents - Special Conferences (Sped, 504, ESL, Ozark Guidance, Burrell )
In an effort to keep our students and staff safe during COVID-19, parents are encouraged to meet virtually for special conferences. Currently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) recommend limiting any nonessential visitors to schools. If necessary to meet face to face, then parents who are requesting to meet for a special conference should follow the school’s visitor process.
Hand Washing/Cleaning
Springdale Public Schools care about the safety of our faculty, staff, students, and visitors. Schools will continue to provide hand sanitizer and/or handwashing stations with soap and water at entrances. They will provide hand sanitizer and/or handwashing stations with soap and water in every classroom. Students, teachers, staff, and campus visitors should be encouraged to sanitize and/or wash hands frequently.
Ventilation/Air Circulation
All schools are equipped to provide fresh air to occupied spaces.
Nursing Preparations
The safety of the students and staff is a priority.
Nursing stations will be disinfected regularly
Non-touch infrared thermometers will be available
Masks will be available
Parent information
If a student is not feeling well, he/she should stay home
Students need to be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school
If a student has been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID and the student has not been vaccinated, parent should contact the school nurse and remain home for further instructions
Custodial Preparations
Springdale Public Schools will follow these strategies in the custodial department:
Breakfast & Lunch - Day personnel will be staggered to help with opening, clean-up from breakfast and lunch.
Hand sanitizer - Sanitizing stations are placed in each classroom.
Athletics - Additional custodians will be available at each school as the athletics begin. We will clean and sanitize twice a day. In addition, we will train coaches on the sanitation process to complete between cleaning times.
School Facilities will continue to be atomized.
Food Service and School Meals
Schools will establish procedures that maximize physical distance as much as possible when students are moving through the food service line and while eating (especially indoors). Using additional spaces outside of the cafeteria for mealtime seating, such as classrooms, the gymnasium, or outdoor seating, can help facilitate distance.
Springdale is implementing the following strategies in the food services department
Breakfast and Lunch meals are free to all students for the 2021-2022 school year.
Online Free and Reduced Applications strongly encouraged to limit visitors on School Campus and the Child Nutrition Office. (SchoolCafe.com)
Staff will continue to practice proper handwashing procedures and use single-use gloves while preparing and serving food.
No contact thermometers are available for staff to monitor temperatures. Employees with a fever are required to stay home from work.
Disposable face masks are available for staff that choose to wear face coverings.
Kitchens, serving areas, and tables are sanitized at the end of the day and between each meal period.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
How will the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) needs of our students be addressed?
Ozark Guidance Center (OGC) will help teachers address specific SEL needs of their students due to COVID-19.
Parents will have available SEL site with tools that will help them understand the needs of their children.
District counselors and social workers will be available to support students, families, and teachers.
School-Related Activities
Springdale Public Schools is mindful of activities associated with regular school operations that could create a higher risk for COVID-19 transmission. The district will review ADH guidance for specific activities and event protocols.
Point of Contact and Reporting of Positive Cases
To promote the continuation of last year’s successful communication strategy, Springdale Public Schools has a designated Point of Contact (POC) who will initiate the contact tracing process when positive cases are reported at school and notify the ADH of positive cases as they occur. If an individual who has been in a school has tested positive for COVID-19, the district will continue to follow the established ADH reporting processes and requirements for isolation and quarantine. There are some conditions that could exempt an exposed individual / close contact to the quarantine/isolation requirements that are discussed below. School nurses
can help verify the status of a potential close contact to help POCs and school officials
determine responses.
Close Contact Determination and Responses
The CDC defines a close contact as an individual confirmed to have been within six feet for 15
cumulative minutes or longer within a 24-hour period during the infectious period of a person
who has tested positive for COVID-19.
1. Individuals who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered and who
are subsequently exposed to someone with COVID-19 within three months of their
original diagnosis do not have to stay at home or get tested again, as long as they do not develop new symptoms. Individuals who develop symptoms again within three months of their first instance of COVID-19 should see their physician as they may need to be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.
2. Individuals exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not need to be quarantined if they have no symptoms and both the infected and exposed individual consistently and correctly were wearing a mask. Individuals who are fully vaccinated may not have to quarantine.
School officials should review with POCs the local process for identifying close contacts and the
process for communicating with parents, staff, and students whether an individual will need to
stay home and/or be tested.
Quarantine of those exposed to someone with COVID-19
As of December 2, 2020, the CDC amended its guidance to allow two shorter options for the
quarantine period. Based on current CDC guidance, the quarantine period can end for
individuals experiencing no symptoms according to the following guidelines:
1. After 10 full 24-hour periods since close contact exposure without testing, or
2. After seven full 24-hour periods since close contact exposure and after receiving a negative test result (sample taken no earlier than five 24-hour periods after exposure).
If individuals return to school from these shorter quarantine windows, they should regularly
monitor themselves for symptoms to ensure they remain symptom-free and take appropriate precautions for the duration of the 14-day incubation period.
Isolation of those with COVID-19
The person who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to isolate at home for 10 days from
the onset of symptoms or, if asymptomatic, 10 days from the positive test date. A person who is
immunosuppressed or was hospitalized may need a longer isolation period of 20 days.
Public Health Considerations
Educational Options
Based on increasing numbers of positive cases, schools should expect interruptions to the school year and plan for contingencies. DESE and ADH will work closely with districts to monitor local situations and to assist if prolonged school closures or prolonged remote learning
becomes necessary.
Guidance will be updated as needed if additional or new guidance is made available by the CDC. DESE and the ADH will continue to monitor conditions and work with districts to respond accordingly. School officials, parents, and community members are encouraged to work together to plan and implement as many strategies as possible to make the return to school and continued in-person learning opportunities successful again this year.
To help determine whether a fully vaccinated individual should quarantine, refer to the following chart
Springdale Public Schools
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | YOUTUBE
Email: communications@sdale.org
Website: https://www.sdale.org/
Location: PO Box 8 Springdale Ar 72764
Phone: 479-750-8800