Superintendent's Update
11/01/2020
Hello CSD Parents/Guardians and Faculty/Staff:
Last week we completed the first full week in our hybrid (blended) model of instruction for our elementary schools.
As a reminder, for this hybrid (blended) instructional model to be safe and sustainable, it will take all of us to do our part in following the established mitigation strategies. November 9th begins our first day back for in-person for our secondary students. Please see the timeline below regarding the schedule.
We all must follow the health and safety plan and mitigation strategies to keep everyone safe.
Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation and collaboration.
Reminder: Timeline 6-12 Students Return
Reminder: Process and Procedures for Responding to COVID-19
Student and Family COVID-19 Scenarios
All documents are fluid and are changed when new information is provided or presented to CSD.
Guidance for Staffing Decisions Related to COVID-19.
Reminder: COVID-5
Safety Upgrades - Raptor System & Skyward
CSD has been using Raptor Technologies as part of the visitor management system. However, we are in the process of upgrading and deploying additional resources to the system to help with visitor management with the new self-service kiosks.
Allow visitors to check-in with the self-service kiosks allow the visitor to directly scan his or her ID with the built-in scanner, takes their photo with the built-in webcam, and completes the check-in process on the kiosk, which includes selecting their destination and entering responses to our custom COVID-19-related health questions. Photo badges print instantly following visitor clearance. This reduces direct staff contact.
The on-site health screening tool will help us reduce the spread of COVID-19 at our schools by asking key “Yes/No” health screening questions added to your visitor, contractor, and volunteer check-in procedures. This system will also Immediately alert administrative and security personnel should a visitor be identified as a potential exposure risk.
Skyward System (Staff/Faculty):
Each school entity was required to create a Health and Safety Plan which will serve as the local guidelines for all instructional and noninstructional school reopening activities. One requirement of the Health and Safety Plan included having systems in place to support staff in conducting self-checks each morning. CSD is in the process of conducting a pilot of the self-check system that exists in Skyward with key staff to determine if the system will be productive for full roll-out.
Skyward, an administrative software provider developed a new COVID-19 self-screening survey tool to assist districts in keeping their schools safe and healthy. The new tool is intended to assist schools in verifying those who are asked and entering schools are not symptomatic with the virus.
Current Bucks County Metrics from PA DOH Early Warning Dashboard As Of 10-29-20
Virtual Conference with Dr. Rubin and Dr. Damsker
- We should expect positive cases every week; can’t close every time you have a positive case.
- Today in Bucks County, you can expect 5 individuals in a school of 1000 to be positive every day.
- Bucks will trail Philadelphia and Delaware County in terms of positivity rate trends.
- Bucks now between 3-5% positivity.
- Philadelphia and collar counties will now see exponential growth; the risk to the city is substantial and sustained.
- The data and trends will not necessarily be one size fit all for the entire county; it will be localized within counties.
- Consideration: Do we have enough staff to open my schools safely?
- Contact tracing in Bucks remains strong, relative to other surrounding counties.
- As with other counties (and eventually Bucks County) contact tracing grows more difficult, it will be difficult to keep up with tracing efforts, resulting in a potential for closure if safety cannot be guaranteed.
- Philadelphia now at positivity rates at 9%.
- When responding to increased rates, it may be prudent to take action when the rate becomes this high until they return to back 5%, For example. the action might be going virtual for all or some, keeping others in person (lower grades, special education, cohorts, etc.), limiting extracurriculars, etc.
- Halloween parties (and other gathers) are an immediate concern due to proximity, lack of protocols.
- Supports keeping extracurriculars in-person with health and safety protocols.
- However, consider limiting interscholastic competition during surges or with schools with outbreaks or lax plans; do workouts and practices instead of competitions during those instances.
- Schools remain one of the safer places to be during the outbreak, due to health and safety plans that are in place.
- School may be a safer environment (with health and safety plans being implemented and followed) when compared to where students are during the day if schools close.
- Schools do not appear to be a major factor in transmission, as of today.
- Schools are impacted by those coming into schools and gatherings outside of school.
- Transmission impacting schools is coming from carpools (students and staff), sharing drinks, social gatherings, break/lunch rooms, large group meals, parties, locker rooms where masks come off, and distance is decreased, people not following mitigation strategies.
- Evidence supports hand-washing and face-covering strategies.
- The vaccine still in phase 3 trials; should know something about efficacy next month at the earliest.
- The goal of the vaccine is not to remove the infection, but rather reduce serious infections. This will likely become an annual vaccine, like the flu.
- The long-term prognosis of a pandemic depends on the efficacy of the vaccine and vaccine ability to turn COVID into a seasonal virus (like the flu).
- Second infections is now an assumed reality.
- What about surfaces – is contact surface cleaning necessary? Yes, once a day for surfaces like desks with proper hand hygiene; between runs for busses; no need for hypervigilant cleaning due to lack of evidence that surface contact transmission is high risk.
- Masks are effective if used properly; plexiglass is an “adjunct” to the masks in that it can potentially prevent some particle spread as an extra barrier. He would not over-prescribe them as long as the health and safety plan is in place, as the mask is typically sufficient unless the room is crowded, etc.
- School closures should be a last resort. Lockdown should be a last resort. Target bad actors.
- Note earlier comment: When responding to increased rates, it may be prudent to take action when the rate becomes high until they return to back 5%, For example. the action might be going virtual for all or some, keeping others in person (lower grades, special education, cohorts, etc.), limiting extracurriculars, etc.
- Cluster busting by local neighborhood, section, or zip code is a well-targeted policy approach for states and counties to consider rather than blanket approaches.
- Social gatherings remain the biggest concern; belief that friends and family are “safe” and “covid free” is a major source of transmission.
Dr. Dana T. Bedden, CAA
Website: https://www.centennialsd.org/
Location: 48 Swan Way, Warminster, PA, USA
Phone: 215-441-6000
Twitter: @Dr_Bedden