Middlebury

Community Schools

2020 -21

Reopening Plan

July 21, 2020

Board of School Trustees

Presentation

Considerations and Recommendations

Developed using guidance from:• Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)• Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH)• Indiana Family & Social Service Administration (FSSA)• Indiana’s Considerations for Learning and Safe Schools (IN-CLASS)• Center for Disease Control (CDC) “Opening Up America Again”• Governor Holcomb’s Indiana “Back on Track” Plan• Parkview Health’s “Framework for a Healthy Opening”• Georgia Department of Education and Department of Public Health’s

“Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools”

Guiding Principles:• Safe Students and Staff: Providing ongoing education and support services to address the immediate and long-term considerations of

students and staff

• Safe Classrooms: Implement safety protocols and preventative health measures that accommodate a range of reopening scenarios and contingency plans while offering multiple educational opportunities

• Safe Buildings: Create a safe physical space for students and staff while in the building

• Safe Schedules: Ensure students and staff can move safely to/from school and in between classrooms and buildings

• Safe Activities: Enjoy modified co/extra-curricular activities and athletic events with necessary modifications and preventative safety measures in place

Developed in Collaboration with:• WaNee Community Schools• Baugo Community Schools• Elkhart Community Schools• Goshen Community Schools• Concord Community Schools• Fairfield Community Schools

MCS Committees for Reopening Schools

• Purpose of the Committees• Purpose of the committees was to be an extensive representation of our

school staff and parents to help plan for the unknowns of the 2020-2021

School Year

• These committees were a collective think-tank to brainstorm possible

“pros and cons” to all possible scenarios of school available for us

• Each committee was tasked at looking at specific start of school needs

• Committees helped develop and interpret parent/student and staff survey

data

• Each committee member made individual recommendations for their

assigned start of school needs

• Plans the committees have helped develop have built in flexibility to pivot to

any new mandates given to us at any point over the next 15 months

MCS Start of School Committees

• Mental Health and Wellness Committee

• School Operations Committee

• Return to Instruction Committee

• Facilities Committee

Total of 120 teachers, staff members,

parents, and administrators

MCS Start of School Committees

Task Areas

• Physical Entry into Schools Process/Screening

• Classroom Physical Adjustments for Social Distancing

• General Pandemic Based School Safety Protocols

• Food Service/ Student and Staff Mealtime

• Instructional Practice Considerations

• Social Emotional Learning/ Mental Health Considerations

• Communication Protocols

• Transportation Safety Protocols

MCS Start of School Process and Timelines

• June 4th = Initial Start of School Meeting

MTA Executive Committee

MCS Admin Team

MCS Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC)

• June 5th = IDOE releases their IN-CLASS guardrails

• June 9th = State Superintendent Dr. McCormick webinar

• June 11th = MCS Admin Team meeting to discuss processes for

start of school decision making

• June 16th = Mental Health and Wellness Committee Meeting #1

• June 17th = School Operations Committee Meeting #1

• June 18th = Return to Instruction Committee Meeting #1

• June 18th = Facilities Committee Meeting #1

MCS Start of School Process and Timelines, Cont.

• June 23rd = Mental Health and Wellness Committee Meeting #2

• June 23rd = School Operations Committee Meeting #2

• June 23rd = Return to Instruction Committee Meeting #2

• June 23rd = Facilities Committee Meeting #2

• June 24th = MCS Parent/Student and Staff surveys released

• June 30th = MCS Secondary elective teachers meeting

• July 1st = Return to Instruction Committee Meeting #3 (breakout

discussions by school levels)

• July 1st = Facilities Committee Meeting # 3

• July 5th = MCS survey ends at midnight

MCS Start of School Process and Timelines, Cont.

• July 6th = MCS survey data compiled and analyzed

• July 7th = Mental Health and Wellness Committee Meeting #3

• July 7th = School Operations Committee Meeting #3

• July 7th = Return to Instruction Committee Meeting #4

• July 7th = Facilities Committee Meeting #4

• July 8th = Final MCS Plan parameters approved by MTA executive

committee

• July 9th = Final MCS Plan parameters approved by MCS admin

team

MCS Start of School Process and Timelines, Cont.

• July 14th = Northridge Middle School Plan approval meeting

• July 16th = York Elementary Plan approval meeting

• July 16th = Jefferson Elementary Plan approval meeting

• July 16th = Northridge High School Plan approval meeting

• July 16th = Middlebury Elementary Plan approval meeting

• July 17th = Heritage Intermediate Plan approval meeting

• July 17th = Orchard View Elementary Plan approval meeting

• July 21st = School Board Presentation

• July 21st = Student Online Registration released

• July 31st = Student Online Registration deadline

Total time for MCS Formal Meetings = 49 hours!

Middlebury Community Schools

Survey Results

Your Voices Matter!

Parent Voices

Parent Voices

Staff Voices

Middlebury Community Schools

Educational Options

School District Decision Tree

K-12 Educational Options

Option 1: 100% Traditional In-Person

• Regular School Day Times

• Monday - Friday

• All students and staff will have masks with them at all times

• All students and staff wear masks when entering the building and transitioning to and from

classroom areas

• All classroom furniture will be arranged as “socially distanced” with 6 feet between the teacher’s

desk/board and students’ desks

• All students and staff will wear face masks/coverings in the classroom until seated, facing the

same direction, and socially distanced (6 feet apart)

• During instructional time, teachers and students may remove their masks when socially distanced.

• There will be limited physical interaction through partner or group work

• K-5 Specials schedules will allow for time to clean and sanitize classrooms and materials and/or

have specials teachers travel to classrooms depending on the buildings.

• Grades 6-12 – Some virtual/hybrid instruction will take place during the school day within the

buildings to accommodate social distancing and cohorts

K-12 Educational Options

Option 2: 100% Remote/Virtual Learning (Minimum of 1 Quarter/9 Week Period Required)

• Live/ 2-way/ interactive feed of instruction and/or recorded video instruction to students outside of

the classroom virtually

• Broadcasted content would include all direct instruction, and when appropriate, student work time

• Transitions, breaks, lunches, recesses would not be streamed.

• Cameras would never be focused on students in the traditional course. Cameras would always be

directed at the teacher and/or Promethean boards.

• Teachers would be encouraged to use Google Meet or Schoology to coordinate the live streams and

share their own device screen as much as possible. These platforms allow hosts to control secure

entrance into the live session as well as mute students’ audio and video as needed.

• Students working remotely would be able to ask questions directly to teacher (at appropriate times)

using the chat functions to type or by asking orally during livestream instruction.

• Virtual student assignments would mirror those in the classroom. If a student in the traditional class

is working on a digital assignment, the virtual student would have the same. If the traditional student

is working on a non-digital assignment, the digital version given to remote students would be over

the same content and with the same rigor and time requirements

• Videos of instruction would be accessible by students at other times of the day as well.

Grades 6-12 Only Educational Option

Grades 6-12 ONLY: (Minimum of 1 Quarter/9 Week Period Required)

Option 3: 100% Remote/Virtual Learning – Blended Learning

• Self-Paced Blended Learning Courses

• MCS Teacher and Staff Supported but self-paced. Not based on regular classroom

instruction

• Students can work at their own pace, at any time convenient to them while still getting

feedback and assistance from highly qualified content specialists in each subject.

Virtual Option Clarification

Virtual Option Clarification

(Minimum of at least 1 Quarter/9 Week Grading Period)

If a parent chooses a 100% Remote/Virtual Option for their child, the

choice is for at least the whole first quarter/nine weeks grading period.

The child will not be able to return to traditional in-person learning until

October 15, 2021.

Transportation

• All bus drivers will wear face masks/coverings or face shields

• All students will wear face masks/coverings

• Students will use hand sanitizer when entering and leaving buses

• Students will have assigned seats with family members seated

together when possible

• No more than 2 students per seat

• Bus drivers will clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces

on the bus between each new group of students

• Children will load from back to front whenever possible

• Buses will have windows opened safely whenever possible to

allow air flow and ventilation

District Protocols

• Teach and reinforce good hygiene measures such as handwashing, covering coughs, and face

coverings

• Provide hand soap and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, paper towels, and no-touch

trash cans in all bathrooms, classrooms, and frequently trafficked areas

• Post signage in classrooms, hallways, and entrances to communicate how to stop the spread.

COVID-19 symptoms, preventative measures (including staying home when sick), good hygiene,

and school/district specific protocols.

• Clean/disinfect frequently touched surfaces at least daily and shared objects after each use

• Allow students and staff to bring hand sanitizer to use from home

• Require students and staff to wear face masks/covering, and other appropriate PPE

• Take steps to ensure all water systems and features are safe

• Disable water fountains and provide water or allow students and staff to bring water bottles from

home

• Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and increase circulation of outdoor air as much as

possible, as long as this does not pose a safety or health risk to students or staff

• Conduct deep cleaning of schools prior to students/staff returning; schedule additional

cleanings during weekends or school holidays/breaks

District Protocols

Parents Screen

Students BEFORE

Sending Them to

School

District Protocols

During the School

Day

Students

&

Staff

District

Protocols

Guidelines

for Returning

to School

All Returning to

School decisions will

be made with

guidance from the

Elkhart County

Health Department

(ECHD)

Hybrid Instruction Possibility

If the State, IDOE or Elkhart County Health Department (ECHD) Determines

it is unsafe for all students to be in school together:

Hybrid Instruction: (50% or Less Allowed)

A/B schedules:Alternating Days: students would be divided into 2 groups, likely geographically. Groups would

alternate face-to-face and virtual instruction during the week. One example: Group A would attend

Monday and Tuesday and work virtually the remainder of the week. Group B would attend Thursday

and Friday and work virtually the other days of the week. Wednesday would be a virtual day for most

employees so buildings could be cleaned during the week between groups. Another example: Group A

Students Monday/Wednesday and Group B Students -- Tuesday/Thursday; Friday – distance learning

for all students.

Alternating Weeks: Group A Students – Week 1 and Group B Students Week 2; using

certification flexibility to relocate teachers as needed and allowable

Middlebury Community Schools

Parent Registration

Requirement

• Online:

• www.mcsin-k12.org

• https://www.facebook

.com/middleburycs

• Call your child’s school

• Registration Necessary:

• Type of Instruction

• Bus Transportation

Parent Registration Requirement

Kindergarten – Grade 5 Students

Registration Deadline: July 31, 2020

Option 2: 100% Remote/Virtual Instruction

(Teacher Driven Instruction Using Livestream

and/or Video Recordings) (1 Quarter/9 Week Period Required)

Option 1: 100% In-Person Traditional Instruction

Parent Registration Requirement

Grade 6 – Grade 12 Students

Registration Deadline: July 31, 2020

Option 1: 100% In-Person Instruction(Some virtual instruction may take place during the school day within the building

for social distancing purposes using livestream and/or video recordings)

Option 2: 100% Remote/Virtual Instruction (1 Quarter/9 Week Period Required)

(Teacher Driven Instruction Using Livestream and/or Video Recordings)

Option 3: 100% Remote/ Virtual Instruction (1 Quarter/9 Week Period Required)

(Self-Paced Blended Learning Courses)

Must

Choose

Only 1 Option

Parent Registration Requirement

All Parents Must Register and Decide:

School Bus Transportation

Yes or No

(Transfer students are not eligible for bus transportation)

Registration Deadline: July 31, 2020

Middlebury Community Schools

• Thank you for your patience with us as we

worked together to create our plan.

• Please note that there is always a possibility

that plans may change due to Indiana

Department of Education, State of Indiana

Governor’s Office, Indiana State Department of

Health, and the Elkhart County Health

Department.

Middlebury Community Schools

Please remember, we want to have

school just as much as you do!

Our goal is to provide a

safe environment for our children,

our teachers and staff.

• Online:

• www.mcsin-k12.org

• https://www.facebook.com/middleburycs

• Call your child’s school

• Registration Necessary:

• Type of Instruction

• Bus Transportation