MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION2020-2021 REENTRY PLAN — COVID-19
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MVCSC Health & Safety Plan forCOVID-19JULY 15, 2020Revised 9/12/2020
MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
2020-2021
Engage, Educate & Empower Today’s Students
MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION2020-2021 REENTRY PLAN — COVID-19
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MVCSC staff were excited to begin school and see our in-person and
virtual students beginning on August 17. While many precautions are being
implemented to limit the spread of any virus, we recognize that we must
balance our high expectations with empathy as we adapt and adjust when
necessary. Teachers have developed plans to do a great job supporting
student learning whether students are participating in school or at home.
With the closure of our schools in the spring of 2020, we have already
found aspects of virtual learning that have endeared themselves to our new
normal. As we progress through the 2020-2021 school year, we expect to
find even new practices and experiences that will be a source of joy for our
students and staff.
Our health and safety plans are based on guidance from the Hancock
County Health Department and the CDC. These plans are fluid and will
change as needed; however, our guiding principles will remain constant
and serve as a measuring stick for future changes.
To Our Mt. Vernon Community
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1. Safety and wellness for all stakeholders
The safety and wellness for our students, staff, and families are of paramount importance.
2. Opportunity for all students to learn at high levels
Recognizing that the needs of our students are more diverse than they have ever been, we are committed to providing for the highest level of learning for ALL students, whether virtual or in-person.
3. Family - School Partnerships
Especially during these difficult times, strong partnerships among all stakeholders are essential in achieving our core mission to engage, educate, and empower our students.
Our Guiding Principles
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▶ Keep children home if they are sick with any illness. When reporting illness to school, parents and staff will be asked if the symptoms are one of the listed COVID-19 symptoms. Any one of the following symptoms will require a student or staff member to stay home for symptoms not explained by other already known conditions:
FAMILY PARTICIPATION
• Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. (This accounts for a +- 0.4 degree measurement error for the measuring device.)
• Sore throat• New uncontrolled cough that
caused difficulty breathing (for
students with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
• Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
• New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever
• Loss of taste or smell
▶ The school will discontinue perfect attendance incentives.
▶ Parents should be prepared (with short notice) if the school (or classroom, club, team, etc.) is temporarily closed and/or if their child is sent home.
▶ Self-screening of students and staff should occur each day before coming to school. Parents and staff will notify the school if any of the screening criteria are answered “Yes”.
▶ Immunizations must be up to date and records provided to the school by the end of the day on September 14. By law, students without updated
immunization records or waivers must be excluded from school on the 21st day of school.
▶ Access to school facilities throughout the day will be limited to students and staff only.
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▶ We will enact enhanced cleaning procedures in all classrooms, common areas, and on high-touch surfaces. Additional hand sanitizer stations will be installed and frequent hand-washing will be mandated.
▶ Barriers (plexiglass) will be installed in high traffic areas where possible. Barriers may also be used in other locations where social distancing is difficult.
▶ Schools will practice social distancing in all areas. Masks or face shields will be required to be worn at all times for students in grades 3-12, except under the direction of a staff person when students can be stationed and spaced 3’ to 6’ apart as recommended by the Indiana State Department of Health. Students in grades PK-2 are encouraged to wear masks or face shields when they can.
▶ At times, face shields may be worn in instead of masks as directed by the Governor’s Executive Order (20-37 paragraphs 4 & 6), when directed by a staff member.
▶ All students and staff will be expected to have a mask with them at all times. We understand that masks may be difficult for some to wear and we will work to not make this a discipline issue for students. If a student continues to not wear a mask when required, they may be asked to participate in school virtually.
▶ Students will be grouped in Pods as much as possible. When students from different pods come together, they will not be in close contact (closer than 6’) for longer than 15 minutes.
▶ Additional precautions are being taken including changing HVAC filters to ones that filter a much smaller particle and providing 5,000 individual transparent desktop barriers.
▶ Students will be assigned seats in all areas possible.
▶ Opportunities to adjust schedules to decrease transitions will be utilized when possible.
▶ As we know, airborne transfer of COVID-19 virus is more likely through coughs and sneezing than through contact with hard surfaces. We will work to develop a culture where everyone properly manages coughing, sneezing, and proper handwashing.
PRACTICING PREVENTION
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PRACTICING PREVENTION continued
▶ We will provide several touchless water bottle filling stations in main areas of each school and for convenience, students are encouraged to bring water with them each day and/or purchase them in the cafeteria at breakfast and lunch times.
▶ Basic supplies for students and staff will not be shared. Some instructional equipment will be shared with students who will be required to wash their hands before and after use. (Examples: math manipulatives, art equipment, robotics, lab equipment, etc.) In this instance, students will also be required to wear a mask.
▶ Students who experience learning outside of their school building (ICE, internships, peer-tutors, vocational, etc.) must wear a mask at all times.
▶ Due to the size and unique nature of our high school’s comprehensive schedule, Mt Vernon High School will begin the year on a hybrid schedule with in-person students attending every other day.
▶ Students will be required to wear a mask the entire time when they are on a bus.
▶ Bus seats will be limited to two students per seat and each student will be assigned a seat. Siblings will sit together whenever possible (up to three per seat).
▶ Social distancing will be required at the bus stop and when students enter and leave a bus or automobile.
▶ Students must continually wear their mask when they leave the bus or the automobile until they are in the classroom and properly socially distanced per direction of the teacher.
▶ Buses will be disinfected at the end of each day and before/after each route.
▶ Students, staff, and parents should be prepared for the transportation of students on buses to take more time than in the past.
▶ If at all possible, parents are encouraged to transport their child to school in lieu of riding the bus. Additionally, if parents elect to transport their child themselves, we ask that you continue with that plan for the remainder of the first semester.
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION
TRANSITIONING
SERVING MEALS
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STUDENT TRANSPORTATION continued
▶ With the exception of special needs, shuttling students from one school to another will not be allowed. This is to decrease potential cross-contamination. Be aware that the YMCA will have a program in all three elementary schools and the middle school.
▶ Students will only be allowed to ride the bus they are assigned and must maintain the same pick-up and drop off location(s) for which they are assigned.
▶ Bus change requests/forms will be suspended for this year.
▶ Students who have parents living in two locations within our enrollment area are encouraged to ride to and from school in only one location.
▶ Centralized congregation of students will be eliminated. Students will go directly to class after departing their bus or automobile. Masks are required during transitions.
▶ Release procedures will provide for staggered dismissal at the end of the day. Students will go directly to their bus or their assigned seat to await on the arrival of their vehicle. Masks are required during transitions.
▶ Transitions will be limited as much as reasonably possible during the school day.
▶ One-way travel patterns will be identified with markings in hallways and other high traffic areas.
▶ Students will use their ID cards for touchless purchasing of meals. SchoolPay (via internet) is strongly encouraged for lunch account payments.
▶ Food lines will be marked for social distancing.
▶ Barriers will be placed as much as reasonably possible.
▶ Meal service times may be extended.
▶ Parents of students who are experiencing school virtually may pick up meals as determined by their food service department.
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CONDUCTING LARGE GROUP GATHERINGS
▶ Field trips will not be scheduled for the foreseeable future.
▶ In-person convocations will not be scheduled for the foreseeable future.
▶ No indoor rentals of our school facilities will be allowed for at least the first semester.
▶ During athletic events and other performances, crowd sizes will be limited with markings on bleachers, etc. for social distancing. When events reach capacity, visitors/spectators will be expected to leave.
▶ Content will be first delivered to all students electronically via a Learning Management System or by other means as determined by their teacher/teacher teams. Blended learning and flipped instruction will be utilized on a continual basis.
▶ Students will be supported in their classroom or virtually as much as possible. Opportunities for reteaching, enrichment, social/emotional support, and motivational support will be provided to students as needed.
▶ We will be resuming traditional grading practices. Grading and assessments will be the same for virtual and in-class students. Due dates will be determined by the individual teacher. Virtual students should expect the same workload as in-class students.
▶ In-Person and Virtual Students• In-person students will receive blended instruction
■ Since students attending school in-person may need to stay home on a temporary basis throughout the year, we will plan all introductory instruction to be delivered digitally.
• Virtual students will receive instruction digitally■ For parents who desire for their child(ren) to receive virtual education, we
ask that those parents declare their child(ren) as virtual students for at least the first semester.
■ Virtual students will be able to participate in extracurricular activities.
TEACHING & LEARNING
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TEACHING & LEARNING continued
• If a family event causes a need for a change from virtual to in-person, please contact your school’s principal for approval.
▶ Attendance for students will be recorded as follows• Present – In-person (attend in building)• Present – Virtual (complete and submit all work on the date that it is
assigned, or notify the teacher specific assignments that support is needed)• Absent – In-person (verified by parent calling the school)• Absent – Virtual (verified by parent calling the school and letting the school
know their child is unable to participate in virtual learning that day)
▶ Our regular policy for completing work during absences (in-person or virtual) is outlined in our student handbooks.
▶ We are launching Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) for all elementary staff and students, as well as training for selected secondary staff.
▶ Each school will develop a plan to identify and individually support all students who are struggling with school work, feelings of isolation, or social interactions.
▶ Plans and procedures will be developed in collaboration with staff and parents/guardians for medically fragile students.
▶ The use of personal protective equipment by staff members will be employed when necessary.
PROTECTING VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL & MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS
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MITIGATING CONTAGION: When someone becomes sick at school, or comes into close contact with an individual who is positive for COVID-19.
▶ Close contact: An individual is considered a close contact if any of the following is true: (From the Indiana Department of Health - Update 8/24/2020)
• Was within 6 feet of a positive person for more than 15 minutes total in a day.• Had physical contact with the person.• Had direct contact with the respiratory secretions of the person (i.e.
from coughing, sneezing, contact with dirty tissue, shared drinking glass, food, or other personal items).
• Lives with or stayed overnight for at least one night in a household with the person.
• These close contact criteria apply regardless of mask use, face shields, or physical barriers, such as plexiglass or plastic barriers. The only expectation is if a healthcare worker in a school setting is wearing the proper personal protective equipment. When an individual’s symptom, contact, or test status changes, the quarantine or isolation requirements should be reassessed.
▶ Students/staff will be excluded from school if they test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit one or more of the symptoms of COVID-19. See “Return to school/work” below,
▶ Those sharing a household with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 will be asked to stay home for 14 days even if they test negative for COVID-19.
▶ Day one of quarantine or isolation begins the day after exposure and/or symptoms.
▶ Students will be placed in isolation if they are at school and it is determined they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Students/staff will be required to wear personal protective equipment as directed by the school nurse/clinic assistant. Parents should develop plans to pick their child up from school as quickly as possible should the school send the student home early.
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MITIGATING CONTAGION continued
▶ Return to school/work (From the Indiana Department of Health - Update 8/24/2020)
Not tested for COVID-19
Tested and negative for COVID-19
Tested and positive for COVID-19
RETURN TO SCHOOL: INDIVIDUAL IS NOT A KNOWN CLOSE CONTACT TO A COVID-19 CASE
INDIVIDUAL SYMPTOMATIC NO SYMPTOMS
• The individual must remain home for at least 10 days since the first symptoms began AND be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND with improvement of symptoms.
• Siblings and household members should follow the close contact chart below for exclusion.
• If diagnosed with another condition that explains the symptoms, such as influenza or strep throat, no isolation or quarantine of close contacts is necessary.
• The individual must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, unless advised otherwise by a healthcare provider.
• If diagnosed with another condition, the individual must complete the exclusion period for the diagnosed disease.
• The individual must isolate at home for at least 10 days since the first symptoms began AND be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND with improvement in symptoms.
• Repeat testing is NOT recommended for making decisions about when people can return to work or school.
• Siblings, household members, and other close contacts should follow the close contact chart on the next page.
• May attend school
• May attend school
• Must isolate at home for 10 days after the day the sample was collected.
• Siblings, household members, and other close contacts should follow the close contact chart on the next page.
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MITIGATING CONTAGION continued
Not tested for COVID-19
Tested and negative for COVID-19
Tested and positive for COVID-19
RETURN TO SCHOOL: INDIVIDUAL IS A KNOWN CLOSE CONTACT TO A COVID-19 CASE
INDIVIDUAL SYMPTOMATIC NO SYMPTOMS
• The individual must quarantine for 14 days after the last contact with the COVID-19-positive person.
• If the exposure is to a household member and the case cannot properly isolate away from others at home, the last date of contact may be the last day of isolation for the case.
• The individual must also remain home for at least 10 days since the first symptoms began AND be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND with improvement of symptoms.
• The criteria in both of the above bullets must be met before returning to school.
• Siblings, household members, and other close contacts should also follow this chart to determine quarantine length.
• If an individual who is a close contact becomes symptomatic, refer to the symptomatic scenarios above. The individual must quarantine for 14 days after contact with the COVID-19-positive person, even if the student has an alternate diagnosis for symptoms. If the close contact tests positive, isolation starts on the day of symptom onset and isolation may end prior to the last day of quarantine or after the 14 days of quarantine.
• The individual must isolate at home for at least 10 days since the first symptoms began AND be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND with improvement in symptoms.
• Repeat testing is NOT recommended for making decisions about when people can return to work or school.
• Siblings, household members, and other close contacts should also follow this chart to determine quarantine length.
• Must quarantine for 14 days from the date of last exposure before returning to school or day care.
• If the exposure is to a household member and the case cannot properly isolate away from others at home, the last date of contact may be the last day of isolation for the case.
• Must quarantine for 14 days from the date of last exposure before returning to school or day care.
• If the exposure is to a household member and the case cannot properly isolate away from others at home, the last date of contact may be the last day of isolation for the case.
• Must isolate at home for 10 days after the day the sample was collected.
• Siblings, household members, and other close contacts should follow the close contact chart.
▶ Procedures will be developed for communicating to the impacted school staff and parents in the event of student/staff infection. This may involve a temporary closing of a classroom or the school.
▶ Custodial and transportation staff will deep clean/disinfect the building, buses, furnishings, and equipment prior to the return of any student/staff member.
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MITIGATING CONTAGION continued
GOING FORWARD
▶ In the event of a combined student/staff absentee rate of 20%, the school will move to 100% virtual for a short time. This includes students who are virtual students and report the inability to work from home due to illness.
▶ The Hancock County Health Department will be notified when students or staff are confirmed to be positive for COVID-19.
Details of our plans and procedures are fluid and likely to change as we receive more guidance.
We are also keenly aware of new developments happening
throughout our country, state, and central Indiana. And, while
we may see further developments in the coming days, rest
assured that we are taking everything into consideration
if/when we need to make further changes to our reentry plan.
As always, we continue to seek guidance from Hancock
County Health Department who receives direction from the
state health department and the CDC.
MVCSC students and staff have been by and large following
our new health and safety protocols since we started virtual
and in-person school on August 17, and we couldn’t be more
proud of their efforts. The health and safety of our students
and staff drives the decisions of our school corporation and
remains our highest priority.
14317.485.3100
www.mvcsc.k12.in.us
1806 W. State Rd 234, Fortville, IN 46040Facebook.com/MtVernonSchoolDistrict | Twitter.com/MVCSC_District
