BOAZ CITY SCHOOLS GUIDE TO REOPENING MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT Boaz City Schools is scheduled to begin our upcoming school year on August 20, 2020. We are committed to providing a safe and clean environment while continuing to deliver high quality instruction. Although we know this school year will bring with it many challenges, we will face those together as a strong school community. We are currently working in conjunction with public health officials, ALSDE leadership, and community leaders to prepare for what is to come. Please know that this plan is not all inclusive and is subject to change based on any relevant information that may arise. Boaz City Schools thanks you for your continued support during this unprecedented time. We look forward to a safe and productive year! Go Pirates! G. Todd Haynie, PhD PLAN HIGHLIGHTS • School start date • Traditional Learning or Virtual Learning options for Parents/Guardians • Traditional School Day • Transportation Guidelines • School officials in partnership with the Alabama Department of Public Health will monitor health conditions and determine if one or all of our campuses transition to a blended learning model if necessary • All communications related to BCSS will be communications to parents/guardians through the following methods. PARENT COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING COVID-19 • BCSS Website: www.boazk12.org • Email • Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram • Voice messaging system • Traditional media outlets TRADITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE INSTRUCTION START DATE • All new and returning students in grades K-12 will register onsite or online per their individual school. School registration dates will be posted on the schools’ individual websites. • In-District registration forms can be accessed at www.boazk12.org • Students will return to school on August 20th. • Parents may not enter the building. However, parents are encouraged to bring students to school and not ride the bus, if possible. Additional information regarding individual school returns will be available on school websites. VIRTUAL SCHOOL OPTION AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION • In response to COVID-19, Boaz City Schools will be implementing a virtual school option for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. Virtual learning has been an option for Boaz High School students for several years. However, this year we will be extending access to grades K-12. HOW WILL THE VIRTUAL SCHOOL WORK? • The BCSS Virtual School will work much like our traditional school with the exception that students will work from home. Classes will start in August and follow our traditional school calendar. BCSS Teachers will be working daily with students through assignments that provide a mixture of both interactive and independent assignments. The curricula utilized will be SchoolsPLP and ACCESS provided by the ALSDE which focus on Alabama Standards. • Unlike the last nine weeks of the past school year, when students’ grades couldn’t drop during virtual learning, the regular grading system will be utilized, regardless of where the student is taking the class. Virtual learning will include rigorous instruction, high expectations of student performance, and meeting all grade-level standards. HOW WILL THE VIRTUAL SCHOOL WORK? • Students participating will be counted in attendance as they participate daily and turn in assignments. Reliable internet service will be required to participate. Students who select the virtual option will be required to stay with this option for at least nine weeks. • After the first grading period, students will have the option to transfer from full-time virtual learning to the school/traditional classroom setting. • Students will use district-approved learning management platforms such as Google Classroom or Schoology. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS • Extracurricular Activities – Students must meet the same extracurricular activity eligibility requirements as students enrolled in the traditional day program, including, but not limited to, any applicable Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) requirements. • All elective courses may not be offered to full-time virtual program students. • Students can be required to be on campus for certain events such as class meetings, state testing, or other activities designated by the school principal. HOW TO SIGN UP? Parents who have declared each student’s preference for virtual instruction, or those who are interested in doing so may visit our website at www.boazk12.org to complete the Virtual School Full-Time Registration form for 2020-2021. EXPECTATIONS FOR BCSS C AMPUSES • Social distancing guidelines of six feet will be implemented at all facilities as feasible. • Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be issued to all employees and will be required to wear on school campus at all times when six feet distance cannot be maintained. • All students will be asked to wear face mask/covering when six feet social distancing cannot be maintained on the school campus and any time they ride a school bus. • Employees are required to self-check for illness and are required to stay home if they are sick. • Parents of students should check child’s temperature and check for illness each day prior to school. Students should not report to school sick. Exclusion from School • Students and employees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 without other obvious explanations are prohibited from coming to school, and if they do come to school, they will be sent home immediately. Persons will not be allowed to return to the school campus until they have completely recovered according to Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines. • All Staff and Parents should be familiar with the symptoms of COVID-19 based on CDC Guidance: BC SS PERSONS WI TH C OVI D -19 • A fever or chills • Cough • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Fatigue • Muscle or body aches • Headache • New loss of taste or smell • Sore throat • Congestion or runny nose • Nausea or vomiting • Diarrhea Asymptomatic return to School per CDC Guidance: • If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since the test. • Staff and students who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should also stay at home and monitor their health. DEALING WITH ILLNESS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY • Any person exhibiting signs of illness will be sent to the nurse immediately for evaluation. • A separate room/area will be set up for any person who is exhibiting signs of COVID-19 to be cared for. The area will be disinfected frequently. Students/staff will be walked out of the building from the room/area to persons driving them home. • We strongly encourage parents and staff to take the temperatures of their children or their own temperature before entering the building. Contact Tracing Protocol: C ONTAC T TRAC I NG GU I DA NC E FOR BC SS FROM THE A L A BA MA STATE D EPA RTMENT OF ED U C ATI ON • As Dr. Harris has mentioned, contact tracing is an ADPH function. The ADPH strongly recommends that schools not attempt to do contract tracing but leave that to trained experts. • ADPH will notify people whom they deem in need to be self-quarantined. During the previous months, ADPH asked districts to report positive cases to the ALSDE via State School Nurse Jennifer Ventress. That reporting is no longer part of the ADPH protocol. SIBLINGS OR OTHER STUDENTS IN THE HOUSEHOLD WITH COVID-19 AND WHEN TO SELF QUARANTINE Siblings or Other Students in the Household with COVID-19 • If a student is excluded from school due to COVID-19 symptoms or has had a positive COVID-19 test, his or her siblings or other students living in the same household will be questioned and if they exhibit symptoms, they will also be excluded from school. If they do not exhibit symptoms, they may still be excluded from school and asked to self-quarantine. Self-Quarantine • If a student or employee has recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosed with COVID-19 or has recently traveled from somewhere considered to be a “hot spot” by the CDC, the LEA may exclude the student or employee from the school building and recommend that they self-quarantine for 14 calendar days. BCSS FACILITY CLEANING PROCEDURES • As soon as BCSS becomes aware of a student or employee that may have COVID-19 or that has been excluded from school or recommended to selfquarantine, the custodial staff will be informed so that all desks, lockers, and workspaces of the person are thoroughly disinfected. • If the school is not open when notification occurs, the custodial staff will wait 24 hours or as long as possible prior to disinfecting and instead will block off the area so that others do not have contact. However, if that is not possible or school is in session, the cleaning will occur immediately. PARENT REQUIREMENTS Home Screening • Home is the first point of the Screening continuum. • Parents should check child's temperature every morning. Students with temperature of 100.4 or higher should stay at home and consider COVID testing if there is no other explanation. • Monitor for the following COVID symptoms every morning and keep student home if present: cough, congestion, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms. • Teach and reinforce proper handwashing; coughing into elbow/tissue; not sharing personal items/supplies; self-reporting any symptoms to teacher/nurse. • Recommendations regarding face mask/coverings differ based on the level of community spread. BCSS FACE COVERING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS • Due to the current ADPH Threat Level all BCSS students and staff will be asked to wear a face covering when they cannot maintain a social distance of six feet. • Also, students riding a bus will be asked to wear a face mask/covering at all times during the route. • School administration should be made aware of any students and staff who have documented medical issues that make wearing a face covering inadvisable by their physician. BCSS ADDITIONAL HYGIENE, CLEANING, AND DISINFECTING MEASURES FOR THE BUILDING • All persons are encouraged to wash hands frequently. • Place hand sanitizer hygiene stations at the entrances of the building. All persons entering the building should sanitize their hands. • Encourage students and employees to sanitize their backpacks and personal items at the beginning and end of the day and separate personal items into cubbies or baskets that are not shared with other students. Do not allow students to share lockers. Locker use should be minimized. • Require all persons to wash hands after blowing noses, coughing or sneezing, or when in contact with bodily fluids. • Discourage shaking hands, hugging, or giving high -fives, etc., • Disinfect door handles, light switches, stair railings, and other frequently touched surfaces every hour. • Disinfect bathrooms and other common areas frequently with posted schedules where workers sign off the time when the work has been completed. • Make sure that disinfectant and related supplies are available to all employees close to their workstations. • Ensure that there are adequate sinks, soap and paper products for all classes, or other sanitizing stations. • Effective hand sanitizer is made available to all persons working or learning in the building. Parents should notify the school if their child is allergic to any form or common ingredients of hand sanitizer. • Remove items from the classroom or hallways that are frequently touched but are not easily cleaned such as fabric. • Install physical barriers in reception areas and workspaces where the environment does not accommodate social distancing if feasible. Providing Guidance on COVID-19 • Post signs at all entrances informing all who enter that they must: 1. Not enter if they have a cough or fever BCSS SIGNAGE 2. Maintain a minimum of six-foot distance from one another 3. Not shake hands or engage in any unnecessary physical contact. • Post signs in bathrooms with directions on how to effectively wash hands. • Materials provided to employees and students should include information on how to recognize the signs of infection and directives not to come to school if sick. AREAS OF SPECIAL CONSIDERATION WATER FOUNTAINS • Water fountains will be replaced with water fill stations. RESTROOM USE • Students will be asked to use the restroom closest to their classroom. • Grades 6-12 restrooms will not be allowed to be utilized during class changes. Individual classes will be given time frames for usage and will allow students in need to use the restroom during that time. LOCKERS • Academic lockers will not be issued this year. Classroom Organization and Setup • Rearrange desks, chairs, music stands, and art tables to increase space in between students (Goal: 6 feet). • Face desks, chairs, and art tables in the same direction. • Require students to remain seated in the classroom as much as possible and assign seats. BC SS C L A SSROOM REORGA NI ZATI ON • Minimize class sizes when possible. • Revise activities that combine classes or grade levels to work together. • Revise or minimize students traveling to different buildings to receive services. Teachers/staff will travel to classrooms and escort students to other areas of building for services and students will maintain social distance in small group activities. • Implement a homeroom stay where the teachers rotate, as opposed to the students if possible, in lower grades. • Only allow supervisors and staff who are required for instruction to be in the classrooms. • Prohibit students from sharing items like pencils and pens. • Ensure adequate art supplies or educational tools to minimize sharing. When sharing is necessary, minimize the numbers of students having contact and teach disinfecting techniques. COMMON AREAS • Assign students to use different entrances upon arrival when possible. • Student breaks will be in classrooms. • Large group assemblies are suspended- virtual methods will be used when whole student body needs to be informed of information. • Stagger drop-off and pick-up processes if possible. • Stagger times that classes are released. • Require students to stay in an assigned section of the school yard or playground as opposed to mingling with other classes. • Make hallways or entrances one-way when feasible. • Rearrange furniture to avoid clustering in common areas such as library. • In locations where students line up, tape marks are put on the floor to indicate the appropriate social distancing. Formative and State Required Assessments • All students will participate in all formative and state assessments. ASSESSMENTS • This includes both traditional inperson and virtual students. • Virtual students will be required to come on campus for state assessments. • Grades K-3 will participate this fall in literacy assessments per state law. C AFETERIA/ CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM • Encourage grab and go meals • Eat meals in classrooms/ Delivery boxes will be purchased for CNP • Social distancing and limited capacity in lunchroom • Eat meals in alternate areas such as outside as weather permits • Students who bring their lunch from home will need to pack items that do not require heating. • Snacks and food items are limited to your child. No items may be brought from home for a class or group of students. Guidance for Physical Education Classes GU I DA NC E FOR PE A ND L OC KER ROOM • Reorganize to allow for smaller classes and social distancing(Goal: 6 feet) if possible • Alternate schedule minimize numbers of students in gymnasium, require social distancing (Goal: 6 feet). • Teachers use controlled entrance and exits -meet students at classroom utilizing outside entry door as much as possible to pick up and take to gym, fields, multipurpose rooms, etc. • Schedule outdoor activities as much as possible with weather conditions being considered. • Use separate partitions in open spaces; utilize markings on gymnasium floor/wall/field (student section/workstations). • Manage social distancing when moving students to gymnasium/field. • Disinfect equipment between classes. • Students disinfect hands in and out of PE class (hand sanitizing stations). • Games and sport activities that require close guarding and potential contact with another player should not be included. Provide lessons that include no contact activities and no or limited equipment (e.g. shadow tag, jumping rope, running, etc.). Workstation equipment set-up should consider strategies for social distancing throughout activity. Locker Room • Locker rooms would not be open to students until social distancing requirements are eased. • Students should not be required to dress out. Students should wear clothing that is appropriate for weather conditions, allows for full movement and safe for participation when scheduled for PE. GUIDANCE FOR MUSIC/B AND CLASSES Guidance for Music/Band Classes • Follow social distancing (Goal: 6 feet) guidelines as much as possible. • Alternate schedule - minimize numbers of students in the classrooms, require social distancing (Goal: 6 feet). • Utilize other available classrooms for sectionals or group rehearsals where social distancing is achievable. • Limited and monitored restroom usage. • Teachers use controlled entrances and exits so students are not entering and exiting through the same door if possible. • Use separate partitions in the open spaces (large classrooms); utilize markings on classroom floor/wall/practice field (marching band) - (student section/workstations). • Manage social distancing when moving students to/from multiple rehearsal spaces. • Students should be provided their own equipment for class/prohibit equipment sharing. • Disinfect equipment between classes. • Students disinfect hands in and out of the music classrooms (hand-sanitizing stations). • Avoid touching, choreography, singing/playing in circles. • Blended Learning/Flipped classroom for concepts and skills relating to each standard. (utilizing technology platforms). • Teachers have access to technology to broadcast instruction due to increased social distancing (ex. microphone). • Conductors face chorus from 10 to 20 ft. away from the first row of singers. Possibly wear a face shield if possible. • Activities that require close contact or potential contact with another person should not be included. Provide lessons that include no contact activities and no or limited equipment (e.g. solo, small ensemble, sectional rehearsals, etc.). Equipment and practice rooms should consider strategies for social distancing throughout the activity. • All efforts should be made at every level to assist students in creating personal activities and rehearsal plans that include logging and reporting of learning processes, achievement of standards and all available assessment benchmarks. Visitors to School Campus • During the pandemic visitors will be limited in their access to the building. VISITORS/ CHECK-IN AND OUT/ ABSENCES • Parents/Guardians will remain outside for check-ins. Parents should not leave the premises until the student has entered the building. If you must accompany your child in the building, then only one parent may enter the building and must go directly to the office. • Only one parent is allowed in the building to check their child out and they must go directly to the office. Excuses for Absences • Parents are encouraged to upload documentation for excused absences and email to appropriate staff at each school • Hand delivered excuses will be given to classroom teacher BCSS CODE OF CONDUCT • The BCSS Code of Conduct is in effect. • Physical altercations are not an allowable behavior. Given the current situation, such behavior poses an even greater danger to others’ health and the discipline thereof will be reflected of the severity. TRANSPORTATION • All students and staff who ride a bus will be required to wear a face mask covering for the entire route due to the inability to social distance. All drivers will wear a face mask and nurse/aides will wear a face shield. • All parents, who can, are encouraged to transport their students to and from school and activities. Preparation and Cleaning: • BCSS will inspect all buses and transport vehicles for cleanliness and safety daily. • Buses will be disinfected more frequently and thoroughly than previous years. Products used will be based on CDC, local health department, and/or risk management professionals. Buses will be sanitized each morning and afternoon. • Assign students to a single bus. When necessary, exchange drivers as opposed to loading students onto a different vehicle. • Assign students to seats; seat students with members of same household • Follow social distance in bus loading and unloading • Limit students to one route and prohibit practices such as being picked up and dropped off in different locations, using different routes. BCSS TRANSPORTATION MODIFIC ATION CONSIDERATIONS • Consider restricting routes between areas experiencing different levels of disease transmission. • Stagger drop-off and pick-up processes and locations. • Encourage parent/guardian to monitor social distance at bus stops. • Masks or cloth face covers will be worn by students and staff. • Prohibit eating or drinking (unless medically required) or chewing gum on the bus. • Hand sanitizer stations will be installed inside buses or provide drivers and passengers with access to alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol on the bus. Students will sanitize hands when they enter the bus. OPEN HOUSE All Open House activities will be conducted virtually this year. Schools will contact you regarding information and times for accessing Open House. Additional Information such as obtaining student schedules, homeroom assignments, etc., will be posted on individual school websites. FUTURE INFORMATION This document is considered a working document and may be updated based on additional information regarding COVID-19 when it is released. This document was developed around current policies, practices, and strategies that the BCSS district and schools must implement in order to ensure the healthiest and safest environment while mitigating risks throughout the 2020-2021 school year.