Argyle Central School   COVID-19 Reopening Plan Introduction On Monday, July 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that school districts in New York can follow plans to reopen for in-person schooling in September if COVID-19 infection rates stay at 5% or lower in a given region. Determinations will be made by region about opening and closing schools as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. If a region is in Phase 4 and has a daily infection rate of 5% or lower over a 14-day average, schools in that region could hold in-person instruction. If daily infection rates exceed 9% over a seven-day average, however, schools in that region would not reopen. Similarly, should a region see such an average after reopening, schools in that region would also be directed to close. While districts have been instructed to prioritize efforts to return all students to in-person instruction, the district is also planning for remote/distance learning as well as a hybrid model that combines in-person instruction and remote learning. Parents will always have the choice to remain in the remote learning model. The plan outlined here is for the reopening of schools in the Argyle Central School District for the 2020-21 school year, following the building closure related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan includes procedures that will be followed in the following schools: ● Argyle Elementary School ● Argyle Jr/Sr High School Our reopening plan incorporates recommendations and guidance from the​ ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)​, the​ ​New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)​ and the New York State Education Department (NYSED). It is possible that the District may need to alternate between in-person and remote learning throughout the year due to recommendations and guidance from our partnering agencies, and stay-at-home orders from the Governor. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 1 The safety and health of our students, our faculty, and our staff is paramount and has been at the forefront of our planning. Argyle CSD’s reopening document and related planning is designed to safely bring the most students back to face-to-face education as possible while also providing additional opportunities and improving upon the distance learning systems that we adopted this past spring. To allow our school district to safely reopen, there are a number of features, contingencies, and safety protocols that we must plan for and are outlined within this reopening plan. The district recognizes that the situation around COVID-19 is ever-evolving, and as a result, our plan will be forced to evolve with it. We, as a school district, cannot anticipate the way that the disease will develop, nor can we fully anticipate the way that it will affect our region, but through careful planning, hard work, and resilience, we have created a plan that allows our schools to have the flexibility to address these concerns. This plan has been developed through the input of a vast number of stakeholders, including building and district administrators, board of education, teachers, nurse, school physician, buildings and grounds staff, technology coordinator, transportation and cafeteria staff, students, parents, our local department of health​. ​In addition, the district utilized the following surveys to gather further information pertaining to reopening: ● ACS Parent/Guardian - Return To School Survey https://forms.gle/qrtze3V9dDoU1mpH6 ● ACS Student Transportation Survey https://forms.gle/x1mwYzDyyuVPVBhv5 ● ACS Remote Learning Preference https://forms.gle/3CshvzhmmGUDeTrM8 ● ACS Student Return to School Survey https://forms.gle/b8EbjzACHUdjLaBa7 The district will also conduct additional surveys to update our current information (gathered in Spring 2020) re: access to high-speed broadband internet services in the case that remote instruction is required (note: all ACS students Grades prek-12 are provided with a distinct-owned and district-supported chromebook and/or Ipad). The district recognizes and appreciates the time, efforts, and dedication of all involved in our reopening planning. The collective efforts of the Argyle school community have been inspiring and have provided the framework for our return to school this fall. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 2 Guiding Safety and Health Principles Any and all discussions about how to safely and effectively reopen our schools requires us to understand the ​how​ of safely reopening. For us to safely reopen, there are four major areas that need to be considered – face coverings, social distancing, hygiene, and screening – all of which will be covered throughout the course of this planning document. As a baseline, we as a school district are required to maintain six feet of distancing in most scenarios; wear appropriate face coverings and PPE while in transit and when we cannot appropriately socially distance; we must maintain proper hand hygiene; and adhere to the CDC’s and Department of Health’s guidance as they relate to the cleaning and disinfection of our classrooms. We will perform screening of all staff, students, and faculty members as they enter, or prior to their entry into the building. In order for us to safely reopen, we need to be able to achieve and maintain these requirements, and throughout the course of this document we will explain and explore the process through which we will accomplish these requirements. The school district has designated ​ ​Michael Healey, Superintendent, as their COVID-19 Safety Coordinator. This individual shall be responsible for the continuous compliance with all aspects of the school’s reopening plan, as well as any phased-in reopening activities necessary to allow for operational issues to be resolved before activities return to normal or “new normal” levels. The school district has designated Lori Keith, School Nurse,​ ​as the primary point of contact upon the identification of a positive COVID-19 case and to be responsible for subsequent communications. This person shall be responsible for answering questions from students, faculty, staff, and parents or legal guardians regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency and the plans being implemented in the school. In addition: ● Daily health screenings will take place for all staff and students ● Parents/Guardians will be asked to take their child’s temperature every day before coming to school and complete an affirmation of a temperature of 100.0 degrees or less as part of the health screening; the District will also conduct temperature checks and periodic health screening of students daily, ensuring all students are assessed daily. Staff will also be required to complete the temperature affirmation and complete daily health screening process as well. ● Students or staff who have a fever must stay home or will be sent home. ● Contact tracing will take place in coordination with the NYS and Washington County Departments of Health. ● Staff will have daily cleaning, and disinfection protocols will be in place for all commonly touched surfaces.Shared school supplies will be minimized as much as possible. Materials that must be shared will be sanitized prior and allowed to sit unused for three days, as per CDC guidance. ● School visitors will be health screened and restricted to the greatest extent practical. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 3 ● Students and staff will be trained on proper hygiene practices. ● Age-appropriate signage will be prominently placed in school buildings to facilitate one-way traffic flow in halls, social distancing, and hand washing reminders. Educational Philosophy During the course of our discussions with stakeholder groups, a number of different educational models were explored and the feasibility of each model was considered based on the resources available to us, our regional health metrics, and the guidance that we received from the New York State Department of Health and New York State Education Department. As a result of these different factors, Argyle CSD will be focusing on a full return to in-person instruction​ ​that will provide daily face-to-face education for ​all students k-12​ and a remote/distance education model for students who are ill, quarantined, or being kept home by parents. Based on the social distancing requirements put forth by New York State, our school district is capable of having a maximum capacity of 600​ ​which directly affects the amount of students that we can provide face-to-face learning to in a classroom or educational setting at any given time. In order to promote safety, our planning will also cohort students together to the extent that is practicable in order to limit the potential spread of the disease should anyone become infected. Given the highly contagious and opportunistic nature of COVID-19, our school district will provide accommodations to individuals who are at a high risk or who live with a person who is at a high risk of complications as a result of COVID-19. Each case will be approached uniquely depending on the individual situation, but potential solutions for these vulnerable populations includes remote learning or telework, modified educational and work settings, or by providing additional PPE to individuals with underlying health conditions. In addition to this, we understand that certain student and staff populations may require modifications to social distancing or PPE based on hearing loss or impairment; receipt of language services, or because they are younger students in an early education program. In these scenarios, we may utilize specialized clear face coverings or allowable face shields, increased distancing when possible, and when possible and available, explore other devices and/or equipment that may provide assistance and ensure that any modifications would minimize COVID-19 exposure risk for students, faulty, and staff to the greatest extent possible. The school district has given special consideration to the way that we will perform safety and emergency drills throughout the course of the school year while we are required to socially distance. We will still complete our eight evacuation drills and four lockdown drills, but the way that we conduct our drills shall be modified for the upcoming school year. Due to the potential hybrid nature of our school schedule and the potential of some students joining instruction remotely, we will need to ensure all of our students receive instruction in emergency procedures and participate in drills. In order to ensure the safety of our evacuation drills, we may conduct our drills on a “staggered” schedule by having classrooms evacuate separately rather than all at once to ensure appropriate distancing. To ensure the safety of our lockdown drills we may ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 4 conduct them in several different ways to enforce social distancing – whether this be through the use of a “staggered” schedule with smaller numbers of students which allows us to maintain social distancing or by conducting a lockdown drill through verbal and visual instruction and providing students an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers about lockdowns. Safety and Health Procedures Face Coverings Prior to entering the school district, a school facility, or school grounds, all staff, faculty, students, and visitors must agree to wear a face covering in all required areas. The school district will remind staff, faculty, students, and visitors of this process through training, signage, verbal communication, and other means throughout the school year. During the school day, individuals will be required to wear a face covering while on the school bus, when they are entering or exiting the school building, while they are moving through the hallways or their classroom, at any time that they cannot maintain adequate and appropriate social distancing, and any other time as directed by administration. Individuals may not be required to wear a face covering while they are maintaining social distancing, including when they are seated in a classroom. The school district will train all students, faculty, and staff on how to adequately put on, take off, clean, and discard PPE​. ​This training will include an explanation of what is considered appropriate PPE and will be supplemented by age-appropriate signage, continued education, and on-going verbal instruction. For the health and safety of all members of the Argyle school community, face coverings will be strictly enforced where required by New York State Department of Health and NYSED and when social distancing cannot be accomplished. While the school district will encourage all staff, students, and faculty to provide their own face coverings, the school district will continue to maintain an adequate stock of disposable PPE for their emergency use or by request. In order to ensure that stock is maintained, (Lori Keith, School Nurse will be responsible for performing periodic checks of supplies and working to order more as need dictates. The school district has worked throughout the spring and summer to supplement the stock of PPE for the upcoming school year and will continue to do so throughout the school year. The school district will also maintain a supply of disposable face coverings on each of the school buses for students who have forgotten, broken, or soiled their face coverings. The school district will also encourage​ ​students, staff, and faculty to keep a replacement mask(s) at the school district in case their initial mask fails or becomes soiled throughout the school day. Social Distancing For our school district to maintain safe operations, we must attempt to maintain social distancing to protect against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus while on school grounds and in school facilities. To facilitate this, our school district has redesigned our classroom spaces, common areas, and other rooms throughout the buildings for appropriate social distancing. Specifically, appropriate social distancing means six feet of space in all directions between individuals or the ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 5 use of suitable physical barriers between individuals that do not adversely affect air flow, heating, cooling, ventilation, or otherwise present a health or safety risk. The only time where social distancing requirements may be relaxed in the school district is when the safety of an activity​ ​or the core activity requires a shorter distance or individuals are of the same household. To promote this type of behavior, the school district has instituted measures such as: ● ● ● ● Placing six-foot distance markers around the school district Changing traffic flow patterns to reduce bi-directional foot traffic Establishing 6’ spacing between each desk Staggering the school schedule to reduce the amount of students in the hallway at any given time ● designating certain stairwells as “up-only” or “down-only” to prevent close contact ● Eliminating the use of student lockers (Jr/Sr High) and any hallway cubbies (Elementary School) ● Locker rooms will be closed and unavailable to students Furthermore, the school district has evaluated smaller spaces in the school building, such as elevators, break rooms, and faculty offices, and will be limiting the use of these spaces. These identified spaces will require the use of face coverings and occupancy should not exceed 50% of the maximum, unless the space is designed for use by a single occupant.​ ​In addition to the above noted changes, our school district has evaluated the feasibility of modifying existing areas of mass assembly, such as auditoriums, gymnasiums, and cafeterias, to provide additional learning spaces for students that are more easily appropriately socially distanced. School Arrival and Departure Parent Drop Off/Pick Up Parent drop off for the Jr/Sr High School and the Elementary school will occur in designated areas that are separate from our bus drop off/pick up identified for . In order to enter the building, students will need to produce a completed Argyle Central School District temperature attestation form or have temperature checks performed by school personnel. School personnel in appropriate PPE will meet the students to gather the attestations and/or to perform a temperature check for those students who do not provide attestation or did not complete the task. Those students who do not pass the screening will be sent home with their parent/guardian. To maintain safety and appropriate social distancing, students being picked up by parents at the end of the school day will be released in small supervised groups and before or after students riding district transportation have boarded. Parents/Guardians will be required to stay in their vehicle at all times during arrival/dismissal. Bus Arrival/Dismissal Busses will pull into the Bus Circle and drop students off with dismissal occuring bus by bus. School personnel in appropriate PPE will meet the bus and confirm the temperature attestation or ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 6 perform the necessary temperature check for those students who do not provide attestation or did not complete the task prior to boarding the bus. Those students who do not pass the health screen will be escorted to a supervised isolation room until they are picked up by their parents or guardian. At the end of the school day, and to maintain appropriate social distancing and safety, students utilizing district transportation will be released from class, by bus for dismissal prior to students being released for parent/guardian pickup. Faculty and Staff Arrival All faculty and staff must complete health screening online or in writing in advance of their arrival to the school building. In the event of a failure to do so in advance, staff will need to be screened by school personnel before entering the building. All faculty and staff must enter through areas designated by the district. Screening To ensure that sick or ill students, staff, and faculty are not allowed on campus, the school district will be adopting a strict screening policy which includes temperature checks for students, faculty, and staff, daily screening questionnaires for faculty and staff, and periodic screening questionnaires for students. The school district will also require screenings for contractors, vendors, and visitors who will be entering the school building. The district will encourage all screenings to occur before individuals reach the school building or enter any school facility and the district will require that any screening of contractors, vendors, and visitors occuring at the school be completed as a condition of being granted entry into the building. Should an individual fail the screening or feel ill, then they should remain home or will be denied entry into the building. Furthermore, we ask that parents and guardians remain vigilant in observing their students for signs of illness and to keep them home when they are ill. If an individual wants to enter a school building or facility, but has not been screened prior to entry, they will be required to complete an in-person screening with authorized and trained school personnel who will be provided with all required PPE​ ​which, at a minimum includes an acceptable face covering and may include gloves, a gown, and/or a face shield to ensure their safety and well-being​. Our district’s screening process will meet all of the requirements as set forth by the state, where a temperature at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit or a failure of the screening will result in that individual not gaining entry into the school. If the individual who fails a screening is a staff member, faculty member, or outside visitor, then they will be instructed to leave the school facility and see their health care provider. If the individual who fails a screening is a student, then they shall be taken to that building’s isolation room to be assessed by the school nurse and await a parent, guardian, or emergency contact who can bring them to a health care provider for further evaluation. The isolation room shall require appropriate social distancing to be maintained, an increased cleaning and disinfection schedule from the school district’s buildings and grounds staff, and constant visual supervision. We will provide all required PPE to the individual(s) who will be supervising the isolation room to ensure their safety. When an ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 7 individual’s parent, guardian, or emergency contact arrives at the school district to pick up their student, we will once again remind them that their student is required to be seen by a health care provider in regards to the failed screening. The school district will also instruct staff and faculty members to observe for signs of illness in others and require that potentially symptomatic persons be checked by the school nurse. The school district has worked with and remains in communication with the Washington County Department of Health to determine the specific return requirements of individuals who fail a screening, test positive for COVID-19 through a diagnostic test, or have come in close contact with or have been exposed to somebody who tests positive for the COVID-19 virus. After a failed screening, the school district will require, at a minimum, documentation from a health care provider of a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result and symptom resolution. If, after a failed screening, that individual tests positive for COVID-19 from a diagnostic test, then the school district will work with Washington County Department of Health to determine their minimum standards for return to the school district. In addition, the school district shall work with the Washington County Department of Health to determine the process for the provision or referral of diagnostic testing for students, faculty, and staff, should that become necessary. The school district has also worked with the Washington County Department of Health to determine what metrics will serve as early warning signs that COVID-19 cases may be increasing beyond an acceptable level, both within our schools or within the larger local community. Local Health Departments anticipate using data from the regional "control rooms" for this purpose, as well as for regular communications with the district. Should a district experience any type of increase in absentee rates or in the amount of individuals who have tested positive, the school district's liaison should contact the County’s COVID-19 liaison to review that data. Should it be warranted, the County Health Department and the Superintendent of Schools will make a determination if the physical school building should be closed and for how long; should this occur, the district’s instructional plan will switch to 100% remote instruction for the duration of this/these closure(s). Should multiple cases be discovered in an area or school within the district, the district's COVID-19 liaison will contact the County liaison and should action be warranted, the County Health Department and the Superintendent of Schools will make a determination if a portion of the school, or a particular school shall be closed; should this occur, the district’s instructional plan for the student population directly affected will switch to remote instruction for the duration of this/these closure(s). The County Health Departments will monitor this information in the regional control room. Should the County Health Department determine that there is a shortage of hospital capacity due to COVID-19, the County Health Department may contact the Superintendent of schools to determine how many students and staff should be allowed on site and to determine if the school district’s reopening plan should be altered; should this occur, the district’s instructional plan ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 8 would switch to either a hybrid or remote instructional model for the duration of this/these closure(s). The school district has identified Lori Keith, School Nurse, as the individual who will serve as the central point of contact and who is responsible for receiving and attesting to having reviewed all screening activities on a daily basis. This individual shall also be identified as the contact for individuals to notify if they later experience COVID-19 related symptoms during the day or have COVID-19 exposure, as noted on their questionnaire. The District's COVID-19 liaison will notify the County Health Department’s COVID-19 liaison (or counties - should the individual live in a different county than the location of the school) should they become aware of a positive test for COVID-19 and/or any other disease reportable under public health law. Upon request, districts will be asked to provide information on the past locations of students and staff who are involved in the contract tracing program, including, but not limited to room locations, who was in the room and information on transportation. Districts will need to maintain adequate records to answer such inquiress. Should this information be needed, the County Liaison will contact the School District's Liaison to obtain the needed information in a timely manner. Mental Health, Behavioral and Emotional Support Returning to a different in-person learning environment may present challenges for everyone. The Argyle Central School District will make every effort to provide for and address the mental health, behavioral, and emotional needs of students, faculty, and staff when school reopens in the fall. Throughout the school year, we will continue to identify and support students and families who are having difficulty transitioning into the school setting or currently model of instruction by utilizing our counseling services consisting of school psychologists, social workers, guidance counselors, and appropriate outside agencies. Counselors and social workers will engage students in our district social-emotional learning curriculum by delivering specific instruction, problem-solving, and various coping strategies to handle a wide range of situations. Interventions are targeted through the Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) to promote the development and growth of social-emotional learning. The district will provide periodic training for faculty and staff on how to support students during and after the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. The district will continue to provide information on developing coping and resilience skills for students, families, faculty, and staff during training or through written and online materials. Members of our mental health building teams will support both in-person and remote learners by coaching teachers, directly delivering social-emotional learning curriculum, and individually supporting students as determined by building level team decision making. A focus will be placed on supporting a ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 9 positive climate and culture that acknowledges universal trauma care strategies for students. Best practice guidelines will be followed for students who may need more support. Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection Our school district has instituted, been trained on, and follows the CDC and NYSDOH guidelines on the hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection of school buildings and materials. We have developed extensive procedures and protocols for school-wide cleaning and the disinfection of classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, libraries, playgrounds, school buses, and all other school facilities based on the CDC guidance. We have also identified the areas of buildings that will require additional cleaning and disinfection, such as bathrooms and other high-contact areas.. Throughout the course of the year, our district will maintain cleaning and disinfection logs which identify the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection for those areas. We have also developed and maintained a list of commonly touched surfaces throughout the school district, with a cleaning and disinfection schedule assigned to individuals and positions for these surfaces. We will also be increasing ventilation with outdoor air to the greatest extent possible based on the outdoor air temperature and the capabilities of our HVAC system. Lastly, the school district shall continue to conduct or complete the process of performing its required Lead-in-Water testing as required by NYS DOH regulation 67-4. Our school district also understands that for us to maintain a safe and healthful school environment, we need to promote and encourage proper hand hygiene throughout the day. In order to achieve this goal, we will be installing hand hygiene stations throughout common areas of the building so that students may sanitize their hands while they are in transition and at times where they may not be able to clean their hands with soap and water throughout the school day. The district will also be training students, faculty, and staff on proper hand hygiene throughout the school year and provide continued education for individuals through proper signage at all levels of the school district. Throughout the course of the school day, we will also require students, staff, and faculty to wash or sanitize their hands before and after eating and upon arrival to a new classroom and at other regularly scheduled intervals. Transportation We recognize that transportation will present its own unique set of challenges for this upcoming school year and as a school district we are committing ourselves to providing a safe and healthful school environment at all phases and stages of the school day - including on school district transportation. In order for us to maintain this safety, face coverings will be required while students are entering the bus, exiting the bus, and are seated on the bus, unless a student is not physically able to wear a face covering. We will also maintain social distancing to the greatest extent possible while on the bus unless individuals are from the same household. If a student tries to enter the bus without a proper face covering they will not be denied service or entry – instead they shall be provided with a disposable face covering that is kept on the bus. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 10 Furthermore, transportation will not be denied to students with disabilities that would prevent them from wearing a mask nor will they be forced to do so during transportation. To the extent possible, the district will maintain social distance on our busses while transporting students to and from school. The district will assign one student or family unit (defined as students residing in the same household) to a bus seat. Students will be assigned to the window side of the seat and will be required to wear appropriate facial covering while entering the bus, exiting the bus, and are seated on the bus, unless a student is not physically able to wear a face covering. Students will enter the bus and load “back to front” and depart the bus “front to back” in order to further facilitate appropriate social distancing. The school district shall commit to ensuring that all buses that are used during the day are cleaned and disinfected at least daily and that all high-contact points shall be wiped down after each run. While we acknowledge that school buses cannot be equipped with hand sanitizer due to its combustible nature, and we will advise individuals to not bring personal hand sanitizer containers with them on the bus, we will ensure that hand sanitizing or hand washing stations are provided for all staff in transportation locations such as dispatch offices, employee lunch/breaks rooms, and bus garages. Furthermore, we will provide all required PPE for transportation department staff and require the use of a face covering. Should a driver, monitor, or attendant be required to have direct physical contact with a child, they will be required to wear gloves, which the school district shall provide to ensure their safety and healthfulness. These employees will also be required to complete the daily self-health screening prior to arriving at work to help ensure the safety and healthfulness of their fellow employees. If our school district is in remote session or otherwise, we will continue to maintain transportation services to nonpublic, parochial, private, charter schools, or students whose Individualized Education Program has placed them out of district to schools who are meeting and conducting in-person session education when/if the district is not. To assist with the district transportation limitations created by social distancing requirements, parents are encouraged to drive their children to and from school. Parents who commit to self-transport will be committing to do so for the 2020-21 school year, must notify the district in writing, and must acknowledge in writing that they are transporting their child(ren) to and from school for the entire 2020-21 school year. Extracurricular Activities ● All field trips will be postponed and virtual trips will be encouraged. ● Locker rooms will be closed to student access and use until conditions permit reopening. ● Extracurricular activities will be evaluated on a case by case basis. In circumstances where an activity can proceed effectively in a remote manner, it will be encouraged. In-person extracurricular activities will not be permitted to take place. ● The district will be closed after student dismissal to facilitate cleaning and disinfection. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 11 ● The bus garage and maintenance areas are closed to the public. To the greatest extent possible, outside visitors, presenters and parental access to the school facility will be limited. When allowed or required, all health and safety requirements will need to be met. We will encourage virtual meetings and presentations as much as is practical. ● Due to the availability of cleaners, all school athletic facilities and playgrounds will remain closed to the public during the school day. Should it be allowed by NYS, district tennis courts may be made available for community use after school hours and on weekends. ● The school buildings and grounds will not be open to the public or available for use by the public under the current plan. Food Service Regardless of the educational model chosen by our school district and the dynamic nature with which that can change, our school district shall continue to provide school breakfast and lunch to all students who were previously receiving school meals – both on-site and remotely. While on-site, the district will maintain social distancing during the course of our meals and provide food service in the classroom, in the cafeteria, multipurpose room, and gymnasiums. Sharing food or beverages will be strongly discouraged, and “class parties” where food is brought into the school to share, will be prohibited until further notice. Students that are in a remote setting, will be provided meals if requested. Meals will be able to be picked up at a predetermined time and location. All students will be required to wash or sanitize their hands prior to entering the designated food service area and again after eating and prior to entering their classroom. The cleaning staff will disinfect the cafeteria or designated area after each lunch period. The District plans on providing meals in the cafeteria. Should meals be served in areas other than the cafeteria the district will provide accommodations for food allergies, including, but not limited to allergy free rooms and preparing and serving foods that do not prevent allergy risks to students with allergies. Communication Our school district affirms and attests that we have reviewed and understand all state-issued industry guidelines and will submit our plans for reopening to them. In addition to this, we will post copies of our finished reopening plan on the school website and in conspicuous areas across school buildings and facilities. Printed copies of the plan will be available in all school offices as well as the transportation and facilities offices. Throughout the course of this process, the district will also develop communication plans to ensure that members of the school community are kept up-to-date with all developments and changes to our plan. This process will be managed through verbal instruction, posted signage that is consistent with DOH COVID-19 signage, the ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 12 maintenance of a COVID-19 page on our school website, automated schoolmessenger calls, video conferences, social media, and traditional print media. We will also develop communications for students and families about how to prepare for the upcoming school year, including specific information on the social distancing requirements, how to properly wear a face covering, and proper hand and respiratory hygiene. Throughout the course of the school year, we will continue to train students, faculty, and staff on how to follow any new COVID-19 protocols safely and correctly, including hand hygiene, proper face covering wearing, social distancing, and respiratory hygiene. Education Grading and Attendance ● Grading protocols will be reviewed and will be shared with all stakeholders at the start of the school year. ● The District will issue report cards based on the scheduled cycle as per the district calendar. ● Grading will be consistent and follow our traditional format for both in-person or virtual instruction. Numerical grades will be used at the secondary level. ● Perfect attendance awards or other attendance-based recognitions will not be offered this year. ● The district will follow the Board of Education Attendance Policy. Student attendance will be taken and recorded for all students in both the remote and in-person sessions. Connectivity The district has provided each student and teacher in the district with a district-owned Chromebooks and/or IPad. In addition, the district surveyed all faculty and each family with children in the district to gauge the level of connectivity in the district. If a faculty member does not have access to high-speed internet at home, and should faculty and staff be unable to report to the school to provide remote instruction to students (in the case the district is forced to transition to remote learning), the district will work with the individual faculty member to provide access to high-speed internet. The District will survey students a second time to better identify those students who do not have access to high-speed internet service. To accommodate those families with limited or no connectivity, the district will: ● Ensure these students are prioritized for in-person learning (should we transition to a hybrid model of instruction) ● Continue to open our WiFi access in our school parking lots for student access. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 13 ● Work with businesses in the school district to provide internet coverage in parking lots during non-instructional hours. ● Provide instruction and user information on the use of chromebooks for parents and guardians Learning Plans K through Grade 12 will attend for daily, onsite, in-person instruction with the following accommodations/modifications: ● Due to social distancing requirements, class size will be reduced to allow for 6’ between desks. Students will be assigned to classrooms and specific overflow areas that are properly supervised. To the extent possible, students in K-8 will be assigned to cohort groups with instructors who will come to the students to provide content; the same model will be utilized for grades 9-12. ● The traditional instructional program will be modified with students learning directly from certified classroom teachers and at other times being instructed by certified classroom teachers while being supervised by school personnel during times of independent or remote/livestream instruction from within the school building. ● Google classroom or Google meet sessions will be available for students unable to attend in-person instruction, students will be required to login and follow the in-person schedule provided by the school. ● Students will have meals in the cafeteria or delivered to the designated eating location. ● Breaks will be provided to go outside for fresh air and exercise as needed. Students will remain with their class group during these breaks. ● A modified schedule is currently under consideration to account for increased time required for arrival/dismissal, health screenings, disinfecting and hand hygiene as well as to allow for increased traffic at schools due to increased number of parents transporting students to and from school. Hybrid Plan Should the district determine that full K-12 instruction is not able to occur, the district will shift to a hybrid model of remote instruction for grades 9-12. Should this occur, students in grades 9-12 will follow a modified hybrid schedule and will attend school on an A/B day rotation with one day a week potentially being dedicated to full remote instruction at grades 9-12. In-person instruction for K-8 will follow the same plan as outlined above for in-person instruction. Students in grades 9-12, during a hybrid model of instruction, will attend on a rotating basis; scheduling modifications will be made that allows for students with disabilities, ELL students, students without access to internet, and others as determined by district ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 14 administration to attend in-person everyday while other students in grades 9-12 rotate instruction between in-person and remote instruction. Students attending in-person instruction will have the following accommodations/modifications: ● Due to social distancing requirements, class size will be reduced to allow for 6’ between desks. Students will be assigned to classrooms and specific overflow areas that are properly supervised. To the extent possible, students in K-8 will be assigned to cohort groups with instructors who will come to the students to provide content; the same model will be utilized for grades 9-12. ● The traditional instructional program will be modified with students learning directly from certified classroom teachers and at other times being instructed by certified classroom teachers while being supervised by school personnel during times of independent or remote/livestream instruction from within the school building. ● Google classroom or Google meet sessions will be available for students unable to attend in-person instruction, students will be required to login and follow the in-person schedule provided by the school. ● Students will have meals in the cafeteria or delivered to the designated eating location. ● Breaks will be provided to go outside for fresh air and exercise as needed. Students will remain with their class group during these breaks. ● A modified schedule is currently under consideration to account for increased time required for arrival/dismissal, health screenings, disinfecting and hand hygiene as well as to allow for increased traffic at schools due to increased number of parents transporting students to and from school. Full Virtual/Remote Model In the event that the district is required to close the physical building, the school will immediately switch to a remote or virtual instructional model. While the district’s remote instruction continuity of learning plan is subject to change, the district plans to adhere to the following principles: ● Primary instruction will be provided through the Google platform, including Google Classroom and Google meets; packet-based learning will be minimized and only used when a student has no access to high-speed internet and as a last option. ● Students in K-6 will follow a modified schedule provided by the building principal while on remote instruction. ● Students in Grades 7-12 will follow a modified block schedule provided by the building principal while on remote instruction. Students will be required to participate in classroom work remotely and/or complete assignments. Student expectations on virtual days will be determined by the teacher and based on what will work best for the specific ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 15 ● ● ● ● class and what is being learned. As an example, students in an English class may be assigned independent reading or writing, while students in a Math class may watch the day’s lesson live and from home. Teachers will broadcast primary instruction to students using Google Classroom and/or Google Meets with other supporting district approved on-line programming being used as supplementing instructional supports. Time spent on instruction will vary by grade level; however, students will engage with learning daily (M-F). Students will be required to log on during scheduled times. All Teachers will provide remote instruction from the school (until they are no longer permitted to do so by the district, DOH, or NYS) or from home (should they be required to work from home). Period by period student and staff attendance will be recorded for attendance purposes. New York State Standards The New York State Education Department is responsible for setting student learning standards for what all students should know and be able to do as a result of skilled instruction. Our district intends to provide curricula that are based on these established standards in all areas. Argyle CSD’s initial plans call for the delivery of such a curriculum to be in-person for all students with contingency plans accounting for the potential need for hybrid with some delivery of instruction to be in person, some to be live remote, and some to be accessed online by families supporting learners at home and plans for the possibility of remote instruction for all students. Academic Progress and Communication The Argyle Central School District is committed to ensuring that the parent-to-school and school-to-parent lines of communication are active and that our parents are engaged stakeholders in their child’s education. This communication is completed through a variety of methods which may include options such as telephone calls, the use of electronic apps (​i.e. class dojo)​ , parent-teacher conferences, emails, and newsletters. Additionally, parents can sign up to access the Eschool parent portal through our student management system which will allow them to monitor student grades in all courses. Parents can also opt to be added to Google Classrooms for each course their secondary student is enrolled in. This allows parents to receive periodic updates about work that is due. English Language Learners At present, our district does not have students enrolled who are considered ELL or MLL. However, should this change, our district will coordinate with the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages to make certain we are providing appropriate support to students whose home languages are other than English. We will continue to use the Home Language Questionnaire as part of our enrollment process for all students. This survey, as well as an ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 16 informal interview by our District Registrar, helps to identify families where languages other than English may be used in the home. All parent communications would then be provided to families in their preferred language and/or mode of communication. Interpreters would be used for parent conferences, where needed. The Argyle Central School District intends to follow SED guidance; each qualifying school and/or district reopening plan which reopens using in-person or hybrid instruction must complete the ELL identification process within 30 school days of the start of the school year for all students who enrolled during COVID-19 school closures in 2019-2020, as well as all students who enroll during summer of 2020 and during the first 20 school days of the 2020-2021 school year. After this 20 day flexibility period, identification of ELLs must resume for all students within the required ten school days of initial enrollment (​as required by Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154​). The school district will provide the required instructional Units of Study to all ELL’s based on their most recently measured English-language proficiency level during in-person or hybrid instruction. These services will be provided through a mix of face to face and online live support. Special Education Students The Argyle Central School District CSE office will work in conjunction with all building principals and out of district special education programs to ensure that students with disabilities are still provided all provisions under FAPE. All in-district full-day, special education programs will be offered on-site with arrangements made for social distancing, etc. Parents will be notified in writing and also have access to the CSE Chairperson for specific details as to how the provision of services will meet the requirements of IDEA. Attendance will be monitored daily and case managers will reach out to students and parents to ensure active participation. In our in-person instructional model, all students with special needs will receive all programs and related services, accommodations, modification, and supplementary aides on site. Should the district be required to transition to a hybrid model, students in K-8 will continue to receive all programs and related services on site, with students in grades 9-12 receiving a mix of onsite services and remote, live virtual (teletherapy-like) related services. In a full remote setting, students K-12 will receive all programs and related services, accommodations, modifications, and supplementary aides in a remote or virtual setting. Parents of students with IEPs and Section 504 plans will receive written communication from case managers at the start of the school year about how all services, accommodations, and modifications will be provided. ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 17 If the student will be receiving related services through teletherapy, the family should be aware that they will be sent a consent form and that to receive the teletherapy related services, that consent form may be completed and returned electronically. Contact logs for all students will be maintained. All students will be provided with the necessary technology needed for teletherapy and remote learning. CSE and CPSE Meetings will continue to use Google Meet or the Webex video conferencing platform if socially distancing measures do not allow for in-person meetings. Each student with an IEP or Section 504 plan is assigned a case manager. This case manager facilitates collaboration between the CSE/CPSE teams, the student’s family, and the student’s teachers. Student performance is monitored on an ongoing basis and requested review meetings are held anytime there is a concern about an IEP, or its implementation. Student progress is communicated to parents at least quarterly, and with each student’s report card. All goals require progress monitoring data collection, and this data is reviewed periodically by the PPS Director. The information is also shared with parents at annual reviews to show progress and growth for the year and to be used to write goals for IEPs. Communication with parents is provided in the parents’ preferred language or mode of communication. Our students with disabilities will have the same access to activities as their non-disabled peers while they participate in their learning while practicing social distancing. Evaluation Our school district’s plan ensures that all teachers and principals will be evaluated pursuant to our currently approved APPR plan, including any variance applications approved by the Department. All teachers in our school district shall hold valid and appropriate certificates for their teaching assignments, except where otherwise allowable under the Commissioner’s regulations (e.g., incidental teaching) or Education Law. Approved By: _____________________________________ Date: _____________________ ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 18 Key References ·​ ​ ​State Education Department Issues Guidance to Reopen New York State Schools (July 16, 2020) ·​ ​ ​State Education Department Presents Framework of Guidance to Reopen New York State Schools​ (July 13, 2020) ·​ ​ ​Interim Guidance for In-Person Instruction at Pre-K to Grade 12 Schools During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, NYS Department of Health​ (July 13, 2020) Additional References ·​ ​ ​Interim Guidance for Sports and Recreation During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (June 26, 2020) ·​ ​ ​Interim Guidance for Food Services during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency​. (June 26, 2020) ·​ ​ ​Interim Guidance for Office-Based Work during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency​. (June 26, 2020) ·​ ​ ​Interim Guidance for Public Transportation Activities during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency​. ​(June 26, 2020) ·​ ​​ New York State Department of Health Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) ·​ ​​ ·​ ​​ ·​ ​​ New York State Education Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus (COVID-19) Occupational Safety and Health Administration COVID-19 Website ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 19 APPENDIX A List of Commonly Touched Surfaces Type of Surface Location of Surface What is Surface Material? What Product is Needed to Disinfect? Frequency of Disinfection door handles all buildings zinc alloy quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas doors all buildings wood quat / eco -23 once daily door frames all buildings metal quat / eco -23 once daily panic bars exterior doors zinc /aluminum quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas windows doors glass eco-12 glass cleaner when dirty /daily window sills all exterior windows, all buildings slate quat / eco -23 weekly or when dirty walls hallways blocks / sheetrock quat / eco -23 daily handrails stairways /ramps metal /wood quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas drinking fountains halls /classrooms plastic / plated brass quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas light switches classrooms / offices plastic/metal covers quat / eco -23 daily ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 20 soap dispensers baths plastic quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas sanitizer dispensers All buildings plastic quat / eco -23 Multi times daily in heavy use areas lockers halls/locker rooms metal E-23/Quat electrostatic mist daily Library tables Library wood E-23/Quat electrostatic mister before and after use class tables classrooms wood/laminate quat / eco -23 daily desks classrooms poly-resin quat / eco -23 daily bleacher seats Gyms plastic E-23/Quat electrostatic mist before and after use chairs all buildings poly resin plastic E-23/Quat electrostatic mist daily counters Offices /classrooms laminate quat / eco -23 daily gym pads gyms vinyl E-23/Quat electrostatic mist daily sink faucets baths zinc/alloy quat / eco -23 daily buses / seats bus garage vinyl mineral electrolyte Once per day/after every use pencil sharpeners classrooms metal quat / eco -23 daily plastic polymer E-23/Quat electrostatic mist twice daily playgrounds ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 21 bathrooms all buildings polymer / porcelain E-23/Quat electrostatic mist daily computers As needed chromebooks As needed floors all buildings carpet/vct / vinyl neutral disinfectant mopped and swept daily ACS Reopening Plan 2020-21 Page 22