Current COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies and Protocols
Universal masking in the building (except when eating)
Outdoor Eating
- This will be the default unless forced inside by inclement weather
- Indoor eating protocols
- Well-ventilated
- Added air purification
- Assigned seating
- Less unmasked exposure
- Smaller potential quarantine groupings
- Indoor eating protocols
Social distancing (whenever/wherever possible)
Weekly testing
- Free to ALL families
- Goal is 100% participation
Ventilation
- Increased/enhanced HVAC operations
- Windows and doors open as much as possible
Podding
- When indoors, we will maintain the indoor student podding naturally built into our schedules and structures. (e.g. 5/6 doesn’t have classes with 7/8)
Bathrooms Separations
- Designated bathrooms for each classroom and grade group
Enhanced Cleaning
Staff Testing and Vaccination
- Staff will also be testing weekly
- 100% of our eligible staff are vaccinated
Building Access
- Families will now be allowed to enter the school, but must wear a mask while in the building.
Procedural Pieces
- Family Self-Screening
- Families will self-screen students each morning checking for COVID-19 symptoms
- COVID-19 symptoms fall into two groups:
- More common symptoms are one or more of these:
- Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- New cough or a cough that gets worse
- Difficulty/hard time breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
- Less common symptoms are two or more of these:
- Sore Throat
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Muscle pain
- Extreme fatigue/feeling very tired
- New severe/very bad headache
- New nasal congestion/stuffy or runny nose
- More common symptoms are one or more of these:
- COVID-19 symptoms fall into two groups:
- Families will self-screen students each morning checking for COVID-19 symptoms
- One or more of the “more common” and two or more of the “less common” symptoms and a student should stay home from school and the family should:
- Contact the school ASAP
- Follow the MDH’s Recommended COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth Programs, and Child Care Programs
- The school is here if you need help interpreting, or talking through the decision tree
Student Quarantines
Students with ONE “less common” symptom will:
- Stay home
- Quarantine until 24 hours after symptom improves
- No effect on actions of other members of the household
Students with ONE “more common” or TWO “less common” symptoms will:
- Stay home
- Unvaccinated siblings should also stay home
- See healthcare provider and/or get a COVID-19 test
- Negative test result or alternate diagnosis
- Quarantine until 24 hours after symptom(s) improve
- Siblings can return to the school building
- Positive test result
- Quarantine for 7 days and 24 hours after symptom(s) improve whichever is longer
- Unvaccinated siblings should quarantine for 10 days and 24 hours after symptom(s) improve whichever is longer
- Negative test result or alternate diagnosis
A student with no symptoms, but who tests positive for COVID-19 will:
- Quarantine for 10 days and 24 hours after symptom(s) (if any develop) improve whichever is longer
- Unvaccinated siblings should quarantine for 10 days and 24 hours after symptom(s) improve whichever is longer
- A student is only considered a “close contact” with a student who has tested positive for COVID-19 if they have spent time unmasked and indoors with that student
- This is a special K-12 Education Exception to the decision tree quarantine guidelines approved by the CDC
- Vaccinated students and staff and students and staff who were always masked when indoors with a student who tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine
- A close contact (as detailed above) will:
- Quarantine for 10 days and 24 hours after symptom(s) (if any develop) improve whichever is longer
As recommendations evolve, we may adapt procedures as needed.
With the above protocols in place we are hopeful we can reduce COVID-19’s educational impact from disruption to inconvenience. Our community was tremendous in it’s diligence last year, with not a single viral transmission here on the school grounds. This is due to our entire community’s collective effort in keeping each other safe.