Vilas School District


Plan for Relaunching School














2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

Vilas School District RE-5





Back to School


Vilas School District is committed to the health and safety of all students, staff, and community along with continuing academic learning throughout the 2020 - 2021 school year.  The district has prepared strategies that will promote a safe and healthy learning environment. Our first and preferred method of learning is resuming in-person classes. The second method is remote in-home learning due to various COVID situations. 




Students Staff



  • August 3rd Junior and Senior registration

  • August 4th PreK-10th grade registration

  • August  10th K-12th First Day

  • August 17th Preschool First Day



  • August 5th All Staff CPR/First Aid Training

  • August 6th All Staff Professional Development

  • August 7th All Staff Professional Development

  • August 10th School starts




Vilas School District will follow state mandates, guidance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and guidance from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). COVID-19 guidance changes frequently as data becomes available. As such, these plans are subject to change and likely to do so.




The Recommended Procedures are organized into three categories:



  1. Healthy Environment


2. Healthy Operations


3. Event of a Positive Case






Prior to the start of classes, necessary precautions will be taken to prepare all school district buildings.


Before Classes


All buildings will be cleaned and disinfected before staff and students return.

Health supplies will be stocked for appropriate use, including but not limited to: non-latex gloves, no- touch thermometers, paper towels, soap, and hand sanitizer.

Furniture will be arranged in all spaces to meet the age appropriate physical distancing requirements when possible.

Signs will be posted to remind individuals of important health instructions, habits, and information.


A healthy learning environment will be maintained throughout the school year.


Students Staff



All students will limit their sharing of school supplies and personal property.


All students will be encouraged to keep their space around them clean.


All students are encouraged to wash/sanitize their hands before and after eating, after using the restroom, and entering/leaving rooms.

Custodians will increase daily cleaning/disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces and spaces.


Teacher's will strive to disinfect their space after a class leaves their room 


Bus drivers will complete a daily cleaning checklist and disinfect between pick-ups/drop-offs.














Wellness checks will help reduce the spread of contagious respiratory illnesses including COVID-19.


For All

Before entering the building and school transportation, individuals will have their temperature checked and will be asked a series of symptom screening questions.

A person with a temperature higher than 100.4 will be asked to return home. The district will notify either their parent/guardian.

Fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or above.


If a person answers yes to any of the following symptoms, they will need to return home for further monitoring by their personal physician.


Symptoms include any of the following that are new to the individual:

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

  • Dry cough

  • Chills

  • Severe muscle aches

  • Sore throat

  • New loss of taste or smell

  • Congestion or runny nose

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Headache








  • Students will enter the school at 7:45am then head to homeroom


  • Classroom doors will be left open for ventilation when possible


  • Water fountains will be used for water bottle refilling only.  Students will be provided with a refillable water bottle with their name labelled. 



Physical distancing will be maintained as much as possible throughout the school day.


For All

 

  • Individuals will keep developmentally appropriate physical distancing guidelines in all directions between themselves and others indoors and outdoors as much as possible.


  • Elementary will be split into assigned cohorts.


  • Special service providers will limit contact with non-client students and other adults when inside the building.


  • Visitors and Guests will have restricted access in the buildings. 

Personal protective equipment will further promote a health environment for learning.




Students:

  • All students are strongly encouraged to wear approved face coverings.

  • Currently approved face coverings are required for ages 11 and up per Executive Order.

  • Students do not need masks at recess or physical education where physical distancing can be kept.

  • Students who cannot medically tolerate a face covering may be exempt with a written doctor order.

  • Students will have mask breaks throughout the day.




Staff:                                                                       

  • Teachers and staff are required to wear a facial covering.

  • In some situations, face shields and additional protective equipment may be worn to enhance learning and protection of students.

  • Staff who cannot medically tolerate a face covering may be exempt with a written doctor order.





Transportation will increase cleaning/disinfecting in-between pick-ups/drops offs.

Students


  • Physical distancing, with current Colorado Department of Education (CDE) guidelines, is not currently possible in our normal transportation setting.

  • Before entering school transportation temperatures will be taken.

  • Facial coverings are mandated at all bus-stops and on all school vehicles for all students, regardless of age or grade.

  • Bus riders will load and unload behind the school.  Drop off riders will unload at the front of the school.






Extracurricular activities will be offered to students as they are available.

Students



We currently have no sport guidance for fall 2020. However, if contact sports are allowed, we will follow local and state guidelines, Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) parameters, and change our efforts accordingly as those directives change.





Food and Nutrition Services will be provided for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.  

Students

  • Meal trays will be filled by cafeteria staff

  • Salad bar items will be prepackaged

  • Breakfast and lunch schedules will be staggered release times.

  • Students will wash or sanitize hands before and after each meal and limit any sharing of food.

  • Students will have distanced seating

  • Meals can be picked up for students who are on remote learning at 11:20am unless notified differently.   





All students and staff must stay at home when sick for the wellbeing of others.

For All

  • Individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 or are experiencing symptoms should stay away from others (self isolate) until 10 days have passed since the first symptoms have first appeared, and they have had no fever for at least 72 hours (3 full days of no fever without using fever reducing medicine), and other symptoms have improved.


  • Self-isolate means to separate yourself from other people and animals in your home.


  • Individuals who had recent close contact with a person with Covid-19 including those who do not have symptoms should also stay home (quarantine) for 14 days from the last day they were in contact with that person. At home they should monitor their health and continue learning or teaching online.


  • Quarantine means to stay home or in your same location, except to get medical care.


  • If someone gets sick during the 14 days of quarantine, then they should start isolation on the day you first have symptoms. Once more, isolation lasts for 10 days, AND no fever for 72 hours without meds, AND all other symptoms have improved.



The district will work closely with Baca County Public Health to monitor the statistics and spreading of Covid-19. In the event of a COVID related classroom/cohort or entire school closure, the district will notify parents and continue the educational learning opportunities for all students in an efficient and effective manner. This at home learning will last for the appropriately affected time.  Students that were exposed to the positive case will quarantine for 14 days and remote learning will continue.  


Also, during this time, the appropriate updated cleaning methods will be utilized to clean, disinfect, and sanitize the affected areas. Our goal is to create the safest return for students.


We are currently working with our school nurse to ensure we utilize the latest protocols that protect individual students and staff while creating the safest possibilities of return. We will utilize these processes for all students who have been contacted, as well as, those who have been tested positive.