Here's a sampling of MSBA's recommendations to consider:
• Schedule grade levels to attend school on alternate days to minimize the number of students in the building and give students take-home meals. Alternatively, schedule half of each class to attend school on alternate days. • Schedule some of the grade levels to attend in the morning and some to attend in the afternoon. • Consider year-round schooling with alternating breaks to minimize the numbers of students in the building at any time. • Provide in-person instruction to elementary students and increase distance learning opportunities for higher grade levels. • Offer both in-person and virtual instruction so that students who do not have adequate resources may still access instruction, but the class size in one room is minimized. • Lengthen the instructional day to allow for fewer students in courses such as band, choir, and orchestra, during recess and in the cafeteria. • If the LEA is large and has multiple buildings, consider only closing the buildings closest to area outbreaks.
Review course sizes, structure and classrooms to decrease infection: • Reorganize P.E., choir, band, orchestra, and other large classes to allow for smaller classes, social distancing and other precautions. • Eliminate assemblies, library time and use of the media center or reorganize to allow for social distancing. • Alternate recess to minimize the number of students on the playground, require social distancing, and allow time to disinfect equipment in between classes. • Increase space between students during in-person instruction. • Move classes outdoors. • Rearrange desks to increase space in between students (Goal: 6 feet). • Face desks in the same direction. • Require students to remain seated in the classroom and assign seats. • Minimize class sizes. • Eliminate activities that combine classes or grade levels. • Eliminate or minimize students traveling to different buildings to receive services. • Eliminate or minimize employees from traveling between buildings. • Consider broadcasting in-class instruction to multiple rooms to allow students to spread out. • Implement a home-room stay where the teachers rotate, as opposed to the students. • 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. • Discourage the use of attendance awards or perfect attendance incentives for students.
Cancel or revise activities that bring large numbers of students and the public together: • Before- and after-school programs. • Extracurricular activities, sports practices. • Performances or games. • Recess. • Plan alternative activities for graduation and other milestone activities.
Review transportation procedures to minimize exposure (See also Appendix I, Student Transportation Considerations): • Run multiple routes to minimize the numbers of students on the bus at any one time. • Stagger drop-off and pick-up processes to minimize gathering of large numbers of students at any one time. • Create more bus stops to minimize the number of students waiting together. • Encourage parents to transport their students when they can minimize the number of students on the bus. • Encourage students to walk or bike to school.
Review nutrition services procedures to minimize exposure: • Prevent people from self-serving food items. • Napkins and silverware are provided directly by staff, not for individuals to grab. • Engineering controls such as sneeze guards are in place in the cafeteria. • Require students to eat with classmates in the lunchroom and not mingle with other classes. • Plan to serve high-risk students separately from other students. • Put tape marks on the floor six feet apart to promote social distancing while waiting in line. • Prohibit or limit food-sharing activities.
Take measures to decrease students congregating in one location: • Assign students to use different entrances. • Stagger drop-off and pick-up processes. • Stagger times students are in the cafeteria or have students eat at their desks in the classroom. • 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. • Schedule restroom breaks to avoid overcrowding. • Make hallways or entrances one-way. • Rearrange furniture to avoid clustering in common areas. • In locations where students line up, tape marks are put on the floor to indicate the appropriate social distancing.
Take measures to decrease employees congregating in one location: • Close the staff/teacher’s lounge. • Encourage virtual meetings. • Encourage employees who can effectively work from home to do so. • Rearrange workstations to ensure they are separated by six feet.
Adopt hygiene measures: • All persons are required to wash hands when they come to school and every hour. • Place hand hygiene stations at the entrances of the building. • 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. • Require all persons to wash hands after blowing noses, coughing or sneezing or when in contact with bodily fluids. • Encourage classes and employees create their own hand signals to replace shaking hands, hugging or giving high-fives. • 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. • Post signs at all entrances informing all who enter that they must: a) Not enter if they have a cough or fever; b) maintain a minimum of six-foot distance from one another; c) not shake hands or engage in any unnecessary physical contact. • Post signs in bathrooms with directions on how to effectively wash hands. • Employee handbooks and student handbooks include information on how to recognize the signs of infection and directives not to come to school if sick. • Remove items from the classroom or hallways that are frequently touched but are not easily cleaned such as fabric. • Designate a separate care room that is frequently disinfected for students that require diapering or services such as suctioning or feeding tubes to minimize student exposure. • Install physical barriers in reception areas and workspaces where the environment does not accommodate social distancing.
Take measures so that persons exposed can be more easily traced: • Use assigned seating for each class. • Use sign-in sheets for in-person meetings to document attendees. • Keep accurate records of any persons other than students and staff that enter the building, their reason for being there, and the locations in the building they travel to.
Minimize or eliminate the need for people to be in the building other than necessary employees and students: • Cancel public use of school facilities. • Restrict vendor access to the school to times when students are not present. • Prohibit parent visits or minimize visits and require them to occur only in the school office. • Restrict the number of people in the school building that are not students or staff to a minimal number and ensure that someone is assigned to enforce the rules. • Post maximum occupancy numbers on doors. • Only allow employees that are required for student instruction and student services to be in the building during school hours.
Dealing with Illness (See also Appendix A, Sample Health Protocol for Schools): • Any person exhibiting signs of illness will be sent to the nurse immediately for evaluation. • A separate room will be set up for any person who is exhibiting signs of COVID-19 to be cared for. Few people will be allowed in the room, and the room will be disinfected frequently. Students/staff will be walked out of the building from the room to persons driving them home. The names of all persons who enter the room will be documented. • If possible and if adequate equipment is available, take regular temperature checks of students and staff. Use a touchless thermometer if possible. Do not use oral thermometers. • Encourage parents and staff to bring their own thermometers and take the temperatures of their children or their own temperature before entering the building.
Post by One Girl In All The World on May 11, 2020 22:40:21 GMT -5
I have two thoughts right off the bat 1) I agree that this should usher in year round schooling. I don’t think it will but I’ve said from the beginning that would build in opportunities to keep kids out of school when outbreaks emerge. And 2) this highlights just how not ready we will be for kids to be safely back in the classroom. I know I won’t be comfortable sending mine back under anything remotely close to normal circumstances.
Post by Patsy Baloney on May 11, 2020 22:48:35 GMT -5
I’m going to give them major credit for putting it out there, though. From what I understand, they’re leaving implementation to school district to determine what is appropriate, so this list will never happen. But at least it’s out there.
Post by Dumbledork on May 11, 2020 23:11:33 GMT -5
@@@
If they placed students six feet apart in DD’s current classroom, there’d be room for about five or six kids in the room. It is not a large room at all.
I do like the idea of going year round and rotating breaks, but I don’t know how much that would really help.
I don’t know how half days would work with any kind of normal business day. If my kid is going half day, she’s have to be in care somewhere else for the other half, meaning her exposure potential increases.
I don’t know how tf this is going to work. I also don’t know what this means for my position or my team since most of my job is done at schools throughout the city.
My employer is currently considering how to do summer camp and they’re thinking of doing a lower amount of kids allowed at a site, but an increase in location sites used. I wonder if schools could do something similar?
Some of the smaller things are so laughable. Have kids wash their hands every hour? We would spend 1/4 of every hour in the bathroom. Only go to the bathroom at scheduled times? I teach 6 year olds, they can’t schedule their pee breaks like an adult. Have kids stay in their forward-facing, 6-feet-apart desks all day without getting up? That’s the funniest one.
Post by sillygoosegirl on May 12, 2020 0:37:44 GMT -5
This makes me want to cry.
I can't decide what I think is the worst part: that I can't see them successfully implementing half of it, that it seems like it'll suck all remaining joy out of schools, or that I still don't think it would be enough for children who live with at-risk adults.
My guess is they can’t come right out and say “this is a horrible idea, we can’t imagine anyone is really considering doing this.” So instead they make a huge long list of unattainable recommendations to make it 100% clear to people who makes decisions that this is a horrible idea.
I could point out major flaws in most of those items that would prevent them from being feasible or effective in preventing the spread of a virus. I saw a photo of a restaurant that put clear plastic shower curtains around each table to separate groups, except they were all open at the top. They are still all breathing the same air that is recirculating through the building’s hvac system. The shower curtain might prevent someone’s sneeze droplets from immediately reaching the person at the next table. 6 feet of distance isn’t foolproof prevention from catching a virus from someone sitting in the same room as you for half a day, or all day (and I don’t think there’s a huge distinction between those).
The linked document is the presentation that the Fairfax County Public Schools (VA) Leadership Team made to the School Board yesterday. Return to school options start on p. 40. We have 25,000 employees and 190,000 students. Look at the pictures of a socially-distanced classroom on p. 14 and bus configuration p. 16.
How in the hell are we going to return 115,000 people to our schools in 12 weeks? That's the time between now and when staff returns for the start of SY2021. 12 weeks. 90 days. School is supposed to start on August 25.
It’s not going to be pleasant for bus drivers or teachers or students.
I don't get why they can't still do breakfast and lunch. Seems like the students must be eating a packed lunch if it's a full school day, so why not a packed lunch provided by the school?
@ My son will be going to kindergarten next year, and I’m sad that his first exposure to school might be a super rigid, masked, six feet apart experience. I worry that he won’t find any joy in school like I did, and might even be scared because of the constant reminders of the virus.
(I fully agree most/all of these precautions must be taken. It just makes me sad to think about in practice.)
Post by seeyalater52 on May 12, 2020 6:45:29 GMT -5
I had two predominant thoughts reading the list:
1. Even if every single recommendation were implemented faithfully, it likely wouldn’t be enough to actually protect students and their families.
2. There is no way in hell this can be operationalized given the time/resources/reality of the school set-up and extra burden on school staff. Never mind the insanity of expecting the littlest kids to be able to function in these conditions.
It’s both necessary and impossible. What the hell are we going to do?
@ My son will be going to kindergarten next year, and I’m sad that his first exposure to school might be a super rigid, masked, six feet apart experience. I worry that he won’t find any joy in school like I did, and might even be scared because of the constant reminders of the virus.
(I fully agree most/all of these precautions must be taken. It just makes me sad to think about in practice.)
Same. I can’t even imagine how this will work for the little kids. I’m so sad for DD1. I also have no idea what dual income parents like us are going to do.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
Not to mention the staffing it would require to actuall do things like disinfect classrooms and playground equipment regularly. Are teachers going to be asked to do that too?
Post by maudefindlay on May 12, 2020 6:58:27 GMT -5
There are so many kids with 1:1 aides and other kids who just won't understand the boundaries and there is no way teachers can teach and police all of that.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
With budget cuts, a lot of teachers will be asked to take a pay freeze and/or there will be mass layoffs.
Our school couldn't even get their act together to put anything even close to meaningful together for distance learning for elementary students. We just got workbooks this week. We were given access to a couple apps and they Zoomed with their teacher once a week up until this point. There is absolutely no way they can get even 5% of this organized for Fall.
I just don't think school systems are built to make these huge changes. In two weeks all of our teachers go off contract and won't be back until 5 days before school starts. Even if they are doing stuff over the summer, you would actually need to be working year round to make the changes. I have friends who are teachers in the district and they have heard absolutely no word about plans for the fall.
Edit: Also my issue is not with teachers. I know they would do more if they were given the opportunity. I know our teachers were told to NOT do more than the absolute bare ass minimum. Don't reach out the kids more, don't give more resources etc. In big school districts, I think they are almost crippled by decision making. I actually think smaller schools will have an easier time making decisions and implementing.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
Our district just announced a 3% raise for everyone next year. This coming after years and years of budget cuts, pay freezes and fighting for every penny. I’ll admit my first thought was “now that they are giving us this raise without a fight, what are we going to be asked to do next year?”
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
With budget cuts, a lot of teachers will be asked to take a pay freeze and/or there will be mass layoffs.
This is impossible.
My middle school teacher DH would leave the profession before he did all of that for less money. He's already stretched so thin and underpaid.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
Our district just announced a 3% raise for everyone next year. This coming after years and years of budget cuts, pay freezes and fighting for every penny. I’ll admit my first thought was “now that they are giving us this raise without a fight, what are we going to be asked to do next year?”
That would be my first thought, too! "Here is your paltry, long overdue 'raise', so don't complain that we're doubling your workload."
Post by dancingirl21 on May 12, 2020 7:28:33 GMT -5
I can’t see how most of this will work for next school year. DS1 is (was) in half day kindergarten. His morning class had 27 students and they sat in groups of 4 at small tables. They also did lots of “carpet time” where they sat right next to each other. The same teacher has 26 afternoon students. I’m sad for DS. This year was supposed to be his easy introduction into real school. Next year should be interesting, that’s for sure.
My brother’s boyfriend, my best friend, my Mom’s best friend and my SIL are all teachers. They are all nervous, scared, and full of anxiety not knowing what the year will hold or what will be expected of them. So far their districts haven’t made any real plans (that they know of). They are just trying to finish out this year and will see what next year brings.
Post by Velar Fricative on May 12, 2020 7:42:27 GMT -5
I can't fault them creating an exhaustive, likely unattainable, list like this. The fact of the matter is, everything needs to be on the table, if only to see how impossible this will be without additional funding that is somehow magically going to come out of governments that don't have money right now.
It is simply impossible for every student to return to a physical building for school for the time being. But I hate the idea of one day in school, one day not in school. That does nothing to contain the spread since you're still dealing with a ton of students and staff, which sounds like a disaster for contact tracing. They'd need to have the same cohort of students and staff in the building for a long period of time.
I give them credit for putting ideas to paper and actually thinking through options. What's the alternative? Do nothing? If kids don't go back in the fall, that will be harder on working parents. The only thing I think is a complete no go is year round school with rotating breaks. My teacher DH would retire early for sure and I'm sure we'd have a teacher shortage with no allowance for teacher breaks. Kids will still find joy in school if they have to wear masks and have restrictions. It's not forever, and kids adjust much better than adults. It totally sucks, but hopefully it's temporary.
Post by georgeglass on May 12, 2020 7:47:48 GMT -5
We are in the midst of our back to school scenario planning. My boss keeps asking about one-way hallways. I keep asking, "Have you ever seen a middle schooler?" They move in weird clusters. Adding hallway monitors (faculty) would just increase faculty exposure.