District Name: Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District
District Contacts:
Website: www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608.829.9000
Address: 7106 South Avenue, Middleton WI 53562
Updated: September 2022; Reviewed: March 2023
Introduction
1Maintaining Health and Safety
2Overview
2Description on maintaining the safety of staff and students
2Description to continue to provide services regardless of the mode of instruction
2Mitigation Measures
3Universal and correct wearing of masks
3Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing
3Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
3Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation
4Diagnostic and screening testing
4Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the State, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments
Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff, and students, if eligible
4
4Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies and practices
5Coordination with state and local health officials
5Continuity of Services
6Overview
6District response on continuity of services
6Periodic Review
7Overview
7District response on ensuring periodic updates to its plan
7Public Input
8Overview
8District response on public input in the development of its plan
8
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plans (ARP) Act was signed into law. In it, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III Fund). This legislation will award grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for providing local educational agencies (LEAs) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
Wisconsin will receive $1,540,784,854 in ESSER III funds from the Act, with 90 percent being awarded to school districts with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in summer 2020 from funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The remaining funds will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19.
This plan describes how the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District will provide a safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services for all schools, including those that have already returned to in-person instruction.
A district’s plan must include how it will maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other school and LEA staff, the extent to which it has adopted policies or practices, and a description of any such policies or practices on each of the CDC's safety recommendations including the correct wearing of masks; modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing; hand washing and respiratory etiquette; cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation; contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the state, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments; diagnostic and screening testing; efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff, and students, if eligible; appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies or practices; and coordination with state and local health officials.
For the 2022-2023 school year, the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District offers a five-day per week, face-to-face instructional model and adheres to the following health protocols. Accordingly, the District has:
● encouraged staff members and students to stay home or go home if they are showing COVID19 symptoms,
● adhered to national and local public health guidance regarding isolation at home in the event of testing positive for COVID-19,
● limited visitors and activities for non-essential purposes,
● increased sanitizing processes throughout the building.
The District offers a five-day (per week), face-to-face instructional model for the 2022-23 school year.
Description to continue to provide services regardless of the mode of instruction (for example, health and food services if the LEA must pivot to virtual or hybrid instruction)
The District offers in-person learning five days a week according to the Board adopted 2022-2023 Academic Year Calendar. In the event of school closure due to the pandemic, students have access to a District-purchased Chromebook or another computer device to engage in virtual learning. The district has systems for providing internet service to students who (qualify for the program and) don’t have it for in-person instruction and for expanded internet access should we need to shift to virtual instruction in the event of school closure due to the pandemic.
Regardless of the mode of instruction, the District will continue to provide meals under the community provision so long as USDA continues the allowance. Meals will be provided for summer school attendees as well as all eligible youth during the school year. If school is closed due to a pandemic, the district will assess its ability to distribute meals utilizing the same process it used during
the spring of 2020. This process included delivery to various meal distribution sites as well as meal pick-up at various school sites.
The District employs 6 full-time school nurses and 1 Coordinator of Health Services, who will continue to offer health services in person or virtually. The school district also partners with various mental health providers to provide mental health support for students and staff.
As of March 1, 2022, Public Health Madison Dane County lifted their in-door mask mandate. In addition, The Transportation Security Authority (TSA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lifted their requirement for masking in all district vehicles. As a result, the District adopted a mask optional policy in all buildings and district vehicles that we maintain for the 2022-2023 school year
Masks continue to be strongly recommended for those students returning to school on days 6-10 after testing positive for COVID-19 and for any student who has been a close contact to someone with COVID-19. Mask-wearing is supported and encouraged at any time for students who are themselves or live with someone, who is immunocompromised or medically vulnerable.
The District continues to provide masks as well as guidance on the correct wearing of masks for students, staff, and external parties who enter district buildings and wish to wear a mask but do not have one available.
Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (for example, the use of cohorts and podding)
Per national and local public health recommendations, physical distancing is no longer required or recommended as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy.
Handwashing and respiratory etiquette are taught to students with high emphasis in the primary grade levels. Signage is posted throughout buildings as reminders of handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
In addition, hand sanitization stations/liquids are available in classrooms and throughout the buildings.
Enhanced sanitation procedures have been implemented and continue at all schools, focusing on high-touch surfaces.
To reduce the airborne concentration of SARS-CoV-2 and to decrease the risk of transmission through the air, the District took the following steps:
● hired an outside contractor to re-commission all HVAC systems in the District.
● programmed HVAC systems in all buildings to run two hours before and two hours after building occupation to “flush” the air and bring in fresh air before occupation and exhaust air after occupation.
● arranged for more frequent CO2 level checks.
● scheduled equipment preventative maintenance more frequently to ensure unobstructed air movement.
● Placed HEPA filters in cafeterias to help reduce exposure to the virus in indoor environments where students eat and drink.
Per national and local public health recommendations, contact tracing is no longer required or recommended in school settings. However, the District continues to maintain a record of all positive COVID-19 cases that are reported to the district via email or phone for purposes of parental notification in the event that a COVID-19 “outbreak” occurs among a core group.
Note: The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) defines “outbreak” as 10% or > 3 students in a core group test positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period.
The District provides one on-site testing site for staff and students. The testing site provides for both rapid antigen and PCR tests. As always, students and staff may be tested at a public health site, a healthcare provider, or a local pharmacy. The District is also accepting at-home COVID-19 tests this year as proof of a positive COVID-19 test when reported to the District COVID-19 Response Assistant.
All eligible staff employed in 2020-2021 were provided the opportunity to be vaccinated through a County Public Health vaccination site, a healthcare provider, or a local pharmacy. Staff was also provided the opportunity for a booster vaccination at an on-site clinic in the fall of 2021. New staff members have access to vaccinations through local healthcare partners and County Public Health.
Students ages 16 and older were provided access to on-site vaccination clinics in the spring of 2021.
Students ages 12 and older were provided access to on-site vaccination clinics in the fall of 2021.
Per local public health data, >85% of our eligible students and staff have completed their primary vaccination series for COVID-19. Using public health data and feedback from students, staff, and our medical advisors, the district offered 2 mobile vaccine clinics in the fall of 2022 for community members, students and staff. An additional 2 mobile clinics will be offered in April 2023 for community members, students and staff. The District will continue to assess the need for additional vaccine/booster clinics for students and staff during the 2022-2023 school year.
When circumstances require specific policies or procedures designed to protect the health and safety of students, 504 and IEP teams determine if modifications and/or reasonable accommodations are needed for individual students with disability-related issues.
The CDC recommends that all decisions about implementing school-based strategies should be made locally, collaborating with local health officials who can help determine the level of transmission in the community. The District continues to work with Public Health of Madison and Dane County and medical advisors from the University of Wisconsin hospitals to implement mitigating strategies for the safety of students and staff.
The District will provide continuity of services as follows:
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District has implemented a summer school program to assist all K-12 students with academic recovery. The District has provided full-time, in-person instruction since the fall of 2021, and will continue that through the 2022-2023 school year. A virtual education option was provided for students whose families requested it for the 2021-2022 school year. We added a K-8 Summer Academy for the summer of 2021 that served approximately 200 rising 1st-9th grade students focused on literacy learning and expanded to serve 275 students and incorporated both literacy and numeracy. We provide support to students through math and reading interventionists in all of our elementary and middle schools; we have a reading specialist and the math-focused Achievement Connections program (in partnership with United Way of Dane County) at the high school level.
We administer the REST (formerly CBITS) screener in 6th grade and at Clark Street Community School, and the BESS screener in 7th and 10th grades every year. We added a Bounce Back screener in 3rd grade this year to be responsive to increased concerns at the elementary level. Student services staff conduct one-on-one interviews with students whose screeners suggest potential concerns and recommendations for support groups are made to families based on the screeners and interviews. Student services staff members facilitate or co-facilitate support or trauma groups for students who are identified in need of support based on the screeners and interviews. Due to an increased number of students who needed to be interviewed, we temporarily increased counseling staff at the middle level. We are offering Bounce Back groups in partnership with Catholic Charities at the elementary level and are working to increase the number of support and trauma groups available at the secondary level. We have partnered with Wisconsin Children’s to provide a mental health therapist at the middle and high school level and are pursuing similar support at the elementary school level pending the availability of a provider.
School Nutrition Services will continue to provide meals under the community provision as long as USDA continues the allowance. Meals will be provided for summer school attendees as well as all eligible youth during the school year.
Staff Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs
The District has provided staff with opportunities for social and emotional supports through postschool hour meetings with the counseling staff and nursing staff. The staff’s social, emotional, and mental health needs may also be addressed through the Employee Assistance Program provided through the District insurance program.
The District will follow national, state, and local governing agencies’ laws and directives concerning staff employment and benefits.
The District will periodically review and, as needed, revise the plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services. The plan will be reviewed at least every six months, and the school system will seek and take into account public input during the review process. Plan revisions will address updated guidance from the CDC, County Public Health, and the District’s medical advisors.
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District has taken the following steps to make its plan available to the public:
● The plan is posted at https://www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us/page/covid19-guidance
● The plan is available in multiple languages through the use of our web provider powered by Google Translate. The plan is available in more than sixteen languages.
● The plan was sent to parents, students, and employees via our messaging systems.
● The plan was shared at the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education meetings on February 28, 2022, March 7, 2022, and June 24, 3033. Board of Education meetings are open meetings with an opportunity for public comment.
● Upon request, a parent who is an individual with a disability as defined by the ADA may be provided with the plan in an alternative format accessible by contacting our district office.