North Platte Public Schools Return To School Plan 2021-2022

Work in Progress - Updated July 30, 2021 North Platte Public Schools believes that the best way for children to learn is in person. The Return to School Plan is designed to create the safest environment for our students and staff and keep our schools open to in-person learning. We believe this plan supports the needs of our students, staff, and families while acknowledging the current risk to the health and safety concerns within the community and the schools. Additionally, this plan meets all requirements of the Americans Rescue Plan.

Your input is essential; we encourage you to complete a short survey after viewing the current draft of the 2021-2022 Return to school plan. The survey is open now through Friday, August 6, 2021. Click here to complete the survey.

North Platte Public Schools will continuously review and update the 2021-22 NPPS Return to School Plan throughout the school year as the risk of COVID-19 spreads in our community and school changes. This work will be ongoing as new research emerges and more guidance is provided to the school district from the West Central District Health Department (WCDHD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and the U.S. Department of Education.

Any changes made to the plan and protocols will be communicated ahead of time through the NPPS website, email, and social media.

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

1

Please note: North Platte Public Schools will adjust protocols (including face-covering requirements) as necessary to address changing conditions. During the 2021-2022 school year, protocols and requirements may change for a specific school building, program, classroom, transportation, or a setting based on the number of positive cases, contact tracing, community test positivity rate, community conditions, and risk of spread.

Each school will monitor its internal factors (student & staff contact tracing data) and community factors to determine what safety measures need to be implemented.

A COVID Response Team (Cabinet, principal, school nurse) will monitor each school’s status and determine what safety measures will be implemented based on the data collected. Appropriate measures will be communicated to students, staff, and parents in a timely manner.

Safety measures considerations are face-covering requirements, discontinuing certain activities, classroom closures, school closures, and other precautionary measures determined by the COVID Response Team.

The NPPS 2021-22 Return to School Plan was last revised July 30, 2021, and last reviewed July 30, 2021.

Dr. Ron Hanson North Platte Public Schools Superintendent

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

2

COVID-19 Information and Proactive Actions CDC COVID-19 Information to Reduce Your Risk

Definitions Recommendations regarding face coverings differ based on the level of community spread and can be found throughout this document. Information should be provided to staff, students, and families on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings. Any policy regarding face coverings should be sensitive to the needs of students and staff with medical issues that make wearing a face-covering inadvisable.

Face Coverings

CDC Guidance

Hand sanitizers should contain at least 60% alcohol and only be used with staff and older children who can safely use hand sanitizer. Hand soap should be used for younger children.

Hand Sanitizer

CDC Guidance

Ensure the safe and correct application of disinfectants and keep them out of reach of children.

Clean/Disinfect

CDC Guidance

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

3

The NPPS Plan Self-Screening Staff, students, and visitors entering any NPPS facility are expected to conduct a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms every day before arriving. *Every day, ask yourself or your student the following screening questions PRIOR to entering an NPPS building: Do you have one of the following? ● Fever of over 100.4 ● The onset of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing ● New onset of dry cough ● New onset of loss of taste or smell Do you have two or more of the following? (lasting more than 24 hours without a known cause) ● Chills longer than two hours ● Congestion and/or runny nose ● Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea ● Sore throat ● Headache ● Muscle pain Have you had contact with COVID-19? ● Contact longer than a cumulative 15 minutes within 6 feet without a face covering or residing with someone who is positive.

If you answered YES to ANY of the above questions, do NOT go into an NPPS building. Instead: ● Contact your doctor or seek medical care & contact your immediate supervisor. ● Get tested for COVID-19. ● Self-isolate. Do not go to an NPPS building until you have a negative COVID-19 test result or have been cleared by a medical professional.

Get tested for COVID-19 ● Great Plains Health ● WCDHD

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

4

Vaccination Status Vaccination status is based on a self-identified system. Proof of vaccination may be required in individual circumstances. According to the CDC, in general, people are considered fully vaccinated: ● or

Two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines,

●

Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

Face Coverings The North Platte Public Schools plan for face coverings is based on current community and school conditions and recommendations from the West Central District Health Department and local health professionals.

Students For students who are fully vaccinated, face coverings are OPTIONAL. For students who are not fully vaccinated, face coverings are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Staff For staff who are fully vaccinated, face coverings are OPTIONAL. For staff who are not fully vaccinated, face coverings are REQUIRED. Volunteers, Visitors, and Families at School During regular school hours, volunteers, visitors, and families are welcome in our school buildings as long as they either wear a face covering at all times or provide proof that they are fully vaccinated.

For volunteers, visitors, and families who are fully vaccinated, face-coverings are OPTIONAL. For volunteers and visitors who are not fully vaccinated, face coverings are REQUIRED. Note: If the district, school, building, or classroom is in a face-covering mandate, anyone who enters the facility will be required to wear a face covering.

At events outside of the regular school day, vaccination status is based on a self-identified system. For volunteers, visitors, and families who are fully vaccinated, face-coverings are OPTIONAL. For volunteers, visitors, and families who are not fully vaccinated, face-coverings are REQUIRED.

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

5

Transportation - Buses Following the Nebraska Department of Education Guidelines Federally mandated CDC requirement for public transportation: Drivers, paraprofessionals, and passengers (students and staff) MUST wear face coverings on all school buses (including activity and athletic buses).* *Drivers do not need to wear a face-covering if they are the only person on the bus.

Preventative Measures When wearing a face covering: ● Face coverings must be multilayered. ● Per our current school dress code, bandanas are not allowed. ● Plastic face shields are not a suitable replacement for multilayer cloth face coverings. ● NPPS will have face coverings available for staff and students who do not provide their own. ● Families are allowed to provide their own multilayer cloth face coverings. Please note: Gaiters are single layers and can only be used if doubled up and cover both nose and mouth. ● Students and families are responsible for laundering and wearing their face coverings each day. ● NPPS will treat face coverings as a required part of the dress code where applicable, and discipline for not following the dress code is outlined in our Important Information Handbook.

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

6

Face covering exemptions If face coverings are required at any time, information about applying for face-covering exemptions will be sent to families. Questions regarding face-covering exemptions need to contact the building administration or immediate supervisor.

Hand Hygiene Students, staff, and visitors will be encouraged to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds frequently.

Hand sanitizer will be available in classrooms and multiple locations throughout the building when hand washing isn’t easily accessible.

Custodial staff will clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in common areas and classrooms as needed and at the end of the day.

Physical Distancing We will continue to keep everyone physically distanced from others by maintaining three to six feet whenever possible. Any distance makes a difference, and we will space out individuals as far as possible, where and when we can. Desks/ tables/ chairs will be placed as far apart as possible.

Ventilation and Cleaning Efforts The Maintenance Department will continue with fresh air practices in alignment with recommendations from ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Custodial staff will clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in common areas and classrooms as needed and at the end of the day.

Drinking Fountains and Water Bottles ● ● ● ● ● ●

Drinking fountains will not be available.

Classroom sinks will be available.

Water bottle fill stations will be accessible where available.

NPPS will provide one water bottle per student for the 2021-2022 school year K-12 students may bring bottles full of water from home.

Schools will provide disposable paper cups for students who do not have water bottles.

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

7

Cafeterias Elementary ● Hand sanitizer will be provided for students as they enter the cafeteria. ● Meals will be served in individual containers. ● Students may be assigned to a table.

Secondary ● Hand sanitizer will be provided for students as they enter the cafeteria. ● Meals will be served based on past practice.

Vaccinations The COVID-19 vaccine is not required but strongly recommended.

Under Title 173 of the Nebraska Administrative Code, each school or school district in Nebraska is required to keep the immunization history of the students enrolled on file. If your child has received the COVID-19 vaccine, we ask that you please provide us a copy of the information by emailing a copy of the vaccination card to your school nurse. If your child has not received the COVID-19 vaccine, there is nothing you need to do.

The West Central District Health Department provides the following information about the COVID-19 vaccine: Everyone eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 can schedule an appointment at https://wcdhd.org/services/covid/covid-vaccination.html.

For more information about safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and answers to common questions, please see the helpful resources below: ● Benefits of Getting Vaccinated - Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine | CDC ● It’s Up to You – COVID-19 Vaccination - Questions & Answers About COVID-19 Vaccines | The Ad Council (getvaccineanswers.org) ● Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination | CDC Learn more on the WCDHD website at Services: COVID-19 Resources: COVID-19 Vaccination.

Infection Response Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

8

Contact Tracing - Close Contact Close contact is defined as someone who has been within 6 feet of the positive case for a cumulative 15 minutes or more, and one or both persons were not wearing a face covering. A positive COVID-19 case begins 48 hours before the onset of symptoms or test date if the positive case is asymptomatic.

Quarantine and Exclusion Quarantine and Exclusion requirements are established in consultation and at the direction of the West Central District Health Department.

Vaccinated individuals identified as close contact WITHOUT symptoms will need to self-monitor for symptoms and are not required to quarantine as long as they remain symptom-free.

Unvaccinated individuals identified as close contacts WITHOUT symptoms can return to work or school: ● With face-covering and physical distancing throughout the duration of the day, or ● After day 10 without testing, or ● After day 7, after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later), All close contacts WITH symptoms still need to quarantine for the full 10 days, even with a negative test result.

Extended absences from in-person school will be handled as they were before the pandemic.

Program Specific If you have any questions or need additional information regarding the NPPS Return to School Plan, please use the following information: 1.

School-level concerns, speak to the building principal a.

High School, Scott Siegel, ssiegel@nppsd.org b.

Adams Middle School, James Ayers, jayers@nppsd.org c.

Madison Middle School, Robin Vahle, rvahle@nppsd.org d.

Cody Elementary, Tami Eshleman, teshleman@nppsd.org e.

Eisenhower Elementary, Brad LaChapelle, blachapelle@nppsd.org f.

Jefferson Elementary, Jeff Ellsworth, jellsworth@nppsd.org g.

Lake Elementary, Chris Vieyra, cvieyra@nppsd.org h.

Lincoln Elementary, Danesa Fleck, dfleck@nppsd.org i.

McDonald Elementary, Kim Flanders, kflanders@nppsd.org j.

Washington Elementary, Harmony Wagner, hwagner@nppsd.org

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

9

2. a. b. c.

d. e. f. g. h.

Program/ District-level concerns Students, speak to the director of student services, Brandy Buscher, buscher@nppsd.org Adults, speak to the director of human resources, Kevin Mills, kmills@nppsd.org A program, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, speak to the directors of teaching and learning, K-6 Lyndsey Douglas, ldouglas@nppsd.org, or 7-12 Vikki Carlson, vcarlson@nppsd.org Special education & Early Childhood Programs, speak to the director of special education, Peggy Romshek, promshek@nppsd.org Kids Klub, speak to the director of Kids Club, Carrie Lienemann, clienemann@nppsd.org Facilities and maintenance, speak to the director of facilities, Lori Coburn, lcoburn@nppsd.org Technology, speak to the director of technology, Brian Tegtmeier, btegtmei@nppsd.org Operation/finances speak to the executive director, Stuart Simpson, ssimpson@nppsd.org

Early Childhood & Prekindergarten Classrooms Prekindergarten classrooms will follow pre-pandemic protocols. During the 2021-2022 school year, protocols may change for a specific school building, program, classroom, transportation, or settings based on cases, contact tracing, community conditions, and risk of spread.

All Home Visits When there is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case in a home, NPPS staff are not permitted to return to the home until: ● 24 days from the last confirmed positive case ● Household members are fever-free for at least 24-hours; and ● The family passes the NPPS self-screen.

Please note: The requirement for face-coverings may change if there is an identified high risk of spread within the community, school building, program, or classroom.

Jul 30, 2021

10