Returning to School During the COVID-19 Pandemic Stafford County - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Returning to School During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stafford County Schools Community Town Hall Meeting June 29th, 2020

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“Schools will open up for all students next year but instruction will look very different.”

Governor Ralph Northam June 9th, 2020 Virginia Return to School Plan

Planning Steps

All reports can be found on our website.

• School Board Input and Guidance
• SCPS Recovery Taskforce Report
• State Planning Reports and Guidance from VDH and RAHD
• CDC Decision Tree for Opening Up Schools
• VDOE Guidance and Executive Orders
• Research Reports and Professional Webinars and Discussions
• Staff and Parent Input and Collaboration

Lowest Risk

• Virtual-only classes, activities, & events

More Risk

• Small, in-person classes, activities, & events.
• Students stay with the same teacher, at least 6

feet apart, & objects are not shared

• Includes hybrid virtual/in-person class

structures, or staggered/rotating schedules to facilitate social distancing. Highest Risk

• Full-sized, in-person classes, activities, & events.
• No social distancing, shared classroom

materials/supplies

• Students move between classes & activities

Source VADOE and CDC

VDOE Phase III Overview

Where We Anticipate to Be When School Starts

• Instruction will include more in-person instruction for all

students.

• Remote instruction will support in-person instruction.
• Childcare & before/aftercare may be offered in schools
• Social distancing will need to be implemented, across buses

and buildings:

• 6 foot separation whenever possible
• Large gathering limits in accordance with existing Executive Orders

VDOE Phase III Overview

Where We Anticipate to Be When School Starts (Continued)

• To support social distancing, schools may need to:
• Stagger student schedules
• Adopt methods to restrict mixing groups of students
• Adjust schedules
• Minimize transitions
• Consider appropriate recess options
• School systems can expand athletics & extracurricular activities with

mitigation measures

• Limit outdoor activities/recess to 50 people

Stafford’s Recovery Task Force

Identified Priorities

• Development of strategies to get students back into the classroom as much as

possible, particularly for our youngest students and other students with special and unique learning needs.

• Provision of tailored training and professional learning for staff will be

imperative to ensure educators are equipped for new ways of facilitating education and supporting social-emotional wellness.

• Consideration of safety, budget, and systems logistics in all planning.
• Development and maintenance of effective communication with all

stakeholders.

• Consideration of social emotional wellness needs of students, parents, and

staff.

• Assurance that an equity lens guides all education models as we return to

buildings.

Transportation

• Social distancing will

result in approximately 20-24 students being able to ride a bus at a time.

• This is less than a

third of normal capacity.

Mitigation Strategies

• Health screenings and temperature checks
• Encourage families to make appointments for school visits and limit visitors
• Cloth face covers/bus driver face shields
• Department of Labor and Industry Executive Order
• Diligent cleaning with electrostatic disinfecting between shift A/B
• Plexiglass shields in front office
• Hand hygiene and personal care
• Stay home if sick
• Town hall sessions with VDH for family, students, & staff to discuss

mitigation strategies and how to respond to an outbreak if/when one

• ccurs

Responding to Cases

• Protocol for care of suspected COVID-19 case in students and staff

during the school day.

• Establish clinical isolation room to separate sick students
• Control clinic traffic to prevent potential exposures
• Protocol for Return to School/Work post positive COVID-19 illness.
• Procedure for reporting suspected exposure events to:
• VDH
• Administration
• Maintenance
• Families impacted

Implementing Hybrid Learning

• Regular, face-to-face instruction will occur with small

groups of students assigned a classroom teacher.

• The face-to-face will be couple with at-home, on-line

learning will continue, complement, and reinforce the face- to-face learning.

• At-home online learning will be monitored through
• On-line metrics
• Attendance
• Expectations of completing on-line learning work
• Teachers will design both the face-to-face & the online

instruction for their students, routinely checking in, assessing students, and monitoring completion of online work.

Commonalities across Grade Levels

Creating consistency for learners and families

Schedule Option A

Preferred Option at All Levels

Student Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Group A Remote Learning with Targeted Face to Face Instruction Learning at School Learning at School Remote Learning Remote Learning Group B Remote Learning with Targeted Face to Face Instruction Remote Learning Remote Learning Learning at School Learning at School

*Health circumstances may require pivoting to a more robust virtual learning strategy for students.

Schedule Option A

All Levels Highlights

• Allows additional time for staff

to develop quality remote learning

• Creates consistency for

students and families

• Provides specialty programs a

day for specific competency & licensure hour requirements.

Concerns

• Does not allow as much face-

to-face instruction

• Depending on schedule used

at the secondary level, students may only attend certain courses once a week, with a maximum of twice a week.

Schedule Option B

All Levels

Student Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Group A Learning at School Alternating Weeks Learning at School Learning at School Virtual Learning Virtual Learning Group B Learning at School Alternating Weeks Virtual Learning Virtual Learning Learning at School Learning at School

*Health circumstances may require pivoting to a more robust virtual learning strategy for students.

Schedule Option B

All Levels Highlights

• Maximizes student time in

class to the extent possible under Phase III

• Creates consistency for

students and families Concerns

• Does not allow as much time

for staff to develop quality virtual learning experiences

Schedule Option C

For Health Risk and Other Unique Circumstances

• Will be developed in more detail once need levels are determined.
• If state remains or returns to Phase II, a virtual model may become

the primary option.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Virtual Learning Virtual Learning Virtual Learning Virtual Learning Virtual Learning

Start & End Times

Elementary School Start/End Times

Shift One Shift Two Student Arrival 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Instruction 8:00 AM – 1 PM 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Dismissal 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM 2:00 – 2:30 PM

**Each elementary school will be designated Shift One or Shift Two.

Middle School Start/End Times

Student Arrival 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Instruction 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Dismissal 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

High School Start/End Times

Student Arrival 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Instruction* 11:00 AM – 4:15 PM Dismissal 4:15 PM-4:45 PM

*CTE & Specialty Programs Travel Schedule impacts length of day.

Other Key Considerations

Equity Meals Social-Emotional Needs Childcare Technology

Surveys/Registration Forms This Week

• Bus Ridership Commitment (Parents)
• Virtual Only Learning Model (Parents)
• Special Arrangements Due to Health Reasons (Staff)
• Childcare Needs (Staff)

Together we will navigate uncharted waters successfully, now to the questions…

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