Lewiston Consolidated Schools Safe Return to Learn Plan 2021-2022
Lewiston Safe Return to Learn Plan 2021-2022
Lewiston Consolidated Schools
Safe Return to Learn Plan
2021-2022
Lewiston Consolidated Schools
306 Tiger Avenue
Lewiston, NE 68331
402-865-4675
District-Wide Plan to Keep School Community Safe
The number one priority of Lewiston Consolidated Schools is to safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. The number one goal is to keep kids in school. Pending the Directed Health Measure in August of 2021, the district’s plan is to start school using our original board approved calendar and operating as normal as possible. If the district is unable to start school on August 12th, we may need to use an alternative calendar and start school on a later date with students physically present in the building or through remote learning.
This document is not intended to provide prescriptive or restrictive guidelines for parents, students, or staff. It is simply a framework for re-opening school after a national pandemic. It is important to remember that school officials will be continuously monitoring District Health Measures put into place for Pawnee County and seeking advice from the Southeast Health Department Director.
During the 2021-2022 school year, there may be a short-term closure or a long-term closure because of a COVID outbreak in our area. We are encouraging parents to plan for both scenarios this school year. If this were to occur, we would implement an updated version of our Continuous Learning Plan during any long-term school closure.
Again this year and until further notice, all students utilizing parent transportation will be required to enter and exit the front (South) entrance by the Principal’s office. All students riding a school bus will enter and exit the preschool entrance. All students driving to school will enter and exit the ticket booth entrance.
Risk Categories
Lewiston Consolidated Schools will be in communication with local officials at the Southeast Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Education for risk categories. We will follow the Green category plan until further notice.
COVID GREEN: Low Risk of COVID-19 Spread, With Few, If Any, Active Cases Locally
✓ All students in grades Pre-K through 12 will attend school in person.
✓ All persons entering the building, including students and staff will have their temperature checked before entering. Temperatures must not exceed 100.4.
✓ Students and staff will be encouraged to social distance. Masks are optional. Masks will be provided by the school if a student does not have access to a mask and wishes to wear one. Students will be allowed to wear their personal mask if they desire.
Beginning of Year Procedures
✓ We will follow the Southeast Health Department guidelines.
✓ Students sent home when becoming ill at school.
✓ Parents will be notified of the presence of any positive cases in the classroom and/or school to encourage closer observation for any symptoms at home. Parents please notify the school if your child has been exposed.
✓ In the event that a student tests positive, immediate efforts should be made to contact any close contacts (those who spent more than 10 minutes in close proximity to the student) so that they can be quarantined at home. Classmates should be closely monitored for any symptoms. At this time, testing of all students in the class is not recommended, only those that develop symptoms require testing.
✓ Parents are encouraged to check student’s temperature at home every morning using oral, tympanic, or temporal scanners; students with a temperature of 100.4 greater should stay home and consider coronavirus testing if no other explanation is available.
✓ Parents are encouraged to ask their children or monitor for any cough, congestion, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms every morning. Any positives should prompt the parent to keep the student home from school and seek out testing.
Facility Response to a Positive Test Among Staff and/or Student
✓ In the event of a positive test among staff or a student, the classroom or areas exposed will be immediately cleaned and disinfected.
✓ If the person was in the school building without a facial covering, or large areas of the school were exposed to the person, short term dismissals (2-5 days) may be required to clean and disinfect the larger areas.
Classroom Layout
All students and staff will work to follow social distancing guidelines at all times during classroom instruction.
Non-NSAA Activities
Activities such as the field trips, assemblies, homecoming, prom, etc. will be evaluated based guidance from the Southeast Health Department and Directed Health Measures throughout the 2021-2022 school year.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Extra-curricular activities will follow NSAA guidelines and recommendations and be evaluated based on the Southeast Health Departments and Directed Health Measure throughout the 2021-2022 school year.
Media Center
The media center may be restricted. A schedule will be developed for PreK-12 classes to have the opportunity to check out library books. The Media center will follow strict guidelines set by the State Library Commission.
Sharing of Equipment & Supplies
We are asking staff members to keep each child’s belongings separated from others and to keep belongings in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or designated areas. We want staff to minimize the sharing of high touch materials to the greatest extent possible (Books, electronic devices, school supplies, and toys). If equipment needs to be used by a group of students, staff members will only allow one student at a time to use the equipment and the staff members must clean and disinfect the equipment between uses.
Students with Underlying Medical Conditions
If a student has an underlying medical condition, the parents/guardians can contact the building principal to setup an off campus 504 Plan for their son or daughter during the 2021-2022 school year.
Transportation Plan
Lewiston Consolidated Schools will be following bus safety guidelines to ensure all students and bus drivers are safe at all times. Masks are optional.
• Bus drivers will check the temperature of each rider before the child enters the bus.
• Students with a fever of 100.4 or higher will not be allowed to board the bus.
• We will load all buses with students in a back to front order and all students will exit buses in a front to back order.
• Students will be required to sit by their siblings on all bus rides (Whenever possible, students will not be allowed to sit by anyone on the bus other than a sibling or classmate).
• All bus drivers will clean their buses thoroughly after every daily bus route.
• We are highly recommending older siblings that currently drive to school to take their younger sibling each day to school to allow for more social distance space on daily bus routes.
• Bus drivers will keep a couple windows down on all bus routes to provide ventilation for bus riders when the weather allows.
Visitors
Parents, guardians, and visitors will be allowed in our buildings during the 2021-2022 school year. All formal educational meetings may need to occur online or over the phone (Individual Education Meetings, Parent Teacher Conferences, 504 Meetings, etc.). Only staff currently on payroll, individuals that drop off needed supplies, and personnel that need to work on the facilities will be allowed in the district facilities. All other visitors are asked to phone the office 402-865-4675 prior to arrival and agree to a temperature check upon entering the building.
Water Bottles
We are asking all students and staff members to use water bottles throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Only the water bottle filler part of the drinking fountain will be able to be used.
COVID GREEN CATEGORY
Building Procedures - Elementary
Before Arriving at School:
We ask that parents do a pre-symptom check every morning with their child(ren). Temperature will not be taken at the door.
Arriving at School:
Grades PreK-6th grade will report directly to their classrooms no earlier than 8:00 am. Students eating breakfast will be provided a grab and go breakfast.
Breakfast:
Grab and go breakfast will be provided.
Lunch:
Each classroom will be required to take their class to the restroom and have their students wash their hands prior to eating lunch.
Students will eat in the lunchroom at their designated time.
Lunch will be served as usual with social distancing practiced whenever possible.
Hand sanitizer will be available.
All food items will be placed on tray.
No self-serve will be allowed.
Lunch Recess Procedures:
Playground equipment will be available to play on during recess time and rotated on a daily basis between classes. Each grade will have a designated area to play outside for recess. There shall be no inter-mingling of grades during outside recess.
End of the Day Dismissal:
All students will be required to stay in their individual rooms until it is time to line up for bus routes or to be dismissed for the day. All teachers or paras will be required to walk their class to the bus loading area each day.
Hand Washing:
Students will be encouraged to wash their hands as often as possible. Hand sanitizer will also be available and used as often as possible. Students will also wash their hands before and after lunch every day.
Special Classes:
The following Elementary School special classes may occur in each self-contained classroom throughout the 2021-2022 school year: art, keyboarding, library, and music. Band and physical education classes will be allowed to occur in their regular classroom areas.
Building Procedures Jr./Sr. High School (7-12)
Before Arriving at School:
We ask that parents do a pre symptom check every morning with their child(ren). Temperatures will be taken at the door. Upon entering the building, students should place necessary materials (coats) in their locker and report immediately to their 1st period class. There shall be no mingling of students in the hallways.
Students who do not ride a bus to school are not allowed in school until after 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
Grab and go breakfast will be provided.
Lunch:
Students will be required to wash their hands prior to eating lunch.
Students will eat in the lunchroom at their designated time.
Lunch will be served as usual with social distancing whenever possible.
Hand sanitizer will be available.
All food items will be placed on tray.
No self-serve will be allowed.
Cell phone use in the cafeteria is prohibited.
During Class Time:
All students and staff will follow social distancing guidelines whenever possible during classroom instruction. All desks will need to face the same direction and they will need to remain six feet apart whenever possible. Staff will be required to wipe down all tables, desks, and chairs between classes and during their planning period.
End of the Day Dismissal:
When classes are dismissed, students may wear a face covering when leaving the building and students will be required to leave the school premises and not socializing in the halls, commons, locker rooms, or parking lots.
Hand Washing:
Students will be encouraged and reminded to wash their hands. Students will wash their hands on their way to get their lunches. Hand sanitizer will be available in every classroom and hallway so that it can be used as often as desired.
How to Keep the Facilities & Students/Staff Healthy and Safe
Facilities
The following essential actions will be taken to ensure that the facilities are safe for students and staff to inhabit. The district will:
• Change air filters regularly.
• Distribute wastebaskets, tissues, and spray sanitizer to each classroom and office.
• Post signage about frequent hand washing, cough etiquette, and nose blowing. Signage will be widely posted, disseminated, and encouraged through various methods of communication).
• Follow guidance from the CDC when performing all cleaning related duties.
Custodial staff will disinfect daily.
Students & Staff
The following essential actions will be taken to ensure that the students and staff stay healthy and safe. The district will:
• Encourage students and staff to stay away from school when sick.
• Teach students to use face coverings appropriately when necessary, stress the importance of covering a cough, and using/discarding tissues appropriately.
• Stress the importance of keeping hands away from the eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Teach students and staff how to keep surfaces clean and disinfected.
• Introduce hand washing best practices (Using soap and water and scrubbing for approximately 20 seconds before rinsing).
• Develop fixed schedules for hand washing.
• Ensuring that adequate supplies are available and in good functional condition (pending availability).
Public Health Officials
If a student or staff member becomes sick with COVID-19 like symptoms, the district will contact public health officials and follow their guidance at all times.
District Plans for Dealing with COVID Like Symptoms
The administration and staff will work to identify and separate anyone who exhibits COVID like symptoms. School personnel will use transmission precaution protocols when caring for a sick student or staff member. A school administrator, school counselor, secretary, school employee, or a parent/guardian may transport anyone that is sick home or to a healthcare facility.
If a student becomes sick with COVID like symptoms, the school personnel will notify local health officials, the student’s family, and any staff member that had contact with the student immediately regarding the possible case.
The district will close off areas used by a sick student or staff member and no one will be allowed to use this area until it has been cleaned and disinfected. The district will advise sick students and staff members to not return to school until they have met CDC criteria.
The administration will follow both state and federal privacy laws at all times and follow CDC guidance.
Students and staff that have symptoms will follow the Southeast Health Department guidelines for re-admittance.