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2021-2022 COVID-19

Red Oak Community School District

August 1, 2021

 

 

Face Masks

 

Effective May 20, 2021, Iowa Code prohibits school districts from adopting or enforcing a policy that requires employees, students, or the public to wear a mask while on school property. Therefore, the use of face coverings will be optional for students, staff, and visitors.

 

Physical Distancing

 

Students and teachers must respect the physical space of others. Individuals are encouraged to maintain six feet of separation between themselves and others as much as possible. Group sizes will be limited as much as possible. Water fountains will be turned off or covered to prevent use; bottle fillers and sink faucets will be available for students to fill personal water bottles. All students will have access to lockers, but secondary aged students are encouraged to carry materials with them from class to class.

 

Illness Reporting

 

The Iowa Department of Public Health is no longer conducting contact tracing or investigations for all positive reports of COVID-19.  The IDPH is not issuing isolation or quarantine orders. In the absence of such support, the school district is extremely limited in its capacity to conduct contact tracing. In many instances, the district may not be informed of confirmed cases of COVID-19.

 

Parents will be updated on a weekly basis if confirmed cases of COVID-19 are reported to their child’s building. The district will also report to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) when more than 10% of students are absent from school. The local public health office will provide the school with recommendations and support tailored to the type(s) of illness(es) reported.

 

Anyone who is feeling ill should stay at home at least 24 hours after their symptoms resolve. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should stay at home for at least 10 days after their symptoms first appeared and go 24 hours with no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications).

 

Individuals who experience symptoms relating to COVID-19 or have a confirmed case are encouraged to report this to the school. The school nurse is available to answer specific questions.

 

 

Student Pre-Screening

 

Parents are asked to screen their children at home for fever (over 100.4 F) or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.  Students exhibiting any of these symptoms should not report to school; parents are encouraged to consult a medical professional. The school nurse is available to answer specific questions.

 

Prevention Strategies

 

Students and staff are expected to wash or sanitize their hands upon entering the building (i.e., first classroom a student enters), when entering and exiting individual classrooms, before and after eating, and when exiting building. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the buildings.

 

Students and staff are expected to cover their mouths with their upper arm or tissue when coughing or sneezing.  They are encouraged to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth. They are encouraged to avoid close contact with people who are sick.

 

While not required, vaccination for those eligible is the most effective way to prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19. Information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations is available at https://vaccinate.iowa.gov/.

 

School districts cannot require students, staff, or visitors to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. HF 899 prohibits the mandatory disclosure of vaccination as a condition of entry to a district facility.

 

Mitigation Strategies

 

Enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented throughout the day.  High touch areas will be sanitized daily; buildings will be deep cleaned twice a week.

 

Instructional Delivery

 

A growing body of research shows that most students prefer and achieve at higher levels when provided face-to-face instruction. Last year, Governor Reynolds stated that full-time, in-person instruction is the presumed teaching method and that “School districts...shall take all efforts to continue to safely provide in-person education throughout the school year.”  Although we have the flexibility to shift to virtual or remote instruction should the need arise, we are not in the position to provide both virtual and physical instruction simultaneously. Staffing and scheduling constraints also make hybrid instruction problematic.  Therefore, we will implement robust, full-time, in-person instruction while taking steps to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

 

ARP ESSER III Plan

Red Oak Community Schools

 

The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER III) Fund provides school districts resources to reopen, sustain safe operations, and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on students. To be an acceptable use of ESSER funds an expenditure must be necessary to “prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus” and reasonable in terms of cost.

 

The Red Oak CSD proposes the following uses for ESSER III funds.

 

 

Address Unfinished Learning:

 

• Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning (e.g., summer school);
• Planning and implementing activities relating to supplemental after-school programs (e.g., after school enrichment programs, study table at secondary campus);
• Contracting with community-based partners to provide after school enrichment programs; and
• Addressing learning loss or unfinished learning through targeted interventions as part of a multi-tiered system of supports (e.g., social skills groups, self-regulation supports, supplemental academic instruction)

 

Professional Development:

 

• Providing staff training on trauma sensitive care and restorative practices (e.g., inclusiveness, relationship building, problem solving);
• Providing staff training on standards-based planning, effective instructional practices, conditions of learning, and other professional responsibilities;
• Providing staff training on effective assessment and academic interventions;
• Purchasing flexible virtual training modules tailored to the needs of students and staff; and
• Contracting with guest speakers, consultants, and trainers to present to staff on topics such as curriculum, instruction, and assessment, targeted interventions, wellness, social-emotional learning, and other topics

 

Intervention Based Curriculum

 

• Purchasing research-based curricula that are aligned to state and local standards, use diagnostic assessments to determine student’s level of mastery of key concepts and skills, and include alternate or supplemental materials to differentiate instruction

 

Maintaining Consistent Operations and Continuity of Services:

 

• Subsidizing paraprofessional salaries; and
• Hiring additional general education and special education paraprofessionals

 

Providing Social, Emotional, Mental Health Services and Supports:

 

• Contracting for additional counseling services through Green Hills AEA;
• Enhancing Jr/Sr High School Beyond School program by including additional social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health instruction;
• Development and implementation of an after-school enrichment program at Inman Elementary School;
• Development and implementation of social and emotional learning and social skills instruction at the 7^th and 8^th grades;
• Implementation of evidence-based trauma informed instruction and supports (e.g., Conscious Discipline) to enhance behavior management and coping strategies at Inman Elementary; and
• Contracting with guest speakers and panelists to present to students and staff on topics such as self-care, goal setting, positivity, practicing gratitude, persistence, self-advocacy, social connectedness, healthy coping strategies, substance abuse, relaxation, nutrition, physical activity, etc.

 

Purchasing Educational Technology (e.g., hardware, software, connectivity, assistive and adaptive technology)

 

• Upgrading switches and internet access points to enhance connectivity;
• Upgrading servers to enhance connectivity;
• Enhancing network (i.e., cabling and fiber) infrastructure;
• Installing wireless routers on school busses to provide internet access to students traveling on daily bus routes or to and from district activities;
• Purchasing additional student and teacher devices and other instructional technology;
• Implementing a single sign-on authentication service at Inman Elementary allowing students to use one login credential;
• Implementing a System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) server to manage and safeguard devices;
• Purchasing charging stations for student and staff devices;
• Purchasing additional Chromebook device storage; and
• Creating a virtual learning space at the Red Oak Early Childhood Center

 

Purchasing Supplies to Sanitize and Clean Facilities

 

• • • • Purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure to the coronavirus;
      • Purchasing alcohol-based hand sanitizer to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus; and
      • Purchasing supplies to clean and disinfect district facilities

 

Facilities and Equipment

 

• Installation of ADA compliant playground equipment at Inman;
• Upgrading HVAC system at Inman Elementary to enhance air quality;
• Purchasing Picnic Tables at Inman Elementary; and
• Purchasing adaptive equipment to enhance interactions between students, peers, and classroom teachers