BCSD Back to school COVID-19 plan

We believe strongly that our students need to be in school! We will open the school year with full, in-person days. We will continue to monitor our community numbers and make decisions accordingly. We will review our plan by the following dates, unless significant changes in our community numbers occur:

November 15, 2021

January 17, 2022

March 2022

Prevention

∙ Ventilation systems opened for increased air exchange;

∙ Clearly visible signage posted on entrances/buses to communicate symptoms, preventative measures, and good hygiene;

∙ Established location in each building for students and staff showing symptoms of infection. Individuals will remain in the location until they can return home;

∙ Practical social distancing and incorporating pods;

∙ Connecting parents/guardians with school nurse for testing and/or screening upon request.

Stop the Spread of Germs – We recommend:

∙ Washing your hands often for a minimum of 20 seconds;

∙ Staying 6 feet apart or as practical as possible;

∙ Refraining from touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;

∙ Covering your coughs and sneezes and wash hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing;

∙ Staying home if you are sick and/or showing symptoms including: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever or chills, muscle or body aches, vomiting or diarrhea and new loss of taste or smell;

∙ Cleaning frequently touched surfaces often; and

∙ Wearing a face covering/mask, if unvaccinated - Mask DOs: have two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric, completely cover your nose and mouth, fit snugly against the sides of your face and don’t have gaps, have a nose wire to prevent air from leaking out of the top of the mask.

Vaccination

The CDC notes, “Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.” In our community, we know parents/guardians have strong opinions about vaccinations. As a school district, we believe parents/guardians need to make the decision concerning vaccinations for their child(ren). We will not be requiring any student or staff member to be vaccinated. Please call Panhandle Health, (208) 267-5558 , or your doctor for vaccination information.

Intensive Surveillance – Following our Crisis Response and Prevention Guide

When virus illness activity has been reported in the community by an official source, such as Panhandle Health, less than 10% school absenteeism due to illness is occurring, but numbers have increased from the previous day then the following will occur:

• Principals will monitor daily attendance for absences due to illness.
• Principals will ask teachers to monitor for illness and report throughout the day.
• Those students who report positive for symptoms will be sent to the office and parents/guardians notified.
• A Daily Pandemic Census Report will be completed at each school and sent to the superintendent. These will be shared with Panhandle Health. o In conjunction with Panhandle Health the decision to cancel school may be made. The usual communication devices will be implemented to communicate with district staff and families.
• Ongoing monitoring of daily absences will occur until either the activity in the community has been deemed safe by an official source or daily absences fall below 7%.

Our plan reflects three categories: Green – Category 1, Yellow – Category 2, and Red-Category 3. Our local School Board will govern the category we are operating under.

BCSD’s Category Definitions Student Instruction

Category 1 (Green) No/Isolated/Minimal Transmission (PHD - Green 1 or Yellow 2)

Students will attend school full time in-person. We will continue to implement the prevention measures identified above.

Category 2 (Yellow) Moderate Transmission (PHD – Orange 3)

Students will attend in-person. The school board may quarantine classroom(s), schools, and/or the entire district based on numbers.

Category 3 (Red) Substantial Transmission

Students will attend school remotely for short closures. Individualized plans will be in place for at-risk students. This will only be considered by the school board, if we are experiencing 20+% absenteeism due to the virus.

Below is the criteria the School Board may use to determine the category of each school using positive/probable positive cases. Quarantined students are not counted in the numbers. The school board will consider community information and hospital capacity:

(Closures at individual schools may occur, if we do not have enough staff to run the building.)

Protocol If We Have a Confirmed (Positive/Probable Positive) COVID – 19 Case

If a student and/or staff member is confirmed for COVID – 19, please notify the district as soon as possible. Thank you for communicating with us. ∙ Building(s) may close for 1-3 days for additional cleaning and/or contact tracing. Remote learning for all students is expected during short closures. The district will work closely with Panhandle Health to communicate potential exposure/close contact to students and staff while maintaining confidentiality as required.

The definition we are using for close contact is “any individual who was within 3 feet for at least 15 minutes over a 24 hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset.”

Below is the protocol for students and staff in close contact with a confirmed COVID – 19 individual

∙ Close contact students/staff will receive a letter stating they may have been exposed, must wear a mask to stay in school, and watch for symptoms;

∙ If they choose not to wear a mask, then they must stay home for 10 days.

∙ On day 7 if parents/guardians or staff member choose to have a test at our local hospital, and the test is negative, then the student/staff member may return to school on day 8.

∙ If symptoms appear, please contact your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider or if you are under insured, please call Panhandle Health.

∙ The student and/or staff member may return to school/work when the following criteria are met:

• Minimum of 10 days have passed since positive test date; or
• Minimum of 10 days since symptoms appeared; and
• Symptoms are improving; and
• No fever for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medication.

∙ If a student/staff member tests positive, then the individual will be exempt from further quarantining.

∙ If a staff member/student is fully vaccinated and 14 days has passed since being vaccinated they will not be quarantined.

Vulnerable Students

∙ Students may attend school from home using Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA).

Vulnerable Staff

∙ We will follow CDC definitions and/or physician documentation.

∙ Reasonable accommodations will be made.

∙ Please check with the payroll and personnel clerk for your available options.

Learning Loss Plan and Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs for Students