Please scroll through this presentation to learn more about our:
- increased cleaning procedures
- transportation
- procedures to improve physical safety
- contact tracing and quarantine protocols for students/staff who are in close contact with individuals with COVID-19
- protocols for students/staff/visitors who display COVID-19 symptoms at school
- protocols for students/staff/visitors who test positive for COVID-19 or display symptoms and are presumed positive
- protocols for face covering requirements per the PA Department of Health
- classroom layout and expectations for physical space between students
- cafeteria spacing and layout
INCREASED CLEANING PROCEDURES
Through our increased cleaning procedures, Cumberland Valley School District will:
- enhance cleaning protocols through the use of approved hospital-grade cleaners
- provide staff with cleaning kits and with training regarding effective cleaning practices
- clean throughout the day utilizing a variety of staff members
- ensure frequent disinfecting of high touch surfaces (door handles, sink fixtures, light switches, etc.)
- set air handlers in all buildings to exchange air four times per hour, which exceeds research-based recommendations of three times per hour
In addition to enhanced cleaning procedures, we will continue to encourage and educate students about proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
DISTRICT PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
- School start times have been staggered to ensure 50% or less bus capacity can be achieved across the District.
- Face coverings will be required while entering, riding, and exiting all District transportation.
- Vehicles used to provide District transportation will undergo enhanced cleaning at regular intervals and between all transportation runs.
- Vehicles will be loaded from back to front and unloaded from front to back to prevent students from passing one another in close quarters.
PROCEDURES TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL SAFETY
In a continued effort to improve physical safety for our students and staff, Cumberland Valley School District is:
- installing physical barriers (plexiglass) in offices
- transitioning traditional water fountains to bottle filling stations in each building
- implementing procedures for pre-screenings, to include temperature checks prior to entry to each school building
- encouraging staff to hold all meetings virtually when possible
- limiting visitors to appointments only in all District buildings
- Installing floor markings in areas where queueing is likely and encouraging one-way movement throughout buildings where possible in an effort to promote social distancing
- prohibiting the use of shared materials wherever possible
- providing hand sanitizer stations throughout buildings
- providing staff with professional development opportunities in school hygiene and safety practices
- amending dismissal protocols to eliminate opportunities for students to congregate
CONTACT TRACING PROTOCOLS
Please remain assured that:
- multiple District personnel have undergone training to become certified contact tracers
- in an effort to determine who meets the CDC’s definition of “close contact,” coordinated efforts will occur through the District Office for employee or student cases requiring contact tracing -contact tracing will include both the day the student/staff member presented with symptoms and the 48 hours prior
- student seating charts are being required when possible to increase the efficiency of tracing
- existing security camera infrastructure will be utilized to assist in tracing potential exposures in common areas of our buildings
- communication guidelines have been developed to ensure that individuals potentially exposed to COVID-19 are notified promptly and guidelines are in place to identify who must quarantine
- the District will maintain open lines of communication with state and local health officials to help protect the greater CV community
Close contact is defined by the CDC and PA Department of Health as being within 6 feet of a positive or symptomatic individual for 15 minutes or more.
PROTOCOLS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC
- Symptomatic students will be assumed positive and isolated in a COVID safe area until they can be released to a parent or guardian.
- Symptomatic personnel will leave District grounds immediately.
- Symptomatic students and staff will be asked to quarantine for at least 10 days post-symptom onset, must be symptom free without the utilization of medication, and must have a note from a physician indicating they can return.
- The presence of a symptomatic individual in a District building will immediately initiate contact tracing protocols.
- If school is in session, areas of the building may be closed, however, the school will not be evacuated or closed immediately as per guidance from the CDC.
- Once students and their parents or staff who have been in close contact with a symptomatic individual are identified and contacted, the District will provide notification to families and staff within the impacted building.
- Enhanced cleaning will occur in the impacted building and may result in a 24-48 hour building closure.
- The District will notify the Department of Health of any positive or presumptively positive (individual is symptomatic, tested, and is awaiting results) case.
PROTOCOLS FOR POSITIVE CASES
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined from District properties until one of the following criteria are met:
- 10 days post-symptom onset and 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication
- 2 negative test results at least 24 hours apart
All individuals returning after a positive test must present a physician note indicating the individual is cleared to return.
If the District was not aware prior, notification of a positive case will immediately begin activation of contact tracing protocols. A positive case in a building will result in a classroom or building closure for 24-48 hours to allow for enhanced cleaning protocols to occur. Once students and their parents or staff who have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive are identified and contacted the district will provide notification to families and staff within the impacted building and provide notification to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
PROTOCOLS FOR FACE COVERINGS AT SCHOOL
- Students and staff members are required to wear face coverings in all District buildings as ordered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Governor's Office. The only exception is for students who have a 504 plan or IEP on file that documents the specific need for an exemption from wearing any approved face covering.
- Students should bring a minimum of two face coverings to school each day and will not be admitted onto District transportation or into District facilities without wearing one or without a documented exemption.
- Face coverings should be worn while in hallways and whenever you are within 6 feet of another individual. This may include classrooms where it is not possible to place desks 6 feet apart.
- Face coverings must be worn while riding on District transportation.
EXPECTATIONS FOR CLASSROOM LAYOUTS
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended 3-6 feet of distance between desks when possible, which the District has committed to practice.
- Per AAP guidance, desks will all face the same direction.
- Classroom layouts may look different based upon grade level and building.
- To facilitate effective cleaning, some furniture from classrooms may be removed and stored during the pandemic.
EXPECTATIONS FOR CAFETERIA LAYOUT AND SEATING
- Seats available for students will be marked to ensure students remain physically distant.
- Lunch lines will be rerouted to eliminate crowding.
- Dots will be installed on floors to prompt distancing while queued in line.
- Cash will be accepted, however, change will not be provided to reduce hand-to-hand transactions- change owed will be credited to the student account.
- All food and drinks will be placed onto student trays or into grab and go containers by cafeteria staff.
- Plastic food trays will be utilized to distribute meals - trays will be sanitized after use.