School District Reopening Plans presented to Board at Tuesday meeting
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
With public schools – and some charters – tentatively scheduled to start next month, a group of Monroe County School District task forces have offered up a draft of their “back-to-school” plans. It is hoped these plans will cover any eventuality arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawn up by an impressive array of District personnel toiling within five separate committees, they were presented to the School Board during Tuesday’s Zoomed meeting in by District employee Kristen Condella.
The 29-page draft, available online at https://www.keysschools.com/site/Default.aspx?PageID=6621 includes contributions from representatives from School Operations, Academics, Whole Child Supports, Distance Learning, and General Considerations task forces.
It envisions steps to be taken at each of three levels of urgency, with longtime Board member Andy Griffiths suggesting that “elements of each” plan could end up being put into action as necessity dictates.
The first category is Minimal Exposure Phase: Minimal to No Community Spread Risk.
“This phase is characterized by isolated cases with limited community transmission and case investigations,” the document reads. “There is no evidence of exposure in large community settings in this phase.”
At this level, staff will promote common sense stuff such as “teach and reinforce healthy hygiene; require sick students and staff to stay at home. continue remote work where necessary, follow CDC and DOH guidance for social distancing and cleaning; monitor public health indicators to adjust orders and restrictions as necessary,” and more.
During the second possibility, of Moderate Exposure Phase: Moderate Community Spread Risk, “This phase includes sustained transmission with likelihood or confirmed exposure and potential for rapid increase in cases.”
District protocols in this phase will include measures to “implement multiple social distancing strategies for gatherings, classrooms, movement through the school and transportation.”
Personnel will “consider ways to accommodate needs of children and families at high-risk; coordinate with local health officials; enact procedures for community notification and press releases; continue or enable telework where necessary; follow CDC and DOH guidance for social distancing and cleaning; and monitor public health indicators to adjust orders and restrictions as necessary.”
The Substantial Exposure Phase: Substantial Community Spread Risk “is defined by large-scale community transmission, including communal settings.”
Here, staff would implement multiple social distancing strategies for gatherings, classrooms, movement through the school and transportation methods, with extended school closures; consider ways to accommodate needs of children and families at high-risk; coordinate with local health officials; enable telework where possible; and continue to follow CDC and DOH guidance for social distancing and cleaning; and monitor public health indicators to adjust orders and restrictions as necessary.
“[The plan] was developed with the utmost care in partnership with the Monroe County Health Department to provide for the health and safety of both students and staff,” wrote incoming Superintendent of Schools Theresa N. Axford in the introduction. “As always, we will do our best to provide the best possible education for all of our students despite these difficult times.”
Over at Sigsbee Charter School, Principal Eli Jannes said her school is looking at the COVID-19 situation as “an opportunity to re-imagine what education should look like.
“Of course, the focus is on bringing the students and staff back to school safely,” Jannes said. “We take that obligation very seriously. And, we are not just concerned about physical safety, but also everyone’s emotional well being, academic growth, and opportunities for social engagement.”
She called the District’s plan a good place for her school to turn in preparing for incoming students.
“We too are organizing our plans around the three phases, and concentrating our efforts on Phase B (moderate spread,”) she said. “In the past decade, we’ve recreated a school, helped families through a government shutdown, and navigated a hurricane. We never thought we would be adding a pandemic . . . I have always been able to rely on the tenaciousness and passion of my staff, as well as the support of our school and community. No one pauses when our children need us. We’re going to make it work . . .”
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