Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2020 9:58:32 GMT -5
NY schools reopening: We read 145 pages of rules on masks and woodwinds so you don’t have to
Posted Jul 18, 2020
Schools in New York will not require coronavirus testing among students or staff members, according to more detailed guidance released this week by the state’s Department of Education.
That decision follows current guidance Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a 145-page report on reopening guidance released Thursday.
Much of the information in the school guidance report is expected: Lots of cleaning and handwashing. Fewer students moving around the school. More open (interior) doors, which lessens the need to touch knobs.
But within the guidance are some clues about what still might be allowed in schools.
Gym equipment must be routinely cleaned. Woodwind instruments must be cleaned between each use — though another part of the report says instruments should not be shared.
Students who sing must stand 12 feet apart. Better yet: Sing outside.
The state’s guidelines set a framework for school districts to follow this fall. The state isn’t ordering districts to follow one kind of schedule. It’ll be up to each district to choose from all in-person classes, all-remote classes or a hybrid.
And the report leaves many decisions up to local districts. For example, it doesn’t say whether afterschool programs are allowed. Instead, the state is encouraging districts to collaborate with community partners, such as afterschool program providers, to meet students’ needs.
Districts and schools must submit their plans to the state by July 31.
Before instruction begins, the state wants educators to start by settling the students. Districts should consider a “transition period to support the social and emotional well-being and resiliency of students before beginning to phase in academic content,” the guidance says.
“It is unrealistic to expect that students will return to instruction as they left it months ago,” the guidance says. “Students have experienced an extremely stressful, and for many, traumatic experience while isolated from school, friends, and community.”
Here are some highlights from the full report:
Art
All arts classrooms, sinks and other shared materials and surfaces should be cleaned following federal CDC guidelines. Schools should consider asking students to maintain individual kits of “high touch” supplies such as scissors, markers, pencils and erasers.
Arrival and dismissal
To lessen crowding, the state recommends staggering arrival and dismissal times for students. This might include different times for parental drop-off and pick-up. Students may be directed to enter/exit the school through specific doors, to keep fewer people from congregating at one main doorway.
Attendance
Schools must take attendance, including among students who are learning remotely.
“Schools must develop a mechanism to collect and report daily teacher student engagement or attendance,” the report says. “While this requirement is straightforward in an in-person setting, a procedure should be developed to make daily contact with students in remote or hybrid settings.”
Cleaning
Schools must clean high-traffic spots many times throughout the day. This includes: tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards and tablets, toilets and restrooms, faucets and sinks.
That’s in addition to repeated schoolwide cleaning, including in classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, libraries, playgrounds and buses.
Closings
Schools and local health officials will set parameters (such as increased absenteeism) that could trigger a schoolwide closure. If Covid-19 cases arise, schools may consider modifying operations rather than shutting down fully. “School administrators should consider closing school if absentee rates impact the ability of the school to operate safely,” the report says.
Covid-19 testing
It’s up to healthcare providers or local health officials to determine whether testing is needed at a school. That doesn’t rule out large-scale testing at a school; rather, that should be the decision of health professionals, rather than educators, the guidance says.
Emergency drills
Evacuation and lockdown drills will continue amid the coronavirus. Schools can modify the practice. For example, a fire drill might include only a few classrooms at a time. Lockdown drills may include instruction about sheltering in place, without physical movement.
Handwashing
Everybody will be washing their hands more, according to the guidelines. This might even mean setting up portable handwashing stations. At a minimum, the state says wash your hands:
Upon entering the building and each classroom;
After using shared objects or surfaces (e.g. electronic devices, musical instruments, writing utensils, tools, toys, desks or table tops);
Before and after snacks and lunch;
After using the bathroom;
After helping a student with toileting;
After sneezing, wiping or blowing nose, or coughing into hands;
Upon coming in from outdoors; and
Anytime hands are visibly soiled.
Kindergarten
It’s possible schools may shorten half-day and full-day pre-K and kindergarten schedules to allow for cleaning. Half days could go from 3 hours to 2 ½ hours a day. Full-time could go from six hours to five hours, under existing state regulations.
Masks
Masks will be required for all staff, students and visitors. Schools must have supplies. Schools must also figure out policies for “mask breaks” for students. “Face coverings may be challenging for students (especially younger students) to wear in all-day settings such as school,” the guidance says.
The state suggests schools have at least one disposable mask for each student each week, for times when students forget their mask or need a new one. For teachers, the recommendation is five per week. For health staff, it’s 10 per week.
Meals
Schools must provide meals to all students, whether they are attending in person or remotely. Schools should also remind families they can submit new applications for free or reduced-price lunches.
Schools may explore more grab-and-go kiosks, which can be set up at different points in school. Some students may eat in classrooms. Students will be discouraged from sharing foods.
Other possible changes can include: different payment methods, more vending machines, a la carte sales.
Music
When students sing or play wind instrument, staff must ensure everyone is 12 feet apart in all directions. The state is encouraging schools to consider moving chorus practice outside, when possible.
Naps
Napping material should be sanitized between uses. When possible, schools should try to assign each student his or her own mats or other sleeping material for the year.
Nebulizer treatments
These and other aerosol-generating procedures should be done in separate rooms with health staff wearing protective gear, including an N-95 or surgical face mask.
Phys ed
Students engaged in physical activity should be spread out 12 feet apart. Instructors may want to use a microphone to give instructions, because of the distancing. The state urges more focus on individual pursuits or skills rather than traditional team sports.
Periodic questionnaires
In addition to daily temperature checks, schools should periodically screen students and/or parents with a questionnaire about possible exposure, travel and/or Covid-19 testing. These can be done in apps, online or on paper. “Schools must take steps to ensure that any process has multiple avenues of completion and is not used as a basis to exclude students from school,” the guidance says.
Playgrounds
Schools can keep playgrounds open “when proper safeguards are in place.” In elementary schools, this could mean staggering playground time by individual classes.
Positive cases
In addition to temperature checks, schools must isolate and supervise any students with temperatures and/or other symptoms until they can leave campus.
Schools or districts should set up two health care areas, if possible: one for regular illnesses and a second to isolate suspected Covid-19 infections.
Return of recovered students and staff
People who have had Covid-19 should stay home until:
It has been at least 10 days since the individual first had symptoms;
It has been at least three days since the individual has had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); and,
It has been at least three days since the individual’s symptoms improved, including cough and shortness of breath.
School buses
Students and drivers will wear masks on buses. Staff must train students about social distancing on the buses and at stops. Districts must perform regular school bus disinfection measures. All buses must be disinfected once a day.
When the temperature is 45 degrees or higher, the roof hatches or windows on the bus should be opened slightly.
Students who do not have a mask cannot be denied transportation; one should be provided by the district.
Students with a disability which would prevent them from wearing a mask will not be forced to do so and will not be denied transportation.
Students from the same household should be encouraged to sit together.
Hand sanitizer will not be permitted on buses because it is combustible, the guidance says. “School bus drivers, monitors and attendants must not carry personal bottles of hand sanitizer with them on school buses.”
Technology
Schools should see to provide students and teachers with access to some sort of computer, such as a desktop, laptop or tablet, “to the extent practicable.
It doesn’t say how districts would pay for this.
The guidance also suggests schools provide reliable access to high-speed internet. That could include boosting wifi signals from schools into parking lots.
The guidance also says schools must provide instruction in other ways if students don’t have access to a computer or the internet.
Temperature checks
The state says schools should use plastic or glass barriers separating students and staff during initial temperature checks. If that is not possible, the state says staff should wear a mask, googles or face shield, and disposable gloves during checks.
Water fountains
The state requires there be a water fountain for every 100 students. That means some fountains could be disabled, depending on the campus. The state suggests schools install water bottle filling machines or distributed bottled water.
www.syracuse.com/schools/2020/07/ny-schools-reopening-we-read-145-pages-of-rules-on-masks-and-woodwinds-so-you-dont-have-to.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Good%20Morning%2C%20CNY%207-20-20&utm_term=Newsletter_good_morning_cny
Not sure if I could remember all this. I can see opening day(s) now. LOL
Posted Jul 18, 2020
Schools in New York will not require coronavirus testing among students or staff members, according to more detailed guidance released this week by the state’s Department of Education.
That decision follows current guidance Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a 145-page report on reopening guidance released Thursday.
Much of the information in the school guidance report is expected: Lots of cleaning and handwashing. Fewer students moving around the school. More open (interior) doors, which lessens the need to touch knobs.
But within the guidance are some clues about what still might be allowed in schools.
Gym equipment must be routinely cleaned. Woodwind instruments must be cleaned between each use — though another part of the report says instruments should not be shared.
Students who sing must stand 12 feet apart. Better yet: Sing outside.
The state’s guidelines set a framework for school districts to follow this fall. The state isn’t ordering districts to follow one kind of schedule. It’ll be up to each district to choose from all in-person classes, all-remote classes or a hybrid.
And the report leaves many decisions up to local districts. For example, it doesn’t say whether afterschool programs are allowed. Instead, the state is encouraging districts to collaborate with community partners, such as afterschool program providers, to meet students’ needs.
Districts and schools must submit their plans to the state by July 31.
Before instruction begins, the state wants educators to start by settling the students. Districts should consider a “transition period to support the social and emotional well-being and resiliency of students before beginning to phase in academic content,” the guidance says.
“It is unrealistic to expect that students will return to instruction as they left it months ago,” the guidance says. “Students have experienced an extremely stressful, and for many, traumatic experience while isolated from school, friends, and community.”
Here are some highlights from the full report:
Art
All arts classrooms, sinks and other shared materials and surfaces should be cleaned following federal CDC guidelines. Schools should consider asking students to maintain individual kits of “high touch” supplies such as scissors, markers, pencils and erasers.
Arrival and dismissal
To lessen crowding, the state recommends staggering arrival and dismissal times for students. This might include different times for parental drop-off and pick-up. Students may be directed to enter/exit the school through specific doors, to keep fewer people from congregating at one main doorway.
Attendance
Schools must take attendance, including among students who are learning remotely.
“Schools must develop a mechanism to collect and report daily teacher student engagement or attendance,” the report says. “While this requirement is straightforward in an in-person setting, a procedure should be developed to make daily contact with students in remote or hybrid settings.”
Cleaning
Schools must clean high-traffic spots many times throughout the day. This includes: tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards and tablets, toilets and restrooms, faucets and sinks.
That’s in addition to repeated schoolwide cleaning, including in classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, libraries, playgrounds and buses.
Closings
Schools and local health officials will set parameters (such as increased absenteeism) that could trigger a schoolwide closure. If Covid-19 cases arise, schools may consider modifying operations rather than shutting down fully. “School administrators should consider closing school if absentee rates impact the ability of the school to operate safely,” the report says.
Covid-19 testing
It’s up to healthcare providers or local health officials to determine whether testing is needed at a school. That doesn’t rule out large-scale testing at a school; rather, that should be the decision of health professionals, rather than educators, the guidance says.
Emergency drills
Evacuation and lockdown drills will continue amid the coronavirus. Schools can modify the practice. For example, a fire drill might include only a few classrooms at a time. Lockdown drills may include instruction about sheltering in place, without physical movement.
Handwashing
Everybody will be washing their hands more, according to the guidelines. This might even mean setting up portable handwashing stations. At a minimum, the state says wash your hands:
Upon entering the building and each classroom;
After using shared objects or surfaces (e.g. electronic devices, musical instruments, writing utensils, tools, toys, desks or table tops);
Before and after snacks and lunch;
After using the bathroom;
After helping a student with toileting;
After sneezing, wiping or blowing nose, or coughing into hands;
Upon coming in from outdoors; and
Anytime hands are visibly soiled.
Kindergarten
It’s possible schools may shorten half-day and full-day pre-K and kindergarten schedules to allow for cleaning. Half days could go from 3 hours to 2 ½ hours a day. Full-time could go from six hours to five hours, under existing state regulations.
Masks
Masks will be required for all staff, students and visitors. Schools must have supplies. Schools must also figure out policies for “mask breaks” for students. “Face coverings may be challenging for students (especially younger students) to wear in all-day settings such as school,” the guidance says.
The state suggests schools have at least one disposable mask for each student each week, for times when students forget their mask or need a new one. For teachers, the recommendation is five per week. For health staff, it’s 10 per week.
Meals
Schools must provide meals to all students, whether they are attending in person or remotely. Schools should also remind families they can submit new applications for free or reduced-price lunches.
Schools may explore more grab-and-go kiosks, which can be set up at different points in school. Some students may eat in classrooms. Students will be discouraged from sharing foods.
Other possible changes can include: different payment methods, more vending machines, a la carte sales.
Music
When students sing or play wind instrument, staff must ensure everyone is 12 feet apart in all directions. The state is encouraging schools to consider moving chorus practice outside, when possible.
Naps
Napping material should be sanitized between uses. When possible, schools should try to assign each student his or her own mats or other sleeping material for the year.
Nebulizer treatments
These and other aerosol-generating procedures should be done in separate rooms with health staff wearing protective gear, including an N-95 or surgical face mask.
Phys ed
Students engaged in physical activity should be spread out 12 feet apart. Instructors may want to use a microphone to give instructions, because of the distancing. The state urges more focus on individual pursuits or skills rather than traditional team sports.
Periodic questionnaires
In addition to daily temperature checks, schools should periodically screen students and/or parents with a questionnaire about possible exposure, travel and/or Covid-19 testing. These can be done in apps, online or on paper. “Schools must take steps to ensure that any process has multiple avenues of completion and is not used as a basis to exclude students from school,” the guidance says.
Playgrounds
Schools can keep playgrounds open “when proper safeguards are in place.” In elementary schools, this could mean staggering playground time by individual classes.
Positive cases
In addition to temperature checks, schools must isolate and supervise any students with temperatures and/or other symptoms until they can leave campus.
Schools or districts should set up two health care areas, if possible: one for regular illnesses and a second to isolate suspected Covid-19 infections.
Return of recovered students and staff
People who have had Covid-19 should stay home until:
It has been at least 10 days since the individual first had symptoms;
It has been at least three days since the individual has had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); and,
It has been at least three days since the individual’s symptoms improved, including cough and shortness of breath.
School buses
Students and drivers will wear masks on buses. Staff must train students about social distancing on the buses and at stops. Districts must perform regular school bus disinfection measures. All buses must be disinfected once a day.
When the temperature is 45 degrees or higher, the roof hatches or windows on the bus should be opened slightly.
Students who do not have a mask cannot be denied transportation; one should be provided by the district.
Students with a disability which would prevent them from wearing a mask will not be forced to do so and will not be denied transportation.
Students from the same household should be encouraged to sit together.
Hand sanitizer will not be permitted on buses because it is combustible, the guidance says. “School bus drivers, monitors and attendants must not carry personal bottles of hand sanitizer with them on school buses.”
Technology
Schools should see to provide students and teachers with access to some sort of computer, such as a desktop, laptop or tablet, “to the extent practicable.
It doesn’t say how districts would pay for this.
The guidance also suggests schools provide reliable access to high-speed internet. That could include boosting wifi signals from schools into parking lots.
The guidance also says schools must provide instruction in other ways if students don’t have access to a computer or the internet.
Temperature checks
The state says schools should use plastic or glass barriers separating students and staff during initial temperature checks. If that is not possible, the state says staff should wear a mask, googles or face shield, and disposable gloves during checks.
Water fountains
The state requires there be a water fountain for every 100 students. That means some fountains could be disabled, depending on the campus. The state suggests schools install water bottle filling machines or distributed bottled water.
www.syracuse.com/schools/2020/07/ny-schools-reopening-we-read-145-pages-of-rules-on-masks-and-woodwinds-so-you-dont-have-to.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Good%20Morning%2C%20CNY%207-20-20&utm_term=Newsletter_good_morning_cny
Not sure if I could remember all this. I can see opening day(s) now. LOL