CENTER FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS

REOPENING/MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR THE DISTRICT

SY 2020-2021

 

This document reflects mitigation strategies based on guidance/benchmarks for the safe return of in-person, teacher led classroom instruction. Based on information from the Cochise County Health Officials, community needs and available resources as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) preliminary information. CAS will analyze the situation as it develops, and this plan is subject to change as needed taking into account the level of community transmission and based on the benchmark recommendations released by Arizona Department of Health Services.

 

CAS recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic is in flux and there could be other guidelines and/or restrictions that will affect our plan.

 

SCHOOL OPENING

CAS will engage and encourage everyone in the school and community to practice preventive behaviors.  These are the most important actions and will support schools’ safe reopening.

CAS has a priority for opening and staying open enabling students to receive both academic instruction and support as well as critical services.  Providing a safe, in-person learning space.

 

SCHOOL CLOSURES AND QUARANTINE

Any school closures will be determined in conjunction with county and state health departments.  Parents will be notified immediately, and a distance learning environment will be provided for the required closure period.

In the case of a quarantine period, students will be provided with resources to continue their learning remotely.  Teachers will be equipped to connect students to learning through virtual technologies.  Depending upon the duration of the quarantine, students will be provided a virtual learning environment, which would include instruction from their regular teacher.  Enrollment in the online option may be considered should the duration of the quarantine be extended.

Recommendations for quarantine and discontinuation of isolation precautions and home isolation, based upon a person’s symptoms and clinical testing are below:

 

• If a person is symptomatic and awaiting** COVID-19 test results:

o Stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until results are available. If results are delayed, follow guidance for symptomatic and tested positive for COVD-19. Once results are available, follow the recommendations below based on results.

• If a person is symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing, stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until:
  • At least 10 days* have passed since symptoms first appeared; AND
  • At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers; AND
  • Other symptoms have
• If a person is symptomatic and tested negative** for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing, stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until:
  • At least 24’hours have passed since last fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers; AND
  • Other symptoms have
• If a person is symptomatic and has not been tested** for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing, stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until:
  • At least 1O days* have passed since symptoms first appeared; AND
  • At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers; AND
  • Other symptoms have
• If a person is asymptomatic and awaiting** COVID-19 test results:
  • No isolation is required while waiting for test results. Take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Once results are available, follow recommendations based on results.
• If a person is asymptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing, stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until:
• At least 10 days* have passed since specimen collection of the first positive COVID-19 PCR/antigen testing while If symptoms develop, follow guidance for symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19.
• If a person is asymptomatic and tested positive** for COVID-19 by serology:
• No isolation is required since there is a low likelihood of active infection. Take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• If a person is asymptomatic and tested negative** for COVID-19 by PCR, antigen testing, or serology:
  • No isolation is required. Take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• If a person has other non-compatible symptoms and has not been tested for COVID-19, stay home away from others or under isolation precautions until:
  • At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers; AND
  • Other symptoms have

 

In consideration of these criteria above, outlined below are expanded definitions and guidance for isolation and quarantine, disseminated as public health guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

1. Close contact for COVID-19 is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is
2. Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not
3. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. For COVID-19, this means staying home or in a private room with a private bathroom for 14 days after last contact with a person who has COVID-19.
4. Severe/critical illness: Illness due to COVID-19 that required any intensive care during
5. Severely immunocompromised means you have:
   • Been taking chemotherapy for cancer recently;
   • HIV and a CD4 T-cell count <200;
   • An immunodeficiency disorder;
   • Been taking high-dose steroids (like prednisone 20mg/day for >14days); OR
   • Another condition that a healthcare provider has told you makes you severely immunocompromised.

 

6. Symptomatic: People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. Public Health will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

 

PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Parents will have the option to choose an online distance learning track or an in-person track depending what they believe is best for their children.  In-person and online tracks may vary by school.  Please refer to the sections on In-Person, Hybrid, and Online Distance Learning beginning on page 4.

Parents will be required to check their child’s temperature each morning before school, as well as check for any COVID-19 related symptoms.  If any symptoms are detected, the parent will keep the child at home. If a student exhibits symptoms at school, they will be temperature checked in the office and be sent home if any symptoms exist.

Parents are responsible for providing their children with a face covering.

 

FACE COVERINGS

General Guidelines:

• All students and staff must wear masks (a cloth face covering or surgical/disposable mask).
• All parents, visitors and vendors must adhere to our mask procedure.
• Classroom teachers will give students “mask wearing breaks” at appropriate intervals (appropriate social distancing and mask hygiene will be observed).
• Students and staff will follow all safety protocols, including wearing face coverings indoors and outdoors when six-foot physical distancing cannot be maintained.
• Cloth face coverings and surgical masks should:
  • Fit snugly but comfortably against the face.
  • Be secured with ties or ear loops (if applicable).
  • Include multiple layers of fabric (if a gaiter is worn, it must be made of a dense woven fabric and not a stretchy material).
  • Allow for breathing without restriction.
  • (If cloth) Laundered and machine dried after each use without damage or change of shape.
  • (If surgical) Disposed of after each use.
• Students and staff may also wear face shields. Shields must be worn with a cloth face covering or a surgical mask when six feet or more cannot be maintained.
  • Shields must not be damaged and must be cleaned regularly.
  • When removing the face shield, do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth and wash hands immediately upon removal with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Before putting on a cloth face covering, gaiter or surgical mask, thoroughly clean your hands with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• When putting on the cloth face covering or surgical mask, do not touch the fabric or barrier that will cover your nose and mouth. Make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
• Be careful not to touch your face while using a cloth face covering or surgical mask. If you do, wash hands immediately with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If you need to remove your mask, store it in a protected area that others cannot access, such as in a bag.
• When removing the cloth face covering or surgical mask, do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth and wash hands immediately upon removal with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cloth face coverings should be laundered on a daily basis.
• Surgical masks are to be used on a single occasion and then thrown out.
• Do not wear cloth face coverings or surgical masks that are soiled, contaminated, damaged or broken.

 

Sierra Vista

Masks or face shields will be required for the Kinder – 12^th grades, or when 6 ft. of social distancing cannot be maintained.

School staff and any visitors to the campus are also required to wear a face covering.

Douglas

Masks or face shields will be required for the Kinder – 12^th grades, or when 6 ft. of social distancing cannot be maintained.

School staff and any visitors to the campus are also required to wear a face covering.

Exemptions

Facial covering exemptions will be permitted with medical clearance from a licensed health care provider for students and/or staff who fall under the CDC guidance of those who should not wear a face covering due to a medical or mental health condition or developmental disability.

 

 

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

• School Staff will be required to complete a Daily Certification prior to entering campus (https://www.sparrow.org/OccHealthScreening).  When the employee reports to work, he/she will show the green checkmark screen to the Building Coordinator.  If the employee has identified that he/she has COVID-19 symptoms, and has received a red checkmark, that employee will be unable to report to work and must contact his/her supervisor.

 

• The school will monitor students for symptoms during the day but students’ temperatures will only be checked if symptoms are exhibited. The school will not be taking the temperatures of students daily; this is the responsibility of parents.  Should a student begin to feel unwell after arriving at school, then school staff will take the student’s temperature twice; if it is elevated to 100.4 or higher, the parent/guardian will be called to come pick up the student within 30 minutes.

 

• The schools’ gates will open for students at 7:30 a.m. (Please note:  Sierra Vista 9^th-12^th grades will not be allowed on campus until 8:30 a.m. due to their 9:00 a.m. class start time).  There will not be any before care provided this year.  Upon arrival on campus, students will report directly to their assigned classroom.

 

• Students will be dismissed by staggering departure choice (walkers, bike riders, parent pickup, etc.).

 

STUDENTS OR STAFF WITH SYMPTOMS

• If students or staff display symptoms as they are about to enter campus, they will be asked to go home.

 

• If students or staff display symptoms later in the school day, staff will be asked to go home and students will be sent to an isolation room until a parent or emergency contact arrives for them.  Parents/guardians MUST pick up their sick student within 30 minutes of notification by the school.

 

SIGNING IN OR SIGNING OUT STUDENTS

• No outside visitors or volunteers will be permitted on campus unless it is for the safety and well-being of a student.  Parents will not be allowed in the building unless it is for safety or well-being of their child.  When parents are allowed in the building, they must follow safety protocols.

 

• When a parent comes to pick up a sick child, they will call from their cell phone and a staff member will walk the child out to the car.  The parent will be asked to show ID.

 

• Office staff will be behind a plexiglass to limit interaction with staff and students.

 

• If parents, guardians, or emergency contacts will be signing out students, standard procedures will continue, such as asking for identification.

 

• Custodians will be asked to promptly disinfect areas that the sick child was in.

 

ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING

The class schedule for distance learning will follow the normal school day.  Students will be expected to be online working on their coursework during those times.  Their daily attendance has to be reported to the state; therefore, it is very important that they are logged into the online platform AND that they are making progress.  Simply being logged in, but making no academic progress, will not count as attendance.

Once a parent chooses the online option, that commitment will be for a minimum of one semester.  At the semester break (December 2020), the parent will be able to evaluate their students’ progress to help them determine if this continues to be the best learning option for their students.  Should the parent determine that their students have not been successful with online learning, then they will have the option to put them back into regular, in-person learning at the school beginning January 2021.

Technology and Internet Connectivity

We are attempting to secure enough Chromebooks/laptops to provide one to every student that needs one.  Ideally, every online student in grades K-12 will be assigned a Chromebook, if requested, that they will use for instruction.

Students and parents will be required to sign a technology agreement in order to check out a laptop for the semester or school year.

CAS employees needing a laptop will be assigned one and receive training on the device.

CAS students and employees needing internet access may contact the school for information on free or reduced cost internet in the local area, or to discuss options.

Modes of Instruction and Content Delivery

Online distance learning platforms and curriculum will vary by school.  The schools and/or teachers will reach out to students prior to the start of school to provide information on the specific programs to be used in each class.

Programs/platforms may include:

• Schools Personalized Learning Platform (SchoolsPLP)
• IXL
• Google Classroom
• Zoom
• Khan Academy
• Class Dojo

Attendance

K-8 online students will be expected to attend online class sessions Monday through Friday.  Attendance online will be taken daily.

Sierra Vista high school students on the hybrid track will be expected to attend class through their teachers’ designated platforms, Monday – Thursday at the assigned times.  Teachers will submit attendance based on students’ participation and login times.  The high schools (CAS #1, CAS #2) will use Friday as a makeup attendance day.

Teachers will submit both in-person and online attendance daily through PowerSchool.

Mastery of Coursework

For those students attending school in-person, the teacher will administer benchmarks for mastery on a regular basis.

For our online students, all coursework must be completed with a 70% or better in order to earn the credit.  The online coursework includes regular chapter tests, unit tests, and end of course exams.

Benchmarks

The state is requiring all students to have benchmark testing within the first six weeks of school and at regular intervals thereafter.

Students in Kindergarten – 8^th grade will be using the IXL or Galileo program as their benchmark assessments every quarter.

High School students will complete benchmark testing through IXL or Galileo.

 

IN-PERSON CLASSROOM SETTING

• Student desks will be facing one direction.
• Students will be provided opportunities to work in small groups only if facial coverings are worn and/or social distancing can be maintained.
• Classroom environments will be minimalistic with the ability to fully sanitize in a timely manner.
• We will maximize non-classroom staff and provide site-specific substitute teachers in case of a potential teacher absence.
• Frequent hand washing will be encouraged and regular intervals throughout the day with both soap and water and/or hand sanitizer.

 

• Sierra Vista Elementary/Middle School – In order to accommodate our enrollment numbers, the six feet of social distance cannot be maintained in the Elementary and Middle School classrooms. In recognition of this, we have implemented the face covering requirement.

 

• Sierra Vista High School – Staff and Students will be required to wear face masks/shields when they are not 6 feet apart. This includes entering and vacating the building, while in the hallways, and when using the restroom.

 

• Douglas Schools – Our goal is to have students 6 feet apart at all times. This would mean limiting classroom capacity to 10 students.  ALL students will be required to wear a mask or face shield at all times.  Separate entryways and exits have been designated for arrival and departure to allow for social distancing at the start and dismissal of each school day.  Bathrooms and hand washing sinks will be designated according to the building area that the students is assigned.  Students will not be leaving their assigned classroom except for bathroom breaks, washing hands, and lunch.  We will enforce a limit to the number of students in restrooms or hallways as much as possible.

 

RECESS AND ELECTIVES

• K-5 Recess – students will have two recesses per day. Recess schedules will be staggered and monitored.  Students will have recess only with the students of their classroom.  A specific area of the school will be assigned for their classroom to use.  Students will not be required to wear a facial covering during recess.

 

• Fieldtrips – There will be no assemblies or field trips.

 

AFTERCARE

• Aftercare will be provided on a limited in-person basis.  Details on in-person aftercare will be provided at later date, once enrollment and staffing numbers have been determined.
• Virtual aftercare programs will be made available to our K-8 students, to include tutoring and some enrichment clubs.
• No before care will be available at this time.
• High school students will be encouraged to participate in virtual clubs at the start of the school year from 3:30-5:30pm.

 

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH PROCEDURES

Students will be provided with both breakfast and lunch on a daily basis.

Breakfast and lunch will be served in the classrooms.  Students will be given time to wash their hands before eating their meal.

 

RESTROOM USE AND WATER BOTTLES

Students will have access to restrooms throughout the day.  Restrooms will have signage for the number of students allowed, and proper handwashing techniques.  Students will be permitted to enter the restrooms in groups no larger than the number of stalls/urinals in the restroom.  Restroom breaks will be monitored by the teacher to ensure social distance requirements are being met.

Each student should bring a water bottle labeled with his/her first and last name.  The water bottles may have designs on them, but we must be able to see through the water bottle to see what is inside.  No milk, juice, soda, or coffee should be brought to school in the bottles.  Each classroom has a water dispenser from which the students may refill their bottles.  The dispensers will be wiped down on a regular basis.

Water fountains (not the water dispensers) will be turned off until further notice.

 

SANITATION PROCEDURES

• High traffic and common areas will maintain regular sanitization and disinfecting schedules.
• Each classroom will be sanitized before students arrive and after they leave for the day.
• Students and teachers will disinfect items of use in the classroom during the day.
• Restrooms will be disinfected at a minimum of two times daily.
• The sharing of supplies will be discouraged.  Any shared equipment will be disinfected after use.
• Along with our cleaning staff, we will be having Bioshield LLC provide quarterly, deep disinfecting services to our campusThe service will sanitize the whole building and will create a protective shield/coating on all areas that will limit the spread of Covid-19.

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Assistive technology will be determined and provided by the Special Education team and added to Accommodations and/or Modifications at the beginning of the school year.

IEPs and 504 meetings will be conducted via Zoom, using E-IEP Pro (web-based program).  A parent portal is set up so that parents can view IEPs and 504s online.  There will be a teacher portal for viewing accommodations, modifications, goals, and present levels of performance.

Sierra Vista

Students will be assigned to Ms. Angel and will work under the direction of her and our SPED Director Ms. Dewberry. Special education students will be assigned to Ms. Angel’s classroom unless other accommodations are required.

Douglas

Students will be assigned to Ms. Lopez and will work under her direction and our SPED Director Ms. Dewberry.  Special education students will be assigned to Ms. Lopez’ classroom unless other accommodations are required.

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Additional Rosetta Stone Licenses will be provided to our EL students to assist with their learning outside of the classroom.

 

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

In order to maintain emotional and social support for our students at the Center for Academic Success, we have done the following:

Sierra Vista

Students will be able to make an appointment to speak with our counselor Ms. Kim Robinson in person or virtually.  The school counselor is providing training to the staff on how to identify the signs and symptoms of common mental health disorders, such as depression and suicide.

For online students, there is a school counselor link on our website so that both students and parents can reach out to her when they would like help.  This school counselor page also provides links to many available community resources.

For our in-person students, they are able to make appointments to visit with the school counselor to discuss their concerns and needs.

Douglas

Students will be able to make an appointment to speak with our counselor Ms. Sheyla Lopez in person or virtually.

 

TRAINING AND SIGNAGE

All staff and students will be trained on expected safety protocols.  Signage will be posted and visible throughout the campuses.

 

COMMUNICATION

Sierra Vista

General communications with families will be done through Bright Arrow alerts (email and voice), Facebook posts, and the school’s website.  Teachers and staff will also be available via email or phone calls.

For communication between online students and staff, SchoolsPLP will be our main modality; although, high school students may also use Google Classrooms combined with other online tools teachers deem appropriate.

Parents can schedule Zoom meetings with instructors for questions and concerns.

Weekly staff meetings will be held in order to communicate any concerns, questions, suggestions, or situations that have arisen during the work week.  These meetings will be scheduled for Fridays and will be held over Zoom.

 

Douglas

General communications with families will be constant and continuous via WhatsApp and Facebook. Our Family and Community Engagement liaison will be responsible for keeping the parents informed as well as creating time sensitive and relevant surveys, which will allow us to keep the lines of communication open with all our stakeholders. Teachers and administrative staff will also be available via email or phone call.

For communication between students and staff zoom will be our main modality. For instruction, the students will use google classrooms combined with other online tools teachers deem as appropriate. Parents can schedule zoom meetings with instructors for questions and concerns.

Weekly staff meetings will be held in order to communicate any concerns, questions, suggestions or situations may arise during the workweek. These meetings will be scheduled on Fridays and will be held over Zoom.

 

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