From Mr. Marc Kreischer, Superintendent:
Bloom-Vernon School Community,
The school board and administration have continued to work with the county health department throughout this pandemic period thoughtfully. The staff, students, and parents have done a tremendous job during these difficult times.
The 2nd-nine weeks begins on Monday, October 19. After evaluating our return to school plans and guidelines we have decided to make some adjustments to the Restart Plans. The major change that was approved is moving our Orange Level plan to combine with the Yellow Level. This adjustment provides a better opportunity for all of our students to attend in-person 4 days per week as well as change classes. The year began with our Orange Level and Red Level being the same. The Red Level will remain the same as we have been conducting school thus far. We are hopeful that the county status will return to an orange or yellow level and we can provide more face-to-face instruction.
The district and health department understands that moving forward in this manner may increase the number of students in mandatory quarantine situations. There may be times when students will only be 3-6 feet apart but the American Association of Pediatrics suggests this distance would be appropriate in order to get students back into the classrooms. The mandatory masks and other health guidelines will remain in place and followed. The district must continue to provide an on-line option for students and families with health concerns. The staff must also be prepared to instruct on-line if a student, group of students, or an entire class is quarantined because of the virus. Additional cleaning measures will also be put in place to protect staff and students.
Bloom-Vernon Local will remain under the Red Level through the end of the 1st-nine weeks. The status of the district level may change week to week during the 2nd-nine weeks depending on the color level status in Scioto County. We will make an announcement each Thursday beginning on Thursday, October 15 as to the level the district will follow for the next week.
The Yellow/Orange Level will now look like the following.
Level 1: Yellow/Orange
All students attend on a normal 4 day schedule and still follow the same social distancing guidelines as follows.
Mandatory mask wearing
Temperature Checks before entering
Students will maintain 6 feet distance when applicable.
Limit contact exposures throughout the school day from class to lunch to recess.
Eliminate or limit the use of shared items during the school day. (i.e. Tech devices)
School lunch will be grab/go or delivered to classrooms. The lunchrooms will be limited to 50% capacity using social distancing guidelines and thorough cleaning will be completed prior to the next group using the facility.
Changes to the Plan
Students will be able to change classes during the school day (regular schedules). Students will be asked to use the dots in the hallways while changing classes and waiting to get into classrooms.
Teachers and staff will be asked to wipe down student desks before the next class enters.
There will be situations and classes where 6 feet distance may not be possible. Students and staff will be asked to maintain at least 3 feet distance in these cases. (American Association of Pediatrics)
This will allow us to have all students here but if there is a positive COVID-19 case more students may be quarantined.
POSITIVE CASE PROCEDURES
Will send letters home to those in the classroom.
Health Department will conduct Contact Tracing Procedures including;
student’s transportation method
student's daily schedule
Class seating charts
student’s extra-curricular activities
This may lead to an increase in the number of students quarantined (students sitting on the bus or in the classroom within 6 feet of the positive case and up to the entire classroom or team).
We must continue to educate students with the online options.
The district is required to offer an online option to students.
We must be ready immediately with an online option for quarantined students.
No students will attend in-person on Fridays. This day will be used for deep cleaning, on-line lesson planning, Google Classroom updates, on-line staff meetings, professional development, on-line meetings with students, etc...
Level 2: Red (Unchanged)
Students will attend in-person lessons 2 days out of the week and 2 days will be online learning. One group will attend M/W and the other on T/Thu. Students in grades Preschool-2nd grade will attend in-person Monday-Thursday.
No students will attend on Fridays. This day can be used for a variety of staff activities, such as lesson planning, grading, Google Classroom updates, teacher meetings, professional development, on-line meetings with students, deep cleaning, etc.
Students will be required to wear a mask while riding the school bus and the district will maximize the distance between household members during the bus route. It is recommended that parents drop-off and pick-up their child if possible to limit the chance of exposure.
Staff will complete daily self-assessment before entering the building.
Temperature checks will be given to students and visitors entering the building. Students with temperatures above 100.5 will be isolated immediately and sent home.
Masks will be mandatory for all staff members and students Pre-K-12th grade, unless there are existing physical conditions that prevent it.
Staff and student movement will be minimal as both will be placed in classroom pods to limit exposure to large groups of people. An at-risk district list of students will also be permitted to attend in-person 4 days per week. Remote learning will be dictated by the teacher and may include live classroom broadcasts, pre-recorded lessons, or guided individualized assignments.
Students will maintain 6 feet distance whenever possible, including during class and in the hallways. If social distancing of 6 feet is not possible, i.e, changing classes, students will need to wear a mask.
Student desks will be placed 6 feet apart in classrooms. If social distancing is not possible i.e. science labs, then students will have to wear a mask.
Computer labs will be closed or used as classroom pods. Students will be issued a Chromebook for use during the 2020-2021 school year if they do not have their own personal device.
School lunch will be grab/go or delivered to classrooms. The lunchrooms will be limited to 50% capacity using social distancing guidelines and thorough cleaning will be completed prior to the next group using the facility.
Students enrolled in full time on-line learning or when attending at 50% student capacity will be expected to complete the daily on-line assignments and attend live discussions when they are held. Students will be counted as absent using the following scale:
1 missing assignment = 1.5 hours, 2 missing assignments = 3 hours
3 missing assignments = 4.5 hours, 4 missing assignments = 6 hours
5 missing assignments = 7.5 hours, etc…
Level 3: Purple (Unchanged)
Students will not report to the buildings. All learning will take place remotely in accordance with the district remote learning plan. WiFi access is available in school parking lots for those that do not have home access.
Teachers will be permitted into the building as needed.
Students during on-line learning will be expected to complete the daily on-line assignments and attend live discussions when they are held.
Students will be counted as absent using the following scale:
1 missing assignment = 1.5 hours, 2 missing assignments = 3 hours
3 missing assignments = 4.5 hours, 4 missing assignments = 6 hours
5 missing assignments = 7.5 hours, etc…
NOTE - The plan to move forward will be that the school will be under the same color plan as the county is currently in. We do have the option of staying a level lower if there are flare ups within a building or the district.
CAUTION: Staff and students cannot become reckless with behaviors throughout the school day and beyond when we go to this plan.