To help provide staff and families with the necessary information about the upcoming school year, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions from staff, parents, teachers, and community members regarding USD116’s fall 2020 back to school plans. To address the most important concerns regarding our back to school plans, we’ve separated the FAQs in parts. We will be answering FAQs for the rest of the week leading up to the release of our detailed full Phase 4 back to school plan.
Today’s FAQs addresses concerns surrounding Health and Safety. If you have any questions that you feel have not been answered in this FAQ or though recent emails from The District, we encourage you to use the Phase 4 Back to School Safety Plan as a resource when it is released or please email us at contactus@usd116.org.
For the full, downloadable PDF versions of this FAQ, please click here.
What provisions for social distancing have been made in classrooms and other spaces? How will the district ensure that students and staff know and are following safety measures? USD116’s blended model allows for a safer return to in-person instruction because we are reducing the student population by half every day. The District has developed procedures and rearranged class spaces to ensure 6-foot physical distance from other persons as much as possible. This pertains to students and staff members in all areas and settings to the greatest extent possible. Visual reminders will be posted throughout the schools as reminders of safe distances in areas where students gather (e.g., arrival and departure, hallways, recess lines, libraries, offices, etc.). In the younger grades, students will remain in their classrooms to reduce mixing students within the building as much as possible.
How will The District go about minimizing contact between students and staff? We will be “staggering” schedules and arranging times for arrivals/dismissals, hall passing periods, mealtimes, bathroom breaks, etc. to ensure student and staff safety.
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What are the PPE guidelines for USD116 buildings and how will they be enforced? All individuals in our schools must wear a face covering. Face coverings must be worn at all times in school buildings even when social distancing is maintained. Face coverings do not need to be worn outside if the social distance is maintained. USD116 will provide (1) reusable masks to students and staff. Employees and students may use their own personal face covering. USD116 will maintain a supply of disposable face coverings in the event a student or staff member does not have one for use at school or on the bus.
How will symptom screening and monitoring for students and staff take place? Only staff and students with NO symptoms of illness should report to in-person learning. We will be conducting “wellness screenings” basically, temperature and symptom screenings upon arrival to school, prior to entering a school or a school bus. Temperature checks and symptom screening will be utilized by the nurse or a designated USD116 staff member to identify symptomatic persons to exclude them from entering the school. Staff will also be asked to self certify and verify they are symptom-free before entering their school. Students or staff who have symptoms upon their arrival to school will be immediately referred to the nurse and sent to the school’s isolation area for evaluation. If any of the above symptoms are present upon screening the student or staff member will be excluded from school for 14 days. Students who are ill will be isolated in the school with a staff member until the parent/guardian can pick up the ill child within a reasonable amount of time or alternate transportation can be arranged. If there is a confirmed case of Covid19 we will immediately notify local health officials.
What are the rules for students and staff who have returned from traveling outside of the county or state? The District is requiring students and staff who have traveled outside of Illinois and to areas that are experiencing increased COVID transmission, or a state which marked “red” to quarantine or get tested. “Red” is understood to mean there has been an increase in the rate of COVID 19 positive tests, during the seven day period you were present within the state, you must self-quarantine for a period of 14 calendar days after your last day in the state or your return date, whichever is earlier. Per CU public health department, we strongly encourage testing on the day you return and 4 days after the first test date. The school district will use the weekly Center for Disease Control COVID data tracker in determining whether a student or staff member was in a state which experienced an increase that requires self-quarantine. That tracker can be followed here.
Who will be sent home to quarantine when there is a positive case? The class? The grade? The building? Anyone within the school environment who shows symptoms will be immediately separated from the rest of the school population. If the individual is sick they will be sent home. Every school will have a designated safe area to isolate any individuals who are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms and may be awaiting pickup or evaluation. Students will not be left alone and will be supervised while maintaining necessary precautions. Those who had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected of having COVID-19 infection should isolate at home and monitor for symptoms for 14 days. Close contact means the individual was within 6 feet of the individual with symptoms for more than 15 minutes. Students will have access to their instruction remotely during these 14 days.
What about air quality and ventilation in school buildings? We will encourage the use of open windows in classrooms to utilize fresh air as much as possible. Many of our buildings have been remodeled and have reconfigured HVAC systems that do support better ventilation. There are a small number of classrooms without windows across the district. For those spaces, we are purchasing HEPA filtration systems for classroom use.
Will outdoor spaces be used for classrooms? We are exploring the use of outdoor spaces for instructional purposes. We are hoping to provide at least one tented space for K-12 spaces wherever possible. There are some schools that have shaded or courtyard space that can also be utilized as outdoor classrooms. The District will work with building administrators to provide and prepare these spaces for instructional use.