ASD School Plan 2020-21...The committee report was divided into four areas representing (1) Instructional Program, (2) Operational Services, (3) Human Resources, and (4) Student Services

ABINGTON, PA

ASD School Plan 2020-21

ABINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Revised March 9, 2021

Table of Contents

.....................................................................................................................................

Type of Reopening ...................................................................................................................................................................................

Background .............................................................................................................................................................................................

Pennsylvania State Requirements for Reopening Schools ..............................................................................................................................

Committee Charge and Tasks ..............................................................................................................................................................

Pandemic Coordinator and Team ................................................................................................................................................................

Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Ventilation .......................................................................................................................................

Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Ventilation .........................................................................................................................................

Social Distancing and Other Safety Protocols ..............................................................................................................................................

Monitoring Student and Staff Health ...........................................................................................................................................................

Health and Safety Plan Professional Development ........................................................................................................................................

Health and Safety Plan Communications .....................................................................................................................................................

Health and Safety Plan Summary: Abington School District ..........................................................................................................................


Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan

Each school entity must create a Health and Safety Plan which will serve as the local guidelines for all instructional and non-

instructional school reopening activities. As with all emergency plans, the Health and Safety Plan developed for each school

entity should be tailored to the unique needs of each school and should be created in consultation with local health agencies.

Given the dynamic nature of the pandemic, each plan should incorporate enough flexibility to adapt to changing conditions. The

templates provided in this toolkit can be used to document a school entity’s Health and Safety Plan, with a focus on professional

learning and communications, to ensure all stakeholders are fully informed and prepared for a local phased reopening of school

facilities. A school entity’s Health and Safety Plan must be approved by its governing body and posted on the school entity’s

publicly available website prior to the reopening of school. School entities should also consider whether the adoption of a new

policy or the modification of an existing policy is necessary to effectively implement the Health and Safety Plan.

Each school entity should continue to monitor its Health and Safety Plan throughout the year and update as needed. All revisions

should be reviewed and approved by the governing body prior to posting on the school entity’s public website.


Type of Reopening

Depending upon the local health environment and rate of virus transmission, the Abington School District will follow the outlined plan for reopening.

The type of educational programming will also be dependent upon what is the current guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education,

the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Montgomery County Department of Health. The start of the school year for teachers began on

September 2, 2020. The start of the school year for students began on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

Given the need for health and safety, the Abington School District began the school year with virtual or online learning for all students on September

8, 2020. A re-evaluation of the plan took place throughout September and early October resulting in a determination to adjust the instructional model

effective November 30, 2020. This timeline was ultimately further adjusted to a hybrid instructional model being implemented at the elementary

level effective December 7, 2020 and at the secondary level effective February 1, 2021. Specific special education students have been participating

in in-person instruction up to four days per week since early Fall based upon IEP need. The description of health and safety measures in this plan

reflects how the District will implement those measures during in-person instruction.

Based on your county’s current designation and local community needs, which type of reopening has your school entity selected? (SELECT ONE BOX BELOW)

☒ Total reopen for all students and staff (but some students/families opt for distance learning out of safety/health concern).

☐ Scaffolded reopening: Some students are engaged in in-person learning, while others are distance learning (i.e., some grade levels

in-person, other grade levels remote learning).

☐ Blended reopening that balances in-person learning and remote learning for all students (i.e., alternating days or weeks).

☐ Total remote learning for all students. (Plan should reflect future action steps to be implemented and conditions that would prompt

the decision as to when schools will re-open for in-person learning).

Background

On March 12, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered schools in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, closed due to the threat of community

spread of COVID-19. On April 9, 2020, Governor Wolf closed Pennsylvania schools for the duration of the 2019-20 school year. On June 3, 2020,

the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issued guidance on the reopening of schools for the 2020-21 school year. According to the PDE,

every Local Education Association (LEA) could reopen schools for in-person instruction beginning July 1, 2020 in the Pennsylvania reopening

phases of yellow and green, if the LEA has submitted a School Board approved Health and Safety plan to PDE. As a result, the Abington School

District convened a multi-stakeholder committee to review the PDE guidelines for reopening, to review considerations for reopening, and to develop

a series of flexible and multi-system recommendations for the reopening of school in 2020-21, in light of the need to continue instructional practice

while maintaining the health and safety of students and staff.


Pennsylvania State Requirements for Reopening Schools

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that each Local Education Agency (LEA) must develop a Health and Safety Plan, to be

submitted and approved the local School Board prior to the start of the 2020-21 school year. Information about this plan can be accessed at the

following website:

https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/SchoolReopeningGuidance/K12/Pages/HealthSafetyPlans.aspx

Committee Charge and Tasks

The Superintendent’s Committee for the Fall of 2020 was established to review the PDE guidelines for reopening, to review considerations for

reopening, and to develop a series of flexible and multi-system recommendations for the reopening of school in 2020-21, in light of the need to

continue instructional practice while maintaining the health and safety of students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. These recommendations

ensured that the District was prepared for a number of possible contingencies given the uncertain challenges with community spread of COVID-19

and the health of the local Abington community. Given how uncertain the situation could be, the group developed a number of possible scenarios

from which the District could draw upon as the local situation with COVID-19 and the recommendations of the local health agencies may be evolving

and changing over time. This gave the District the ability to plan for various situations and to be flexible and able to pivot to changing demands and

needs.

After the start of the school year with a virtual remote learning program, the Abington School District continued to solicit feedback from

parents/guardians, professional staff, and support staff through the use of surveys administered on September 18, 25, October 15, 2020, and February

18, 2021. From those survey results, the District developed a plan for the implementation of hybrid learning and has continued revisions of the plan

based upon this feedback. In addition, the District surveyed Senior High students for their feedback on the current remote learning program.

Superintendent’s Committee Plan Structure

The committee report was divided into four areas representing (1) Instructional Program, (2) Operational Services, (3) Human Resources, and (4)

Student Services. These four areas ensured having a systemic and organizational approach to implementing a quality educational experience for

students and teachers for the 2020-21 school year.

https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/SchoolReopeningGuidance/K12/Pages/HealthSafetyPlans.aspx

Committee Timeline and Deliverables

Over 625 committee members, representing various stakeholder groups of students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members,

participated in a series of meetings. The following timeline represents the meetings and deliverables.

DATES GOALS

Week of June 3, 2020 Parent and Guardian Surveys to be distributed

Tuesday, June 16 and Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Meeting #1

• To inform committee about the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s requirements for reopening

• To review current Department of Health and CDC guidelines for COVID-19 and school organizations.

• To review reopening and scheduling considerations

• To gather feedback from committee members

• To review survey information

June 29, 2020 Meeting #2

• To review departmental focused considerations via a Panel Discussion – District representatives shared updated information on understandings of considerations for the 2020-21 school year. Areas represented on the committee included Human Resources, Facilities, Transportation, Special Education, Student Services, Instruction and Principals.

• To discuss the key topics related to Instruction, Operations, Student Services and Modified Schedules in a smaller group environment. 20 groups were developed to support small group discussions and allow for more discussion and dialogue.

July 13-19, 2020 Surveys:

• Second parent/guardian Survey was administered. Also, a teacher and staff survey was administered. The teacher and staff survey was distributed to teachers, administrators, and various support staff. These surveys targeted securing information and feedback on more specific scheduling, childcare and health/safety considerations.

Focus Groups:

• Conduct focus groups to solicit more descriptive feedback from groups representing key stakeholder groups such as Special Education, elementary teachers, secondary teachers, English Language Development, gifted teachers, and Special Content Areas (music, art, physical education and librarians).

July 21, 2020 Meeting #3

• To review current guidelines from the Montgomery County Department of Health and any other recent updates to guidelines from major organizations.

• To share an overview of the proposed Health and Safety plan document.

• To review most recent parent/guardian and the employee survey results and implications of the results.

• To provide feedback on the proposed Health and Safety plan as well as the survey results.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020 Presentation to the School Board for Health and Safety Plan approval

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 First day for Teachers and Staff

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 First day for Students

Friday, September 18, 2020 Surveys administered to three key stakeholder groups: (1) Parents/Guardians, (2) Professional Staff, and (3) Support Staff

Friday, September 25, 2020 Additional surveys administered to three key stakeholder groups: (1) Parents/Guardians, (2) Professional Staff, and (3) Support Staff

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 Presentation of revised Health and Safety Plan to the School Board for approval

Pandemic Coordinator and Team

In order to be inclusive of multiple stakeholders and to engage various representatives, a pandemic team, in addition to the Superintendent’s Committee,

was formed to review and monitor the Health and Safety Plan. Given the growing knowledge base of COVID-19 and the possible changes to guidance

from the Montgomery County Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pandemic

Coordinator and Team has updated or modified the Health and Safety Plan to reflect those changes in governmental guidance.

Individual(s) Stakeholder Group Represented Pandemic Team Roles and Responsibilities

Dr. Jeffrey Fecher, Superintendent Administrator Pandemic Coordinator

Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Superintendent Administrator Operational Services

Mr. Christopher Lionetti, Business Manager Administrator Business Management

Ms. Susanne Alfonso, Director of Human Resources Administrator Human Resources

Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services Administrator Student Services/Health & Wellness Liaison

Mr. Brandon Lutz, Director of Innovation Administrator Technology

Mr. Alfred E. Howard, Director of Facilities Administrator Facilities

Dr. Toni Butz, Director of Teaching and Learning Administrator Instructional Program

Dr. Stephanie Viola, Assistant Director for Elementary Teaching and Learning Administrator Instructional Program

Ms. Laura Enama, Assistant Director for Secondary Teaching and Learning Administrator Instructional Program

Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation Administrator Student Transportation

Dr. Kristopher Brown, Equity Officer Administrator Instructional Program

Ms. Marie Capitolo, Assistant Director of Student Services Administrator Special Education

Ms. Allie Artur, Communications Coordinator Administrator Communications

Mr. Daniel File, Principal, Abington Junior High School School Level Administrator Abington Junior High School

Mr. Angelo Berrios, Principal, Abington Senior High School School Level Administrator Abington Senior High School

Ms. Fatima Rogers, Principal, Copper Beech Elementary School School Level Administrator Copper Beech Elementary School

Dr. James Etlen, Principal, Highland Elementary School School Level Administrator Highland Elementary School

Dr. Marie Kim, Principal, McKinley Elementary School School Level Administrator McKinley Elementary School

Mr. Joshua Perlman, Principal, Overlook Elementary School School Level Administrator Overlook Elementary School

Dr. Kevin Osborne, Principal, Roslyn Elementary School School Level Administrator Roslyn Elementary School

Dr. Lyndsay Morgan, Principal, Rydal Elementary School School Level Administrator Rydal Elementary School

Dr. Damon Jordan, Principal, Willow Hill Elementary School School Level Administrator Willow Hill Elementary School

NOTE: Abington School District held committee meetings on the reopening of schools for 2020-21. More than 600 parents, staff, students and administrators participated in the committee.


Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Ventilation

The Abington School District’s commitment to sanitization efforts begins with a regularly scheduled process of cleaning down high contact surfaces. In

an effort to increase the frequency of cleaning schedules, existing staff schedules have been shifted so that the focus is on maximization of cleaning times

throughout the day to provide continuous cleaning of school buildings, with an emphasis on high contact surfaces and high usage areas. In addition, cleaning

materials are available on school transportation vehicles, in classrooms, high usage areas, and offices to support the need to wipe down surfaces throughout

the school day.

In preparing for the 2020-21 school year, the Abington School District purchased and stocked up on disinfectants, cleaning supplies and personal protective

equipment (PPE) to increased sanitation efforts. The District has expanded the number of vendors to address numerous challenges with procuring the

supplies needed, given the very competitive markets for the limited supplies. The current stock of supplies includes various types of disinfectant wipes,

hand sanitizers, and bathroom cleaning supplies that are approved for cleaning and disinfecting our schools. Additional procurement of supplies will

continue.

The District’s foremost concern, as with all Pennsylvania schools, is having continuous access to supplies as the competition to gain the same supplies as

many schools in the tristate area is very aggressive. Additionally, the District is closely monitoring the EPA’s website for updated approved cleaning and

disinfectants to use in our schools. Lastly, the District is continuing to monitor the FDA and CDC list for banned or harmful products at this website:

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol. Additionally, the CDC has continued to update their

information page on how this disease is being spread, found on this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-

spreads.html

The school district has added various types of signage to promote social distancing, hand washing and wearing of facial coverings in our schools to help

decrease the spread of COVID-19. Also, to help with improving indoor air quality, we have increased the frequency of changing our HVAC systems’

filters to help reduce any possibility of airborne germs. A survey of our HVAC systems across the entire school district was conducted to determine

efficacy of upgrading to a higher MERV filter in areas where they are acceptable. Areas where previously MERV-6 filters were used were upgraded to

MERV-8, with MERV-13 filters procured for units that will support them. Additionally, air purification units have been installed throughout the school

district. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) has listed a few facts on their Coronavirus Response

Resource page found on this link: https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources.

Requirements Action Steps (Yellow and Green Phases)

Lead Individual and Position

Materials, Resources, and/or Supports Needed

PD Required (Y/N)

* Cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilating learning spaces, surfaces, and any other areas used by students (i.e., restrooms, drinking fountains, hallways, and transportation)

The action steps are the same for both the yellow and green phases should there be hybrid or any form of in-person instructional programming. Transportation: Sanitizing wipes are provided to bus drivers to clean up as needed. Busses are already equipped with body fluid clean up kits to support cleaning in case of accidents. Vehicles are deep cleaned with electrostatic sprayers and wiped down. Every Saturday, every bus is deep cleaned. Throughout the weekdays, there are additional wipe downs of busses. Facilities provides wipes for bus drivers. Facilities:

Transportation: Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation Facilities: Mr. Alfred E. Howard, Director of Facilities

We are recommending the following cleaning items and support for this endeavor to help our teams carefully clean schools and buses. Material/Supplies- There are several different types of cleaners that we are using as needed-

PD was needed for staff prior to implementation.

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html


https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources


Cleaning of classrooms, buildings, etc. on a regular basis with increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting. The frequency of cleaning supports better sanitization of areas. In larger areas, we are using electrostatic cleaning. When there is an incidence of COVID-19, we will trace and disinfect rooms and areas where the infected person was. Throughout the day, water fountains, bathrooms, stairwells - high touch point areas are continuously cleaned and wiped down. For example, in between classes. The shift of staff supports this. Additional hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the buildings. Cleaning materials (wipes) are available in areas of the buildings and classrooms. Classrooms and other spaces used by students are deep cleaned with an electrostatic sprayer (mid-week and end of week). Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Ventilation The Abington School District’s commitment to sanitization efforts begins with a regularly scheduled process of cleaning down high contact surfaces. In an effort to increase the frequency of cleaning schedules, existing staff schedules have been shifted so that the focus is on maximizing cleaning times throughout the day to provide continuous cleaning of school buildings, with an emphasis on high contact surfaces and high usage areas. In addition, cleaning materials have been made available on school transportation vehicles, in classrooms, high usage areas, and offices to support the need to wipe down surfaces throughout the school day. In preparing for the 2020-21 school year, the Abington School District purchased and stocked up on disinfectants, cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to increased sanitation efforts. The District has expanded the number of vendors as there have been numerous challenges with procuring the supplies needed, given the very competitive markets for the limited supplies. The current stock of supplies allows the school district to open with various types of disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizers, and bathroom cleaning supplies that are approved for cleaning and disinfecting our schools. The District’s foremost concern, as with all Pennsylvania schools, is having continuous access to supplies as the competition to gain the same supplies as many schools in the tristate area is very aggressive. Additionally, the District is closely monitoring the EPA’s website for updated approved cleaning and disinfectants to use in our schools. Lastly, the District is continuing to monitor the FDA and CDC list for banned or harmful products at this website: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol Additionally, the CDC has continued to update their information page on how this disease is being spread, found on this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html The school district has added various types of signage to promote social distancing, hand washing and wearing of facial coverings in our schools to help decrease the spread of COVID-19. Also, to help with improving indoor air quality, we have increased the frequency of changing our HVAC systems’ filters to help reduce any possibility of airborne germs. We conducted a survey of our HVAC systems across the entire school district to determine efficacy of filter upgrade in areas where they are acceptable. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) has listed a few facts on their Coronavirus Response Resource page found on this link: https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources

Cleaning of all touch points, bathrooms and classrooms daily and common areas. 1.Disenfectant wipes 2. Lysol spray 3. Vindicator sanitizer/cleaner 4. Micro-Fiber Mops and Towels 5. Top Clean (multi-purpose cleaner) 6. Restroom Cleaner (Toilet & Urinals) Sanitizing Spaces and buses fully Electrostatic machines are used to add adherence of disinfectants and/or sanitizing chemical to surfaces Manpower/Support- To support the extra cleaning duties at schools and/or buses daily or weekly, the grounds team helps in-fill as needed or has assigned tasks for this team solely.








Other cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilation practices

Transportation: Windows are kept open. Facilities: Increased filter changes support better ventilation.

Transportation: Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation Facilities: Mr. Alfred E. Howard, Director of Facilities

Use of MERV 8 and 13 filters for our HVAC systems to help support cleaning and capturing smaller particulates and prohibit them from entering our buildings, thus producing fresher indoor air quality.

PD was needed for staff prior to implementation.


Social Distancing and Other Safety Protocols

Social distancing is one of the mitigation strategies required of school districts in Montgomery County and Pennsylvania. At Abington School District,

classrooms and learning spaces will be organized to mitigate community spread. In order to provide social distancing measures of 6 feet to the extent

possible, extraneous furniture from classrooms and instructional spaces has been removed. This provides additional space in classrooms and other

instructional spaces between desks and/or seats. By removing extraneous furniture and materials from classrooms, cleaning crews are able to more

effectively and efficiently clean down rooms to promote increased sanitation efforts. Where available and needed, spaces have been repurposed so that

additional space can be utilized to provide for more social distancing measures.

Students will be separated at distances of no less than 3 feet in classrooms, with 6 feet of distance between the instructor and students. Per the Updated

Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding universal face coverings, students will be separated at 6-foot distances when

face coverings are removed for eating or drinking.

Efforts to mitigate spread of the virus in communal spaces include the following strategies at both the elementary and secondary levels where the District

is able to do so:

o One-way hallways

o New procedures at the start and end of the day to minimize student gatherings.

Guidance from the state dictates what the maximum number of people at a given event or within a space are able to congregate. The District is limiting

large group gatherings both indoors and outdoors in accordance with the Montgomery County Office of Public Health guidance and state guidance. The

District will follow the guidelines established by the State and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health for large group use of communal spaces.

Outdoor spaces give schools the ability to create more spaces for social distancing to occur. When able to do so, recess, physical education programs and

instructional (including special content area) classes could be conducted outdoors.

Hygiene routines are an important part of mitigating community spread. The District promotes the following hygiene efforts:

• When students return for in-person or hybrid instruction in the building, staff will work with students to reinforce healthy hygiene practices.

• Signage promoting healthy hygiene practices reinforces practices. Signs in classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, and other school rooms promote

these hygiene practices.

• At the elementary level, teachers regularly schedule hand washing times, bathroom breaks and hand sanitizing opportunities throughout the day.

At the secondary level, students are encouraged to wash their hands between class periods and during lunchtimes. When handwashing opportunities

are limited, students are encouraged to use hand sanitizer.

Another area of consideration is school transportation services. In order to support efforts for increased health and hygiene measures, school transportation

has reduced capacity of a 72-passenger bus by 33% to 48 passengers, or 2 students to a seat. In addition, ventilation by keeping windows open helps

increase air flow throughout the vehicle. Last, students, bus drivers, and any passengers on school transportation vehicles must wear masks at all times.


Limiting visitors and non-essential people into the school building is another way the District supports increased efforts for mitigating spread. Non-essential

visitors and volunteers are not permitted to enter school buildings. Only essential visitors are allowed in the school building. Essential visitors include

contracted workers as well as parents/guardians. Any person entering District and school buildings is required to complete a symptom screening

questionnaire. Meetings with parents are virtual, unless other arrangements need to be made.

Professional development programming is ongoing for the following departments in order to address processes and practices for increased mitigation and

sanitation efforts.

1. Facilities

2. Transportation

3. Food Services

4. Safety Personnel

5. Administration

6. Teachers

7. Administrative Assistants and Support Staff

In addition to initial professional development with social distancing, hygiene and safety protocols, videos of these trainings have been made available to

staff on the District’s intranet or Google website.

Requirements Action Steps (Yellow and Green Phases) Lead Individual and Position

Materials, Resources, and/or Supports Needed

PD Required (Y/N)

* Classroom/ learning space occupancy that allows for 6 feet of separation among students and staff throughout the day, to the maximum extent feasible

Facilities: Seats will be placed at least 6 feet apart to the extent possible, but no less than 3 feet apart, to maintain social distancing. Extraneous furniture or porous material items should be removed from classrooms and buildings.

Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities

Extra staff are deployed to support with maintaining classroom structure.

Yes

* Restricting the use of cafeterias and other congregate settings, and serving meals in alternate settings such as classrooms

Facilities: A physical space audit identified small group spaces and use of larger group spaces. Repurposing large group space supports social distancing. Cafeteria: When lunches are served, seating is configured in cafeterias to optimize social distancing, as well as adhere to the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding universal face coverings.


Yes

* Hygiene practices for students and staff including the manner and frequency of hand-washing and other best practices

Transportation: Minimize the number of people in the transportation department. Use of copies of keys to lessen common touch areas. Bus Drivers are using Facial coverings Handwashing strategies include washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Hand washing to occur: after going to the bathroom; before eating, after blowing your nose; coughing, or sneezing; after touching your face

Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities

Hand sanitizing stations will be purchased, set-up and made available to students, staff and faculty in various areas of the school.

Yes


Posting signs, in highly visible locations, that promote everyday protective measures, and how to stop the spread of germs

Facilities: The Facilities Department has put up signage. Signage: properly wash hands, promote everyday protective measures, hand hygiene and properly wear a face covering. Signs are posted in highly visible locations (e.g., school entrances, restrooms).


Educational signage has been posted to encourage washing hands and social distancing to promote good hygiene.

No

Identifying and restricting non-essential visitors and volunteers

Restrict nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities that involve other groups. Pursue virtual group events, gatherings, or meetings, if possible, and promote social distancing of at least 6 feet between people if events are held. Limit group size in accordance with state and local guidance.

Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Superintendent

No

Handling sporting activities for recess and physical education classes consistent with the CDC Considerations for Youth Sports

Facilities: Cleaning of playground equipment is supported with cleaning wipes made available or hand sanitizing stations close by. Power washing on a weekly basis for playground equipment. Scheduled handwashing after lunch.

Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities Mr. Ryan Weathers, Supervisor for Physical Education and Health, and Mr. Todd Vaccaro, Director of Athletics

FYI- Facilities will power wash playgrounds one to two times a-week. Hand sanitizing/washing stations.

Yes

Limiting the sharing of materials among students

Facilities: Limitation of shared supplies e.g., art kits, texts/ sheet music, instruments, computer mouse. Use of demonstration lessons may be used.

Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities Dr. Toni Butz, Director of Teaching and Learning

Materials and resources have been reviewed at the building level to support the limiting and sharing of supplies or items and increase hygiene and sanitation practices.

No

Staggering the use of communal spaces and hallways

Arrival and dismissal procedures modified to limit congregating and achieve social distance. Communal learning environments removed. Schedules at all levels modified to reduce number of students in the hallways, signage used to promote physical distancing in the hallways.

Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities Principals

Signage, One-way hallways

No

Adjusting transportation schedules and practices to create social distance between students

Transportation: Coordination of scheduling and times to allow for cleaning in between bus runs and modified schedules. Extending the times for pick up and drop off supports bus schedules. Face coverings are required for students and bus drivers. Reducing the need for moving students internally for academic programs during the school day. Students are assigned seats, no more than two students per seat. Buses are loaded back to front, with students exiting front to back.

Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation

No

Limiting the number of individuals in classrooms and other learning spaces, and interactions between groups of students

Facilities: One-way hallways where possible, with directional signs and social distancing signs utilized.

Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Superintendent

No

Coordinating with local childcare regarding on site care, transportation protocol changes and, when possible, revised hours of operation or modified school-year calendars

YMCA/Community Program: Communicate the K-6 instructional schedule and provide contact information for support as requested. Transportation Protocols: are reviewed in order to minimize exposure of students to new groups of people.

Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Superintendent Mr. Charles Rehm Supervisor of Transportation

Supplies will be noted as needed.


Other social distancing and safety practices

Transportation: For staff, monitoring of how many people are in the building and bathroom usage. Also, assigned seats for students. Families should sit together. Seating charts support the ability to do contact tracing. Limit travel outside the school district, such as field trips. Limit unnecessary personnel in buildings. Staff meetings and professional development are held virtually. Students wear facial coverings during the school day, with the exception of specified times such as facial covering breaks and lunchtime in accordance with the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding universal face coverings.

Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation Dr. James Melchor, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Toni Butz, Director of Teaching and Learning

Installation of additional portable toilets. Increased needs for cleaning. Principals would support development of seating charts for busses.


Monitoring Student and Staff Health Staff and families have been provided with a symptom screening questionnaire as directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Montgomery

County Office of Public Health (MCOPH) that must be completed daily prior to arrival at school. During the school day, any staff or student determined

by the nurse to be symptomatic of COVID-19 are isolated in a location that was identified prior to the opening of school. Parents/guardians are contacted

and advised to immediately pick up their student. Prior to opening of school parents/guardians were notified that they will need to pick up symptomatic

students within 30 minutes. The District follows the Montgomery County Office of Public Health School Exclusion Requirements for exclusion and return

to school. This information was provided to families and staff prior to the opening of school. The District works with the MCOPH for guidance regarding

alerting the school community about a potential case of COVID-19. All nurses as well as staff working directly with students have been trained on

monitoring students’ health as well as their own health during the school day.

Requirements Yellow and Green Phases Lead Individual and Position Materials, Resources, and/or Supports Needed

PD Required (Y/N)

Monitoring students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure

Symptom monitoring questionnaire is completed prior to coming to school. The expectation and requirement was communicated to families and staff prior to opening of school. Staff monitor students’ health and their own during the school day. High-risk students and the staff assigned to those classrooms will participate in weekly antigen assurance testing with parent/guardian permission, in addition to the symptom screening required prior to arriving at school. Attendance procedures have been revised to accommodate extended absences due to COVID-19.

Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Symptom screening questionnaire, information/letters for staff and families. Supplies for nurses.

Y

Isolating or quarantining students, staff, or visitors if they become sick or demonstrate a history of exposure

Designated spaces/locations were identified for students who are symptomatic during the school day while they wait to be taken home. Communicate to families that students need to be picked up as soon as possible and that if they are not available, to identify an emergency contact. The space is disinfected frequently and restricted to authorized staff. Nurses treating students who are symptomatic must wear specialized PPE. Utilize MCOPH resources for determining COVID-19 symptoms. Any questions, contact Director, School District Physician, or MCOPH contact. MCOPH consulted for recommendations regarding alerting school community about symptomatic students.


Letter explaining procedures to staff and families Cooperation of staff Large barriers in some health suites; supplies for sanitizing and PPE for nurses.

N

Returning isolated or quarantined staff, students, or visitors to school

Montgomery County Office of Public Health School Exclusion Requirements for exclusion and return to school.


Communication with MCOPH N

Notifying staff, families, and the public of school closures and within-school-year changes in safety protocols

Notification ASAP of positive cases or symptomatic cases as per communication with MCOPH. MCOPH will conduct contact tracing.


Skylert message depending on urgency - phone Letters to community specific to situation. Direct contacts get different letter.

N

Other monitoring and screening practices

Data tracking of symptomatic students in classes. Consideration of students with other health conditions that mimic COVID-19 symptoms. Consult with MCOPH and school district physician with questions.


Google sheet for data tracking. Communication with healthcare providers of students with health conditions.

N


Health and Safety Plan Professional Development

Topic Audience Lead Person and Position

Session Format Materials, Resources, and/or Supports Needed

Start Date Completion Date

Transportation Staff Training

Bus Drivers, Transportation Department

Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation

In-Person Prior to opening

Facilities - COVID 19 Safety Plan

Facilities Department Mr. Alfred Howard, Director of Facilities


Personal hygiene practices, COVID-19, use of PPE More intense training for all staff required to have direct contact with students.

School Staff Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Taped Session or In-Person

Videos prepared by ASD and available through established resources.

Prior to opening

Trauma-Informed Practices

Staff Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Virtual ½ Day Elementary; ½ Day Secondary

Expert Consultant September 2, 2020 and ongoing support

Ongoing

Mindfulness Practices Staff Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Staff Meetings Expert Consultant Faculty Meeting

Social/Emotional Learning Lessons

Staff Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Staff Meetings District staff developed and implemented lessons

Prior to opening


Health and Safety Plan Communications

Topic Audience Lead Person and Position

Mode of Communications

Start Date Completion Date

Transportation Transportation Mr. Charles Rehm, Supervisor of Transportation


Info. about COVID-19, hygiene practice, procedures for symptom monitoring, hygiene, PPE, health suite procedures including students/staff who become symptomatic at school. Expectations for return to school/work. Share the MCHD COVID-19 School Exclusion Requirements

Families/Staff Dr. Jeffrey Fecher (Superintendent), Ms. Judy Bomze (Director of Student Services), and Ms. Susanne Alfonso (Director of Human Resources)

Electronic, social media, post on website Skylert, as needed

Prior to opening Reminders as needed

Montgomery County Office of Public Health

• Locations for testing

• Resources for free testing

• Contact tracing

• Active cases Data tracking Flow Chart and differentiating illness

Health Services Department

Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services and School District Physician

Email, phone Ongoing

Informing community of COVID-19 cases and probable cases as per the MCOPH Relevant families, all staff

Dr. Jeffrey Fecher (Superintendent), Ms. Judy Bomze (Director of Student Services), and Ms. Susanne Alfonso (Director of Human Resources)

Electronic letter Ongoing

Plans for social/emotional learning, hygiene lessons Families Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services

Electronic letter Prior to opening

Individual health concerns Families Ms. Judy Bomze, Director of Student Services, Health Services Department

Phone During first week of school


Health and Safety Plan Summary: Abington School District

Facilities Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting and Ventilation

Requirements Strategies, Policies and Procedures

Cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilating learning spaces, surfaces, and any other areas used by students (i.e., restrooms, drinking fountains, hallways, and transportation)

The Abington School District’s commitment to sanitization efforts begins with a regularly scheduled process of cleaning down high contact surfaces. In an effort to increase the frequency of cleaning schedules, existing staff schedules have been shifted so that the focus is on maximizing cleaning times throughout the day to provide continuous cleaning of school buildings, with an emphasis on high contact surfaces and high usage areas. In addition, cleaning materials are made available on school transportation vehicles, classrooms, high usage areas, and offices to support the need to wipe down surfaces throughout the school day. In preparing for the 2020-21 school year, the Abington School District purchased and stocked up on disinfectants, cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to increased sanitation efforts. At this point, the District has expanded the number of additional vendors as there have been numerous challenges with procuring the supplies needed, given the very competitive markets for the limited supplies. The current stock of supplies allows the school district to open with various types of disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizers, and bathroom cleaning supplies that are approved for cleaning and disinfecting our schools. The District’s foremost concern, as with all Pennsylvania schools, is having continuous access to supplies as the competition to gain the same supplies by many schools in the tristate area is very aggressive. Additionally, the District is closely monitoring the EPA’s website for updated approved cleaning and disinfectants to use in our schools. Lastly, the District is continuing to monitor the FDA and CDC list for banned or harmful products at this website: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol

Social Distancing and Other Safety Protocols


Classroom/learning space occupancy that allows for 6 feet of separation among students and staff throughout the day, to the maximum extent feasible Restricting the use of cafeterias and other congregate settings, and serving meals in alternate settings such as classrooms Hygiene practices for students and staff including the manner and frequency of hand-washing and other best practices Posting signs, in highly visible locations, that promote everyday protective measures, and how to stop the spread of germs Handling sporting activities as well as recess and physical education classes consistent with the CDC Considerations for Youth Sports

Social distancing is one of the mitigation strategies required of school districts in Montgomery County and Pennsylvania. At Abington School District, classrooms and learning spaces will be organized to mitigate community spread. In order to provide social distancing measures between of 6 feet to the extent possible, but not less than 3 feet, extraneous furniture from classrooms and instructional spaces has been removed. This provides additional space in classrooms and other instructional spaces between desks and/or seats. By removing extraneous furniture and materials from classrooms, cleaning crews are able to more effectively and efficiently clean down rooms to promote increased sanitation efforts. Where available and needed, spaces have been repurposed so that additional space can be utilized to provide for more social distancing measures. Efforts to mitigate spread of the virus in communal spaces include the following strategies at both the elementary and secondary levels. Where the District is able to do so, the District has implemented the following measures:

• One-way hallways.

• Staggered schedules of start and end times for movement from one class to another.

• New procedures at the start and end of the day to minimize student gatherings.

• Additional tables within the cafeterias and in large spaces to facilitate lunches in order to accommodate 6-foot distancing while students have face coverings off to eat and drink, in accordance with the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding universal face coverings.

• Guidance from the Montgomery County Office of Public Health guidance and Governor Wolf’s process to reopen schools dictates what the maximum number of people at a given event or within a space are able to congregate. The District will follow the guidelines established by the State and the Montgomery County Department of Health for large group gatherings and the use of communal spaces.

Outdoor spaces will give schools the ability to create more spaces for social distancing to occur. When able to do so, recess, physical education programs and instructional (including special content area) classes could be conducted outdoors. Hygiene routines are an important part of mitigating community spread. The District promotes the following hygiene efforts:

• Staff work with students to reinforce healthy hygiene practices.

• Signage promoting healthy hygiene practices will reinforce practices. Signs in classrooms, bathrooms, hallways and other school rooms will promote these hygiene practices.


https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html


Limiting the sharing of materials among students Staggering the use of communal spaces and hallways Adjusting transportation schedules and practices to create social distance between students Limiting the number of individuals in classrooms and other learning spaces, and interactions between groups of students Coordinating with local childcare regarding on site care, transportation protocol changes and, when possible, revised hours of operation or modified school-year calendars Other social distancing and safety practices

• At the elementary level, teachers regularly schedule hand washing times, bathroom breaks and hand sanitizing opportunities throughout the day. At the secondary level, students are encouraged to wash their hands between class periods and during lunchtimes. When handwashing opportunities are limited, students are encouraged to use hand sanitizer.

Another area for consideration is school transportation services. In order to support efforts for increased health and hygiene measures, school transportation has reduced capacity of a 72-passenger bus by 33% to 48 passengers, or 2 students to a seat. In addition, ventilation by keeping windows down helps increase air flow throughout the vehicle. Last, students, bus drivers, and any passengers on school transportation vehicles must wear facial coverings at all times. Limiting visitors and non-essential people into the school building is another way the District supports increased efforts for mitigating spread. Non-essential visitors are not permitted to enter school buildings. Only essential visitors are allowed in the school building. Essential visitors include school personnel as well as parents/guardians.

Monitoring Student and Staff Health


Monitoring students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure Isolating or quarantining students, staff, or visitors if they become sick or demonstrate a history of exposure Returning isolated or quarantined staff, students, or visitors to school Notifying staff, families, and the public of school closures and within-school- year changes in safety protocols

A symptom monitoring questionnaire is completed prior to coming to school. The expectation and requirement have been communicated to families and staff prior to opening of school. Staff monitor students’ health and their own during the school day. High-risk students and the staff assigned to those classrooms participate in weekly antigen assurance testing with parent/guardian permission in addition to the symptom screening required prior to arriving at school. Any student determined by the nurse to be symptomatic of COVID-19 is isolated in a location that has been identified prior to the opening of school. Anyone who has a history of exposure should not be in the building as per the screening questionnaire. The District will follow MCOPH COVID-19 School Exclusion Requirements for exclusion and return to school procedures. Families are notified through an electronic messaging system that there is a positive case of COVID-19. This alert will occur following notification from the MCOPH. All nurses, as well as staff working directly with students have been trained on monitoring students’ health. All staff have been trained on monitoring their own health.


Other Considerations and Students and Staff


Protecting students and staff at higher risk for severe illness * Use of face coverings (masks or face shields) by all staff * Use of face coverings (masks or face shields) by students Unique safety protocols for students with complex needs or other vulnerable individuals Strategic deployment of staff

High-risk students and the staff assigned to those classrooms will participate in weekly antigen assurance testing with parent/guardian permission, in addition to the symptom screening required prior to arriving at school. Differentiated PPE is provided for staff who have direct contact with students and are unable to maintain the 6ft physical distance due to their job responsibilities with the student. There has been consideration of necessary PPE and barriers for students who are unable to wear masks. All staff and students are required to have a face covering unless they have a documented medical or mental health condition or a disability. Face shields will be provided to staff and masks provided to staff and students as requested. If anyone does not have a face covering prior to their first entry into the District, they will have a mechanism to retrieve one from the District. Meetings are held with families of students with IEPs who have unique needs and protections provided as needed. Staff are assigned based on size and needs of population and protections provided based on documented concerns.


Health and Safety Plan Governing Body Affirmation Statement

The Board of Directors/Trustees for ABINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT reviewed and approved the Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan

on (INSERT DATE: MONTH, DAY, YEAR).

The plan was approved by a vote of:

Yes

No

Affirmed on: (INSERT DATE: MONTH, DAY, YEAR)

By:

(Signature* of Board President)

(Print Name of Board President)

*Electronic signatures on this document are acceptable using one of the two methods detailed below.

Option A: The use of actual signatures is encouraged whenever possible. This method requires that the document be printed, signed, scanned, and then

submitted.

Option B: If printing and scanning are not possible, add an electronic signature using the resident Microsoft Office product signature option, which is

free to everyone, no installation or purchase needed.

Documents

ASD School Plan 2020-21...The committee report was divided into four areas representing (1) Instructional Program, (2) Operational Services, (3) Human Resources, and (4) Student Services