Center for Disease Control Guidelines

The safety of our students and staff is critical in response to the COVID-19 crisis. This resource and guidance to schools developed by the Center for Disease Control is an essential planning tool that was utilized to help formulate this plan:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-schools.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fguidance-for-schools.html

Social (Physical) Distancing Guidance (CDC)

• Implement social distancing strategies to increase the physical space between students/staff (ideally 6 feet between all individuals, regardless of the presence of symptoms). Strategies will need to be tailored to the individual space in the school building and the needs of the population and staff. Not all strategies will be feasible in all facilities. Example strategies with varying levels of intensity include:
  • Common areas:
    • Enforce increased space between individuals in classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, offices as well as in lines and waiting areas such as nurses office (e.g., remove every other chair in a waiting area)
  • Classrooms:
    • Desks should be arranged to maintain 6 foot distance
      Classroom capacity should consider room size with social distancing
  • Recreation:
    • Choose recreation spaces where individuals can spread out
      Stagger time in recreation spaces
      Restrict recreation space usage to a single group at a time
  • Meals:
    • Stagger meals; consider grab and go meals
      Rearrange seating in the cafeteria so that there is more space between students
  • Group activities:
    • Limit the size of group activities
    • Increase space between individuals during group activities
    • Suspend group programs where students and staff are likely to be in closer contact than they are in the classroom or instructional space
    • Consider alternatives to existing group activities, in outdoor areas or other areas where students and staff can spread out
  • Medical:
    • If possible, designate a room near each nursing office to evaluate individuals with COVID-19 symptoms;
    • If possible, use this same room to evaluate students and staff who have been flagged during screening
    • Communicate clearly and frequently with students/staff/parents about changes to their daily routine and how they can contribute to risk reduction
    • Note that if group activities are discontinued, it will be important to identify alternative forms of activity to support the mental health of students and staff.
    • Provide up to date information about COVID-19 on a regular basis
      Consider having healthcare staff perform rounds on a regular basis to answer questions about COVID-19

Verbal Screening and Temperature Check Guidance (CDC)

Students, staff and visitors to school buildings should be screened before allowing access to school program spaces. Verbal questions and temperature scanning should occur to access whether an individual is safe to enter.

Verbal screening for symptoms of COVID-19 and contact with COVID-19 cases should include the following questions:

• Today or in the past 24 hours, have you had any of the following symptoms?
  • Fever, felt feverish, or had chills?
  • Cough?
  • Difficulty breathing?
• In the past 14 days, have you had contact with a person known to be infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)?
• The following is a protocol to safely check an individual’s temperature
• Perform hand hygiene
• Put on a face mask, eye protection (goggles or disposable face shield that full converse the front and sides of the face), gown/coveralls, and a single pair of disposable gloves
• Check/scan individual’s temperature
• If disposable or non-contact thermometers are used and the screener did not have physical contact with an individual, gloves do not need to be changed before the next check. If non-contact thermometers are used, they should be cleaned routinely as recommended by CDC for infection control.
• Remove and discard PPE

Cleaning Materials

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2