Westport Day School - The Westport Day School

Westport Day School
                      FALL 2020 Reopening Protocols & Containment Plan

 The WDS school community has used the following document from the State of Connecticut in
      its efforts to provide a thoughtful, carefully coordinated, and safe plan for re-entry
             https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/COVID-19/CTReopeningSchools.pdf

Revised WDS School Calendar 2020/2021
   • The revised WDS 2020/2021 school calendar is attached to this document as a pdf
   • The first day of school will now be, September 8th, 2020
   • WDS will now complete 177 school days and 900 hours of instruction, per state
       guidelines for the 2020/2021 school year
   • All professional Development and teacher/staff meetings will be held on Zoom until
       further notice
   • Effective, September 8, 2020 WDS will operate 4 days per week on campus (8am-1pm)
       and on Fridays via zoom (8am-1pm), allowing students to keep their Zoom behaviors and
       skills fresh as we may need to switch to a full distance learning mode at any time. This
       schedule will be implemented until further notice.
   • Families who elect to keep their student home, may do so for any reason, and will be
       able to participate in their live classes, via Zoom. They will also participate in their
       counseling and related services via zoom or telephone.
   • WDS will adapt its daily schedule, based upon health and safety in the school community
   • WDS teacher and professional development will be held remotely, September 1 – 4th.
   • Parents, home school districts, and the Connecticut State Department of Education will
       be notified immediately of any changes to the daily instructional plan.

Morning/ Drop off Health Protocols
  • The sidewalk will be marked with an X, 6 feet apart. Students will wait in line to have their
      temperature checked and answer health/symptoms questions before entering the
      building. Students with cold/flu symptoms or temperature above 99.0 degrees will not be
      permitted in the school. A doctor’s note stating it is safe for the student to return to
      school, will be required.
  • Students who have a temperature or symptoms will wait outside while a parent is called
      for pick up. We will revisit this protocol, once the temperatures start to drop in the late
      fall, early winter.
  • Teachers and staff will self-check their temperature upon entering the building and
      answer the health/symptoms checklist. Teachers and staff will not be permitted to stay
      in the building with symptoms or a temperature above 99.0 degrees. A doctor’s note
      stating it is safe for the staff member to return to school, will be required.
  • All staff, students, and visitors who enter the school will use hand sanitizer upon entry.

•   Parents will not enter the building at morning drop-off or at any time during the day.
       WDS staff can support parents and guardians by phone while in the parking lot or
       outdoors on the school grounds.
   •   Students entering the building will go directly to homeroom, rather than gathering in the
       waiting room.
   •   Students arriving late will report to Katie who will keep an electronic sign in book for no
       contact signing.

Student Dismissal Protocols
   • Students will be dismissed one at a time, practicing physical distancing
   • Parent cars and transportation vehicles arriving early should wait in the overflow lot until
       dismissal time

Visitor Protocols
    • Visitors (parents, professionals, deliveries, etc.) will ring the bell, alerting staff of their
        arrival. A WDS staff member will conduct a symptoms check using the intercom and will
        take the visitor’s temperature upon entering. Only visitors who are cleared will enter the
        building, with a mask and using social distancing.
    • UPS and mail deliveries will be instructed to leave packages outside our suite at the entry
        doors. Packages will be wiped down and opened by staff.

Physical Distancing
   • Students, staff, and cleared visitors will be advised to remain at least 6 ft apart as often as
       is possible when in the building. This includes passing in the hallways. Teachers will
       dismiss students one at a time, 6 feet apart. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
       ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html

The Physical School Space
   • Arrows will be placed on the floor of the WDS hallways and will now be one way, and in a
       clockwise direction. This will avoid staff and students passing in the hallways.
   • All classroom doors as well as hallway doors will remain open, allowing students to enter
       and exit without touching doorknobs.
   • No meetings will be held on site at WDS. All PPT’s, parent and provider meetings, as well
       as staff meetings will occur over Zoom.

Classroom Protocols & Instruction
    • WDS will move to a paperless classroom, whenever possible
    • Google Classroom will now become Google Suite at WDS, allowing for additional security,
       teaching tools, and features that enhance online learning
    • All quizzes and tests will be open book, verbal, and/or collaborative during the
       2020/2021 school year. Families can opt out of this by contacting Catherine Cunningham,
       the Education Director

•   Instruction and engagement will focus on the challenges and constraints of prior long-
       term at home/distance instruction, remote learning, and re-entry plans.
   •   Assignments will be modified, chunked, and scaffolded on an individual basis to
       accommodate students on their level of independence at the time of re-entry
   •   P/F options for grading will again be provided for the 2020/2021 school year
   •   Teachers will wipe down tables, chairs, and other high touch points before and after each
       class
   •   Students use hand sanitizer before entering each class
   •   This year, to avoid sharing Art supplies, Art class will be performative Arts. Art credit will
       apply.

Masks (Required by the State of Connecticut)
  • Students and staff will supply and wear their own masks to school
  • Parents will be asked to send their student with at least one additional clean mask, stored
       safely in their backpack.
  • WDS will supply masks to students and staff who need them
  • Protective face shields (un-tinted) are permissible
  • Staff and student masks breaks will be regularly provided outdoors and as needed, more
       than 6 ft. apart on the grassy area.
  • Students and staff can request an outdoor mask break at any time. A WDS staff member
       will accompany students.
  • Please see the CDC guidelines for appropriate masks:
       https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-
       guidance.html

Hand sanitizer & Hand Washing
   • Parents will be encouraged to send a mini bottle of hand sanitizer with them for student
      personal use only
   • Hand sanitizer will be placed throughout the school at various locations and in each
      classroom and office.
   • Hand washing protocols are still the best defense. Students and staff will use the
      bathrooms and the library hall sink and both will be stocked with single use paper towels
      and soap.
   • Students may wash their hands in the bathrooms or in the sink outside the library where
      soap, sanitizer, and single use towels will be provided.
   • WDS will follow CDC guidelines for handwashing and sanitizer protocols.
      https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

Wipes
   • Wipes will be used by teachers to wipe down surfaces before each class and at the end of
      the day. Surfaces will include desks, chairs, door handles, and any other touch points in
      their classrooms.

•   Wipes will meet current CDC guidelines with a minimum of 60% ethyl alcohol or 70%
       isopropyl alcohol

The First Day of School
   • The first day of school will be an orientation day that will begin outdoors using physical
        distancing. This will allow students and staff to walk through the building, observing
        changes and learning about the new safety protocols.
   • WDS will ease into academics, allowing students the time needed to process and adjust
        to being away from school for an extended period of time. Students will also need time
        to adjust to the safety measures taken in school.

Bathroom protocols
   • Single occupancy bathroom protocols will be listed on each bathroom door and inside
       each bathroom.
   • Students should wash or sanitize their hands both before and after using the bathroom
       following CDC guidelines for handwashing or sanitizing.
       https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
   • A WDS staff member will use disinfect each bathroom after each class period

Lunch Protocols
   • Students will not be bringing lunch to school under the entry plan that dismisses at 1pm.
   • Snack time will be instituted during the day and will be held outdoors, weather
       permitting, and indoors in the case of inclement weather.

Student School Supplies
   • WDS parents will supply each student with a personalized set of school supplies, which
       will include pencils, pens, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, tape, glue stick, sticky
       notes, a ruler, and index cards.
   • Students will be instructed not to share supplies
   • Students will receive a reminder to have Trapper keeper style notebook and a supply of
       lined paper and student pocket folders for use.
   • Online assignments will be used as often as possible, limiting the passing of papers and
       supplies.
   • Students are encouraged to bring their own device/computer for school use. Those
       students who do not have a personal device can arrange to use a computer through our
       Director of Operations. These students will be assigned a WDS computer that will not be
       shared with others.

Building/ Daily cleaning Protocols
    • Building management provides daily basic cleaning of our school
    • WDS will provide additional disinfecting and sanitizing of the school through an outside
        vendor

•   Frequent handwashing will occur, and handwashing protocols will be clearly posted in
       our single occupancy bathrooms.
   •   Hand sanitizers will be placed at the entrance to our school and throughout each
       classroom, office, and common areas. Hand sanitizing protocols include sanitizing hands
       prior to entering and upon exiting any area.
   •   WDS will provide hand sanitizers with a minimum of 60% ethyl alcohol or 70% isopropyl
       alcohol.
   •   All liquid soap dispensers will contain antibacterial properties
   •   Classrooms surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected by teachers after period. This will be
       done with the use of disinfecting wipes and sprays.
Outdoor Protocols
   • Staff and students will remain 6 or more feet apart and will not be required to wear their
      masks during breaks or outdoor time
   • All activities held outdoors will not permit the sharing of student materials or supplies
   • Classroom teachers will be encouraged to use the outdoor space for class activities as
      often as possible. Multiple classes can fit on the lawn and remain properly distanced

Teacher Absences
   • WDS is currently working on policies and procedures to address teacher absences,
      substitute teacher plans, and paid time off for COVID-19 related illness.

Sick Students
    • WDS has assigned an unused office to be the “isolation room” to accommodate anyone
        exhibiting symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19
    • Parents will need to pick up the student to avoid spread on transportation vehicles. A
        person on the student’s pick-up list may also pick the student up from school.
    • An on-call school nurse will be consulted for questions and symptom checks
    • If any person has entered our school, regardless of community transmission, WDS will
        follow CDC Guidelines. Coordinate with local health officials, dismiss students and staff
        for 2-5 days, communicate with staff/parents/students, clean and disinfect thoroughly.
        https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-
        for-schools.html
    • WDS will provide staff, parents, and students with CDC guidance regarding quarantine of
        anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
        ncov/if-you-are-
        sick/quarantine.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2
        F2019-ncov%2Fif-you-are-sick%2Fquarantine-isolation.html
Containment Plan
   • If any person who has been present in school and has a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19,
       the local health department will be notified immediately. The Health Department will
       guide WDS as to the proper protocols to be followed in the event of illness.

•   WDS has assigned an unused office to be the “isolation room” to accommodate anyone
    exhibiting symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19.
•   If any person has entered our school, regardless of community transmission, WDS will
    follow CDC Guidelines. Coordinate with local health officials, dismiss students and staff
    for 2-5 days, communicate with staff/parents/students, clean and disinfect thoroughly.
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-
    for-schools.html
•   WDS will provide staff, parents, and students with CDC guidance regarding quarantine of
    anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
    ncov/if-you-are-
    sick/quarantine.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2
    F2019-ncov%2Fif-you-are-sick%2Fquarantine-isolation.html
•   In-person classes will be cancelled when a person tests positive or is suspected positive
    of COVID-19. WDS has a practiced and seamless transition to online learning that
    includes live zoom classes, live zoom or telephonic counseling sessions, and live or
    telephonic related services
•   A re-opening plan will be phased in as health and safety dictates
•   The CSDE will be notified immediately of any changes to the daily instructional plan