SCHOOL REOPENING PLAN
Transcript of SCHOOL REOPENING PLAN
Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Zion Elementary District 6 is dedicated to ensuring our students have access and opportunity to have the safest in person instructional program for the in-person 2021-2022 school year. This health and safety plans follows the mitigation strategies recommended by the CDC, IDPH , and LCHD.
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SCHOOL REOPENING PLAN
Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Reopening schools during COVID-19 is critical to reopening the community and even the state. This is an obligation our district does not take lightly. However, our first commitment is to the students and families we serve. Our priority must be keeping them safe. This School Reopening Plan aims to define clear guidance for the full reopening of schools for the 2021-2022 school year that aligns with the protocols developed in collaboration with local, state, and national health guidelines and regulations.
As of August 17, 2021, District 6 will be following the ISBE guidelines stating that all students must attend in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year. Remote instruction is only to be utilized during quarantine.
Pursuant to Governor Pritzker’s August 4, 2021, Executive Order
Number 18 (COVID-19 Executive Order No. 85), all public and
nonpublic schools in Illinois serving pre-kindergarten through
12th
grade students must follow the joint guidance issued by
the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois
Department of Public Health (IDPH) and require “the indoor use
of face coverings by students, staff, and visitors who are over age
two and able to medically tolerate a face covering, regardless of
vaccination status.” Executive Order Number 18.
The areas outlined in this plan represent major considerations our district is addressing to fully reopen schools safely and to sustain their reopening. Each department has taken the safety of both staff and our learners into consideration.
We strongly believe the actions brought forth in this plan are in the best interests of our students, families, staff, and community. District 6 thanks you for all that you have done and continue doing throughout the pandemic.
Guiding Principles For the 2021-2022 School Reopening Plan
Ensure the SAFETY and WELLNESS of
students and staff .
Deliver HIGH QUALITY education for all students.
Provide families with RELIABILITY and TRUST
for in person instruct ion.
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Instructional Practices
Student Schedules
All students will follow a full daily schedule.
To limit COVID-19 exposure and promote social
distancing, students will be placed in groups.
Students will mobilize throughout the building to
classes such as exploratories and lunch, however,
will remain with the same students in the group for
a majority of the day.
PreK-Grade 5
• Students will remain with their teacher throughout
the day but will move collectively to their
exploratory subjects.
• Daily schedule will remain the same as previous
years.
• Student recess: available weather permitting.
• Specials/exploratories are held quarterly, with PE all
year (3x/week.)
Grades 6-8
The middle school schedule is modified to reduce
hallway transitions.
• Students remain within their cohort/class
throughout the day, to the greatest extent possible.
• Students move together as a cohort/group.
• Daily schedules contain core classes: ELA, Math,
Science, Social Studies, special/exploratory.
Attendance
Any student not in attendance must notify the school
office before 8:15 am. A message can also be left on the
school attendance line. Attendance will be taken and
daily participation is required.
Equipment and Material Cleaning Communal supplies are not encouraged. If items or
equipment must be shared, cleaning of equipment must
occur between student use. Time for cleaning must be
planned for between activities.
Technology
District-issued technology and support will be provided
for all students. All district devices are managed and
filtered through GoGuardian.
PreK: iPads Grades K-8: Chromebooks
• Families who demonstrate a need for internet
access can participate in the Emergency Broadband
Benefit (EBB) program and/or the Internet Essentials
program from Comcast, based upon availability.
Further details can be located on the district website
under the Families tab.
• The Technology Department has a limited inventory
for short term Hot Spot connectivity. Check-outs
will be provided based upon availability and
completion of the district Hot Spot Request Form,
located on the district website.
• Parents and guardians will utilize the technology
help line at 847-379-0099 to report technology
issues and receive support.
• Physical repairs and device collection/distribution
will be handled by Technology Department.
• Limited loaner devices will be available in
instructional spaces for student use, however, these
devices will not be allowed to leave the classroom
and will be wiped down with technology sanitation
spray between usage.
M,T,TH,F W
Grade Start End Start End
PreK AM 8:30 am 11:00 am 8:30 am 11:00 am
PreK PM 12:30 pm 3:00 pm 11:30 am 2:00 pm
PreK All Day 8:30 am 3:00 pm 8:30 am 2:00 pm
K-5 8:30 am 3:00 pm 8:30 am 2:00 pm
6-8 8:15 am 3:00 pm 8:15 am 2:00 pm
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Health, Wellness, and Safety
Zion Elementary District 6 is working closely with
Lake County Health Departments, Illinois Department
of Public Health, and ISBE to monitor COVID-19 cases
in our area. We are collaborating with medical
officials, business leaders, teachers, school
administrators, and families to help guide our decision
making around protocols and guidelines to ensure the
safety of our entire district.
It is imperative that we educate our learners, staff, and
community about health and safety measures to slow
the spread of COVID-19 within our schools.
All students and staff may recognize their traditional
environment may look different due to enhanced safety
and health protocols. This new normal will require an
adjustment for all, but ultimately these changes will
keep health and safety as the top priorities.
Face Coverings
(PPE-Personal Protective Equipment) Face coverings will be required based upon best
available data and input from local health authorities,
the School Board, CDC guidelines and stakeholder
groups including teachers and parents.
Special clear masks will be available for grades PreK-2
for teaching staff to support instruction for language
acquisition.
Students are required to wear face coverings during
school hours as well as on school buses. Face coverings
must be school appropriate and shall not interfere with
the district’s dress code policy.
Face coverings should be provided to students by
parents/guardians and must be 2 layered cloth OR
disposable. The district will provide masks only when a
student’s mask is forgotten, ruined, or soiled.
Mask Enforcement: School administration or staff will
be stationed at entry points throughout each campus to
remind students to wear face coverings prior to entering
the building. Students who repeatedly do not wear a
mask in the school building will be educated on their
importance while faculty will work to use restorative
practices to encourage students to utilize a mask.
Each school will have a COVID Point Person to work on
compliance issues at the school level. The School Office
will be enforcing the facial covering mandate. Masks are
required for all vaccinated and unvaccinated students
and staff while in the school buildings at this time. CDC
and State guidance is subject to change and the district
will update the information accordingly.
Common areas and classrooms: Students must wear
masks in all areas, to include the classroom, as well as
hallways and other shared spaces. Teachers can work
with students to provide designated “mask breaks”
during which time students will be socially distanced,
such as during recess breaks.
Exemptions: Students or staff must have a medical
need for which a face covering would cause an
impairment. A doctor’s note is necessary to be exempt
from wearing a mask. There is also an applicable
exemption for students or staff who need to
communicate with someone who is hearing impaired
and needs to see the person’s mouth to communicate.
Understanding that there may be students, due to the
nature of their disabilities, who will not be able to wear
a mask/face covering, staff in those cases may wear a
mask and face shield. Therapists, teachers and other
staff working with students who are Deaf/Hard of
Hearing, will need to wear a special clear mask and not
a regular mask to ensure proper communication. Face
shields will also be used by Speech and Language
Therapists when providing speech therapy.
Pursuant to State guidance, the District may make
limited exceptions to this requirement for students “who
cannot wear a mask or cannot safely wear a mask
because of a disability as defined by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).” To
request a face covering exemption for your child due to
a medical or developmental need, please complete this
form or contact the nurse at your child’s school.
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Social Distancing It is essential to create a healthy and safe environment
by limiting potential COVID-19 exposure whenever
possible. It is our goal that as we reopen schools and
welcome children into a new year of learning, that we
mitigate the health concerns with which we are faced,
and focus on providing high-quality instruction and
engagement for every student despite the
circumstances.
Students will be socially distanced to the greatest extent
possible. When it is not possible to socially distance,
students should engage in more frequent hand washing
and mandatory mask wearing.
Every classroom will be designed to maximize space and
distance between each student.
• Classroom furniture will be rearranged to provide
additional space. Administrators will preview and
approve classroom designs prior to the start of
school, and throughout the school year as
adjustments are required.
Students will practice social distancing from the arrival
on campus through departure.
• Our district will be limiting access to essential
educational visitors and volunteers to appointment
only. A request must be made 24 hours in advance.
• Administrators will establish protocols for greeting
visitors and the need for screenings and
temperature checks.
Administrators will create site-based procedures for
community restrooms and confined spaces to allow for
social distancing and proper hand washing.
Transportation: Students will be encouraged to stay
socially distanced while at the bus stop. This must be a
joint education effort between families and school
personnel. Students will be socially distanced as much
as the physical capacity of the bus allows.
• Students will load on school buses from back to
front, increasing social distancing and limiting
exposure to others.
• Students and drivers will wear masks while riding
the bus. Bus drivers will have disposable masks to
hand out to students in the event a student does
not have his or her mask.
Additional Hand Sanitation Stations Each classroom will be outfitted with additional
sanitation stations with a variety of supplies to
encourage proper cleaning practices. Each station will
include gloves and disinfectant wipes for spot cleaning,
along with hand sanitizer. Students and staff will work
together to ensure everyone is contributing to a healthy
environment by wiping surfaces after classroom
instruction is complete.
Students will be encouraged to take hand-washing
breaks throughout the day, in addition to washing
hands before and after eating, as well as before sharing
materials. Hand soap and paper towels will be provided
at every sink. Hand sanitizer will be in each classroom.
Classroom Modifications Administrators will view and approve classroom designs
prior to the start of the school year.
• Extraneous furniture will be removed from each
classroom as much as possible for proper social
distancing practices.
• Students will be provided materials to avoid sharing
of items.
The site-based administrator will determine site-based
procedures that minimize the spread of the virus
including minimal transitions and consistent grouping
whenever possible. This includes all classroom settings,
teacher directed PE, specials, and special education
services locations when possible and appropriate.
School administrators will need to establish an inventory
system to identify shared items for the curriculum and
see how additional items can be ordered. If additional
items are not readily available to the school,
consultation with content supervisors will be required.
Common Area Modifications Students will be monitored in all common area locations
to encourage social distancing practices.
Additional signage will be placed in all buildings to
proper hygiene and social distancing.
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Hallway directional signage will be placed throughout
the buildings to limit traffic congestion and
congregating of students.
Controlled Movement Patterns Scheduled bathroom and recess breaks will be
established utilizing controlled movement patterns
based on signage throughout campus.
Contract tracing will be implemented. Staggered entry/
exit points may be established for arrival and dismissal
patterns with designated drop-off and pick-up areas for
walkers and bike riders.
No nonessential outside visitors will be allowed
admission into the building.
Meal Service Breakfast and lunch will include pre-packaged items.
Students will receive meals through a delivery system to
their classroom or gym/cafeteria. Meals will be
prepacked and heated, if required.
School Supplies Registered students will receive a school supply kit
delivered to their classroom.
Teachers will increase the use of digital instruction where possible to limit the spread of germs in classroom areas.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures Schools will establish arrival and dismissal procedures to
minimize crowding, foot traffic, and transmission of
COVID-19, including drop-off and pick-up points for
walkers and bike riders.
Dismissal procedures will include transition directives
that limit the mixing of cohorts of students. Signage will
be provided to remind students and parents of the
traffic flow pattern upon entrance and exit of school
grounds.
Additionally, school-based teams will establish a rainy-
day plan.
Students will be supervised by staff throughout
dismissal. Students will always be required to wear their
face covering during dismissal.
• Schools will clearly message families regarding
times when supervision is available and when
students are permitted on campus.
• Administrators will create site-based protocols for
all late arrival and early pickup. Parents/guardians
picking students up will have to wait in the
designated area, with face covering, and student will
be escorted to them.
Mass Gatherings/Extracurricular Activities/Field
Trips/Athletic
In-person field trips will not be scheduled until further
notice in order to promote social distancing and follow
proper safety guidelines. Virtual field trips will be
offered throughout the year. Extra-Curricular activities
and athletics will be offered while following the
established health protocols. Open houses will be virtual
at this time.
Nurse’s Office Our district is committed to assigning full-time RN’s for
each school and one district-wide registered nurse to
help create a safe and healthy environment. Students
exhibiting possible COVID-19 symptoms will be isolated
from others within the nurses office until picked up by
their parent/guardian. The building nurse will assess
other students outside of the nurses office or in the
classroom and provide appropriate care. After the
isolated student is picked up, the nurses office will be
sanitized accordingly.
Sanitation, Cleaning and Disinfection Zion District 6 partners with RJB for cleaning services.
District 6 and RJB requires that all employees wear
appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE.)
RJB has increased the amount of staff dedicated to
cleaning our school buildings, which also included a
dedicated Day Porter to each location.
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Day porters keep the facility clean and sanitized but,
most importantly they provide visibility to staff,
students, or visitors ensuring that the space that they
are in is clean and disinfected.
• Continuous cleaning and sanitizing of high
touchpoints throughout the day. For example:
tables, door handles, light switches, water fountains,
countertops, restrooms fixtures, handrails, coffee
machines, etc.
• Frequent disinfecting multiple times daily of
communal areas as they get used.
• Replenishment of supplies. For example: soap,
paper towels, and hand sanitizers.
• Distribution of hand sanitizers.
• In addition to your nightly custodial staff, a Day
Porter can help in round-the-clock cleaning and
disinfection of our facility.
All schools will be cleaned multiple times daily, focusing
on major touch entry points in common areas such as
lockers, doorknobs, handles, stairwell railings, light
switches and soap dispensers. Bathrooms will be
frequently cleaned to accommodate increased traffic
patterns.
Custodial staff will disinfect using ECAS, or
Electrochemically Active Solutions, with microfiber
cloths to spray and wipe down objects and surfaces.
In addition to traditional sprayers and foggers RJB is
exploring further ways to effectively and efficiently clean
and disinfect our buildings.
Scheduling and Routine: Throughout the workday, the
custodial staff will implement a routine of surface
cleaning in the major touch point areas discussed such
as restrooms. The staff will, in some cases, report at
staggered times depending upon hours of operation to
ensure consistent disinfection practices while primary
building employees are
present. Later custodial
shifts will apply the full
standard cleaning of all
areas to be ready for the
next day. Additional
disinfecting will be
performed prior to the
arrival of district staff in high
-traffic areas such as the front office. Custodial staff will
wear face masks and gloves.
COVID Positive Cleaning Protocol
Deep cleaning: If a positive COVID-19 case is
determined within a school or building, district staff will
use an approved chemical and electrostatic machine to
disinfect any area deemed appropriate by contract
tracing processes. The sanitization solution is OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration),
WHMIS (Workplace hazardous Materials Information
System) and GHS (Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) compliant.
• Teachers and students must work together with
custodial staff to promote a clean and healthy
environment for everyone within each building.
• Each classroom will have additional sanitation
stations that will include gloves and disinfectant
wipes.
• Students and teachers shall wipe down any
community or high-touch areas after each class to
reduce exposure for the next classroom.
School closures: School closures due to cleaning or
positive cases will be determined on a school by school
basis and appropriate protocols with be followed.
NOTE: ISBE and IDPH does NOT require a complete
school closure due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Positive COVID-19 Case Confirmation
Upon notification of a positive result, a parent or
employee will notify their principal or supervisor,
respectively. The principal or supervisor will notify the
regional superintendent or assistant superintendent/
chief, who will notify the district nurse. Upon receipt, the
district nurse will communicate details with the health
department.
Positive individuals must quarantine for 10 days from
onset of symptoms, or 10 days from positive test date if
they are asymptomatic.
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
Contact Tracing
Zion District 6 is collaborating with the Illinois
Department of Health to conduct contact tracing.
Upon notification of a positive case on campus, the
district nurse will also communicate with administration
to track movement of the person who tested positive
and secure affected areas. Impacted individuals will be
notified.
Quarantine/Isolation Procedures
Quarantine is necessary to keep someone who might
have been exposed to COVID away from others.
• ISBE and IDPH mandate any individual in close
contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19
must self-quarantine for 10 days.
• ISBE & IDPH define ‘close contact’ as “any individual
who has been closer than 3 feet for more than 15
minutes without PPE (Hallway transitions and lunch
are excluded.)
If someone is a close contact to a COVID-19 positive
person at school while masked, they must quarantine
for 10 days from last exposure IF they are unvaccinated,
unless they have consent to do screening testing with
the nurse on Day 1, 3, 5 & 7 if they remain
asymptomatic.
• If the contact comes from within the household
they still must quarantine.
• Vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine if
they are a close contact.
If your student OR any of your household members are
symptomatic with any of the below symptoms, they
must stay home and either get a negative COVID-19
test result or a doctor’s note to return, regardless of
vaccination status. Only the symptomatic person is
required to get tested.
Covid Symptoms Are as Follows:
• Fever over 100.4
• Cough
• Shortness of Breath
• New Loss of Taste or Smell
• Body Aches
• Sore Throat
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
Return To Campus: At least 10 days have passed since
symptoms appeared; at least 24 hours fever-free
without using fever-reducing medication, and all other
symptoms have subsided.
COVID-19 Positive Notifications
District 6 is dedicated to alerting our community about
current COVID-19 information. This information will be
shared as follows:
• Any/all exposed parties notified based upon
contact tracing.
• Families and staff will be asked to report possible
cases to school to initiate contact tracing.
• All known positive cases will be reported to the
Lake County Health Department.
School-based employee or student with positive COVID-19 Test Results
Self-quarantine for 10 days
Building Administration Informed
District Nurse Notified
Superintendent Notified
Lake County Health Department Notified
Initiate Contact Tracing
Notify any/all exposed parties
If students riding same bus route are required to self
-quarantine due to positive test; riders impacted will
transition to remote learning during quarantine period
If classroom(s) or individuals are required to
self-quarantine due to positive test; classroom will transition to remote learning
during quarantine period
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Zion Elementary District 6 School Reopening Plan 2021-2022
• Emergency notifications will be sent through School
Messenger.
• Website and social media to be updated with any
new information.
• Contact [email protected] if you are uncertain
who to contact or have questions.
Staff engage in weekly surveillance COVID-19 testing via
BinaxNOW. BinaxNOW COVID-19 testing is available for
symptomatic children if consent from parent is on file.
The district and registered nurses working for the
district are NOT administering the COVID-19 vaccine to
any staff or students. The district has partnered with
Walgreens and LCHD to provide separate vaccination
events to staff, students, and families.
Signage/ Communications
Our district remains committed to communicating
important, current information to safeguard our
students, staff, families, and community stakeholders.
The following actions will remain at the forefront of our
initiatives for health, safety, and wellness.
• Signage within schools to promote proper hygiene
and social distancing.
• Provide flyers for students and families on
COVID-19 protocols.
• Media posts targeting families to educate regarding
virtual options for the fall.
• A landing page dedicated to updated information
for students and staff regarding COVID-19
developments can be located on our district website
at www.zion6.org.
• Regular digital newsletter updating families on the
latest information for school reopening sent
through School Messenger.
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Non-essential visitors are prohibited.
Daily deep cleaning and wipe downs.
Limit furniture within classrooms.
Teaching proper hand hygiene.
Stay home if you feel sick.
Wear a mask within school buildings.
Wash your hands often and properly.
Stay informed and up-to-date by
following our nurse’s newsletter.
What We’re Doing
What You Can Do