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Reopening Schools FAQ
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Clark-Shawnee Local Schools

         Return to School

Frequently Asked Questions

LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 17, 2020--Updated Information is Highlighted

 

Clark-Shawnee Local Schools released a plan to reopen our schools that is aligned to Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System.  We believe it is extremely important for the mental and physical well-being of our students that they be in school.  We also believe that parents should have learning options for their child(ren) based on risk tolerance associated with COVID-19.  The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.  As school starts to reopen, the health and safety of students, staff, volunteers and community is paramount.  The following questions address areas of how we will implement recommended safety protocols to the highest degree possible.  We are working closely with the Clark County Combined Health District as we implement the Ohio Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines to the best of our ability.

What are the areas of focus from the leading experts in health and medical fields for schools returning this year?

ODH guidelines ask that schools focus on five areas – Assessing symptoms, washing and sanitizing hands, thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing school environments, practice social distancing, and implement face covering policies.

 

What are the learning options for my child(ren) this school year?

One of our guiding principles for reopening the Clark-Shawnee Schools is that we provide parent choice regarding the acceptable level of risk for their child(ren).  As such, parents will have two options to choose from.

OPTION ONE: In-person learning. This option involves sending your child(ren) to school for in-person learning and assume some level of risk. The district will operate under the hybrid plan for the first quarter of the school year. The operation of in-person learning may vary based on the health threat level and/or other factors. Please read the Clark-Shawnee Reopening Plan for more information.

For students in Grades K-6, teachers will begin using Google for virtual assignments during the week of September 14th. This will allow time for students to set up and become familiar with their Google Accounts during their first in-person learning days.

OPTION TWO: Virtual Learning Academy. This option involves students receiving academics completely through a virtual experience supported by Clark-Shawnee teachers.  Students will not come to a school building for instruction and will not be in the same classes or have the same teachers as students participating in the in-person learning option.  Families choosing this option should plan for this learning modality for the entire year, but we may review the situation at semester and make adjustments.  Please read the Clark-Shawnee Reopening Plan for more information.

In order to provide families with information regarding expectations, scheduling, supplies, and logistics, we have created a landing page where you can find helpful information as we prepare to start virtual learning. Families can access information for the K-6 Virtual Learning Academy Informational Page by clicking the link or visiting the district website under the Reopening Clark-Shawnee Schools tab. On this informational page, K-6 Virtual Learning Academy families will find a supply list, information about the expectations and schedules for instruction, how to set-up your child's Google Account, and a welcome video. If you have more specific questions regarding the K-6 Virtual Learning Academy, please contact Mrs. Pam Young at Pamela.Young@cslocal.org

For students in grades 7-12, students would access their curriculum via Edmentum, an online platform that meets the same standards as our district curriculum but would not match the same pacing or activities delivered in our school building. Students would complete the courses at their own pace and would receive support from Clark-Shawnee teachers, but not instruction.

What technology is required for participation in the Virtual Learning Academy?

Families participating in the Virtual Learning Academy will need to have a computer that has a web browser that supports either Google Classroom or Edmentum based on student grade level.  The district will have a limited number of devices available to support families who need one. We are asking K-12 families who are participating in the Virtual Learning Academy who do not have a computer at home to contact the school office of your child to request a laptop. Due to the nationwide shortage on devices, we have a limited number of laptops that we can loan out. We are currently awaiting delivery of our district's device order purchased with CARES Act Funding which is slated to arrive within the next few months. Only one laptop per family is permitted at this time.

Are College Credit Plus [CCP] courses available if I select the Virtual Learning Academy?

CCP courses WILL be available to students participating in the Virtual Learning Academy. However, students WILL NOT take CCP courses with Clark-Shawnee teachers.  Students must register with post-secondary schools [i.e. Clark State or Wittenberg] directly for these courses.  School counselors can help provide information with this process.  Families desiring to take CCP courses as part of the Virtual Learning Academy are encouraged to reach out to the post-secondary schools as soon as possible.

What does assessing symptoms look like for Clark-Shawnee Local Schools during this return to school period?

We are asking that ALL parents check EACH student prior to their arrival to school using our Daily Health Assessment for Students.  This should be done daily.  Any student who has a 100 temperature or higher will not be permitted in school.  That student will have to be fever free without medicine for 24 hours prior to their return.  Students are also required to stay home if they are having trouble breathing, shortness of breath, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Staff will watch students for the following COVID-19 symptoms including, but not limited to, fever, chills, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, and/or vomiting.  Any student who has symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent home and encouraged to see their medical provider.  Parents should ensure emergency contacts are up-to-date and pre-arrange for multiple means of having a student picked up from school.  We are asking that students be symptom free without medication for a minimum of 24 hours prior to their return to school and require that parents transport students to school after any illness.

With the public health order requiring schools to make notifications regarding positive cases of COVID-19, what should we expect to hear?

The Ohio Department of Public Health issued a public health order issued on September 4, 2020 requiring schools to make notifications of positive cases of COVID-19. If there is a confirmed case at school, the Clark County Combined Health District will conduct contact tracing to identify any close contacts of the individual who tested positive for COVID-19. A close contact is defined as anyone who is within 6 feet of the individual who tested positive for 15 minutes or longer.

If your student is identified as a close contact of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, the Clark County Combined Health District will contact you directly, usually within 24 hours. The Health Department will call you if your student is identified as a close contact; in some cases, they may also send a text message. Only families of students who are identified as a close contact of the person who tested positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by the Clark County Combined Health District.

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, a notification will be sent via email to:

The notifications will not include any information that will identify the person who tested positive in accordance with federal privacy laws.

We have also added a dashboard to our website that will be updated weekly with COVID-19 data. You can find the dashboard by visiting clark-shawnee.k12.oh.us and clicking on “COVID-19,” and then selecting “COVID-19 Dashboard” or by clicking here. The dashboard will be updated each Friday afternoon by 5 p.m.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s principal or to the board office for more information.

What will hand washing and sanitizing look like for Clark-Shawnee students?

All Clark-Shawnee students will be encouraged to wash hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap.  We will continue to educate all students on the important health benefits and disease prevention washing hands creates.  This will be done on a regular basis.  Clark-Shawnee will also provide hand sanitizer in common areas for students to use.  We encourage any parent who wants their child to have personal hand sanitizer to buy this and it can be kept in your child’s desk.  Hand sanitizer or hand washing will be recommended prior to recess and when students return from recess per ODH guidelines.

What does thoroughly clean and sanitizing the school environment look like for the Clark-Shawnee Local Schools?

Daily cleaning and disinfecting of all areas in the school will be mandated.  We will deploy GermStop to high common touch areas such as doorknobs, handrails, classroom surfaces, cafeteria, buses, etc… GermStop is rated to stay on surfaces for up to 30 days and is also rated to kill Coronavirus.  We will also utilize hospital-grade Photohydroionization technology to sanitize classrooms on a regular basis.  Electrostatic disinfectant machines will also be utilized daily.  Following CDC guidelines and making sure areas are cleaned and sanitized daily helps stop the spread of all diseases.  Clark-Shawnee will also implement daily cleaning and sanitizing procedures for our bus fleet.

What does social distancing look like for our students as they return to school?

It is important that parents understand that safety protocols will be put in place and carried out to the best of our ability.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend 3 to 6 feet of space between desks when feasible.  We will social distance to the best of our abilities following AAP guidelines.  We will talk to students about being considerate of others space and keeping hands to themselves.  Our goal is to provide as much social distancing as possible, but families must understand that 100% of the risk cannot be eliminated in our buildings and social distancing is not possible on a school bus.

How will lunches be handled at Clark-Shawnee this school year?

Lunch will be provided daily.  Building principals are currently working on lunch schedules and establishing procedures based on individual building needs.  For students paying for lunch in cash, no change will be given as we work to eliminate two-way cash-handling transactions.  Change will be applied to the student lunch accounts.

The Clark-Shawnee Local School District is excited to share with families that we will be able to offer free lunch and breakfast to all students beginning Monday, September 21 - through December 31, 2020, or until funding runs out - thanks to a statewide pandemic relief program.

Under this new policy, breakfasts and lunches served to ALL students will be at NO COST. Students can pre-order meals on remote days or if they are participating in the Virtual Learning Academy. Directions and the form to pre-order lunches can be found by clicking here.

Students must take the minimum components for breakfast and lunch for their meals to be free. All students will be charged for a la carte purchases, just as they always have been.

This policy will remain in effect until December 31, 2020, until the expiration of the federally declared public health emergency, or until funding is depleted, whichever comes first.

Families are still encouraged to submit free/reduced meal applications to ensure they do not lose their free/reduced status at the conclusion of this statewide relief program. This is very important, as there is no guarantee when funding for this statewide program will expire. Also, families who qualify for free lunch are eligible to apply for waivers for school fees. Families can also print out, complete, and submit a paper copy of the free/reduced meal application by clicking here.

Please contact Alexis Staffan, Food Service Director, with any questions you may have. Alexis.Staffan@cslocal.org

What will be the Clark-Shawnee Local School face covering policy?

On August 13, 2020, the Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Health issued a health order mandating that all students, faculty, and staff in any K-12 school building in the State of Ohio be required to wear face coverings at all times when inside the school premises, at a school bus stop, or riding a school bus.

The health order has limited exemptions for the face covering requirement which include medical conditions that contraindicate the wearing of a face covering, communication with someone who is hearing impaired or has a disability, physical activity/outdoor recess where at least six feet of social distance can be maintained, actively eating/drinking, and specific instructional purposes. Educators may permit a mask break when it is deemed necessary and social distancing of at least six feet is possible. Please click here to read the full health order.

What about visitors to the school building including parents?

Visitors will be generally discouraged from coming to the building.  Parents who need to talk to or drop off items to their students will be allowed in the office areas only.  Masks will be required for parents in the office area and all visitors entering the school building are mandated to wear a mask and be screened by office personnel. Volunteers will not be permitted in the building in order to ensure the safety and health of our staff and students.

What happens when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

When this occurs, we will work directly with the Clark County Combined Health District to develop a plan for that individual and any other student who has been deemed to be in close direct contact with an infected individual.  All orders to quarantine/isolate will come from the Clark County Combined Health District.  Education will be provided for students during any quarantine.  We will follow all guidelines set for us by the Clark County Combined Health District during an exposure.

What is the first day of school?

The Clark-Shawnee Board of Education has approved an amended 2020-2021 District Calendar. You can access the updated calendar under the district tab on the Clark-Shawnee website or by clicking here.

When will class lists and student schedules be available?

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL--Class lists will be posted on the school doors by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 2nd. This will provide opportunities for families to access class lists ahead of the Labor Day weekend. When coming to the schools to view the class lists, please note that face coverings must be worn and individuals must adhere to social distancing guidelines. While I sound like a broken record, it is the efforts of this community that will allow our students to have opportunities for in-person learning and for student-athletes to have a season.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL--Student schedules will be mailed out to all students on Friday, August 28th. In-person learners will receive student schedules for the 2020-2021 school year. Students participat\ing in the Virtual Learning Academy will receive their schedule and information on how to log in on the Edmentum platform. Courses on Edmentum will not go live until September 8th, the first day of school. Additionally, all students will receive information about logging into their new Google email account.

Will there be Open House/Meet the Teacher this year?

In order to ensure the safety of our students, families, and staff along with adhering to the best practices of social distancing, the traditional open house events will not take place in-person this school year. There will be a virtual meet the teacher opportunity and information regarding that process will be forthcoming.

Will Latchkey be available this school year?

As a district, we know that families depend on the latchkey service to provide quality supervision before and after school. After much consideration, the district will not be offering morning latchkey to start the 2020-2021 school year. We will reevaluate this before the end of the first quarter.

Will buses be running normal routes during the start of school?

Yes, we will run normal bus routes during the start of school.  Parents are encouraged to drop-off and pick-up their child(ren) each day to help us have greater social distance on a bus.  Any student riding the bus is required to wear a mask.  Buses will be cleaned and sanitized daily.

What happens if the governor shuts us down again or we have a large community spread occur?

Clark-Shawnee Local School is prepared to provide remote learning opportunities online if this situation were to occur.  Last school year our teachers and staff did a tremendous job in a short amount of time providing quality instruction for our students.  Online learning expectations will be much higher for students and staff because of the experience gained during the Spring of 2020.

What about events, field trips, and athletics?

All events that involve large gatherings will be decided as we get closer to those events and can assess what is the current climate of COVID-19.  We will do our best to balance early notification of event cancellations with giving the situation as much time as we can to potentially host the event.

Field trips will be eliminated for the foreseeable future as the State of Ohio guidelines for reopening schools do not support field trips.

Athletics – On August 19, 2020, the Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Public Health issued a health order that lists the requirements for student-athletes, coaches, officials, spectators, and school districts. We are currently processing through this order to develop procedures that provide opportunities for our students to participate safely in sports and for spectators to have a safe experience when attending athletic events. Please click here to read the full health order.

Will there be recess & PE this year?

We know that recess is developmentally appropriate for elementary students. Building principals are currently developing schedules and procedures for recess and PE. Please note that certain activities and equipment will be restricted in order to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19.

Are all these policies set in stone or is this return to school plan flexible?

This plan is very flexible in the aspect we will adjust to best serve our students educationally and in a safe manner.  We also understand that the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education and the governor’s office could restrict, change or loosen guidelines for schools and we will adjust accordingly.

Where can I find more detailed information regarding the reopening of Clark-Shawnee Schools?

Please visit the district website and look for the menu in the upper right-hand corner “Reopening Clark-Shawnee Schools.”

What do I do if I have more questions?

During our transition from Microsoft Outlook to Google, the Reopening email address was rendered non-functional. If you have specific questions, please contact your child’s school.