This guidance provides best practice considerations for schools for the 2022-2023 school year to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among students and staff.

Vaccination: Vaccination is the best way to reduce COVID-19 risk. Encourage up to date COVID-19 vaccination for everyone six months or older.

Visit the vaccine finder page
(Open external link)
or call 877-829-4692 to find a location near you.
Up to date includes boosters for everyone who is eligible and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people. See At-A-Glance COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules (cdc.gov).
Vaccination Requirements, as of February 10, 2023:

Vaccination is no longer required for all visitors entering school buildings
Vaccination is no longer required for all DOE employees
Vaccination is no longer required for other individuals who work in DOE buildings
Vaccination is no longer required to participate in high-risk extracurricular activities including high-risk PSAL sports

Daily Health Screener:

No longer required to enter school buildings

Stay home if sick: Students and staff should stay home if they show any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses and get tested for COVID-19.
Isolate if COVID-19 positive: Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 if they have no symptoms or symptoms are improving. They should wear a mask until day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier. Masks may be removed during this period if the person has received two negative rapid tests 48 hours apart.

These cases should be reported to their school so they can be report into the sit room for exposure notifications.

Get tested if exposed to COVID-19: Students and staff who are exposed to COVID-19 should get tested.

These individuals should receive home tests from their school and take two tests, at least 48 hours apart. All exposed individuals should monitor for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days after their exposure. If symptoms begin, they should not attend school and should isolate and get tested for COVID-19 again right away.

Testing:

Starting May 1, 2023, schools will offer home test kits to staff and students who are experiencing symptoms and/or have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19.

These tests can be used by school families for testing due to symptoms, exposures, high-risk activity (such as travel and large gatherings) and can give staff and students immediate results.

Please see below for a letter to families

Situation Room:

Schools will report positive cases of COVID-19 through an online reporting tool.
School communities will be notified of cases in their schools through daily email and the Daily COVID map.

Masking- Face coverings are strongly recommended to be worn when indoors. As of December 9, 2022, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has issued a universal indoor masking recommendation
(Open external link)
for all indoor settings, including schools and daycare centers, given very high rates of flu and other respiratory conditions. Masks will be made available at the school for all those who need/want them.

Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask when:

Returning to school on the sixth day after testing positive for COVID-19, through day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier, including when traveling on a school bus. Masks may be removed during this period if the person has received two negative rapid tests 48 hours apart.
Entering the school medical room, nurse’s office, or school-based health center.
Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at school.

Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, are also strongly recommended to wear a mask:

When they were exposed to someone with COVID-19, whether the exposure occurred in school or outside of school. The person should wear a mask for 10 days after their last day of exposure and get tested at least 48 hours apart.
When they are moderately-to-severely immunocompromised, and masking is recommended by their healthcare provider.
In crowded outdoor settings

Ventilation:

160K+ air purifiers distributed to schools – at least two in every classroom
Monitoring ventilation in buildings on a daily basis and perform any required work in a timely manner
HVAC upgrades in alignment with CDC guidance, including 110,000 MERV-13 filters installed

School Building Cleaning:

Routine cleaning of surfaces will be maintained

Get Tested

Rapid Testing at Home

Schools are distributing free, take-home COVID-19 rapid test kits to any students or staff who exhibit COVID-like symptoms or have been in a classroom where a positive case has been identified. Anyone who tests positive on a take-home test should immediately report it to the school and begin isolating. No proof of a negative result is required in order for these students to enter the school building.

Learn about Home Rapid Test Kits.

Find a COVID-19 Testing Site

All New York City students and staff members are strongly encouraged to get tested. Working in partnership with the Test+Trace Corps, families and staff members can go to any City-run testing sites to get tested or pick up readily available at-home rapid tests.

To find a testing site offering rapid tests, visit nyc.gov/covidtest, text “COVID TEST” to 855-48, or call 311

Get Vaccinated

Get more information about where to get vaccinated
(Open external link)
(or call 877-VAX-4-NYC).
We strongly encourage the COVID-19 vaccination for all age-eligible students.

Vaccination Portal

Families are encouraged to record their student’s vaccination status in the DOE's COVID-19 Vaccination Portal

(Open external link)

. Submitting this information will support New York City’s pandemic response and recovery efforts, and help ensure that DOE schools and buildings remain safe places for all students and staff.

Students and their families can access the Vaccine Portal with the student's DOE account login credentials (email and password).
Visit the DOE Student Account page or help setting up or accessing your child’s account.

The Vaccine Portal will ask you to identify the type of vaccine, where you received it (in or out of New York City) and when you received the vaccine, and will prompt you to upload the image or screenshot of the proof of vaccine.

Proof of vaccination can be an image of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or other government record.
Take the image or screenshot and save it to your computer for uploading into the portal.
The portal can be translated using Google Translate.

Privacy and Security

The privacy and security of your information will be protected by technical, physical, and administrative safeguards, including encryption. This information will be kept confidential in accordance with federal, state, and local laws.

Technical Support

If you encounter technical issues using the Vaccination Portal, please contact the DOE Help Desk by calling 718-935-5100.

School Visitor Policy

Effective February 10, 2023, visitors entering DOE schools or buildings are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination.

School Closure

Schools will be closed only when it is determined by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) that there is widespread transmission in the school. With the health and safety measures in place, we expect that school closures will be limited.

To learn about what to do if your child tests positive see the Home Rapid Test Kits page.
View the Daily COVID19 Case Map.

Ventilation

Good ventilation is essential to prevent COVID-19. Over the past year and a half, ventilation in every single classroom across the city has been inspected, updated, and repaired as needed. Every DOE room in use by students and staff for extended periods of time will have fully operational ventilation through either natural, mechanical, or a combination of means.

As an added precaution, every classroom across New York City has been provided with two air purifiers. Cafeterias in bigger schools will be provided with large air units for added protection and window-based exhaust fans to provide additional air circulation, and we continue to increase ventilation in classrooms and schools. These measures meet or exceed guidance from the CDC.

You can check the ventilation status of your child’s school online: use Find a School to locate your school's page, which includes a section on Building Ventilation Information.
If a room in your child’s school does not have adequate ventilation, it will not be used.

Cleaning

All classrooms and common areas, such as auditoriums and gyms will have hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes available.

Outdoor Learning

Last year, 840 schools took advantage of the innovative Outdoor Learning Initiative to expand their students’ “classrooms”. Schools will continue to use school yards, street space, and parks to provide additional space for learning. Schools in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 will continue to receive priority for the program.

Medically Necessary Instruction

Every year, there are some students with medical conditions that necessitate interim educational services outside of the school building. These services are offered for school-aged children (from 3K to grade 12) in all five boroughs, and can include individual in-person instruction by a certified teacher, or individual and group instruction by certified teachers through digital platforms.

Taking COVID-19 into consideration, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has determined that students who have one of the following conditions would be provisionally approved for medically necessary instruction:

Active Cancer
Chronic Renal Diseases
Sickle Cell
Gastro/Crohn’s Disease
Thalassemia
Leukemia
Metabolic Disorders
Heart Conditions
Muscular Dystrophy
Adrenal Disorder
Cystic Fibrosis
Liver Disease
Tumor
Congenital Lung Disease
Congenital Heart Condition
Lymphoma
Cerebral Ataxia
Seizures
Stroke
Multiple Sclerosis

Any family with a student who is immunocompromised due to a medical condition or treatment for an orthopedic, non-orthopedic/medical, or psychiatric reasons a medical condition may apply for medically necessary instruction. Applications from families with any condition not listed will undergo review to determine eligibility.

Visit the Medically Necessary Instruction page to get additional information about the application process and eligibility.

Home Rapid Test Kits

Starting April 17, 2023, schools will offer home test kits to staff and students who are experiencing symptoms and/or have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19. These tests can be used by school families for testing due to symptoms, exposures, high-risk activity (such as travel and large gatherings) and can give staff and students immediate results.

2021-22 Reopening Plan

Forte Prep Academy

COVID-19 Safety Planning

2021-22 School Year

As of Aug 29, 2021

As we gear up for the beginning of the school year, it’s important that we reestablish expectations regarding our health and safety protocols to ensure that we have a great start to our school year. This information is subject to change as we learn more from our partners at the DOH, NYSED, and the NYCDOE. We have been following their guidance throughout this process, and will continue to do so to enhance our safety measures wherever possible.

Source material for additional guidance:

Vaccine Policy	Per DOE and NYC requirements, all employees are required to be vaccinated before Sep 27, 2021. This means that all staff members, including maintenance and security guards, must have received at least one shot of the vaccine (regardless of the number of doses required to complete the vaccination program). Staff must provide proof in the form of a vaccine card or Excelsior pass screenshot on Trinet. There are extremely limited medical exemptions that must be recommended by a medical professional and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Unvaccinated individuals are no longer eligible for additional paid leave (FFCRA) if they are required to quarantine after testing positive If you remain unvaccinated due to an exemption, individuals must participate in and submit weekly covid testing every week. Vaccine policy is subject to change per state and local guidance.
Physical Distancing	Staff/adults must maintain a distance of at least 3 feet with students and with each other. This most directly impacts our ability to place staff desks in classrooms. Student physical distancing in classrooms will be 3 feet wherever possible, measured from the location of the student, versus the border of the associated furniture. We will maximize distance between adults and children wherever possible.
In-Person Staff Meetings	For all staff meetings, whether 1:1 coaching meetings or whole-school PD, schools must maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance for all meetings. Meetings with fewer than 5 vaccinated adults who are 6 feet apart from one another may choose to take place unmasked.
Teacher Work Rooms and other Adult Only Areas	Common appliances (including but not limited to refrigerators, toasters, microwaves, coffee machines, water machines, and copy machines) must have sanitizer bottles and disinfectant wipes next to them, with clear instructions printed on each appliance for staff to wipe down machines and sanitize hands both before and after use. Each staff member must wipe down appliances before/after using them.

Daily health screenings

Staff will continue to complete the daily health screening upon entry to the building. Students and families will be asked to screen children for covid symptoms before school, and will continue to be checked for temperature upon arrival.

Masking

Students are expected to be masked at all times except to drink water or during meal times.

If students are present: Adults are expected to remain masked.
If students are not present: Adults who are vaccinated may choose to unmask. Adults who are unvaccinated must remain masked if you are in the presence of other adults.

In large group settings (5+ individuals), all adults, regardless of vaccination status, should remain masked.
At meal times, when it is impossible to be masked, unvaccinated adults are expected to eat independently in a meeting room or to eat in an outdoor location for the duration of the meal.

Adults are expected to wear a mask of their own to work. As a courtesy, the school will have disposable masks available alongside other common supplies at most times. To ensure that the school is able to keep masks in stock for all students and staff, we ask that staff make responsible use of mask supplies by using no more than approximately one school-provided mask per day.

As a school, we want all staff members to feel safe. If a fellow staff member reminds you of the mask policy or asks you to wear a mask in a shared space, adults are asked to do so with courtesy and respect.

Distancing

In line with NYS guidance, student desk width in Forte classrooms is already great enough that students’ mouths are approximately 3 feet apart. We will encourage Level 1 voice volume during meals/mask off time to limit the amount of aerosols that are dispersed during unmasked time.

We recommend that you consider double masking and/or using a KN95 mask during times when large groups of students are mask off, such as meal times. Extra masks are available in our Supply Closets in each classroom.

Testing

We will be partnering with the NYCDOE to test 10% of our unvaccinated student population biweekly. This is a service that the Dept of Education is providing to charter schools for the first time. Given this, we will be collecting vaccination information from families via centralized immunization database so that we know which students are eligible. We will also be testing a random sample of staff on a regular basis as well. Further details around timing of testing and the testing partner will be provided when the DOE shares that information with our school.

Handling of Positive Cases & Community Spread Quarantine Conditions and Procedures

Procedure for a positive case

When there is a single case of COVID-19 in the school, all close and unvaccinated contacts of that case will be notified and requested to test as soon as possible and to quarantine. The individual with the positive test will also quarantine for a period of 10 days. If all students and staff have been following the school’s masking and distancing protocols, no close contacts among students, under the current CDC definition, should exist. However, in order to exceed the safety protocols required by the CDC, we will request that unvaccinated students within a 6 foot radius of the student quarantine for 5 days. Following CDC guidance, vaccinated teachers and students who had contact with the individual who has tested positive do not need to quarantine unless they have symptoms, but they should get a test 3-5 days after the contact.

Example classroom:

Identification of community spread in a cohort

When there are two or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 within a single cohort in the same 10 day period, the school will immediately undertake the steps above and also immediately notify the New York City Department of Health Situation Room. In partnership with the DOH, the school will make a determination of whether the cases constitute evidence of spread within the cohort.

Procedures following identification of community spread

When community spread is identified as likely within a cohort, students in the cohort will be quarantined to learn from home for a period of 10 days. At this time, neither state nor CDC guidelines define thresholds under which all cohorts in the school would enter a quarantine, but in any situation of substantial increases of cases within our community, the school would work proactively with the New York City Department of Health to take action for the safety of students and staff.

Communications to families

The following information has been shared with families via social media. We will continue to keep them updated as information becomes available.

2020-21 Reopening Plan

Executive Summary

Forte Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in Elmhurst, NY, educating students from grades 5 through 8, has developed a reopening plan using best practices, research and guidance from a wide range of sources to prepare for the 2020-21 school year.

This year has already been the hardest in our school’s short lifespan. COVID-19 has wrought incalculable loss on our country, with Queens as early epicenter of the virus in the spring. While our team did everything in its power to restore some sense of normalcy in those early months, the virus and our subsequent displacement from school had severe impacts on our academic performance and devastated the fabric of our beloved school community. During this time, we banded together and focused on creating equitable systems that allowed our students to continue to learn to the last day of school. We are proud of that, and we know that our role is to make our school even stronger in the coming months in order to best support our students and families.

We are well aware that this new school year will be anything but normal, and to that end we intend to set new goals that allow us to have a successful beginning to the school year. Our goals for the 2020-21 school year are to 1) prioritize the health and safety of our students, families, and staff; 2) to maximize meaningful and rigorous instructional time both inside and outside of the classroom; and 3) to create systems and procedures that are responsive to the most up-to-date public health guidance and dynamic to the ever-changing landscape in our city and our country.

It is imperative that we reopen thoughtfully, carefully, and on the shoulders of experts and data-driven researchers so that we are consistently improving the academic, social, and emotional experience for our students.

In broad strokes, and elucidated in detail below, our reopening operations include the following major interventions:

Reduction of in-person student enrollment on any given day to 50%, splitting our school into 5th & 8th grade and 6th & 7th grade cohorts of approximately 13-15 students with classrooms operating at 50% of their traditional capacity;
Modification of our academic calendar, staff professional development and student orientation to allow for more time to implement our programs;
Creation and improvement of learning systems that support students inside and outside of the building, including students with disabilities, ELL students, and other vulnerable populations;
Creation of social distancing protocol that expand the distance between students and staff alike while in the building;
Development of robust PPE and hygiene plans only possible to execute in our new, 30,000 sq ft facility in Elmhurst;
Increase in the frequency and depth of cleaning of our facility, access to hygiene supplies like hand sanitizer, and tools to increase air quality and circulation;
Human resource policies and procedures that create support for staff who require accommodations or other covid-related support;
A clear, CDC-informed screening, containment and monitoring plan for any individuals who enter our building, which includes a daily temperature check, symptom reporting system, and decrease in visitor access to our building.

At the end of the day, our job is to tackle the problem directly in front of us first, and that is what we intend to do. We know that this plan is not a static document, but rather a living, breathing framework that will guide us through challenges both predictable and unforeseen. We will continue to rely on guidance from the Department of Health, The NY State Education Department, the Centers for Disease Control, and local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that Forte Prep, and all the people that are connected to it, are as safe, healthy, and supported as possible, at all times.

Our mission is the following: “Through rigorous academics, quality instruction, and a positive culture of individual and collective responsibility, Forte Preparatory Academy Charter School equips all students in grades 5 through 8 to excel in college preparatory high schools and to use their leadership and voice to change the world.” This mission is even more important today than it has ever been, and we intend to live our mission through this document.

We look forward to bringing our community together, and are deeply grateful for the trust and confidence that our families, staff, and students put in us so that we can continue to grow, together.

Up from here,

Graham Browne

Executive Director

Justin Smith

Principal

Reopening Operations, Monitoring, Containment, & Closure

In order to maximize the health and safety of our students, staff, and broader community, Forte Prep is committed to elevating the quality of health and safety measures on our campus. In order to do so, we are leveraging thought partnerships from dozens of schools and school leaders across the country, NY State Department of Health and Center for Disease Control guidance, and the thoughtful and diligent work of the leadership team of our school. The biggest structural change we are making to our school during this phase is to our academic schedule. We will adopt a 100% learning, 50% remote approach, where students will attend school in socially-distanced classrooms at least 2 days per week while wearing face coverings. In order to reopen our operations safely, our school will be employing social distancing measures inside our classrooms and throughout our physical space; expanding our schools inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE); partnering with ProClean Maintenance to increase the frequency and depth of our cleaning and sanitization services; improving HVAC systems to maximize airflow throughout our 30,000 sqft facility, and modifying our food service, transportation and mental health programming to accommodate student needs during this time.

Reopening Operations

Social Distancing

Physically divided classrooms and learning spaces: Classrooms have been evaluated based on DOE guidelines (between 50 and 60 square feet per person). Our traditional classrooms can hold between 13-16 persons based on these guidelines. Classroom layouts will be modified to ensure appropriate spacing between students and teachers in all rooms. Smaller classrooms will be used for pull out instruction to further reduce classroom density. Further, other large spaces may be utilized for socially distanced classrooms, including:

Library (~1000 sqft)
Multipurpose Room ( ~2000 sqft)
Performing Arts Room (~900 sqft)
Science Room (~750 sqft)

Library space converted into classroom, 15 student desks socially distanced

Because of these space shifts, Forte Prep will be able to ensure that all classrooms consistently meet the social distancing guidelines set forth by the Department of Education.

View from rear of classroom. Desks with blue x’s will not be used.

View from the doorway. Maximum student occupancy is 15 with one teacher. Desks with blue x’s will not be used.

Hallways: Physical decals will be placed on the floors to indicate direction of travel as well as 6’ queuing patterns. Travel will be one-way throughout our hallways wherever possible because our building has full circular routes throughout. These decals will be placed outside of bathrooms, waiting areas, receptions, and main lobby. Additionally, we are building additional space in the hallways to spread out our staff team’s working areas to maximize professional social distancing.

Stairwells: Stairwells will be marked with suggestions to wait at the base of the stairs to avoid passing by another student or adults. Elevators will be marked as single use or single-family use only.

Bathrooms: Alternate urinals and bathroom stalls will be marked off to increase distancing while in enclosed spaces.

Outdoor spaces: Our 2000 sqft courtyard will be used for breaks but not free play. Students will be able to take mask breaks when outside.

Recess: Recess will occur inside students’ classrooms and will be led by teachers. Students will have the opportunity to stretch, play teacher-led games that can occur while students remain socially distanced, or potentially move to an empty room or outdoor space while maintaining appropriate distance and wearing face coverings.

Meals: Meals will be provided by DOE Schoolfood and will be delivered directly to students. Students will eat at their desks after sanitizing their hands.

Signage: There will be bright, clear signage throughout the building that indicates the importance of social distancing, with a priority for spaces that are likely to be highly trafficked, e.g. stairwells, reception areas, entryways.

Visitor Policy: Unannounced visitors will be directed to have their questions answered by phone or to drop off materials to the building for pick up by a Forte Prep staff member. Guests will be asked to make an appointment in order to enter the building unless they are picking up a child or represent a Department of Education agency or office. All visitors will be required to have their temperature checked and complete a symptom survey before entering the building. All visitors will be required to stand 6 feet from our receptionist. Only one visitor or small group of visitors will be allowed in our main lobby at a time. Any visitor who does not pass a symptom screening or refuses to participate will not be allowed into our building.

PPE and Face Coverings

School inventory: Forte Prep will maintain a 12-week supply of the following PPE items, per NYSED guidance:

A reserve of disposable masks will be retained at the first floor lobby, second floor reception area, in each classroom and in the nurse’s station. This way, students or adults who require a replacement mask will not need to travel far to receive one. Students and staff who request additional PPE upon arrival (e.g. face shield, N95 mask) will be able to receive it upon arrival.

Student/family expectations: Students will come to school with two cloth masks. If they need an additional mask for any reason, it will be provided to them from our local inventory. Students will wear their masks at all times, except when eating and drinking. This means:

Whenever they are in the building;
in hallways;
In restrooms; and
In other congregate settings, including buses.

Students will be able to take their masks off for pre-defined breaks in our outdoor courtyard. Students will learn appropriate mask use during student orientation and via visuals placed throughout the school building. Families will be provided with additional cloth masks before the beginning of the school year. Students cannot wear masks that include:

Words or text on the mask other than a logo
Profanity or inappropriate imagery
Exhaust valves

No Mask, No Entry: Forte Prep will adhere to a strict no mask, no entry policy. Any guest, visitor, staff or student who arrives on the premises will not be allowed to enter our school space without a cloth or disposable mask.

Process for acquiring appropriate PPE upon arrival: During arrival, students or adults without proper PPE will wait outside of our building in a designated area to receive their mask from the school’s reserves, located on the first floor for entry.

Medical exemptions: If a staff member or student is unable to medically tolerate a face covering and adequately maintain social distancing, that individual may be provided with one of the following options:

That individual may choose or be asked to participate in school 100% virtually, and will not be required to come into the school building.
Alternate classrooms, with video access to the student’s primary classroom, can be established to ensure that the student is isolated medically from their peers, but is still able to see and hear instruction as it is taking place; for staff members, various accommodations allowing social distancing may be implemented depending on that staff member’s responsibilities and medical tolerance. Preliminarily, this space would be the nurse’s station, as they will have the most robust PPE provisions for themselves and the other people in the space. We will make this accommodation available if possible, given the staffing requirement.

Operational Activity

Adaptation of Classrooms: Forte Prep has modified the density of classrooms to ensure that a maximum of 16 persons is in any room at a given time. This calculation of appropriate density was created using the 50-60 sqft per individual guidance provided to us by the Department of Education. Our current facility has enough large classrooms to accommodate 50% of our enrollment at a time, per our plan. We will use the Multipurpose Room, library, science lab and potentially other pullout rooms to provide spillover spaces. Pullout rooms will be socially distanced, and will be able to hold groups of between 4 and 12 students, depending on size. Other rooms, like the library or science lab, may be used for larger pullout groups in order to ensure social distance between students.

Additionally, staff will have access to flexible working spaces throughout the building to further reduce classroom density and to provide teachers with the opportunity to spread out.

Adaptation of Office Spaces: Office spaces will be limited to maximum 2 persons per room. Social distancing precautions will be in effect in all office spaces. Further, the front desk will have 24 X 24 plastic guards erected to provide additional protection.

Adaptation of hallways: Water fountains in our hallways will be used for bottle filling only. Students must come to school with an approved, clear water bottle for drinking every day.

Adaptation of Multipurpose Room(s): The multipurpose room will not be used for PE or cafeteria for the foreseeable future. Instead, it will be used as a distanced classroom and a staff training room. The space is over 2000 sqft and provides ample space for ventilation and separation.

Overview of schedule: In order to accommodate this social distancing protocol, we have adapted our daily schedule to limit the number of students in the building on any given day. See below for the daily schedule. In-person school days will be from 7:50-4:10pm, with arrival beginning at 7:25am. Wednesdays will be a half-day schedule from 7:50-1:10, with staff professional development taking place from 1:45-4:15pm. Wednesday instruction on-campus will be limited to students who are identified for intervention groups. Those intervention groups would be based on students (of those who have opted in for in-person instruction) in need of further academic supports, in particularly prioritizing students who have IEPs, are ELLs, struggled on Trimester 3 2020 exams, or missed significant instructional time during the spring lockdown. These students will be determined during the first week of September.

In-person schedule: Our students will still be assigned to advisories. However, each advisory of 28-30 students will split into two cohorts. These cohorts of maximum 14-16 students will stay with one another for the entire school day. A sample schedule with placeholder staff assignments and timestamps is provided here.

Remote Instruction: Students who have opted to stay home for 100% remote instruction and the students who are participating in our hybrid instruction program will have a schedule in which their teacher will run an instructional period for their advisory. See the section below entitled Remote Instruction for additional details.

Vulnerable Populations: Students with a high risk for severe COVID-19 illness will be allowed to participate in our entire school program 100% remotely. All content will be available via Google Classroom in the same manner that it was provided in the Spring shutdown term. In addition, they will have access to all local resources of our school via video conference, e.g. Dean of Students, Advisory, and counseling. For classes that are scheduled on-campus, teachers will post course materials on Google classroom with either accompanying resources or a video of live instruction. Students engaging remotely will have access to a teacher for questions and support during these lessons.

Staff considerations: We will recommend that any staff with additional health concerns that increase COVID-19 risk bring those concerns to our attention as soon as possible. This will allow us to create individualized plans for those staff members to either a) continue in-person instructional responsibilities with increased PPE (school-provided, such as face shields, N95 respirators), b) reduce in-person time (not attending Wednesday afternoon PD or reducing in-person staff time), or c) transition to 100% virtual teaching/workday. Staff will be made aware of this plan in early August so that the leadership team at Forte Prep can prepare.

Essential Staff

Returning to school requires us to identify who are considered “essential” staff on our campuses, including essential staff by role and an essential minimum number of staff to ensure the safe and effective operations of our schools. In general, we define “essential” staff as:

One (1) teacher per classroom in use at all times
Director of Operations and Operations Associate
Two (2) Families Team members
Counselors
Grade Level Leaders, Instructional Coaches, and Mentor Teachers
Deans of Students
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Principal
Executive Director

Without each of these roles on campus every time students are learning in-person, we do not believe we can safely or effectively operate our school. For any above staff positions who are granted accommodations, responsibilities may be shifted or redistributed.

All teachers who are also creating lesson plans for in-person instruction will be in front of students for 4-6 periods per day, and will be on-site for three out of five days during the week (these schedules will vary depending on grade level and content). Teachers who do not have lesson planning responsibilities will be on-campus for four days during the week.

Accommodation Requests/Medical Exemptions

All staff members are expected to return to work virtually or in-person according to the Reopening Plan. We know that some staff members may have accommodation requests based on their own or their families’ needs, and we will do our best to respond to those accommodations requests in a reasonable and equitable manner.

Accommodation requests will be prioritized in order of the following:

Employees who are immunocompromised or otherwise medically diagnosed as being high risk* according to the CDC for contracting COVID-19
Employees whose immediate family member(s) is immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk* according to the CDC for contracting COVID-19
Other circumstances that would be determined on a case-by-case basis

*Medical Documentation Required

All accommodation requests should be submitted to the Executive Director and Principal directly. School leadership will coordinate with staff members (via an accommodation survey) to approve/deny accommodation requests. The staff member’s manager will be notified as to the staff member’s overall status without disclosing the reason for the accommodation request. If the accommodation request is denied, the staff member’s options will be discussed. If the accommodation request is approved and the staff member’s job is not conducive to remote work, other duties may be assigned or shifted.

It is unlikely that we will be able to approve all accommodation requests. In those instances, staff members are encouraged to dialogue with their school leaders to identify if any additional adjustments may be available. Additional information may be found in the Equal Employment Opportunity section of the Forte Prep Staff Handbook (pp. 8-10).

Please note:

Employees requesting accommodation should be prepared to share the following information:

How the disability creates a limitation
How the requested accommodation will effectively address the limitation
Whether another accommodation could solve the issue
How the proposed accommodation will enable the employee to continue performing the job's essential functions

To review in an equitable manner, accommodation requests will be evaluated on the following timeline:

Window 1: July 31, 2020 - August 7, 2020
Window 2: August 8 - Ongoing

Accommodation requests will be reevaluated every 30 days or in alignment with CDC/Department of Education guidelines, whichever is less. Reapproval is subject to the stated prioritization of accommodation requests and needs of the Reopening plan.
Accommodation requests may be denied if deemed unreasonable, that is, if approving the accommodation request would otherwise place an undue hardship on Forte Prep’s ability to operate or fulfill its Reopening Plan. Additional information may be found in the Equal Employment Opportunity section of the Staff Handbook (pp. 8-10).
School leaders may be able to fulfill accommodation requests without undue hardship by making scheduling adjustments in coordination with the Director of Human Resources. In doing so, school leaders will ensure that workloads remain evenly distributed among all team members such that fulfilling the accommodation request will not place an undue hardship or outsized workload on other employees.
More information may be found through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Students/Staff with hearing impairments or loss:

All students and staff will have access to headphones, and our SST team will provide various apps to students to increase volume in class or during remote instruction. We will continue to consult with specialists who provide services to our students with hearing impairments in order to ensure their seating in class and access to instruction is not negatively affected by PPE. The leadership team will work with staff members to ensure that various accommodations are attempted in order to mitigate any challenges posed by PPE requirements.

Restart Operations

Overview: Forte Prep will take a comprehensive approach to reopening the building for the 2020-21 School Year. This is our school’s first year at 51-35 Reeder Street in Elmhurst, NY 11373. This building has over 30,000 square feet of space for our 360 students and 60 staff members. We are able to take extra precautions, utilizing the space and size of the building to ensure that the space is prepared for reopening.

Cleaning and Disinfection protocol: We have contracted ProClean to conduct an initial full-facility cleaning, including the sanitization of surfaces using electrostatic mist. Cleanings leading up to the opening of our school are scheduled for the following dates:

July 20-31
August 25-28

Ventilation: As this is a new building, the ventilation is up and running for the first time. During scheduled cleanings, we plan to coordinate with the landlord to test and certify all local HVAC units and to make sure that new, clean MERV 13 filters are installed in every unit. Further, we will have an independent building code expert evaluate the integrity of our fresh air intake vents to guarantee that air is being regularly circulated throughout the building and within each classroom.

Per CDC guidance, we will set our HVAC system to start running for two hours before the opening of our building, and keep running for two hours after dismissal. Additionally, we have set the automatic timer of the Energy Recovery Ventilation System to run during the school day as well as in the evenings to ensure that the air is exchanged in each room multiple times in the day.

To increase filtration in every classroom, we have added GermGuardian 4 in 1 air purifying systems, which include 99.97% HEPA filtration and UV-C Light technology to capture and destroy other airborne particles.

Water systems: All faucets and sinks will have been sanitized multiple times before the launch of the school year. Our water pipe system has never been used by another tenant before this school year, and is ready for hygienic operation.

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

Regular, schoolwide cleaning is broken up into daily, weekly and monthly activities, managed by ProClean Maintenance and Cleaning Services:

Daily Services:

Classrooms/Offices//Teacher’s Lounge/Main Area/Reception:

Clean and sanitize all desks, file cabinets and wipe down chairs as needed. Students will wipe down their desks at the end of the school day, as well.
Wipe down glass doors and glass partitions as needed.
Dust and wipe clean all windowsills, fixtures, furniture, classroom equipment and horizontal surfaces.
Sweep and mop floors.
Wipe down walls around the waste cans.
Empty all waste paper baskets and receptacles.
Clean the exterior of the wastebaskets as needed.
Clean and sanitize all water fountains throughout the day.

Multipurpose Room (MPR):

Sweep and mop floors daily with germicidal solution.
Clean lunchroom tabletops and seats with sanitizing solution.
Wipe down and clean walls, windowsills, and radiators as needed.
Empty waste baskets and discard to the approved dumpster/designated area.
Clean the interior and exterior of the wastebaskets as needed.

Library:

Clean and sanitize all desks, file cabinets and wipe down chairs as needed.
Wipe down glass doors and glass partitions as needed.
Dust and wipe clean all windowsills, fixtures, furniture, classroom equipment and horizontal surfaces.
Sweep and mop floors.
Wipe down walls around the waste cans.
Empty all waste paper baskets and receptacles.
Clean the exterior of the wastebaskets as needed.

Stairways/Emergency Exit:

Stairways and steps will be swept and mopped.
Railings, ledges, doors, lighting and radiators will be dusted, sanitized and cleaned.
Walls shall be wiped down and any markings shall be removed or reported if unable to be cleaned.

Restrooms:

Sweep and mop with germicidal solution.
Clean, deodorize and disinfect all hand basins, toilet seats, toilet bowls, and urinals (interior and exterior).
Wash and polish all mirrors, bright work, cabinets and dispensers.
Empty all waste paper and sanitary napkin receptacles; trash will be taken out to approved dumpster/designated area.
Clean the interior and exterior of the wastebaskets as needed.
Replenish/restock paper goods and soap dispensers as needed.
Regular acid wash and grout cleaning of restrooms

Weekly

Changing the color heads of the mops
Removal of any and all excess dust
Electrostatic misting of surfaces every 2-3 days

Monthly Services:

Wipe clean vents and keep free of dust.
Machine scrub bathroom floors.
Detailed cleaning all restrooms, including acid wash of bathrooms floors and walls.
Upholstery seating and module partitions will be vacuumed clean and pedestals shall be dusted.

Chromebooks and other personal technology devices: Students who are in-person will have access to Chromebooks for general instruction, but will have to adhere to the following guidelines:

Must not be shared while using
Need to be wiped before and after use several times daily with wipes
Students must wash hands before and after use
Students will use the same Chromebook for the entire day and will bring that Chromebook home with them for remote instruction.

Hand Washing/Sanitizing: As often as possible, but always before and after school, between

classes, before and after lunch, after sneezing or coughing or using a tissue, and after handling garbage use hand sanitizer and, when possible, students will go to the bathroom and wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If it is not possible for students to wash their hands with soap and water, then they will use the >60% alcohol hand sanitizer solutions that we are providing at automatic dispensers across the school. Staff and students will use disposable alcohol wipes to clean cell phones and laptops.Hand sanitizer units are available in every room in the building. Training on handwashing will be part of student orientation and staff training in August.

Respiratory Hygiene: Students will be trained on proper mask usage during student orientation, and will be provided with visual aids and reminders throughout the building about how to wear their masks.

Extracurriculars

After school programs: After school programs that do not require singing or physical activity will be allowed to continue only for students who attended school that day. Therefore, after school programs would be separated by the on-site grade levels. Other students may be able to participate virtually if the teacher decides to offer it. Our jazz band program will be offered as scheduled, but lessons will be provided remotely and in student homes twice weekly.

Students will continue to attend outside programs that are being held virtually, and will do so at home, not on Forte’s campus.

Community Meetings: Whole school community meetings will not be held on campus until further notice. Gradewide or whole class gatherings will be allowed only in outdoor settings.

Athletics: Forte Prep sports programs will be postponed until further notice. Our school does not currently have any sports offerings at this time.

Physical Education: Our physical education program will be provided virtually via Google Classroom and executed in students’ homes until we have been given updated guidance that it is safe to have PE indoors.

Before and After Care

Overview: Forte Prep does not offer before or after school care programming. However, any students who are waiting to be picked up will do so in the secure area of our first floor lobby, socially distanced from the entrance of the building. Family members coming to pick up their children will not be allowed to enter the building, but their child will be sent out to meet them. Students will wait outdoors before arrival procedures begin.

Vulnerable Populations

Medically Vulnerable Populations: Students with a high risk for severe COVID-19 illness will be allowed to participate in our entire school program 100% remotely. All content will be available via Google Classroom in the same manner that it was provided in the Spring shutdown term. In addition, they will have access to all local resources of our school via video conference, e.g. Dean of Students, Advisory, and counseling.

Speech/Language Considerations: Students will receive various instructional modifications outlined in our Academic Response. During Speech support sessions, students will receive instruction on the best ways to participate in virtual sessions. As necessary, students will wear clear masks in order to receive direct instruction in speaking. Students will position their chairs on carpet during sessions in order to ingrain best practices for virtual speech sessions.

Students with disabilities: Multiple pullout rooms will be used for various purposes, including separate reading instruction, phonics instruction, and other small group supports. For students with behavioral intervention plans or various occupational needs, a room has been designated as a location for longer physical breaks that will be largely empty during the day. The room will be outfitted with padded tiles so that students can socially distance while taking physical breaks.

Transportation

Overview: If school bussing is to be provided for the 2020-21 school year, then Forte Prep will adhere to the guidelines provided by the State of New York and with the Office of Pupil Transportation from the NYCDOE with regard to school transportation guidelines. We will have to make some adjustments, chiefly, to bus density and seating requirements to ensure that buses can be safely ridden by an appropriate number of students.

Assigned bus seating: Forte Prep will provide and enforce an assigned bus seating chart for all students using OPT bus services. This bus roster will include social distancing guidelines for numbers of students per row. Additionally, we will require all students to wear face coverings while waiting for the bus, while on the bus, and while disembarking the bus. Further, twins and siblings in the same grade will have bus seats near to each other. Students have signed bus contracts, and will be explicitly taught how to socially distance while boarding and getting off the bus.

Schedule aligned to reduced bus density: To reduce the number of Forte Prep students of a given bus route on any day, we have aligned our schedule so that half of eligible bus students will be boarding school buses to Forte Prep on any given day. Since 5th and 8th grade students will be in the building together, only 5th graders will be on their buses on those days; the same holds true for the other days when 6th and 7th graders are attending school in-person.

Mandatory wellness screenings before boarding buses: Families will be required to take the temperature of their children before they leave home for the bus. Any student with a fever of over 100 degrees will be required to stay home, and they will have to get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible. That family must notify the school as well so that we can initiate contact tracing and positive test reporting procedures as soon as possible.

Food Services

On-site food services: Food will be provided by DOE SchoolFood for the 20-21 school year. Lunch is supervised by the homeroom teacher. Staff use the provided disinfectant and paper towels to thoroughly clean the tables after students have eaten. All students will eat lunch in their designated classroom. Students sit in their designated spot in class for lunch. This spot should be at a two-meter distance from others in the classroom.

Remote food services: Students who are choosing to attend school remotely, or are on an alternate school day, will have access to DOE Schoolfood at local feeding stations. The map of closest available locations will be provided to families once provided to us. To limit the number of people in the building and potential cross contamination of cohorts, students will not be able enter the building to pick up meals during the week. Instead, we will set up a grab and go meal system in front of the building for convenient access to meals.

Food allergy precautions: Students with food allergies will have access to rooms that are free of common contaminants such as peanuts during meals. Room 227 will serve as an allergen-free meal room, monitored by a Forte Prep staff member. Students will go back to their classrooms upon completion of their meals.

Before meal personal hygiene: All students will use hand sanitizer before starting lunch, either by the automated stations or a hand pump in the classroom. Student meals will not be distributed until after this procedure has been completed. Additional time has been added to our schedule so that students will have time for sanitation procedures.

After meal personal hygiene: All students will use hand sanitizer at the end of the lunch period, and will use a Lysol wipe to disinfect their desk space. Students will dispose of their own garbage - they will individually walk to the garbage can to dispose of their garbage instead of having a student circulate to collect garbage.

No food or drink sharing: A strict no food or drink sharing policy will be in place for all students, including siblings, during the school day.

Post-meal cleaning/disinfection: Trash from each classroom will be collected by our on-site janitorial staff and removed from the building. Door handles will be sanitized after meals.

Food availability for all-remote instruction: In the event of a whole-district shutdown during the school year, we will avail all families of the list of DOE sites providing meals (as was the protocol in the spring). All families will be able to receive meals from other DOE sites, as our site is only a satellite location and does not cook or produce its own meals.

Mental Health, Behavioral, and Emotional Support Services and Programs

Overview: We will be increasing our counseling team next year in order to provide increased socio-emotional support to our students and provide greater support to our students transitioning back to the school setting. Our teachers’ regular check-ins will serve as a first point-of-contact with students in order to identify and recommend students the counseling team should follow up with and provide recommendations to family.

Assessment and identification of at-risk students: During summer PD, staff members will be trained on identifying behaviors that might be associated with students in need of additional support. Our team will review key signals for students in need of additional support, including (per the CDC):

Excessive crying or irritation in younger children
Returning to behaviors that were outgrown (such as bedwetting)
Excessive worry or sadness
Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits
Difficulty with attention and concentration
Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past
Unexplained headaches or body pain
Use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs

Students will be referred to our Student Supports and Counseling team via a Google Survey to be assessed for further support, and our counseling and families team will communicate with families to determine the best course of action to provide socio-emotional support as necessary for those students.

Resources for mental health: Our student supports team, families team, and counseling team will be in consistent communication with students and families regarding the mental health and safety of their children. Staff members will continue to receive and be encouraged to use free access to Talkspace, and summer PD, continued PD throughout the year, and grade level meetings will be leveraged to provide resources to staff members and solicit input from them.

In addition to the above, Forte Prep will provide a $150 self-care credit to all staff members to be applied to mental health counseling and therapy. Staff are encouraged to provide documentation of the visit(s) and receive up to $150 in reimbursement for services in order to support our team.

The following are examples of additional resources that will be consistently provided to students, families, and staff to continue to provide mental health support:

Mindfulness resources
Crisis Text Line connects individuals with a Crisis Counselor: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources: 1-800-273-8255
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a free, confidential treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders: 1-800-662-4357
The Firstbook Trauma Toolkit will be provided to staff and families to provide an overview for the causes of trauma in students, the impact, and how educators can best support students in responding.
Our counseling team has assembled a set of resources to support students dealing with COVID-related grief, including the NYS grief counseling hotline (844-863-9314), the NYC Well counseling service (888-692-9355), and various local counseling providers to refer students and families to.

Training for staff on how to support mental health issues: Staff will be trained on and receive support in the implementation of strategies to support students and other staff members with mental health issues. These trainings will focus on, but not be limited to, the following strategies (curated from the CDC, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Healthychildren.org, Child Mind Institute, World Health Organization):

Reassuring students that they are safe
Focusing on the positive
Sharing coping strategies that have worked for you
Trying to maintain regular routines
Limiting exposure to news, coverage, and social media
Keeping in touch with loved ones
Regularly communicating with peers and families about concerns

Communication

Communication timeline: Forte Prep will continue to keep all stakeholders abreast of the latest updates related to our Reopening plan. All communication and signage will be translated into Spanish. Here is the draft timeline for our communication with families, staff and other stakeholders:

Town Hall: Forte Prep will conduct a one-hour town hall meeting with our instructional staff the week after the presentation of our Reopening Plan on Wednesday, August 5th from 1:00-2:00 to walk through the main components of the plan in detail and to listen to and address additional feedback that the team has that could potentially improve the strength of the plan.

Website: We have created a Forte Prep Reopening website that will be regularly updated with schedules, tools, and information for families. The work-in-progress version of the site can be seen here. Our website is instantly translatable into 25 languages.

Visual signage: We have created and adapted visual signage using CDC guidelines that will be printed in full color throughout our building. Signage will be translated into Spanish and posted alongside the english signs. Sample signage is provided here:

Flyers/Newsletters: Documents like this Health and Safety Protocol document will be translated and shared with families to make sure that they have all the relevant information to maintain high levels of health and safety within our school building.

Monitoring

Screening

Mandatory health screenings: Any person who enters our school building (student, staff, family member, contractor, sibling, child), will be subject to a temperature check upon arrival. Forte Prep will use an IR temperature gun to conduct temperature screenings. Trained staff members as well as our security personnel will be responsible for conducting the tests before and during morning arrival, and security personnel will be responsible for conducting the tests during other hours of the day.

Any person entering our building with a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be considered too high, and they will not be allowed to enter the building.

Students will remain downstairs in isolation stations
Staff will be dismissed from the building immediately
Guests will not be allowed to enter the building
Students’ families will be contacted directly to coordinate a pickup

Daily Screening Questionnaire: Daily, staff will complete a Google Form survey that will provide any potential COVID-19 symptoms to the leadership team. The security guard will allow staff to enter the building after completion of the daily survey.

The staff survey contains the following questions:

In the past 14 days, have you experienced any of the following symptoms of COVID-19 (as per CDC)?

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

If yes, is there any reason to explain why you have the symptom(s) listed (i.e. muscle fatigue because I’m training for a race/marathon).
In the past 14 days, have you tested positive for COVID-19?
In the past 14 days, have you been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected to have COVID-19?

Close contact is defined as contact within 6 feet for a period for 15 minutes or more.

Have you taken any fever-suppressing medication (i.e. Tylenol/Advil/Motrin) in the past 24 hours?

Guest policy: Parents will not be let in without an appointment. Drop-ins for families will be limited to emergencies only. Whenever possible, documents and/or supplies will be dropped off on the first floor of the building, to limit the number of additional adults entering the building during school hours. Contractors and workers will be asked to schedule their time on-site outside of school hours. Any visitors will be temperature checked if they enter the building.

No student or staff member will be allowed into the school if they are sick.

Employees experiencing fever or symptoms of respiratory illness should stay home and follow the directions for self-isolation / quarantine, which include advice on when to contact a health care provider.
Students who have a fever or flu-like symptoms should stay home. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be considered too high.
A student who has a fever must stay home for ten days and have a normal temperature for at least 24 hours before returning to school, or get a negative covid test/different diagnosis from a doctor.
If three students from the same class have a fever or flu-like symptoms at the same time, the entire group of 12-14 students will be sent home and asked to self-isolate for 14 days and get tested. If a student tests negative, they may return to school if they do not have any symptoms, and they have had a normal temperature for at least 48 hours.
A student who tests positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate at home for 14 days and receive permission from a doctor to return to school.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the other students from the same class will be sent home and asked to self-isolate for 14 days and get tested.
If a student who tests positive for COVID-19 has been in the school, the school will close for at least two days. Working with the DOH, the Executive Director and COVID-19 Response Committee will determine whether the school must be closed for a longer period of time.

Sick Policies for Staff Members

Testing Positive for COVID-19

Any staff member who tests positive for COVID-19, lives with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and/or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 is required to immediately follow these steps:

Communicate with their manager about their situation
Quarantine themselves per the policies below

Individuals or a designated family member should communicate with their manager and follow the advice of their healthcare provider. As with all health information, this information is treated as confidential. The staff member may work remotely during this time, if able.

When a Staff Member May Return to Work

Return to work policy after COVID-19 symptoms or positive test
Any individuals who themselves either: (a) are lab-confirmed to have COVID-19; or (b) experience the symptoms of COVID-19 must stay at home throughout the infection period, and cannot return to work until cleared by Leadership Team and any of the below conditions have been met:

In the case of an individual who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the individual may return to work when all three of the following criteria are met:

at least three days (72 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications);
the individual has improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and
at least 14 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

In the case of an individual who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and who is not evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID-19, such individual is assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to work until the individual has completed the same three-step set of criteria listed above.
If the individual has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to work before completing the above stay at home period, the individual must either (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or (b) receive two separate confirmations at least 24 hours apart that they are free of COVID via acute infection tests at an approved COVID-19 testing location.

Return to Work Policy After Direct Exposure to a Person with COVID-19

Individuals who have had direct exposure to someone with COVID-19, as determined by DOH and after a Department of Health interview, must stay home for 14 days after exposure and get tested. After 14 days, if no symptoms occur and tests come back negative, individuals can safely return to work sites. Employees must submit a confirmed negative test to Human Resources.

Remote instruction will be provided five days a week to all students, given that some students may choose to stay home 100% of the time. Therefore, any student who was sick and/or needed to quarantine can access the remote instruction program.

Health Testing Protocols

Overview: In the event that a student, staff member, or visitor does not pass our screening protocol, we will have a clear referral process to allow them to get COVID-19 testing and/or antibody testing. Our school-based nurse will not administer COVID-19 testing on-site, but will provide any suspected individuals the resources that they need to find a nearby testing facility.

We will encourage testing at regular intervals throughout the school year. Individuals can refer to this testing site website to find the closest facility to their home. The closest locations are:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst

Address: 79-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY 11373

Phone: (718) 334-4000

Elmhurst ACPNY

Address: 86-15 Queens Blvd., Queens, NY 11373

Phone: (866) 749-2660

CityMD Urgent Care- Rego Park

Address: 91-19 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, NY 11373

Phone: (646) 647-1253

North Shore Medical Labs

Address: 94-42-60th Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

Phone: (516) 739-5227

SOMOS: National Pediatric Care

Address: 102-11 Roosevelt Ave, Corona, NY 11368

Phone: (718) 898-5200

CityMD Urgent Care- Corona

Address: 37-26 Junction Blvd, Corona, NY 11368

Phone: (718) 571-9310

NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Rego Park

Address: 97-85 Queens Blvd, Rego Park, NY 11374

Phone: (718) 261-9100

Further, our symptom screening process (including, but not limited to, temperature checks and a symptom survey) will identify individuals who should get tested more urgently. “Consistent with CDC’s recommendations, individuals with COVID-19 signs or symptoms should be referred to a healthcare provider for evaluation on whether testing is needed.”^[1]

Additionally, individuals with close contact to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Per CDC guidance:

Because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of the virus, it is important that contacts of students or staff with COVID-19 be quickly identified and tested. This is particularly vital for protecting people who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Everyone is at risk for getting COVID-19 if they are exposed to the virus, but some people are more likely than others to become severely ill, which means that they may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may even die.
Additionally, in accordance with state, Tribal, territorial, and local laws and regulations, school administrators should work with local health officials to inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms.
Healthcare providers or health officials will determine when viral testing of asymptomatic students or staff for SARS-CoV-2 is appropriate.^[2]

In the event that it becomes necessary to administer facility-wide testing protocols, we will adhere to the CDC guidance related to preparing for large-scale testing.

Health Testing Responsibilities

Forte Prep will refer all individuals to a variety of local testing locations throughout the neighborhood, primarily the sites listed above. Those locations will be responsible for sourcing and administering testing for individuals. In the event that large-scale testing is required, we will coordinate with NY Health + Hospitals at Elmhurst or Advantage Care on 86-15 Queens Blvd to determine how best to roll out large-scale testing.

Early Warning Signs

Forte Prep will be using a 7 day moving average tracker of positive and probable (presumed positive) cases for both staff and students starting August 31. This information will be updated daily by our Families Team as well as by our threshold team (security staff) to ensure accuracy. We will closely monitor the averages as they will help us determine if there is a local increase in cases beyond acceptable levels.

Additionally, we will keep track of the location of the students or staff members who test positive for COVID-19 or are sent home due to symptoms. If three cohorts of students are sent home for quarantine during the same 7 day period, then Forte Prep will decide to cease in-person operations for at least two weeks. Additional information related to this can be found in the closure triggers section of this document.

Containment

School Health Offices

Students or staff members who show signs of illness or have a temperature of 37.8 C (100 F) or higher will be sent home from school. A member of the operations team, families team, nurse, or teacher will phone a parent to arrange immediate pick up of the sick student. While the student is in the building, they will be isolated in the Nurse’s Station (Room 225). The Nurse will record the student name and any related symptoms in the paper tracker as well as on our online symptom and positive case tracker. The Nurse’s office will have partitions to accommodate multiple students at once.

Isolation

In the event that any individuals screen positive (temperature of 100 degrees or higher or reported symptoms aligned with COVID-19), they will be sent to one of three isolation stations in the first floor lobby. Each station will be sectioned off with accordion barriers and clear acrylic walls. Appropriate family members will be contacted using the phone located on the first floor. Any students or staff with probable or confirmed positive COVID-19 cases will be logged in our Google doc tracker.

Collection

In the event that a parent comes to our location to collect their child after a positive or presumed positive COVID case, they will be given this Parent Collection and Consent Form. This document will be copied and retained for our records. The form provides the locations and phone numbers of the closest testing sites and requires parents to acknowledge that their child must stay home in isolation for the next 14 days, and that they must be seen by a health professional.

Infected Individuals

Forte Prep will follow CDC guidance for allowing a student or staff member to return to school after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. If a person is not diagnosed by a healthcare provider (physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) with COVID-19 they can return to school:

Once there is no fever, without the use of fever reducing medicines, and those symptoms have persisted for 48 hours;
If they have been diagnosed with another condition and have a healthcare provider written note stating they are clear to return to school.

If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 by a healthcare provider based on a test or their symptoms or does not get a COVID-19 test but has had symptoms, they should not be at school and should stay at home until:

It has been at least ten days since the individual first had symptoms;
It has been at least 48 hours since the individual has had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); and
It has been at least three days since the individual’s symptoms improved, including cough and shortness of breath. Fever should have been absent for at least 48 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Once a person has satisfied all of these criteria, they will be allowed to return back to school.

Exposed Individuals

Individuals who have had close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 (greater than 10 minutes at a distance of 6 feet or less, per CDC guidance), will take the following precautions:

Stay home until 10 days after last exposure and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others at all times
Self-monitor for symptoms

Check temperature twice a day
Watch for fever*, cough, or shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19

Avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19
Follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.^[3]

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

In the event that a space is suspected to be exposed to the COVID-19 virus, such as a classroom or administrative space, we will initiate our cleaning and sanitization protocol after closing for, at minimum, two days..

Our janitor will apply appropriate PPE and sanitize all high touch areas and desktop surfaces.
Electrostatic misting of the entire room will take place shortly thereafter
The room will be vacated for at least 24 hours
HVAC system and fresh air intake ventilation will be increased to maximize airflow and filtration efficiency.

All cleaning supplies are EPA approved and are fully stocked and provided by ProClean Maintenance.

Contact Tracing

Forte Prep plans to support local health departments by encouraging participation in contact tracing efforts across New York State. Contact Tracers work with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to identify people they have had contact with and let them know they may have been exposed to the disease. If an individual associated with our school receives a call from “NYS Contact Tracing” (518-387-9993), we will encourage them to answer the phone.

Communication

Our protocols related to containment and isolation measures will be included in our Reopening website, and translated into spanish for our families. Additionally, texts and emails will be disseminated via SchoolMint (our family communication platform) and OneCallNow. Staff will remain informed via internal messaging platforms (Slack, email) and our broader community will stay informed via our newsletters.

Closure (updated 4/1/21)

Closure Triggers

DOE recently updated its Situation Room school quarantine and closure protocols; they are reflected in the InfoHub: COVID-19 School Health Policy, and will go into effect Monday, April 12. See details below. These updates and the protocols were developed in close collaboration with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and are based on the best research available about how to keep our schools and communities safe.

If there is at least one confirmed positive case in a class, regardless of the source of infection, impacted students will quarantine for 10 calendar days and transition to remote learning during this time.
If there are 2 or more positive cases in different classrooms within a school over a 7-day period, in addition to closing the impacted classrooms, COVID-19 surveillance testing will double from 20% to 40% of students and staff in the school on the next regularly scheduled weekly random testing day.
If there are 4 or more confirmed cases in different classrooms within a school over a 7-day period that can be traced to a known exposure within the school, the entire school will close for 10 calendar days and transition to remote learning.
Additionally, schools will no longer close for 24 hours while investigations take place.

Be advised that vaccinated staff do not have to quarantine in the event a class or school closure takes place, and may continue to work in-person.

Note that if there is a case of COVID-19 at your school, vaccinated individuals who are considered close contacts should still be included in the Close Contacts spreadsheet shared by the Situation Room. Test and Trace Corp (T2) will contact the vaccinated individual and confirm vaccination status. Fully vaccinated individuals who are exposed to COVID-19 and are not required to quarantine should still monitor their condition for any symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following exposure. If they experience symptoms, they should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, including getting tested, if indicated, and inform their healthcare provider of their vaccination status at the time of COVID-19 evaluation/clinical testing.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated if two weeks have passed since their second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer or Moderna vaccine) or two weeks have passed since their a single-dose vaccination (Johnson & Johnson vaccine). If it has been less than two weeks since their single shot, or if they still need to get their second dose, they are not considered fully vaccinated.

Situation Room procedures are being updated in response to this policy shift. Updated communications, including in translation, may take several days to become available.

For questions about vaccinated close contacts, email the Situation Room at rts@building.nyc.gov. For other questions, submit a ticket at https://charterschools.mojohelpdesk.com/.

Operational Activity

If Forte Prep is closed for any period of time, our COVID-19 Task Force will meet in order to determine next steps. For any closure of on-campus instruction, the following operations will end, decrease, or shift.

	Ceased	Decreased	Transition/Continue remotely
In-person instruction
Operational staff on-site
Instructional staff on-site
Leadership staff on-site
Families staff on-site
Remote instructional schedule
Grab and go food pickup

Communication

A COVID-19 Task Force, consisting of the Executive Director, Principal, Director of Operations, and Director of Family and Community Programs, will meet regarding any closures or quarantines of groups of students. This task force will work with the DOH and NYSED in order to receive guidance and provide contact tracing information whenever necessary.

Staff members will email any information, questions, or concerns to the COVID-19 Task Force at covid@forteprep.org.

If Forte Prep needs to close for any period of time, the Principal and/or Executive Director will send out an email to the staff first, in addition to a message to the general channel on Slack. This email will include general information about presumptive cases ensuring anonymity of individuals and the next steps regarding closure.

Any closure or health and safety information will be sent out to families from our Director of Family and Community Programs after consulting with the Covid-19 Task Force.

Pre-Opening, School Calendars, & Scheduling

Forte Prep has worked to gather information from families and staff members regarding thoughts on reopening, resources to strengthen our remote and on-campus instruction, and ways to implement curriculum next year. Our school year has been shifted from previous years to begin on the same day as the Department of Education schools in order to provide additional time for staff training, and our school year will begin with a week of primarily remote instruction before students begin to come to school for on-campus instruction. Our schedule has been adjusted so that cohorts will be isolated with primarily one teacher, and teachers will simulcast instruction across all six cohorts for the grade. Remote instruction will involve a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning with each advisory having a scheduled class period on Zoom with their teacher where they will be on camera interacting with their instructor and their teacher.

(*Note - this section is still in draft form, and while it reflects our most current plan, it will not be finalized until it is submitted to SUNY on August 14th)

Pre-opening

All staff members received a survey on July 24th in order to gauge how to adjust remote instruction from the Spring, best ameliorate learning loss, provide professional development to address any perceived personal skill gaps, and account for personal family and health concerns regarding the reopening of Forte Prep. Family and community members received a survey on July 17th regarding whether they would be comfortable sending their children to attend on-campus classes, and were frequently engaged on personal technological needs throughout remote learning in the spring, summer, and into the fall. The reopening plan was developed with input from the Executive Director, Principal, Student Supports Chair, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Operations, and Director of Family and Community Programs, and will continue to be adjusted per their notes and feedback.

Student and Family Orientation

Our new staff members will begin staff professional development on August 10th for three days in which they will learn about the culture, history, community, and structures at Forte Prep. Returning staff members will begin on August 13th. Staff members will take part in professional development sessions daily until September 4th. During these professional development sessions, teachers will learn and practice strategies for instruction targeted for both on-campus learning and remote learning; develop curricular documents and lesson plans for on-campus instruction and remote learning; and will set up the structures for their on-campus classrooms and online Google Classrooms. During the twenty days of staff professional development, we will prioritize instructional readiness for both in-person lessons and remote lessons, and will practice key systems for consistent instruction online and in-person.

New students will attend orientation for three days from September 2nd through September 4th. During these days, students will learn the routines of Forte Prep, will be introduced to Forte’s culture and expectations, and will learn explicitly how to navigate Google Classroom and online learning expectations, including instruction on how to use Forte’s technology. Our Digital Literacy curriculum will begin during these three days so that students have been explicitly introduced to and practiced the skills necessary for remote instruction.

Students and families will receive an update on how to receive materials for online instruction on August 15th, and Forte will hold a virtual session on August 21st for online expectations for students. In this session, we will inform families of details of our reopening plan, discuss strategies for supporting their students remotely, and will give an overview of our academic and behavioral expectations for the 2020-2021 school year.

During the first week of remote instruction (September 8th through 11th), each grade level will come to school for one half-day for diagnostic testing and an orientation to remote learning. In these sessions, students will learn the behavioral expectations associated with online learning, receive the physical materials they need, learn the online tools they will use, and receive an overview of suggestions for their at-home learning setup.

Safety and Technology Prep

At Forte Prep’s physical location, staggered safety drills will occur per NYSED requirements, including fire drills and lockdown drills. During these safety drills, students will maintain at least six feet of social distance, and all classrooms will not participate in any drill simultaneously if that simultaneous participation prevents our team from being able to maintain appropriate distance. Students will be explicitly instructed that in case of an actual emergency, they should follow the same procedures but will not be asked to maintain social distance in order to ensure their immediate safety.

All students will receive a chromebook and chromebook charger in August in preparation for the 2020-2021 school year. During orientation and the first week of remote classes, students will receive direct instruction on how to use the required apps, services, and tools that they will be using for remote instruction. Our Family and Community Programs team will complete an initial survey on internet access at home and will support families in setting up internet access for remote instruction. A part of our teachers’ weekly touchpoint phone calls will be to ensure internet connection, and a running log of any connection issues will be captured in our family contact tracker.

School Calendars

The anticipated 2020-2021 School Calendar is attached under additional documents. Instruction will begin on September 2nd for new students, and all students will begin with remote instruction on September 8th. Our first week consisting of on-campus instruction and remote learning will begin on September 14th. The total number of instructional days in the 2020-2021 school year is 180.

Scheduling for Students

Scheduling Overview

All students will receive in-person instruction two days a week - 5th and 8th graders will be on campus on Thursday and Friday while 6th and 7th graders will be on campus on Monday and Tuesday. As necessary for students with special needs, ELL students, and other students deemed in need of more in-person support, intervention will be offered on Wednesdays. This will primarily be offered to our 5th graders, 6th graders, students with IEPs, and ELL students. If students do not come on-campus for in-person instruction, they will receive remote instruction on Wednesdays. The layout of instruction by grade is below:

Our cohorts (in the screenshot below, labeled “Columbia,” “Georgeotwn,” and “Chicago”), generally composed of 30 students, will remain grouped into three cohorts for student culture purposes, but will be divided into two cohorts of no more than 15 students each. Students will be grouped based on academic diagnostic data and in order to provide supports to ELL students and students with special needs.

On-Campus Scheduling

Students will arrive by 7:50 and will dismiss at 4:10 daily. While on campus, students will receive 440 minutes of instruction daily, which totals to a yearly number of 557 hours. The sample daily schedule for a grade is below:

Our current instructional model will have one lead teacher leading the lesson which will be simultaneously broadcast across the other five cohorts. A separate teacher will be leading the other cohorts in-person, ensuring on-task behavior, supporting instruction as noted by the teacher who is planning and implementing the lesson, and providing any other classroom supports. Note that this schedule does not take into account specific student needs that will be included in the final schedule when students have been placed into advisory groups.

Remote Scheduling

Remote instruction will take place two days a week for all students, and will consist of ELA, Math, Arts, Science, and Social Studies daily. On Wednesdays, students will either be receiving in person instruction on-campus, or will be engaging in ELA and Math classes remotely. Remote instruction will begin at 8:00 and will end at 4:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; on Wednesday, remote instruction will begin at 8:00 and end at 1:00. Students will have a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities depending on grade level and content area. All students will begin the day online with their cohorts in community-building lessons, and all teachers will offer either office hours or synchronous learning during their class block. At the end of the day, students may be asked to join synchronous focus groups to remediate or teach different skills, and all teachers will be online for office hours to support students in homework. During one day of remote instruction, students receive 440 minutes of instruction, which totals to a yearly number of 557 hours for two days of remote instruction. The sample remote schedule for 5th grade is below:

During remote and on-campus instruction, including intervention days on Wednesdays, students will receive 1,210 hours of instruction with our hybrid model in 2020-2021.

Students with disabilities and ELLs will participate in the same schedule as above, but will receive more frequent pull-out instruction on-campus and live synchronous learning remotely per their IEPs and needs as ELLs. This will include but is not limited to Read 180, System 44, newcomer English classes, small group math supports, and small group online classes that are live and remote instead of asynchronous. This will follow the same schedule as the above examples, but will be offered in place of the classes listed in the schedule. Our schedule for students with disabilities and ELLs will be finalized once we have a complete list of accommodations necessary.

Scheduling for Staff

Scheduling for Social Distancing

Staff will have schedules particular to their content area and grade level, and will have modified schedules as is necessary for them to meet their students’ needs. Staff with lesson planning responsibilities will be on-campus three days per week depending on their particular needs, and their remaining time will either be preparing instruction or providing support remotely to students; staff without lesson planning responsibilities will be on site four days per week. The sample schedules above demonstrates how staff members will be divided amongst classes to provide support. This will include parallel teaching, alternate instruction, and simulcasts of instruction from a lead teacher with the second teacher supervising student behavior and answering student questions.

Staff schedules will be staggered in order to reduce the number of people in the building each day and to maximize who will be present to support students instructionally. School leadership, operations staff, and family support staff (identified as essential staff earlier in this document) will be present daily. Daily assignments will differ for different teachers depending on which teachers have remote instructional accommodations.

Daily Scheduling for Staff

On-campus, teachers’ schedules will include four to five in-person classes per day; support time for advisory, recess, and other aspects of the daily schedule; and prep time. When teachers are on-campus for remote instruction, they will run small group support sessions, support during common times, and attend staff PD. During remote instruction, teachers will run advisory via Google Hangout in the morning, will support students during their instructional block as outlined earlier, and will provide tutoring instruction and office hour support in the afternoon. A sample schedule for a staff member is below:

5th Grade Teacher

Sample Schedule

Monday Remote Instruction	Tuesday Remote Instruction	Wednesday On-Campus Instruction	Thursday On-Campus Instruction	Friday On-Campus Instruction
8:00-8:20: Remote Advisory	8:00-8:20: Remote Advisory	7:15: Arrival and staff huddle	7:15: Arrival and staff huddle	7:15: Arrival and staff huddle
8:20-2:30: Synchronous instruction or small group support for three 50-minute math blocks	8:20-2:30: Synchronous instruction or small group support for three 50-minute math blocks	7:25-8:10: Morning arrival and AM Advisory	7:25-8:10: Morning arrival and AM Advisory	7:25-8:10: Morning arrival and AM Advisory
8:20-2:30: Approximately 3.5 hours of prep time	8:20-2:30: Approximately 3.5 hours of prep time	8:10-1:00: Will teach three 50 minute blocks of small group support, run lunch, break, and independent reading time	8:10-3:55: Will teach four-five 50 minute blocks, run lunch, break, independent reading time, and recess; will have 200 minutes of prep time	8:10-3:55: Will teach four-five 50 minute blocks, run lunch, break, independent reading time, and recess; will have 200 minutes of prep time
2:30-3:00: Small groups during focus	2:30-3:00: Small groups during focus	1:00-4:00: Staff professional development	3:55-4:20: Will support PM advisory and student dismissal	3:55-4:20: Will support PM advisory and student dismissal
3:00-4:00: Online for Office Hours	3:00-4:00: Online for Office Hours		4:20: Staff dismissal	4:20: Staff dismissal

Enrollment and Attendance

Currently, Forte Prep’s enrollment is consistent with the previous three years of enrollment numbers. Forte Prep is developing a more robust system for online attendance and accountability that will both ensure students and families receive the support necessary to have students online for as much time as possible and also communicate clearly to families regarding their students’ progress. These systems are outlined below.

(*Note - this section is still in draft form, and while it reflects our most current plan, it will not be finalized until it is submitted to SUNY on August 14th)

Enrollment

We have been staying in close contact with our prospective families and students to ensure that they are 100% ready for the new school year. Additionally, we have been collecting survey data proactively to understand the needs of our students and families with regard to technology, academics, and health. We do not anticipate any issues with our enrollment for the 2020-21 school year, though we fully anticipate a reduction in in-person attendance given the current circumstances. The information that we have collected to date from our families suggests that between 10-30% of families are considering keeping their children at home, depending on the details of this plan as well as other concerns they may have.

As in every school year, we will collect address verification information from all families, including two proofs of address, to ensure that students enrolled in our school are located in NYC and are eligible to receive funding. Further, we will keep close watch on our attendance records (both online and in-person) in order to identify if there are any students with whom we have lost contact and therefore should not be included in our billing. Our Families team follows up with 100% of families whose children do not complete their attendance survey in a timely manner, and will continue to do so throughout the 2021-21 school year.

Any adjustments to enrollment will be reflected in the periodic payment invoices submitted to the NYCDOE Vendor Portal.

Attendance

During the Fall, attendance will be used to understand who is present for live or in-person learning time, who is not, and to provide supportive follow-up to students and families regarding students’ active participation in remote learning and support any barriers which may be preventing students from being present . We are currently building the attendance system to be simple in execution, meaningful, and executed in either a virtual or hybrid model, and will use Schoolrunner as the location for all attendance data as we have in previous years. Our goal is that attendance for remote learning meaningfully reflects full student participation in a day of online learning.

Virtual: The purpose of an attendance system in a virtual-only setting will be to ensure students engage in live learning activities daily and that their families are informed about their participation. Student attendance will be taken in the morning during AM Advisory, and will be confirmed based on completion of work later in the day. The permanent record of this attendance will be logged in Schoolrunner.
On-campus: Attendance will be taken daily in AM Advisory in Schoolrunner for students who are on-campus.
Use of Student Information System: We will mark attendance in Schoolrunner. We will have a separate code for in-person attendance and virtual attendance. Attendance will be verified and submitted using the same systems as previous years.

Daily, our family team will reach out to students marked absent in both on-campus and virtual attendance, and will follow up with any students who are marked absent virtually due to lack of completion of work. This will be formally logged in Schoolrunner and will be used in order to check on student technology access.

Staff attendance will be logged using Paylocity, including personal and sick days.

Academic Program

Forte Prep’s academic program will remain focused on our students’ consistent growth through rigorous instruction, whether online or on-campus. Our remote instructional plan will involve an increase in synchronous instruction for students in order to increase the amount of feedback they’re receiving and keep instruction as consistent between online instruction and remote instruction as possible. Additionally, we’ll be building out our advisory curriculum to focus more intently on students forming connections with one another and accessing resources for mental health when necessary. Our outside providers and other services for students with disabilities are being modified in many ways, including the use of Google Hangouts to provide any supplementary services mandated in a student’s IEP, and diagnostic assessments will be used with more intentionality in developing students’ cohort assignments.

(*Note - this section is still in draft form, and while it reflects our most current plan, it will not be finalized until it is submitted to SUNY on August 14th)

Curriculum

Key Curricular Shifts

Forte’s core academic curriculum will largely remain as outlined in our charter. Math and ELA classes will now occur every day instead of staggered between four and five days; Science and Social Studies will still be offered three days per week in 5th and 6th grade, and four days per week in 7th and 8th grade. Digital Literacy will be offered twice a week for 5th and 6th grades in order to ensure that students have the skills necessary to fully participate in remote instruction, and the instructional plan will shift to be focused on the use of tools like Google Classroom, the Google suite, and typing so that students can fully access other curricula.

Science curriculum will begin to shift to using instructional materials from Amplify in order to make use of their blended learning model: 5th grade will fully transition to Amplify curriculum, while 6th and 7th grades will incorporate one to two units to begin the transition.

Physical education will be offered remotely with opportunities for students to complete various activities offered to all grades on a weekly basis.

Mental Health Supports and Socio-Emotional Learning

Advisory times have been extended on-campus and remotely in order to provide more time daily to provide socio-emotional support for students. This will exist in explicit advisory lessons focused on topics such as strategies for coping with the news, tools to remain focused while learning at home, and community building. Our Dean of School Culture, Principal, Student Supports Chair, Grade Level Leaders, and counseling team will collaborate in the creation of these explicit lessons. Weekly, our community meetings will continue, virtually and in small cohorts, to build community both within cohorts and across the school, so that students develop a larger support network. Additionally, we’ll hold monthly town hall meetings to focus more explicitly on current events or socio-emotional topics so that we can have more opportunities to build skills across the school.

Our counseling team has been increased this year in order to provide more supports to our students. Our counseling team will first ensure that students’ IEP mandates are filled while constructing counseling schedules, and will then take referrals from our staff team via Google forms in order to flag any students in need of greater socio-emotional support. Sessions will be offered in-person for both small groups and 1:1 sessions, and will also be offered virtually.

Vulnerable Populations

Some of our curriculum for students with disabilities will shift in order to provide better supports for blended learning and to maximize the amount of facetime students receive remotely:

Read 180 will continue to be offered for students in-person and remotely for ELA support for students with disabilities.
For students focusing on phonemic awareness, Spire and Ispire Phonics will be offered instead of System 44 because it has more robust remote supports.
Listening and speaking comprehension will be a focus for our incoming special education 5th graders and low participating 6th-8th graders during the Fall Trimester. Based on 2019-2020 summative exam data, response and processing time have greatly decreased for our students with disabilities who do not participate regularly in live sessions.
Students who are not reading 100 words per minute upon arrival to Forte Prep in the Fall trimester will be enrolled in two weekly reading fluency groups led by special education teachers.
Based on entry diagnostic data and summative data from 2019-2020, students will receive increased focus on the four primary mathematical operations in small group instruction with an increased focus on subtraction and division.
Students with disabilities will receive an increased number of small group sessions and SETTS group support on stamina – reading, writing, and focus stamina are expected to be significantly more delayed than in the past. Our students may have had inconsistent expectations during the Spring and will need guidance on how to maintain their energy. Handwriting speed is expected to be slower and sloppier, and we anticipate an increased focus on these skills in particular.

and for push-in supports, facetime small groups will be prioritized over modified instructional materials during remote instruction while we’ll continue to provide modified materials for on-campus instruction.

All entering-level ELL students will receive alternate instruction for ELA classes, to be offered both in-person and remotely. Emerging and Transitioning level students will continue to receive push-in supports for on-campus instruction which may include modified instructional materials, pull-out groups, small group instruction, and small group tutoring sessions; remotely, ELL students will receive priority in planning small group group tutoring support in afternoon focus blocks and will be prioritized for small group synchronous instruction during class periods.

Instruction

Remote Instruction

Virtual learning will take place two to three days per week for students as outlined above in student scheduling. On Google Classroom, students will begin the day in advisory with a synchronous Google

Hangout video session for a 20 minute advisory lesson. Then, students will follow their remote learning schedule. Lessons will begin with synchronous instruction to launch, take attendance, and generally provide direct instruction on that day’s learning objective. Then, lessons will vary by grade and content between synchronous and asynchronous learning. Students will be responsible for submitting their work by the end of the period.

Special education teachers will provide live, synchronous lessons in place of asynchronous lessons for ELA and Math classes. Additionally, all teachers will provide 30 minutes of small group support daily for students who need remedial instruction on particular skills or support with mastery of that day’s content. These sessions will be live video instruction in groups of 3-10 students. Students will also have the opportunity to access teachers for one hour from 3:00 to 4:00 for 1:1 live video support.

Teachers will contact students once a week during remote instruction to support students with internet access, at-home work space, academic concerns, and socio-emotional needs. Teachers will complete a check-in tracker (shown below) where they will keep track of these conversations and flag any concerns for the Principal, Dean of School Culture, Grade Level Team, Student Supports Chair, or Families Team. In addition to the family contact tracker, teachers will use our behavior and gradebook system, Schoolrunner, to keep track of contact with families.

Remote lessons will consist of various tools to ensure that students have clear directions on how to complete online activities and to consistently check for understanding while students are working independently. For example, in math classes, students may complete lessons on the GoFormative platform where teachers can see student answers in real time and give live feedback to students during independent work time. Additionally, across contents, teachers may post videos on various platforms to provide academic instruction and give directions to students to ensure successful completion. Via tools like EdPuzzle, teachers will be able to ensure that students have watched videos and answered questions successfully, and using tools like Google Docs and Google Forms, teachers will be able to give live feedback to students during their lessons. These tools will be used in conjunction with live instruction on Zoom to ensure that students receive the support they need to master daily objectives.

Students who are engaging with lessons remotely will have access to a livestream of their classrooms and will submit work digitally. During office hours and focus groups, these students will have priority to get individual 1:1 support from teachers, and our teachers with remote teaching responsibilities will be their primary instructors. For students with disabilities, our Student Supports Team will work to schedule outside service providers to schedule services appropriately with our staggered schedule, and will provide access to various manipulatives for use at home to comply with students’ IEPs.

On-Campus Instruction

On-campus, students will be divided into cohorts of 12-15 students, depending on the capacity of classrooms. Cohorts will frequently be grouped based on diagnostic assessment results in order to more easily tailor instruction to students’ needs. Depending on grade level and content area, instruction will occur in one of three ways: A) Parallel instruction in which two different teachers will teach the same lesson at the same time to cohorts or B) instruction where a lead teacher provides direct instruction, and that instruction is livestreamed into the cohorts of students while a second teacher supports.

A variety of classroom settings will be used to ensure social distancing as outline above. Academically, these classrooms will be used in particular to ensure that all supports will be provided to students with disabilities and small groups for ELL students will be consistently provided.

Assessment

Diagnostic Assessments

The first week of school, from September 8th - September 11th, will be remote instruction in order to allow staff the time to provide pre-assessments for students and adjust instruction based on initial diagnostic results. Students will come on-campus to take key diagnostic assessments in ELA and math, and will be oriented to online instruction.

Students will take the NWEA MAP assessment in Reading and Math to determine initial academic levels. Additionally, students will complete teacher-created diagnostic assessments in Reading, Writing and Math in order to assess what skills will need to be immediately remediated and which students will receive small group instruction. These assessments will be administered on Forte’s campus during the first week of school before formal in-person instruction begins.

Using this diagnostic data, teachers will determine the initial sequence of aims for their first units and will determine if any specific standards must be addressed before they begin the initial standards planned in their scope and sequence. Additionally, teachers will determine which students will be added to small groups for on-campus focus groups, and which students will receive small group support online during the focus block.

Vulnerable Populations

Our Student Supports Team will use this diagnostic data, in conjunction with students’ IEPs, to determine which students with disabilities will receive pull-out instruction on-campus to start the year, and will additionally use this information to determine which students need further diagnostic assessment, including but not limited to Fountas and Pinnell Testing and foundational math diagnostic tests offered by Zearn. The Student Supports Team will also create online synchronous instruction groups based on initial diagnostic information for students with disabilities.

The NWEA MAP Reading assessment will be used in particular to determine which ELL students will receive alternate English language instruction, which will receive push-in supports from an ELL teacher, and which will receive increased online support groups to support with English language acquisition.

Yearly Assessments

Interim trimester exams will continue as outlined in the charter, and data collection, analysis, and communication will remain the same. Trimester exams will occur three times: in November, March, and June, in order to assess student progress throughout the year on grade-level content. Students will take two trimester exams per day instead of one due to the decreased amount of time on-campus. Students will take the NWEA MAP assessment again in January and June to assess student progress.

Students will demonstrate mastery of subject matter formally on trimester assessments throughout the year in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and the Arts. These exams are aligned with Common Core State Standards in ELA and Math and NYS standards in other content areas. These assessments are used to determine student progress and will affect student promotional decisions.

At-Risk Populations

Sustained, equitable access

In addition to supports, accommodations, and modifications outlined in our charter, our students with disabilities will receive the following additional supports consistently in order to provide access to our academic program:

Daily live video sessions run through google classrooms for Reading, Writing, and Math. (at least 20 minutes each)
Guided Reading/Fluency sessions run at least twice a week by a session education teacher.
Differentiated materials (including read aloud audio, break it down questions, guided annotations, live teacher chat and video support, visuals, anchor charts, and graphic organizers).
Access to the google Read and Write extension.
Social/emotional morning sessions in advisory to increase opportunities for socialization
E-readers or IPads based on need

RTI

The procedures for identifying students for RTI programs is outlined under our Child Find procedures below. Teachers will fill out an SST referral form in order to refer students to the student supports team which may then trigger their entry into our RTI protocol. Once those students are identified and enter into our RTI programs. Teachers will use a goal tracking document in order to ensure students are making growth and gather information that could be important in the IEP referral process.

Fidelity to supports outlined in students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

In order to ensure compliance with IEP mandates during remote instruction, all students with ICT mandates will be automatically enrolled in a Google Classroom which includes daily live teaching sessions with their Special Education teacher (at least 20 minutes per subject). These students will be provided with audio supports when necessary for ELA as well as visuals and graphic organizers for math and writing. Students with ICT mandates will be divided amongst the Special Education team to ensure biweekly communication with families about student participation in virtual learning. Parents of ICT students will be provided with a schedule which highlights when students will be “live” on video chat with their special education teacher.

Our Dean of School Culture, Counseling Team, and Director of Student Supports will identify all possible parts of the Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs) which can be put in place during online learning. They will submit a plan to the parents which identifies all the parts of the BIP which can be worked on at home and all the parts of the BIP that can be worked on through online learning. Once paraprofessionals are assigned back to students, paraprofessionals will be taught how to utilize the BIP through virtual learning. BIP success will be measured by the Dean, Counselor, and Director of Student Supports monthly.

Students will continue to receive in-person push-in and pull-out supports during on-campus instruction per their IEPs. We will work with our outside providers (Speech, OT, Hearing, etc.) to provide supports on-campus when possible, and will otherwise provide those supports remotely as we did at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Any students with mandated counseling sessions will receive those sessions on-campus or remotely.

Child Find Procedures

Throughout Summer Professional Development and in September, teachers will be taught how to identify students at risk. They will be provided with a criteria which includes attendance, grade performance, social/emotional stability, reading fluency, and their fluency with the four operations. Teachers will submit referrals to their Grade Team leads when a student is showing at-risk signs in one of the above categories. Grade team leads will differentiate between students who need a parents intervention plan, a behavioral check in, or if we need to hold a Student Supports Team Meeting to gather as much information as possible about the student. SST meetings will be led by a Special Education leader and all of the students' teachers will participate, share information, and make commitments to certain types of interventions. A Special Education teacher will be assigned to track a goal for each student who is referred to SST.

504 Supports

All testing accommodations (including 504 plans) will be distributed to teachers in both paper and digital format. The digital format will be updated monthly and will include all student testing accommodations for all grades. Special education teachers will be held accountable for using testing accommodations by their coach. They will be observed implementing these testing accommodations. For example, for students who receive extra time, Special Education teachers are instructed to shorten work, support students through work, or remove a less important part of the lesson so students are not spending more time then their peers on a single subject each day. Their coach will review their plans, observe their live sessions, and discuss the success of these accommodations in coaching meetings.

Students who require text in audio formats through a 504 or IEP can receive supports through the National Center for Education Material (AEM Navigator) and those supports will be requested by the Student Supports Chair.

Outside Providers (Speech, Hearing, and Occupational Therapy)

All students will be given access to over the ear headphones while on virtual learning. Parents will be given a guide to setting up the best virtual learning environment for their child with a Speech/Language Impairment. I.e. Students should have their chair on a carpet or they should sit on a chair that does not screech when you move back and forth. Children should be set up in an environment away from other noises, and should be sitting straight up with their computer flat on a table in front of them. Students who receive Speech/Language services will be given access to the google chrome extension “Read and Write” which provides them with a picture dictionary and well as speech to text. Students will also be given direct instruction on how to use their accessible apps, how to set up their learning space, and how to create a schedule which helps them be on time for speech sessions.

Speech Language students will be at risk of both verbal and auditory processing regression. Speaking and listening skills will be prioritized in the beginning of the year to attempt to increase processing speeds.

For students who are hard of hearing and are identified to need Hearing Services, Forte will be provided with a range of auditory supports. Students will be taught how to create the best sound environment for their virtual sessions as well as how to use headphones properly during their sessions. Students will have their FM units sent home and parents will be given virtual sessions provided by the audiologist on how to use the FM units/assistive technology at home. This includes instructions on how to use captions for Google Meets and youtube. Parents and students will also be taught how to connect their transmitters into their chromebook headphone jacks. They will also be taught how to pin their teacher to the screen so they can see her mouth while speaking with better clarity. Students will be provided with read aloud/audio text options as well as with headphones so they maximize their sound quality. These students will be given access to live ELA sessions when they are learning virtually.

Students who receive Occupational Therapy will be given a visual and virtual schedule to help them keep track of their days assignments. The OT will provide parents with guidance on how to use the Google Read and Write extension as well as how to create a physical learning environment that meets their individual child’s needs. Students who require sensory input will be able to borrow sensory materials, fidgets, and equipment which will allow them to have the sensory input they need at home. This may include slant boards, resistance bands, and yoga mats.

ELL Supports

In the first month of school, we’ll assess our students listed as ELL in order to gauge English proficiency as the NYSESLAT was not administered in New York last year and ELL levels are thereby not up-to-date. With this information, all students at or estimated to be at the “Entering” level will receive alternate English instruction on-campus and remotely from our ELL Coordinator and/or ELL Teacher.

Students at the “Emerging” and “Transitioning” levels will receive appropriate supports in their core ELA classrooms - these supports will include, but are not limited to, instruction outlined in curricular shifts for students with disabilities (Read 180, Spire and Ispire, etc.); push-in supports in ELA classrooms on-campus; small group synchronous instruction remotely; and small group, skill-based instruction during on-campus and remote focus blocks. As we gather data throughout the year, these supports will be dynamic to support students’ English acquisition needs.

Last Updated 7/2023

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-testing.html?source=email

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-testing.html?source=email

[3] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html