Dear Families,
I wanted to follow-up with you regarding the changes that the school board made in regards to the district plan last night. First and foremost, our ultimate goal is still to create a safe learning environment where all students can be successful. I want to be very clear that we are still planning to implement many of the mitigation strategies that have been in place since the beginning of the school year with a few exceptions.
Return to School Plan - Board Approved February 9, 2022
Plan Changes
You can view the approved plan by clicking on the link below but here are some key points:
1. One big change is obviously related to masking. Masking is now recommended but not required for individuals. Although, masking is still required on school buses due to federal law.
2. The second big change is that the district will no longer be excluding close contacts from school. If a close contact is identified at school, the families and staff members will be notified but those individuals will not be excluded from school unless they are symptomatic.
3. All other mitigation strategies remain in place. The first 12 mitigation strategies (listed on the button of page 2) are still in place. In other words . . .
- If students have covid symptoms, they will still need a negative test or alternative diagnosis to remain in school.
- If there is a confirmed positive, the individual will be excluded for 5 days from school.
- We still recommend 3 to 6 feet of social distance as much as possible.
- We will still keep students 3 feet apart at lunchtime
4. The mitigation strategies that are listed as numbers 13 – 16 are those that are currently no longer in place.
5. The plan also includes a Level 2 Transmission Rate where if the internal positivity rate goes above 5% that triggers a board meeting to review whether or not mitigation strategies #13-16 need to be added back to the plan.
Practical Implementation
1. It will be imperative that our school community makes sure to create an environment where all students and staff feel comfortable regardless of their choice related to masking. This is one thing we do very well . . . create a culture of tolerance and respect for individual differences and choices.
2. Please report any situation where one individual makes another feel uncomfortable in any way. Also, please reach out to the building administration or counseling department to report students that may be struggling to adjust to the changes in the plan.
3. If you need to request a specific accommodations for medical reasons for a student, please contact Mrs. Clark mclark@arcolaschools.com at the elementary school and Mrs. Behrends abehrends@arcolaschools.com at the JH-HS.
Next Steps
1. The school board was able to make this decision because of the recent court case decision. Even though the Temporary Restraining Order did not directly apply to our district, it did stop the state from enforcing the governor’s executive orders. Consequently, the board could make the decision to change the plan.
2. If the appellate court decision overturns the recent circuit court ruling, the board will need to reconvene to discuss whether or not to adjust the plan moving forward. That would create a different conversation.
I know that this is another change in the ever evolving list of changes you have had to deal with during the pandemic. But, I have no doubt our school community will adjust and continue to thrive.
ESSR III Spending Plan
The Return to School Plan highlighted above from February 9, 2022 provides a detailed description of the district plan that is being used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies consistent with CDC guidelines.
The link below provides a detailed description of the how the school district is using the ARP ESSR Funds to support the district in following those guidelines and prevention measures.
This includes:
- Additional stipends and benefits for staff to ensure implementation
- Air quality improvements
- Staff for additional medical care
- Classroom Furniture to allow for adequate spacing
- Outdoor tent rental for alternative site in open air setting
- Funds for snack breaks to allow for mask breaks during the day
- Sanitation Supplies
The following are activities that are being funded by the ARP ESSER Funds to address the impact of lost instructional time and how the district will meet the social, emotional, mental health and academic needs of all students.
These activities include:
- Salaries and Benefits for additional intervention teacher, additional classroom teacher to maintain small class sizes and additional Bilingual/EL teacher to provide additional language support
- Salaries and Benefits for both summer school and after school tutoring services
- Bus Transportation for after school and summer school tutoring
- Employee Assistance program to support staff
- Salary for additional social work support for students
- Additional technology resources and connectivity to provide equity to all students
The following document provides information on how the district is spending the ESSR III Grant Funds.
Tom Mulligan, Superintendent
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Queridas familias,
Quería hacer un seguimiento con usted con respecto a los cambios que la junta escolar hizo con respecto al plan del distrito anoche. En primer lugar, nuestro objetivo final sigue siendo crear un entorno de aprendizaje seguro en el que todos los estudiantes puedan tener éxito. Quiero dejar muy claro que todavía estamos planeando implementar muchas de las estrategias de mitigación que se han implementado desde el comienzo del año escolar con algunas excepciones.
Cambios de plan
Puede ver el plan aprobado haciendo clic en el enlace a continuación, pero aquí hay algunos puntos clave:
1. Un gran cambio obviamente está relacionado con el cubrebocas. Ahora se recomienda el cubrebocas, pero no es obligatorio para las personas. Sin embargo, todavía se requiere el uso del cubrebocas en los autobuses escolares debido a la ley federal.
2. El segundo gran cambio es que el distrito ya no excluirá a los contactos cercanos de la escuela. Si se identifica un contacto cercano en la escuela, se notificará a las familias y al personal, pero esas personas no serán excluidas de la escuela a menos que presenten síntomas.
3. Todas las demás estrategias de mitigación permanecen vigentes. Las primeras 12 estrategias de mitigación (enumeradas al final de la página 2) todavía están vigentes. En otras palabras . . .
4. Las estrategias de mitigación que se enumeran con los números 13 a 16 son aquellas que actualmente ya no están vigentes.
5. El plan también incluye una tasa de transmisión de nivel 2 en la que, si la tasa de positividad interna supera el 5 %, se activa una reunión de la junta para revisar si las estrategias de mitigación n.° 13 a 16 deben volver a agregarse al plan.
Implementación práctica
1. Será imperativo que nuestra comunidad escolar se asegure de crear un entorno en el que todos los estudiantes y el personal se sientan cómodos, independientemente de su elección en relación con el uso de un cubrebocas. Esto es algo que hacemos muy bien. . . crear una cultura de tolerancia y respeto por las diferencias y elecciones individuales.
2. Por favor informe cualquier situación en la que una persona haga que otra se sienta incómoda de alguna manera. Además, comuníquese con la administración del edificio o el departamento de consejería para informar a los estudiantes que pueden tener dificultades para adaptarse a los cambios en el plan.
3. Si necesita solicitar adaptaciones específicas por razones médicas para un estudiante, comuníquese con la Sra. Clark mclark@arcolaschools.com en la escuela primaria y la Sra. Behrends mbehrends@arcolaschools.com en JH-HS.
Próximos pasos
1. La junta escolar pudo tomar esta decisión debido a la reciente decisión judicial. Aunque la Orden de Restricción Temporal no se aplicó directamente a nuestro distrito, sí impidió que el estado hiciera cumplir las órdenes ejecutivas del gobernador. En consecuencia, la junta podría tomar la decisión de cambiar el plan.
2. Si la decisión del tribunal de apelaciones anula el fallo reciente del tribunal de circuito, la junta deberá volver a reunirse para discutir si ajustar o no el plan en el futuro. Eso crearía una conversación diferente.
Sé que este es otro cambio en la lista en constante evolución de cambios con los que ha tenido que lidiar durante la pandemia. Pero no tengo ninguna duda de que nuestra comunidad escolar se adaptará y seguirá prosperando.
Tom Mulligan, superintendente