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What Families Can Expect When We Return to Learn
Reopening of school is critical when many children and families are experiencing additional economic hardships, social isolation, and stressors. Schools are a critical component of communities and have tremendous impact on the health, well-being, growth, and development of students and families. Education is a fundamental determinant of health because it cultivates life skills, knowledge and reasoning, social-emotional awareness and control, and community engagement, which serve people over the course of a lifetime. Schools themselves also function as tools and resources for public health intervention by addressing core needs such as nutrition, access to health and social support services, and engagement and support of families and the community as a whole.
The health and safety of our students, staff, and families is of utmost importance. When the school year begins, on-campus school will look much different than in previous years due to new health and safety measures. District and school administrators are developing plans to reopen schools based on guidance from public health officials and recommendations from the Oxford School District Return-to-School Committee. Plans will be updated as the situation evolves.
It is important to note that the Oxford School District plans will focus sharply on academic instruction to enhance student performance and address learning loss due to school closure this past spring. At the same time, OSD will attempt to maintain extracurricular programs, clubs, and athletics that are so important to the physical, mental, and social well-being of our students.
The following health and safety guidance has been recommended by the Oxford School District for the reopening of schools based on current information and will be updated as the situation changes.
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Screening at School
- Families are recommended to take temperatures daily before going to school. Anyone with a fever of 100.0°F or higher should not go to a school site.
- Parents shall not send their child to school if they have a fever or other symptoms of illness.
- Parents are responsible for providing their child a face covering. In the event that a child misplaces a face covering, the school will provide a replacement.
- Student temperatures will be taken twice a day on the forehead with a Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer: once at the start of each day, and again after lunch.
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Arriving at School
- Face coverings are required for students to ride district transportation.
- Face coverings will be required for every person inside a school building or classroom, or outdoors on a school campus whenever it is not possible to maintain a minimum of six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household.
- Students will not be permitted to congregate outside or in common areas within the building.
- Upon entering the school building, a grab-and-go breakfast will be offered to students at designated school entry points
- Parents will not be permitted to eat lunch with their child at school.
- Restricted visitors: visitors will not be able to enter school buildings except as deemed necessary by school principals.
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General Safety Precautions Throughout the Day
Oxford School District will focus on strategies for basic hygiene, social distancing, identification and isolation of sick students/employees, safety protocols and flexibilities, and employee training.
- Face coverings will be required for every person inside a school building or classroom, or outdoors on a school campus whenever it is not possible to maintain a minimum of six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household. See board policy EBDCC for exceptions to this requirement.
- Breakfast and lunch will be served to the classrooms and/or served in cafeterias when social distancing is possible.
- Recess for students in grades PreK-6 will be conducted in a designated location by class. For full details, please see Planning for the 2020-2021 School Year > Section 1: Health and Safety Considerations > Recess.
- The district will increase frequency of cleaning restrooms, conference rooms, break rooms, cafeterias, and buses.
- Enhanced cleaning by replacing general purpose cleaners with EPA-registered disinfectant for nightly cleaning
- Ensure disinfection of spaces within a 24-hour period
- Daily enhanced cleaning by damp wipe disinfecting of high-touch areas and restrooms
- Electrostatic spray disinfection service:
- Weekly disinfection of buses
- Quarterly disinfection of all buildings and facilities
- Hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes are available in each classroom
- Bus seats will be wiped down with sanitizing solution between routes
- School nurses should wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when caring for ill staff or students. Appropriate PPE includes N-95 mask (or surgical mask if N-95 not available) and eye protection (face shield or goggles).
- School nurses will not be considered close contacts while wearing appropriate medical PPE.
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When Someone Shows Symptoms
Click here for MSDH guidelines (September 2020).
- Parent will be contacted to pick up the student. Parent or guardian should contact physician for guidance. COVID-19 testing will be encouraged.
- If student is referred with COVID-19 symptoms, fever, and/or exposure, but tests negative for COVID-19, the student may return at the end of 14-day quarantine from the date of referral. Student must also be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- Students who test positive for other conditions (such as strep or flu), may return to school with a medical excuse from doctor after being fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- If student does not take a COVID-19 test, he/she must be out of school for 14 days from beginning of symptoms and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever- reducing medications.
- There is no test out of quarantine; the quarantine period is a full 14 days regardless of any test results during the quarantine period.
- People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again.
- The isolation and school exclusion period for a positive case of COVID-19 is changed from 14 days to 10 days for consistency with current CDC guidance.
- The exposure time to be considered a close contact to a case of COVID-19 is updated to less than 6 feet for 15 minutes cumulative throughout the day.
- Student is transferred to online instruction during quarantine or isolation.
For full details on protocols, please see Section 1: Health and Safety Consideration > Planning for the 2020-2021 School Year > Reporting/Health Protocols/Communication.
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Students’ Social Emotional Well-being
Attending to the social emotional well-being of our students will be a top priority as they return to school.
District and school staff are committed to supporting students’ social emotional wellness and offering resources to ensure students transition back to school smoothly. Support may include social emotional learning, building relationships, community building activities, and increased access to mental health/wellness services. Families and schools will need to work together to check how students are feeling and assess their individual needs to process the support our students need during these challenging times.
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Activities and Social Distancing
In order to maintain social distancing, activities that require students to congregate will be limited and modified as guidelines change.
Social distancing is important when feasible to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. In cases where social distancing is possible, it is encouraged. Social distancing is required in instances where face coverings are not appropriate such as extracurricular activities like band and athletics. Modifications on how the course is taught may be necessary to limit the risk of spreading the virus. Schools will work with students and families to ensure accommodations are made and alternative options are considered.
