ISD 518 Summer Program Health and Safety Plan

ISD 518 Summer Program Health and Safety Plan (PREPAREDNESS PLAN) – 2021

PLAN GOALS AND EXPLANATION

Independent School District 518 is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our staff and students. To ensure we have a safe and healthy workplace, we have developed the following Health Safety Plan in response to the ongoing COVID-19 health concerns. Administrators/Supervisors and workers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and that requires full cooperation among our staff, students and administrators. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of our workers and workplaces.

We are transitioning from state required safety restrictions to health recommendations. COVID still exists and we need to have plans to mitigate the effect of COVID on our staff and students during our summer programs. 

Administrators/Supervisors and workers are responsible for implementing and complying with all aspects of this Health Safety Plan. Our workers are our most important assets. We are serious about safety and health and keeping our workers working at Worthington Public Schools. Our Health Safety Plan follows best practice recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines.

SCREENING AND POLICIES FOR EMPLOYEES SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19

District staff have been informed of and encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following procedures are being implemented to assess workers’ health status prior to entering the workplace and for workers to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms.

Independent School District 518has implemented practices that promote workers staying at home when they are sick, when household members are sick, or when required by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine themselves or a member of their household. Employees will follow their contracts for applicable leave options. The district will follow federal and state law regarding authorized leaves.

All staff will be asked to assess how they are feeling each day that they come to a district site by reviewing the Minnesota Department of Health health screening checklist. If they feel ill or have symptoms identified with COVID-19, they are asked to stay home and self-monitor. As soon as practical, they should seek to have a test completed to determine their status. If staying home, they will communicate with their direct supervisor and use the absence management system to enter the information.

If an employee at work becomes ill or experiences any of the symptoms of COVID-19, they will communicate with the front office and immediately leave the building, keeping space from others. In their call to the office, they will include who they have worked with in the past 48 hours and locations in the building they have been.  

Independent School District 518 will follow Center for Disease Control and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines on contacting staff who may have been exposed and ask them to self-monitor for any symptoms. As guidelines are updated, the district will notify employees. District 518 will ask employees who may have been in contact with someone testing positive to schedule for a COVID test as soon as practical.

Independent School District 518 will follow all federal and state laws and district policies regarding the privacy of employee health records and release of information. The school district does not have a roster of staff or students who have been vaccinated. Each building has a designated administrator/designee who oversees this plan and responds to positive cases or quarantine cases as a part of contact tracing.

HAND WASHING

All staff and students are instructed to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water frequently throughout the day, but especially when working with shared items, prior to any mealtimes and after using the restroom. All visitors to Independent School District 518 will be encouraged to wash or sanitize their hands prior to or immediately upon entering the facility.

Hand-sanitizer dispensers are at entrances and locations throughout buildings to be used for hand hygiene in place of soap and water, as long as hands are not visibly soiled. Our custodial teams will check the status of the hand sanitizers on a regular basis.

RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE: COVER YOUR COUGH OR SNEEZE

Staff, students and visitors are instructed to cover their mouth and nose with their sleeve or a tissue when coughing or sneezing and to avoid touching their face, in particular their mouth, nose and eyes, with their hands. They should dispose of tissues in provided trash receptacles and wash or sanitize their hands immediately afterward. Respiratory etiquette will be supported by making tissues and trash receptacles available in each classroom and by restrooms.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

Social distancing continues to be recommended. This summer, there will be staff and students who may not have been vaccinated. Please social distance to the extent possible between staff, students and visitors in the school buildings.

The following social distancing guidelines will remain in our school buildings during summer programming:

• Each front office may maintain the clear shields that are installed near the secretaries to minimize exposure to airborne particles.
• Water bottle filling stations remain operable and recommended to refill water bottles.
• Water fountains have been disabled or are not available for use.
• The number of people in a classroom will follow recommendations from MDE and MDH. As this guidance changes, Independent School District 518 will update its plans.
• Personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, shields, gowns, etc.) will be available at each building.
• Appropriate personal protective equipment will be worn when staff are working in close proximity of students for education, toileting, transporting or responding to behaviors.
• Staff will limit the sharing of equipment and instructional supplies outside of their classrooms/offices. 
• Disinfectant and cleaning supplies will be provided in each office to clean and shared items (phone, copier, printers, etc.) throughout the day. Staff will use gloves when cleaning with disinfectant. Building lead custodians will provide the necessary cleaning items and provide training on how to use them.

FACE COVERINGS

Face coverings are no longer required in school buildings for employees. Employees may choose to wear a face covering as a precaution this summer. Many of the students will not have received their vaccination at the time summer programs begin. Guidance on face coverings will be updated throughout the summer months.

All students and staff may consider wearing face coverings. In some rooms, teachers may require students to wear face coverings if social distancing is not possible.

Outdoor activities do not require a face covering.

During transportation to and from Independent School District 518 facilities, students are required to wear masks as defined by the Minnesota Department of Education Return to Summer School Plan.

Types of allowable face coverings include:

• Paper or disposable mask
• Cloth face mask
• Neck gaiter
• Scarf
• Religious face covering

The covering should cover the nose and mouth completely, should not be overly tight or restrictive and should feel comfortable to wear.

Face coverings should not be placed on anyone under the age of 2, anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, anyone who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance or anyone who cannot tolerate a face covering due to a developmental, medical, or behavioral health condition.

CLEANING, DISINFECTION AND VENTILATION

Regular housekeeping practices are being implemented, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of work surfaces and areas in the work environment such as classrooms, offices, restrooms, break rooms, lunch rooms and meeting rooms. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting will be conducted in high-touch areas, such as phones, keyboards, touch screens, controls, door handles, elevator panels, railings and copy machines. Building custodians will perform the scheduled cleaning using disinfecting/cleaning products approved by the Center for Disease Control/Minnesota Department of Health.

Appropriate and effective cleaning and disinfectant supplies have been purchased and are available for use in accordance with product labels, safety data sheets and manufacturer specifications and are being used with required personal protective equipment for the product.  Supplies for disinfecting hard surfaces will be provided by custodians upon request and monitored for refilling as necessary.

Spray bottles and wipes may be used for larger spaces including countertops, desks and tables. For smaller workstations and personal items, disposable wipes will be provided as available.  Gloves should be worn when using either of these products and care should be taken when spraying to not spray in the direction of other people’s faces. Surfaces should be allowed to air dry for maximum effectiveness of the disinfectant.

The maximum amount of fresh air is being brought into the workplace. Air recirculation is being limited and ventilation systems are being properly used and maintained. Steps are also being taken to minimize airflow blowing across people. Independent School District 518’s building ventilation systems have been reprogrammed to increase the amount of outside air brought into each space in the building. This increase is monitored by our automation system by measuring the amount of CO2 present at different monitoring stations and modifying fan speed and damper position to meet this requirement. The increased air is then tempered to provide comfort for building occupants.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAINING

This Health Safety Plan will be communicated via email and posted in our school offices and staff workrooms by June, 2021. Administrators/Supervisors will be monitoring how effective the program has been implemented. Administrators/Supervisors and workers are to work through this health safety program together and update the training as necessary. This Health Safety Plan has been created by Independent School District 518 and was posted throughout the workplace June, 2021. It may be updated as necessary.