Based on the following resources:
CDC Considerations for K-12 Schools: https://bit.ly/2AOtDkf
NJ DOE: The Road Back: https://www.nj.gov/education/reopening/NJDOETheRoadBack.pdf
 
 
GOAL:  For students to be in school as much as possible while maintaining the safety of all students and staff
in the school environment. (This, of course, does not eliminate our commitment towards the complete education
of our students: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, etc.)
 
 
What steps have been/will be taken to prepare the school facility for the return of students and staff:
When STS closed in March, the entire facility was deep cleaned by our janitorial service.
June-July-August: regular school Summer cleaning
 
June-July 2020: 

• All A/C units serviced and cleaned; filters changed.  (These units DO NOT have HEPA filters). Filters will be replaced on a monthly basis.
• Plexi-glass desk guards (3-sided) ordered for all student/teacher desks; plexi-glass dividers for round and rectangular early childhood tables ordered; large plexi-glass dividers ordered for play areas of infant/toddler classrooms; plexi-glass dividers for restroom sinks and urinals ordered.
• Hydroxyl Air Processor ordered for Gymnasium and Nurse’s Office.
• UV Lamps ordered (according to square footage of classrooms) for sanitizing AFTER daily janitorial cleaning.
• Electrostatic Spraying machines ordered for use throughout the day, specifically in restrooms; playgrounds, etc.; additionally, sanitizing solutions ordered
• Additional Chromebooks ordered for 3^rd & 4^th grade.  With Gov. Murphy’s recent initiative to provide for the technology needs of NJ students, we are hoping that the State will consider Catholic School students in this initiative and that we may receive additional funding to provide Chromebooks or iPads for K-1-2.
• Class locations moved (eg. Gr. 8 to cafeteria) to allow for social distancing space

 
August 2020:

• Floor markings and signs put in place for social distancing and one-direction movement
• Signage for assigned doors for entry/exit of building
• Gym floor will also be marked with tape to respect social distancing requirements.

 
 
 
What steps will be taken to support and reinforce proper health and safety behavior by students and staff within the school building?

• Establishing alternative entrances/exits; availability of hand sanitizer

• Floor and wall signage determining 6’ distances and directional walking
• Handwashing signs in restrooms
• Availability of hand sanitizer in classrooms and restrooms
• Plexiglass Desk corrals for teachers and students; table corrals for early childhood classrooms
• Teachers are required to wear face coverings; students (K-8) are likewise required to wear face coverings; PreK students may wear face masks or shields.  All will have face-coverings “breaks” and are able to remove their face covering when within their desk corrals.
• Teachers/Staff move through building, not students
• Classes will be taken to the restrooms at established times and the restrooms will be sanitized in-between classes; should a student have an “emergency” need for the restroom, he/she will be permitted to go when there are no other students present and the restroom will be sanitized before any other student(s) use the restroom
• Dividers will be installed in between sinks and urinals in the restrooms

 
 
 
What steps will be taken to ensure that classrooms/learning spaces adhere to NJ DOE/CDC guidance? 
Teachers’ vigilance, initial classroom set-up with Administration, plexiglass desk guards, plexiglass table dividers for early childhood.
 
 
 
What steps will be taken to maintain social distancing in non-classroom areas?
Teachers’ instruction to students, teachers’ vigilance and floor/wall signs.
                               
 
 
How will in-person learning be offered for the 2020-2021 school year?
We will be offering:

• In-person learning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week
• Remote learning will be offered each Wednesday (to allow for a deeper cleaning of the building and to reduce the possibility of infection by 20%)  The Wednesday schedule will be a 4-hour session day, allowing for additional time for teacher’s office hours and extra help for students requiring it.
• Parents may opt for complete remote learning
• Except in the case of illness, parents will be asked to commit to their child(ren)’s in-person learning schedule on a monthly basis.

Should it become necessary, we would move to an all-remote learning model, reflective of the Wednesday remote learning schedule.
 
 
 
What plans have been made for organizing students and staff into small groups (co-horting) that remain together while social distancing, with limited mixing between groups?

• Students will remain in their own classrooms (except for physical education); teachers will change classes instead of students.
• A desk or mail holder will be placed outside of each classroom where “Class Business” will be placed and picked up each day by a Staff member instead of a student bringing it to the Office.
• Should a student need to go to the Nurse’s Office, the Nurse will go to the classroom for an initial evaluation, reducing the number of “frequent flyers” to the Nurse’s Office.
• At recess, only two classes will be outside at any given time in established areas.
• Dismissal will be staggered to avoid mixing of groups.  Parents will be instructed to leave immediately when they have all their children.

 
 
 
How will instruction be delivered to/accessed by students who are learning from home?
As the teacher is teaching her class, the class will be transmitted online to the student(s) at home.  Classes will also be recorded for later access.  To insure privacy, ONLY the instruction area will be recorded.
 
 
 
How are teachers preparing for hybrid models and the possibility of a shift to remote-only learning?
Teachers and Administration have developed “Best Practices” from the experience of March-June 2020.  They have been encouraged to participate in online professional development, as well as, meeting (either in-person or virtually) with teachers in grade clusters to develop their plans, gather their resources, and practice their presentation.   They are well aware that the occurrence of a shift to remote-only learning is strongly possible, especially as we move into the regular Flu season.
 
 
 
What procedures will be in place for staff arrival and for conducting daily symptom checking of staff?
There will be an assigned Staff member who will be at the front door and the rear door of the school with a thermometer for a temperature check each morning.  If the temperature is within range, the staff member will be permitted into the building.  A simple Health Survey will be in each classroom, completed by the Staff Member and sent to the Office with the Morning Business.
 
 
 
What social distancing procedures will be in place for student arrival and for conducting daily symptom checking of students? 
Six cones will be placed (6’ apart) outside each entrance for the student/parent to stand near; parents will be asked to remain in their cars with their children until those spots become available.  Students will be assigned specific entrances for arrival and dismissal to further increase compliance with social distancing.

• There will be an assigned Staff member at each entrance with a non-contact thermometer for temperature checks each morning.  If the temperature is within range, the student will be permitted into the building.   If not, the parent will be asked to take his/her student home, using the temperature reading as proof of his/her inability to remain at school.  Each staff member will have a walkie-talkie for direct communication with the Principal, should there be any disagreements.
• Large posted signs at each entrance will delineate symptoms that would require a student to be excluded from school; unfortunately, whether we post a sign or interview each student/parent, it would always be on the “honor” system.
• We are investigating the possibility (in the warmer months) of installing canopies for the students to wait under so that their temperature readings will not result in false positives (fevers).

 
 
 
It is mandated that all persons (students, faculty and staff) entering schools receive a temperature check.  How will St. Theresa School comply with this mandate in accordance with any applicable privacy laws and regulations?
Please refer to information described above. Should a student be refused entry due to a fever, the parent will be instructed to take their student home and the student would not be permitted to return to school without a doctor’s note; if the student’s parent has already left school, the student will be brought to the Isolation Room to await their parent’s return, which should be within a one-hour period of time.
 
 
 
What steps will be taken to limit movement of groups within the building?

• Students will remain in their own classrooms (except for physical education); teachers will change classes instead of students.
• A desk or mail holder will be placed outside of each classroom where “Class Business” will be placed and picked up each day by a Staff member instead of a student bringing it to the Office.
• Should a student need to go to the Nurse’s Office, the Nurse will go to the classroom for an initial evaluation, reducing the number of “frequent flyers” to the Nurse’s Office.
• At recess, only two classes will be outside at any given time in established areas.
• Dismissal will be staggered to avoid mixing of groups. 
• Religious Education classes will no longer be housed in the school building.

 
 
 
How will your lunch schedule/procedures be adapted to maintain social distancing and minimize mixing of student groups/cohorts?  

• Students will eat lunch in their classrooms, supervised by their teacher.
• Hands and desktops will be washed/sanitized before and after lunch.
• Large garbage cans will be placed in specific locations for lunch rubbish.
• Teachers will bring their students to recess, on an established schedule, where they will be given a specific location for recess and will be supervised by regularly established assistants.
• At the end of recess, the teacher will pick up her students and return to class with them.
• The schedule will allow for transition times, so that classes are not passing each other in the hallways.
• Playground equipment/recess equipment will be sanitized in between class usage.

 
 
 
What procedures will be in place at dismissal to maintain social distancing?

• Dismissal will be staggered in ten minute increments and at different dismissal doors throughout the school building.   
• During Parent Orientation Meetings in August, parents will be directed to pick up their child(ren) and leave immediately. A detailed dismissal schedule will be given to parents at this time.
• All should be wearing face coverings.

 
 
What plans have been put in place for student busing?

• The bus from Union has been approved for the 2020-2021 school year.
• St. Theresa School will discuss with the Transportation Coordinator how the directives of “The Road Back” will be implemented by the bus company.  If their implementation is not acceptable, parents may contact their local school District and ask for reimbursement rather than transportation.  According to “The Road Back” this would be an option for them.

 
 
 
What plans are in place for routine cleaning and disinfecting?

• During the day, a Day Porter will spray disinfecting sanitizing mist in restrooms each hour, when they are unoccupied and will allow for drying time; she will also use either the spray disinfectant or Clorox/Lysol Wipes on playground equipment.
• Teachers/students will be instructed to clean their desktop area upon arrival, before and after lunch, and before dismissal with wipes.

• After daily cleaning with EPA listed cleaner/disinfectants, classrooms/restrooms will be treated with UV Lights (following established guidelines) to sanitize them.
• Every Tuesday and Friday afternoons, classroom carpets will be deep cleaned and sanitized.
• A deeper cleaning of carpets and other surfaces will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays.

 
 
 
What procedures will be in place for isolation of students or staff members who show symptoms of COVID-19 after entering the school building? 

• A separate Isolation Room has been established, across the hall from our regular Nurse’s Office, where a symptomatic student or staff member will be able to be supervised while waiting to be picked up.
• Parents will be notified immediately of their student’s need to be picked up; any additional students who are family members will also be picked up at that time.
• Staff members showing symptoms of Covid-19 will be required to leave the school immediately.
• No student or staff member who has tested positive for Covid-19 will be permitted to return to school until they have completed a 2-week quarantine/isolation, have received 2 negative Covid-19 Tests (at least 24 hours apart), and are able to provide a medical professionals documentation of this.

 
 
What area will you designate for isolation of students or staff members who show symptoms of COVID-19 until they can leave the school building? 
The previous Cafeteria Manager’s Office, across the hall from the Nurse’s Room, will be designated for this purpose.
 
 

How will confirmed cases or cases of exposure to COVID-19 within the school community be handled?  What notifications will parents receive? 
The Archdiocese of Newark is preparing a letter to parents/all concerned parties (pending) when there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the school community.  St. Theresa School will follow the directives of RCAN regarding notifications, quarantines, length of quarantine, etc. in accordance with State and CDC directives.
 
 

What plans are in place for possible illness or quarantine of key staff members including school administration?

• Should a key staff member or administrator be diagnosed with Covid-19 or require quarantining,
• If symptomatic, a person will be designated to fulfill the administrator/teacher responsibility; that is, an assistant administrator or someone delegated for this purpose and a substitute teacher/staff member.  A list of possible substitute teachers will be compiled for this purpose.
• If asymptomatic, the administrator/teacher will remotely continue their responsibilities in the upper grades, while a substitute teacher will be provided for the primary and/or early childhood classes.

 
 

How will St. Theresa School assess the ongoing effectiveness of its plans for re-opening?   How will adjustments be made and communicated as re-opening occurs?

• Assessing the ongoing effectiveness of re-opening plan will be done through formal/informal communication with teachers/parents/staff (and older students); anecdotal observations and encounters; regular observations and assessments of teachers, etc.
• Adjustments will be made in response to the above mentioned means of assessment;  whatever adjustments being made will be communicated to faculty/staff/parents after available consultation with them, when possible.

 
 
 
What do you foresee as the greatest challenges of returning to in-person teaching/learning?
There is no lack of support on the part of our Faculty and Staff for in-person teaching/learning… this has been the hope and prayer of our school community, respecting the health and safety changes which will be implemented.  With that said FINANCES are the greatest challenge!  Good will is there on the part of all, but money is not.
 
 

What “lessons-learned” during the Spring 2020 school closure has St. Theresa School informed our remote learning plan?
In a recent “ReOpening Survey” sent to our STS parents, there were many aspects of remote learning that they lauded as well as suggestions for improvement:

• Importance of communication: with teacher, with administration.  Responding to parent/student questions; also in terms of notifying parents regarding student grades
• Need for consistent, scheduled  face-to-face contact between teacher/students via ZOOM or GOOGLE throughout the day.  Coordinated School Schedule for remote instruction
• Necessity of provided extra help remotely
• Remote learning must challenge the students
• Need for a better grading plan

 
 

CONTINGENCY PLANS 
What plans have been developed by St. Theresa School for the possibility that schools will not be able to start the 2020-2021 school year with in-person learning due to an increase in COVID-19 cases?

• Teachers have been instructed to begin preparing their lessons should this possibility arise.

All the above mentioned “lessons-learned” are being taken into consideration as we prepare for this possibility: schedules for instruction, administration-teacher-parent-student communication, incorporated in “Remote Learning Handbook for Teachers” & “Remote Learning Handbook for Students-Parents.”
 
 

What plans have been developed for a possible shift to remote-only learning at some point during the 2020-2021 school year for St. Theresa School? 
Everything listed above.  Along with this, we have the experience of last Spring to have learned from.  Hopefully, a possible shift to remote learning would be better prepared for due to this experience, AND due to the fact that, hopefully, it wouldn’t be such a one-day-to-the-next experience.  I believe we would be able to better see it coming, along with its duration, and thus be better prepared.
We have prepared (rather are in the midst of preparing) “Remote Learning Handbook for Teachers” and a “Remote Learning Handbook for Students-Parents” which will include best practices and lessons learned from Spring 2020.