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Wednesday, 08 July 2020 13:40

Distancing and Social Gatherings Moderate Precautions K-12 Schools

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While there is always an inherent risk of contracting an illness when individuals interact with each other, the following requirements and recommendations can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.  

Classrooms

State Requirement:

Additional Recommendations:

  • Maximize space between desks and tables (acknowledging that 6 feet of distance between desks is not feasible for most Utah classrooms)
  • Move nonessential furniture and equipment out of classrooms to increase distancing
  • Consider seating students facing forward if practical
  • Assign seats to support contact tracing
  • Consider temporary closure of computer lab if students are able to access the content outside the lab
  • Establish exit and entrance procedures for the classroom 
  • When bringing multiple classes together, consider using other spaces inside or outside of the building

Transitions/Common Areas

State Requirement:

  • Identify high traffic areas and apply floor markings or signage to direct traffic
  • Students required to wear face coverings during transitions

Additional Recommendations:

  • Prop doors open to reduce touch
  • Place signs or markings in halls showing efficient traffic patterns  
  • Encourage students to use a backpack instead of frequent locker use
  • Minimize and monitor congregation of students
  • Consider staggered transitions to minimize interactions between multiple groups 
  • Consider extended pass times

Entry and Exit Points/Parent/Guest/Volunteer Access to School

State Requirements:

  • Designate entry/exit flow paths to minimize congestion
  • Limit nonessential visitors and volunteers to campuses and programs
  • Establish protocols for any visitors and non-regular staff, adhering to all current health and safety guidelines
  • Face coverings required
  • Establish protocols for drop-off/pick-up - Communicate expectations to families

Additional Recommendations:

  • Consider protocols for visitors, including sign-in and sign-out, locations being visited, calling the front office before entering, use of face coverings, etc. 
  • Post signage encouraging physical distancing

Transportation

State Requirements:

  • Face coverings for students, staff, and other passengers. (Student’s age, range of disabilities, sensory sensitivity, and medical conditions should be considered)
  • Implement strategies to ensure driver safety
  • Develop protocols for minimizing mixing of students from different households

Additional Recommendations:

  • Students should not be refused transportation for failure to wear a face covering (provide disposable face coverings in case a student forgets to bring their own)

Restrooms

Additional Recommendations:

  • Look at minimizing the number of individuals in a restroom
  • Face coverings required while in restrooms
  • If students are grouped by the same hallway/floor/grade level, designate restroom for each cohort
  • Consider floor markings to encourage physical distancing

Cafeterias

State Requirements:

  • Mark spaced lines and designate serving line flow paths
  • Remove self-service salad bars and buffet
  • Food service workers wear face coverings
  • Students required to wear face coverings while in lines and when not eating

Additional Recommendations:

  • Expanded cafeteria area with options such as inside and outside seating where possible
  • Consider staggering lunch hours to reduce the number of students at one time
  • Consider decreasing lunch times 

Large Group Gatherings: Assemblies/Performances/Dances, etc.

State Requirements:

  • Group gatherings are organized with health and safety principles and requirements from the Weber/Morgan health department to mitigate risks
  • Face coverings required

Additional Recommendations:

  • Consider limiting and/or canceling nonessential assemblies, dances, etc. or reschedule as virtual gatherings
  • Consider broadcasting assemblies into the classroom 
  • If a large gathering is held, appropriate physical distancing and face coverings required
  • Create alternate plans for whole staff gatherings/trainings as virtual meetings

Unique Courses with Higher Risk of Spread - (Choir, Band, Orchestra, Drama, CTE, Fine Arts, etc.)

State Requirements:

  • Identify courses that would be more at risk and make classroom mitigation plans with support from local health department guidelines
  • Face coverings required

Additional Recommendations:

  • Use larger spaces if possible (auditoriums, cafeterias, stages, outdoors, etc.)
  • Reduce durations spent face-to-face with other students
  • Look at ways to increase airflow and ventilation 

Recess/Playgrounds/P.E. Classes

Additional Recommendations:

  • Limit activities to those that do not require physical contact
  • Use available spaces to increase physical distancing between students

Special Education, Related Services, or School Counseling

State Requirements:

  • Face coverings or shields for one-on-one close contact with students
  • Provide reasonable accommodations for students who are unable to wear face coverings

Additional Recommendations:

  • Follow District's Special Education guidelines

Pre-Schools/Day Cares

State Requirement:

  • Staff members trained on implementing strategies to identify and mitigate risk in the classroom setting
  • School personnel and students wearing face coverings (Student’s age, range of disabilities, sensory sensitivity, and medical conditions should be considered)

Additional Recommendations:

  • Seating arrangements to provide for physical distancing as appropriate based on individual and instructional needs  

After-School Programs

State Requirement:

  • Staff members trained on implementing strategies to identify and mitigate risk in the classroom setting
  • School personnel and students wearing face coverings (Student’s age, range of disabilities, sensory sensitivity, and medical conditions should be considered)

Additional Recommendations:

  • Encourage usage of large spaces in the building or outdoors when possible
  • Maintain reasonable physical distancing
  • No private or for-profit groups in the building (school and/or city sponsored groups only)

Athletics 

State Requirements:

  • Group gatherings are organized with health and safety principles and requirements from the Weber/Morgan health department to mitigate risks
  • Face coverings required

Additional Recommendations:

  • Follow all current recommendations and requirements of the UHSAA for both high school and junior high school athletics (temperature monitoring, hand washing, etc.)
  • Students and general public take reasonable precautions to maintain physical distancing
  • Concessions - allowed following recommended guidelines by the health department
  • Limit concession stand sales to pre-packaged beverages and food
  • Cash payments discouraged
  • Restrooms available with signage encouraging physical distancing

Driver Education (Guidelines established by State Driver Ed Program)

State Requirements:

  • Symptom check of all staff (once per shift) and students prior to entering the vehicle
  • Driving by appointment only with a maximum of three students and the instructor in the vehicle
  • Students and instructor wear face coverings
  • Reasonable physical distancing when not in the vehicle
  • Range by appointment with only one student in the vehicle at a time
  • Classroom - Follow same recommendations as in regular classrooms
  • Paperwork submitted electronically; avoiding handling and sharing of paperwork

Back-to-School Nights/Parent Teacher Conferences

State Requirements:

  • Group gatherings are organized with health and safety principles and requirements from the Weber/Morgan health department to mitigate risks
  • Facial coverings required

Additional Recommendations:

  • Students and Parents may meet with their teachers in the teachers’ classrooms
  • Consider scheduled appointments in person or virtual
  • Students and parents take reasonable precautions to maintain physical distancing

Graduation

State Requirements:

  • Group gatherings are organized with health and safety principles and requirements from the Weber/Morgan health department to mitigate risks

Additional Recommendations:

  • Traditional graduation can be held with precautions encouraged, including required face coverings
     
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