Reopening Plan for Flatbush SDA School
Protocols for Reporting to School
Students and Parents
2020-2021 School Year
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Flatbush SDA School
5810 Snyder Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203
Protocols for Reporting to School
Students and Parents
2020-2021 School Year
The opening of our school is much more than just opening the doors. It is important that all stakeholders, students, parents, teachers, and principal know the protocols for reopening safely and work collaboratively to protect everyone who enters our school. It is also essential that our spiritual component is intertwined into the fabric of our plan for safely reopening.
Section 1
CDC (Center for Disease Control) Guide Consideration for Schools
COVID-19 is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans or previously identified. The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. The COVID-19 pandemic has now become a serious global health threat, and CDC is committed to stopping its spread. According to the CDC, to reopen school in America, public and private institutions will need to continue these practices:
- social distancing (remaining 6 feet away from others in all shared spaces)
- frequently washing hands or use alcohol-based (at least 60% alcohol) hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available
- wearing cloth face coverings (masks and/or face shields)
- avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth
- staying home when sick
- cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces
If it is discovered that a student or worker has tested positive for COVID-19, all parents and workers will be notified immediately and encouraged to get tested (contact tracing). The school will be closed, and further guidance sought from the superintendent’s office. Resuming regular activities will include:
- All persons tested who were present at the school
- Perform additional professional cleaning before reopening the school
- Revisit Safety Protocols
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you
Section II
Safety Processes & Protocols
Time and Attendance
- Students may enter at 7:45 a.m.
- Worship and Instructions begin at 9 a.m.
- School dismisses promptly at 3 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays; and 1 p.m. on Fridays. However, you may pick up your child between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, and 12:45 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays.
- Per state and Northeastern Conference guidelines, students are not allowed to share any materials, including toys, manipulatives, devices, or books. Students may bring their own toys or books to occupy the time until instructions begin.
- Students’ personal materials must be in a container marked with their names.
Face Covering/Illnesses
- All students and parents are required to wear a face covering (covering coughs and sneezes, no touching of face coverings).
- Students, staff, or teachers who have COVID-like symptoms are required to stay at home until it is confirmed they do not have the disease.
- Students and staff that were sent home due to sickness are not to return to school until they have met the CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
- Students who will occupy the building every day (Monday to Friday) will enter using the front door. Students will also exit using the front door. Only one family will enter the building at a time. Students who are in the building on a daily basis will join their classmates on either Tuesdays or Fridays and will follow dismissal procedure as outlined below.
- Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students, who will occupy the building on Tuesdays, will enter through the front doors. Second grade students will enter through the gate on Snyder Avenue into the cafeteria. Parents may escort their child through the gate, but must stop at the top of the ramp.
- Students who will occupy the building on Fridays only will enter through the gate on Snyder Avenue. Signs will direct the students to stay six (6) feet apart while walking to the cafeteria. Parents may escort their child through the gate, but must stop at the top of the ramp.
- Regular Dismissal. School will be dismissed promptly at 3 p.m. All students must be picked up by that time. There is early morning, after school or after care services. Sanitization of the building will begin at 3:15 p.m. on a daily basis.
- Tuesday Dismissal: Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and grade one students will be dismissed through the front door. Students in grade two will be dismissed through the cafeteria. Parents will assembly in the school yard for pick up.
- Friday Dismissal: Third and fourth grade students will be dismissed through the cafeteria. Fifth grade students will be dismissed through the front doors.
Safety First
- COVID-19 school updates will go out to parents as needed.
- Entrance and exit procedures throughout the school building and campus will be managed using social distancing guidelines.
- Students will travel throughout the building using social distance guidelines.
- Students, teachers, and staff will be screened upon arrival for daily temperature checks.
- Students with asthma will receive heightened protective measures.
- Sanitization at the door entrance will take place on a daily basis.
- Cleaning and disinfecting will take place during high traffic times and at the end of each school day.
- Labels will be placed on the floors to facilitate social distancing.
- Potential safety risk objects will be removed from the building to reduce potential for infection(s): welcome tables soft and porous materials, such as area rugs
- Flatbush School administrators will notify local health officials, staff, and families immediately of any possible case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Classroom Rules
- Classes will include the same group of students each day with the same teacher.
- Student sharing is prohibited (pencils, telephones, toys, books, crayon bens, supplies crates, etc.).
- Students belongings will be separated into individually labeled storage containers the classrooms.
- Student desks will be distanced appropriately in the classrooms.
Cleaning and Disinfecting the Building
- The entire building will be sanitized on a daily basis.
- Classrooms will be sanitized morning and afternoons.
- Cafeteria will be sanitized in the morning and after lunch.
- Restrooms will receive systematic cleanings throughout the school day.
- Restrooms will be utilized by one student at a time.
- Restrooms are supplied with touchless soap dispensers.
- Touchless hand sanitizers are in the hallways and classrooms.
Cafeteria Procedures
- Schools will use disposable eating utensils, cups, plates, etc.
- Seating will be distanced appropriately in the school lunchroom.
- Students are encouraged to bring their own lunches (hot lunches are acceptable from the school lunchroom).
- Students will eat lunch in the classroom if this is the best practice for the foreseeable future.
Playground Procedures
- Students will be allowed on the playground using staggered time schedules.
- Students are not allowed to share basketballs or any other physical activity materials.
School Field Trips
- All class field trips and learning excursions are postponed for the fall semester.
- We will engage in virtual field trips/learning activities.
- The safety measures centered around these activities will be monitored and updated accordingly.
Additional Protocols for COVID-19
- In the event that a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 and determined to have been in the school, the school may close for several days for cleaning and disinfection. The school closure’s initial communication will involve the superintendent, principal or designee, and the local school board chair.
- Students with high temperatures will be placed in the waiting room to be picked up. Parents will be called immediately. If it is an emergency situation, 911 will be called and students will be transported to the hospital with a staff member until parents arrive. Please monitor your child, every day before leaving home.
- Students placed in an area for separation will have adult supervision to monitor student health & safety during the separation period (supervision with social distance guidelines).
- Areas used for separation are to be closed off and cleaned immediately after being vacated by a sick person.
- Students will be monitored for absenteeism to identify any trends due to illness.
- Staff members and volunteers will be designated to respond to COVID-19 concerns in the building, from the local health department and on the state level.
- Signs will be posted throughout the building referencing how to stop the spread of COVID-19, proper handwashing techniques and promoting daily protective measures.
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