Will there be school in September?
June 27, 2020
Hi everybody –
Well… it is almost July, and we are starting to get some guidance from the governor about opening schools in September. While the guidelines outlined best practices and minimum standards, what it really does is puts the responsibility on each district to develop its own specific plan.
Usually, we applaud the idea of giving each district the latitude to make its own decisions. The difficulties here are that it will be incredibly difficult for districts to meet the minimum standards. This is through no fault of either the district or the governor – it is just that to guarantee the health and safety of the staff and students, there needs to be many specific safety priorities in place – and I hope everyone supports those standards.
An overview of the minimum standards are: https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200626b.shtml
and
https://www.nj.gov/education/reopening/NJDOETheRoadBack.pdf
Social distancing: Schools and districts must allow for social distancing within the classroom. This can be achieved by ensuring students are seated at least six feet apart. If schools are not able to maintain this physical distance, additional modifications should be considered. These include physical barriers between desks and turning desks to face the same direction (rather than facing each other)or having students sit on only one side of a table and spaced apart.
Face coverings: School staff and visitors are required to wear face coverings unless doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or the individual is under two years of age. Students are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings and are required to do so when social distancing cannot be maintained, unless doing so would inhibit the student’s health. It is necessary to acknowledge that enforcing the use of face coverings may be impractical for young children or certain individuals with disabilities.
Limited capacity: It is recommended that students and staff be seated at least six feet apart in class when practicable. When weather allows, windows should be opened to allow for greater air circulation.
Cleaning/disinfecting: Procedures must be implemented by each school district for the sanitization of school buildings and school buses. Increased handwashing measures are also important for students and staff.
These provisions are informed by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, which call for protecting staff and students who are at higher risk for severe illness, such as providing options for telework and virtual learning; providing reasonable accommodations for older adults (65 years and older) and individuals with serious underlying medical conditions; and, when possible, keeping early childhood students apart during naptime and avoiding close-group activities like reading circles.
Other provisions in the guidance include:
Cafeteria directors should consider staggering meal times to allow for social distancing; discontinuing self-serve or buffet lines; having students eat meals outside or in their classrooms; and requiring staff to disinfect eating areas between groups.
Recess should also be held in staggered shifts, with efforts to promote social distancing and hygiene protocols.
Cohorting: Schools may wish to identify small groups of students and keep them together (cohorting) to ensure that student and staff groupings are as static as possible, thereby limiting exposure to large groups of students.
School bus operators should encourage social distancing. CDC guidelines recommend seating on a school bus such that there is one student seated per row, skipping a row between each child, if possible. Barriers separating rows of bus seats may also be considered. If social distancing is not feasible, face coverings must be worn by students who are able to do so. Increased ventilation (i.e. opening windows) is also recommended in the guidelines.
At some point, each district will have to get their plans approved, and will then publish them for parents and staff. When that takes place, we should review how the district’s plan will look for each special education student, and what may need to be addressed in the continued implementation of the specifics of the IEP.
So – enjoy some summer sun – soon there will be much to review followed by many discussions with the child study team.
- Doug Dresher