Prioritize Safety

• San Mateo County Health, alongside the County of San Mateo, is actively responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the public and keep the community informed and is responsible for providing county health updates.

• The California Department of Education has provided “Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Re-Opening of Schools” for guidance on “how to” for safely reopening our schools.

• The San Mateo County Pandemic Recovery Framework for Schools provides school leaders with the health, education, and legal guidance needed to develop local plans for a safe return to on-campus instruction (Executive Summary).

• CDC offers the following considerations for ways in which schools can help protect students, teachers, administrators, and staff and slow the spread of COVID-19.

• Senate Bill 98 provides legal and accountability measures for school district programs.

• The California Department of Public Health has released guidance for schools in specific areas:

  • Use of face coverings by the general public when outside the home.

  • Covid-19 Industry Guidance for Schools and School-based Programs. This document provides specific guidelines for school populations, including students, families, and staff.

• The San Mateo County School Insurance group guidance establishes procedures for maintenance staff to assist the District to reduce the potential transmission of COVID-19 among students, faculty, and staff.

Every group will be split in half, assigned either as the A group or the B group, with 12-15 students in each cohort. This will minimize student contacts and ensure ample classroom space for physical distancing. Students will interact only with other students within the same cohort while on campus. Cohorts will have assigned locations for recess breaks and assigned bathrooms to minimize contacts further.

Staff

According to guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health, school staff should be tested, including teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, bus drivers, or any other school employee who may have contact with students or other staff.

• The California Department of Public Health recommends surveillance testing of all staff over a 2 month period. BRSSD is committed to an increased surveillance testing of all staff every other week (2x’s per month).

• If epidemiological data indicate concern for widespread or increasing community transmission, the District will review surveillance cadence to determine additional need.

• The District has partnered with Curative Testing Covid-19 Detection.

  • All staff will be required to be tested via Cuative 2x’s per month to detect possible Covid-19 cases.

  • Staff may choose to be tested more frequently to the extent feasible.

  • Failure of employees to provide routine COVID-19 test results may result in disciplinary action.

  • Test results will be made available to the Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services and to our COVID-19 point of contact.

  • Staff who choose to use their primary care provider should note that wait times for tests and results may vary. Test results must be sent to BRSSD for approval and manual entry.

Students

While BRSSD cannot require families to be tested at this time, staff would have an increased feeling of safety and security if families participated in regular testing through their health care provider or community based testing. Information on free testing events will be regularly distributed to families.

The County of San Mateo announced no-cost testing for COVID-19 is available for children ages five and older starting Tuesday, October 20. San Mateo County is partnering with Curative Inc. to provide the testing, which involves a simple-to-use oral mouth swab test that is self-administered. Families can go together and get tested if they wish. Curative will bill a family’s insurance for the test. If the family does not have insurance, the County will cover the cost. You can find more information about the testing program for children on the County’s website.

• Required Covid-19 signage will be posted on outside of school buildings.

• Clear visitor protocols will be posted.

• Multiple entries to the building will be controlled and supervised.

• Loading and unloading zones will be clearly defined.

• Appropriate illness screening will be set up at entrances with proper PPE.

• Instructions for physical distancing will be posted.

• Appropriate reminder markers will be utilized.

Upon daily entrance to any District facility, all staff will perform a temperature check and answer three self-certification questions online. If an employee records a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, or answers yes to any of the three self-certification questions, they will not be allowed to enter any District property.

Upon arriving on campus each day, staff will be required to:

• Complete a self-administered temperature screening to ensure it is under 100.4 degrees.

• Complete a self-certified health screening questionnaire that they must pass to enter the campus.

• After passing the self-certification, staff should wash their hands before entering their classroom.

Upon arriving on campus each day, students will be required to:

• Bring proof of passing the health screening questionnaire completed by a parent or guardian.

• Have their temperature taken by a staff member to ensure that it is under 100.4 degrees

  • If the temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees fahrenheit, they are isolated and rechecked in 10-15 minutes by health or office staff wearing PPE. If the temperature is still exceeding 100.4 degrees fahrenheit, the student will be sent home.

• Enter campus only during their designated times at their designated points of entry.

• Wash their hands immediately upon entering the classroom

If a student becomes symptomatic during the school day, they will be separated from others right away, preferably isolated in an area through which others do not enter or pass. If more than one student is in an isolation area, ensure physical distancing.

Staff will communicate with the parent/caregiver and refer to the student’s health history form and or emergency card to identify if the student has a history of allergies, recognizing not all symptoms are COVID-19 related.

Students shall wait in an isolation area, with continued supervision and care, until an authorized adult can pick them up and transport them home or to a healthcare facility. Students must meet CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation in order to return.

Face coverings will be required by staff and students while participating in these activities:

• Classroom - students and staff should wear face coverings at all times in the classroom unless a medical condition prohibits them from doing so.

• Recess & Physical Education - Students will wear face coverings at recess. Any physical education that requires strenuous activity that would require the removal of face coverings will be structured so that students may be appropriately physically distanced.

• Meals - Face coverings may be removed for eating and drinking but should be replaced as soon as the activity is concluded. Individuals must observe strict physical distancing any time a face covering is removed.

Every effort should be made to help acclimatize students to these procedures both at home and at school. Face coverings must be worn while in situations where physical distancing may be more difficult. Children with sensory issues, severe cognitive or respiratory impairments, or other physical limitations may not be able to use a face covering. A face shield may be used for those who cannot wear a face covering for medical reasons.

For staff who are unable to stay socially distant, the following accommodations have been provided:

• A transparent movable barrier for 1:1 testing or close work with a student.

• Face shields with a cloth drape for staff working with special populations.

To minimize close contact between students, staff, families, and the broader community the following protocols will be implemented:

• Designated routes for entry and exit, closing entrances and exit points to ensure appropriate supervision and decrease congregating and crowding.

• Stagger arrival/drop off times and locations while attempting to minimize scheduling challenges for families with multiple children of different school age.

• Holding recess activities in separated, cohort-specific areas.

Each school will release specific guidelines (See Appendix C of the BRSSD Plan to Return to In-Person Instruction) for when and where to arrive on campus based on grade. This is to ensure social distancing during dropoff and pickup.

In Classroom Settings:

• Students should remain in the same space and in cohorts as small and consistent as feasible including for recess and lunch.

• Student desks will remain six feet apart.

Classroom Reminders

• Classrooms will have age-appropriate signage about general hygiene.

• Students should be informed and reminded, in age-appropriate ways, regarding proper sneezing/coughing procedures to not spread disease.

Handwashing

1. Students will wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds when arriving at school.

2. Students will be trained on proper handwashing at the beginning of the school year and on a regular basis as needed.

3. All classrooms used for in-person instruction will have sinks, soap, and paper towels to support regular handwashing stations. The majority of classrooms have sinks for handwashing and will be supplied with adequate soap and paper towels to support regular handwashing. A shortage of these supplies should be reported immediately to the school office. Additional handwashing stations are available in the bathrooms.

4. Handwashing protocols will be followed every day, with students and staff washing their hands frequently with soap and water.

5. Signage will be placed at each sink to inform and remind students about the importance of handwashing.

Hand Sanitizing: all rooms have hand sanitizer, though handwashing will be encouraged as the primary form of cleaning because it is more effective.

Sharing of Materials and Equipment

• Site resources that necessitate sharing or touching will be suspended or modified. For example, drinking fountains will not be operational. Students will be encouraged to use reusable water bottles.

• Use of shared playground equipment will be limited in favor of physical activities that require less contact with surfaces.

• Sharing of objects and equipment, such as games and art supplies will be limited to the extent practicable. Where allowed, shared equipment will be cleaned and disinfected between uses.

Isolation Spaces

Isolation spaces have been designated at each school site for students who display symptoms while at school. All efforts will be made to avoid sending sick children to the front office. Isolation space information is contained within each school site plan in Appendix C.

• Isolation spaces will not be used for routine student care.

• All students and staff in the isolation spaces shall wear all required PPE.

• Custodial staff will be contacted when an isolated student departs the room so that the room and materials can be disinfected.

Outdoor Space (Recess, Breaks)

• Use of outdoor play structures will be limited to use following the CDHP guidance regarding outdoor playground and other outdoor recreational facilities.

  • Face coverings are required.

  • Close adult supervision is required.

  • Students must maintain 6’ distancing.

  • Students may only use play structure with their cohort.

  • Students must wash hands before and after using play structure.

• Each cohort will be assigned an outdoor area and time.

• Outdoor spaces for instruction will be identified and used as feasible.

Throughout the day:

• Students and staff are expected to wash their hands with soap in their classroom sink before recess/meals, before and after using the bathroom, after sneezing or coughing, and upon entering the classroom.

• Hand sanitizer stations will be available on the playground during recess. Note that handwashing with soap and water is more effective than using sanitizer.

• Day custodians are responsible for general cleaning and frequent disinfecting of high hand-contact surfaces such as counters, doors, handrails, etc.

• Day custodians will also address the periodic cleaning of high-traffic, high-touch areas during the school day, such as:

  • Main entrance & front office after arrival, lunch, and dismissal

  • Bathrooms

  • Designated quarantine room if/when used

  • High Touch areas including but not limited to handles, switches, bathroom surfaces, tables, student desks and chairs.

• When necessary to maintain physical distancing, one-way directional travel will be established, and students will utilize designated routes as needed. Students will use exterior doors and hallways when possible. Additional transit time between periods has been incorporated to allow for sufficient time to facilitate on-time arrival at the next class.

• Desks and workstations will be spaced to ensure 6’ spacing between staff members. Plexiglass shields will be placed at visitor check locations inside Administration Offices.

• Desks and tables will be spaced apart to ensure 6’ spacing between students and the teacher inside the classrooms. Unnecessary furniture and other items will be removed. Individual supplies and classroom materials will be provided to limit the sharing of materials as much as possible.

At the end of the school day:

• Students and staff are expected to leave classroom desks clean (i.e., nothing on desks) to allow for a full sanitization before the following school day.

• In addition to their regular cleaning duties, night custodians will sanitize the exposed surfaces of every room in the school.

Air Quality and Indoor Ventilation

To minimize the potential of spreading COVID-19, classrooms will keep windows open when weather allows for maximum air flow. In addition, HVAC systems will be outfitted with brand new MRV-13 filters, which filter out particles that are 0.3 microns or above (the same setting as a HEPA filter without restricting airflow, as HEPA filters are designed for home use and not HVAC systems).

If outside air quality is poor, doors and windows should be shut. Schools holding classes outside school relocate inside. The central HVAC system’s circulating fan will be set to “on” rather than “auto”.

BRSSD will utilize resources and guidance on air quality provided by the San Mateo County Office of Education’s Air Quality Resource Page.

In general, if students, teachers, and staff present with symptoms of fever and or respiratory infection, send them home immediately. Individuals will be separated from others in an isolation space established on campus until they go home.

All employee absences are to be recorded in Aesop using the appropriate leave available to them, per their bargaining unit agreement and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Contact HR for guidance on leaves.

Following guidance from San Mateo County Health, students, and staff in the same classroom as a confirmed COVID-19 case will be assumed to be “close contacts.” The Site and District administrator will work with Public Health to conduct necessary contact tracing steps. San Mateo County Health will be primarily responsible for all official contact tracing for schools in the county. In BRSSD, this will be done in coordination with our points of contact to promptly notify all impacted individuals.

The School and District COVID-19 Point Persons should be trained to coordinate the documentation and tracking of possible exposures in order to notify local health officials, staff, and families in a prompt and responsible manner.

After submitting this information, the School or District Point person will be asked to submit a map/floor plan to SMC CD Control for each school, which would be used during discussions about contact tracing.

School may open in person if the county that the LEA is located in has NOT been on the monitoring list in the last 14 days, meaning that for three consecutive days, the county has:

• 14-day case rate of <100 per 100,000 residents.

• 7-day Testing positivity rate of <8%.

• <10% increase in COVID-19-hospitalized patients (3-day average).

• Hospital ICU bed availability of over 20%.

• Hospital ventilator availability of over 25%.

Once reopen, BRSSD will close locations based upon the following criteria:

• Class: 5% positivity rate of COVID-19 in students and teachers → classroom closed with 14 days of quarantine (Class sizes of 12-15 students = one student).

• School: 5% positivity rate of COVID-19 in students and teachers→ school closed 14 days of quarantine (School size of 500 = 25 students).

• District: 25% of school sites test positive→the district will transition to full distance learning (2 District Schools = Full transition to distance learning).