Hybrid Safety Protocols
Richland Elementary currently follows safety protocols outlined by...
Masks
All staff and students will be required to wear masks upon entry into the building. Information about masks is described below as shared by the GLCS district nurse, Megan Asper.
Expectations
Face masks must be worn at all times, even on the bus ride to and from school.
Masks must cover the nose, mouth, and secure under the chin
Masks must be at least 2 layers of fabric thick
Wear a clean mask daily
Bring a spare mask, if able
Prohibited
Masks with valves or vents
Masks made with see-through material such as lace, tulle, etc...
Gaiters
Bandanas
Slogans or imagery that is not compliant with the GLCS dress code
Tips
Have your student help pick out their mask.
Have your student practice putting it on and taking it off.
Have your student wear their mask for short time periods. Start increasing the time, as tolerated.
Arrival and Dismissal
Students will arrive and be dismissed using a staggered plan for unloading buses, cars at drop off, and AACC travel during Hybrid learning.
Arrival
Upon arrival to Richland Elementary, we ask that students walk into the building on their own if they arrive between 8:40 and 8:50. Students who arrive after 8:55 are considered tardy and must be signed in by an adult in the vestibule.
Dismissal
Richland Elementary has a new dismissal plan. Parents, guardians, and caregivers will remain in the car at dismissal. They will show an assigned dismissal tag. Students will be called out of their indoor location by their family number that is shown on the car tag.
DISMISSAL TAGS
To the left is a copy of our dismissal procedures that were sent to families with their assigned dismissal tag.
The right side shows an example of our dismissal tags. They are yellow for Richland Elementary. Each family has a number assigned to their household when they completed the Google Form telling us your child would be picked up.
Visitors and Guests
In order to minimize the risk of COVID-19 entering the building, and to track individuals for contact tracing, we are not allowing visitors or guests into the building at this time.
Meetings
If meetings are needed, we are asking the meetings occur virtually. With the use of all building spaces for students and staff, we do not have additional offices and space to conduct meetings that are not in close proximity to learning areas that are regularly cleaned and sanitized.
Volunteers
We are not allowing volunteers into the building at this time. We are closely monitor all adults who enter our building through our staff health screener. For this reason, we are pausing all volunteer opportunities at the school.
Late Student Sign-in
The office will work to conduct all business through the vestibule whenever possible. If a child arrives late and needs to be signed in, we will have a QR scanner (please bring your phone or other device) so that the student can be signed in while remaining in the vestibule with the adult. Once signed in, the student will be buzzed in and will walk to class. The adult dropping the student off will be able to leave after signing the student in electronically.
Assemblies and Speakers
There are no assemblies or guest speakers allowed in the building, following the protocols for large gatherings as explained in the Governor's Return to School Roadmap.
Lunch/Recess Guests
No lunch or recess guests allowed at this time.
Hygiene
Handwashing and Sanitizing
Students will have scheduled times for handwashing and sanitizing.
Handwashing and Sanitizing
before / after snack and lunch
before / after recess
before / after traveling to Math/Reading labs or ExCEL
before / after Physical Education
during their bathroom break times
Sanitizing Stations
Sanitizer dispensers have been added to all classrooms.
They have also been placed near the following locations:
Gym entrance
Front Kinder/1st grade hall
Cafeteria entrance
Back 1st/2nd grade hall
Recess door
Reading/Math lab entrance
Office entrance
Classrooms
During Hybrid learning, class sizes are between 6 and 14 students. That means that during any cohort, the maximum number of students in a classroom is 14 students. This allows us to social distance during most if not all times that students are in the classroom.
Furniture
Student desks and seats will be placed 6-feet apart whenever possible. When cohorts are too large to maintain 6-feet, a small group will be formed so that contact tracing can occur in the event of a positive case of COVID-19 in a classroom.
Social Distancing
Students will be social distanced by 6-feet most if not all of the time they will be at school. Students will be wearing masks which allow them to be closer than 6-feet for small intervals of time, such as passing a student's desk to throw something away, etc.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Student desks will be sanitized by the classroom teacher at least every 4 hours to comply with the Governor's Return to School Roadmap. See the full Roadmap here.
Handwashing
Students will have set times during the day that they will be able to wash and sanitize their hands. See section on Hygiene above.
Health Screening
Staff: Staff members are required to complete a Daily Health Screener before entering Richland Elementary.
Students: Parents are asked to follow the Health Screener presented below each day their child(ren).
Health Screener
Parents should complete a daily health screening, including a temperature check, with their student prior to the start of the school day. If they exhibit any respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms (see below), or have a temperature of 100.4 or greater, they should stay home.
When to keep your child home
If your child has any (one or more) of the following symptoms, please keep them home from school:
fever
cough
sore throat
shortness of breath
fatigue
diarrhea or vomiting
fever
headache
congestion or runny nose
body/muscle aches
COVID cases
The health department will be contacted after parents have been contacted to assist in contact tracing and notification of vulnerable individuals.
The district will work in coordination with Kalamazoo County Health Officials for the safe return of students that display symptoms or test positive.
If a positive case of COVID occurs, the district will follow the Kalamazoo County Health Departments guidelines outlined in their Student Protocol.
Isolation Room
Any students who exhibit symptoms listed above will be taken to our dedicated isolation room.
Students who become ill with symptoms of COVID-19 will be placed in an identified quarantine area with a surgical mask in place until they can be picked up.
If a child must go into the isolation room, parent communication will be made immediately with clear and concise directions on where and how to pick up the student.