Health Protocol Plan for Reopening with COVID-19
(Revised Oct 12, 2020)
The health protocols listed here have been established after review of the CDC, FDA, NJDOH, NJDOE, American Academy of Pediatrics, Bloomfield Health Department, National Association of School Nurses, NJ State School Nurses Association, Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders and in consultation with other stakeholders. This protocol will be revised as new research on COVID-19 is developed to inform best practices.
Students and Staff Screening:
Daily COVID Screening Questionnaire
For the health and safety of the entire community, all staff members and students in the district must complete, daily by 7:30 AM WITHOUT exception, the online COVID Screening Questionnaire. (Please note the questionnaire for students should be completed by a parent.)
The "COVID-19 signs and symptoms self assessment" is required to be completed by staff and families at home daily. The results are recorded on the COVID Screening Questionnaire.
Parents whose child has positive responses on the COVID Screening Questionnaire must notify the school nurse in the building prior to arrival.
Staff who have any positive responses on the COVID Screening Questionnaire must notify the school nurse or their building principal prior to arrival.
If staff or a student has a temperature of 100.4 on the daily self assessment, notify the nurse and do not come to school. Record “yes” to signs and symptoms on the COVID Screening Questionnaire.
Students will be assigned to an entry point to their building. These entry points will be staffed by school personnel who will monitor appropriate social distancing, ensure proper facial covering are in place, and ensure the COVID Questionnaire has been submitted.
COVID Screening Questionnaire
The COVID Screening Questionnaire is a at home self assessment requiring responses of COVID signs and symptoms, and exposure to COVID.
It consists of 5 questions:
Do you or your child have a body temperature above 100.4 degrees today?
Are you, your child or anyone in your household experiencing any NEW (within 24-48 hours) or sudden symptoms of cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, muscle aches, headache, fever or vomiting/diarrhea?) that are not related to chronic conditions such as allergies or asthma?
Have you, your child or anyone in your household been in close proximity (6 feet for 10 minutes or more) of a person with confirmed COVID-19 in the last 14 days? *This excludes those household members working as healthcare providers who may come in contact with COVID-19 patients while in PPE.*
Have you, your child or anyone in your household been tested for COVID-19 due to exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or potential exposure to COVID-19 and are waiting to receive test results? (This excludes COVID-19 testing required for elective-based surgery). If yes, do NOT bring your child or children to school. Contact your school nurse or building principal immediately.
In the past 14 days, have you, your child or anyone in your household traveled outside of the United States or to any travel restricted state and remained there for greater than 48 hours? (Please note: Only those people traveling to the restricted states are advised to quarantine. Business travel is exempt from quarantine and only the person traveling needs to quarantine from their household members.)
Any “yes” answer will initiate a call to the school nurse to assess if the child or staff member may attend school.
Only the school nurse and the building principal will have access to the answers on the questionnaire. All responses will be kept confidential.
Facial Coverings
All staff and students must wear facial coverings at all times in the classroom setting and throughout the buildings.
All visitations to the buildings will be extremely limited. Anyone who must enter the building MUST wear a face covering, and complete the COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire.
All staff and students must have back up face covering at school at all times.
All facial coverings must be labeled with your name.
All staff and students must have a receptacle labeled with their name to keep their facial covering in while eating.
All staff and students must have a clean facial covering on a daily basis.
Facial coverings will be available at school in case of an emergency. All staff and students are required to supply their own facial coverings and a back up.
Neck gaiters and bandanas are not acceptable facial coverings.
All coverings must cover the nose and mouth and be snug under your chin.
Handwashing and Use of Hand Sanitizer
All staff and students must wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entry into the building and exiting the building.
All staff and students must wash their hands with soap and water after recess and use of the restroom.
All staff and students must wash their hands or use hand sanitizer when entering and exiting a new classroom.
All staff and students must wash hands or use hand sanitizer after touching their facial covering when putting it on and off.
For Students or staff who become ill while at school
Those students or staff will be moved to the nurse’s office or designated isolation area of the health office for assessment by the nurse. An KN95 mask will be placed on the student or staff during the nurse’s evaluation if presenting with COVID symptoms.
If the nurse determines the student is ill, a parent will be called for immediate transport home. The staff member will be sent home.
Anyone who leaves school sick or with a fever of 100.4 or greater must contact their health care provider for treatment and MUST have a doctor’s note for return to school and be fever free for 24 hours with no medications.
Staff and students who have missed school due to illness greater than 3 days MUST return with a doctor’s note stating they are safe to return to school.
After the school nurse has assessed an ill student and determines they are a possible COVID case, the siblings of that student will also be sent home for medical evaluation.
Staff or students who are positive for COVID must stay home for a minimum of 10 days and return to school when all symptoms are resolved and fever free for 24 hours without medication.
If staff or students are positive for COVID but asymptomatic, they must stay home for a minimum of 10 days before they can return to school. The student, while home, will go to remote learning.
Exposure at School:
We will be following the CDC, NJ State DOH and Bloomfield Health Departments recommendations. Those confirmed contacts to a COVID confirmed case in the district will be asked to quarantine for 14 days from exposure or longer if that person lives with the COVID case.
If a student or staff member is sent home sick and is later diagnosed with COVID, the school will initiate procedures as directed by CDC, NJDOH, and Bloomfield Health Department which include, but is not limited to, closing off the area the COVID positive person was in, disinfecting the area, begin contact tracing and quarantining those in contact with the positive case.
If, while at school, a student or staff member is informed they have been identified as exposed to a confirmed positive COVID case, they will immediately leave the school building and begin the quarantine process.
Staff and students must NOT come to school if they have been tested for COVID, or were told to get tested for COVID.
Contact Tracing And Quarantining
Contact tracing will be done by the school nurse and building principal upon discovery of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, of anyone who has a potential exposure to others in our buildings or as directed by the Bloomfield Board of Health.
While contact tracing, the identity of all involved will remain strictly confidential.
The Superintendent will notify the district of a COVID-positive case. The steps that will be, or are being taken, regarding that case and what parents and students can expect in the near future will be communicated.
Bloomfield Board of Health will reach out and follow up with the COVID cases and any school and community contacts that may be required to quarantine.
If a student needs to quarantine, they will move to remote learning until they can return to in-person learning.
Staff or students, if told to quarantine, must continue the duration of the quarantine even if they had a negative COVID test.