The District will receive special funding for the 2021-22 school year through the federal American Rescue Plan. The District is required to use specific language below regarding the return to school to comply fully with the funding agreement.

American Rescue Plan ESSER Funds

Background

The School District of University City will receive a one-time allocation of COVID-relief money from the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. To receive funds allocated under the ARP, school districts must publish information on their website that addresses mitigation and prevention strategies, continuity of services during interruptions to in-person learning, and periodic review and revision of the District’s plan.

SDUC successfully offered both in-person and virtual learning for the entire 2020-21 school year, with about 60% of PreK, elementary and middle school students opting for in-person instruction. The District will start the 2021-22 school year with in-person instruction five days a week in all schools. A virtual option will be offered. The District’s August 2021 Return to School Planning Guide details how most of the safety protocols in place last year will continue this fall in addition to new options enabling increased vaccination rates and increased testing for COVID-19.

Mitigation and Prevention Strategies

Health checks

• • Parents and staff are asked to assess the health of their children and others in their household every morning before coming to school.

  • Email reminders will be sent every morning with a list of COVID-19 symptoms to check for.

  • Parents must contact their child's school nurse if they have symptoms.
    Parents and staff should stay home if they have symptoms.

Enhanced cleaning

• • A regular cleaning schedule will be used with an emphasis on high touch surfaces, including sinks, bathrooms and water bottle filling stations.

  • The district has reduced need to touch objects/ doors with no-touch waste containers, prop open doors, etc.

  • Staff will reinforce “no sharing” of food, water bottles, utensils, pens and pencils and art equipment.

  • All toys and equipment will be made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected.

Physical Distancing & Masking

• Masking is recommended for students (preK-12), staff, partners and visitors in schools.

• If students or visitors do not have a mask and would like one, masks will be provided by the District.

• Classroom furniture, including desks, chairs, tables, etc., will be set up arranged to maximize physical distancing to the extent possible in the classroom.

• Larger gatherings will be held outside, if possible.

• Spectators for indoor athletic events will be distanced.

Protective supplies

• Staff will be provided with masks, gloves, sanitizers and other protective gear according to their needs and job duties.

• Students who need masks will be provided one.

• Plexiglass barriers have been placed in certain offices and areas of high interaction.

Wipes, sanitizers, fountains & sinks

• Hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout all U. City buildings.

• Classrooms and offices will have hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes readily available for use on a regular basis throughout the day.

• Restroom sinks have been retrofitted to be hands-free.

• Most water fountains have been retrofitted with water bottle fillers. Those without them will be closed.

Visitor limits

• Visitors, including parents/guardians, will be allowed to enter U City schools on a walk-in basis, but this policy may change at the District's discretion if transmission rates increase.

• Visitors who must enter the building are asked to call ahead. They should not enter the building if they have COVID-19, are in quarantine, or have someone in their household with COVID-19.

Handwashing

• Is done routinely with younger students with adult supervision.

• Is modeled by teachers and staff in classrooms and hallways, and reinforced with signage.

• Is made accessible with hallway stations in schools with fewer sinks.

• Is safe with touch-free faucets, wastebaskets and doors in all student bathrooms.

Contact Tracing

The District has assembled a team of contact tracers and on-call medical experts from Washington University to safely manage instances when a possible active case of COVID-19 arises in the district.

Examples of the type of work the contact tracing team engages in when there is a positive case include:

• Developing a timeline to determine when the person who tested positive for COVID-19 started experiencing symptoms to accurately calculate the 48-hour period before the person began to experience COVID-19 symptoms.

• Identifying students and staff who meet the CDC definition of having “close contact” with a person testing positive for COVID-19 based on class schedules and assignments.

• Supporting the school and district administration in developing and implementing a communication plan (phone calls, letters, emails, etc.).

• Informing the teaching and learning department of students who are under quarantine so their educational programming can be determined.

• Currently, fully vaccinated students and staff who are determined to be a close contact do not have to quarantine at home unless they begin to experience COVID-19 symptoms. Students and staff who are not fully vaccinated and are determined to be a close contact must quarantine.

Accommodations

For children and youth who are medically fragile and/or have special education needs (includes students with an IEP or 504), Special School District staff will contact families of students with disabilities who receive special education services prior to the student’s first day of school to devise a full plan. Students who have a 504 can also expect their case manager to contact families prior to the first day of school to discuss their learning plan.

Continuity of Services

In the 2021-22 school year, The District tended to students’ social and emotional needs through therapy, counseling, wrap-around services, safe and socially distanced relationship-based events, yoga, meditation, community Ubuntu circles, health and wellness kits, special correspondences and numerous special online interactive events. Free COVID-19 saliva testing and regular vaccine clinics were offered regularly. Technology resources included: laptop and tablet devices and

hotspots for all students. Google Classroom and Canvas were utilized by all teachers. Students under quarantine/isolation were provided at home learning plans with internet access. These programs will continue through the 2022-23 school year.

Periodic Revision

The District will periodically review and revise, if necessary, its plan. Revisions will be made in consideration of current health conditions and in collaboration with the District’s medical partners at Washington University.

Public Input

Guidance provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) states that return-to-school plans adopted as part of a public board meeting satisfy the ARP’s initial public input requirement. The District’s Return to School plan can be found on the District website The District continues to hear from patrons at monthly Board meetings and other forums regarding face masks and other COVID mitigation measures for the 2021-22 school year.