2020-2021 Re-Opening Plan - John Paul II Catholic High School

After surveying students, parents/guardians, and our faculty/staff, it was pretty clear that most JPII stakeholders prefer face-to-face instruction. Students’ intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being are best nurtured with in-person instruction—and the overwhelming majority of our students have indicated that they want to be back at school. So while this school year will be like none other, we are excited that we are able to return to our school building to once again learn, pray, and play TOGETHER as safely as possible.

JPII is following directives from Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama and the Diocese of Raleigh Catholic Schools Office and requirements and recommendations in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) “StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit” to implement guidelines for everyone’s safety and well being. These guidelines can often change based on frequent changes provided by the above parties.

The NCDHHS requires schools have three potential scenarios depending on what restrictions are necessary when school opens, or at any time in the school year, to control the spread of the disease. The plans are as follows:

Plan A: Minimal Social Distancing

Will be implemented assuming COVID-19 metrics in North Carolina continue to stablize and/or move in a positive direction. All requirements in this guidance apply to plan A.

Plan B: Moderate Social Distancing

Will be required if COVID-19 metrics in North Carolina worsen and it is determined additional restrictions are necessary. Limit the total number of students, teachers, staff, and visitors within a school building to the extent necessary to ensure that 6 feet distance can be maintained when people will be stationary (e.g., when seated in classrooms, waiting in lines, in restrooms and locker rooms, in cafeterias, other indoor school settings where people congregate).

Plan C: Remote Learning Only

Will be implemented only if North Carolina COVID-19 metrics worsen significantly enough to require suspension of in-person instruction and the implementation of remote learning for all students. The requirements listed in this guidance would not apply, as students/staff would not be gathering together in groups on school grounds.

Our approach and planning allows for us to easily transition from one plan to another. As announced on July 14, the JPII community will be operating under Plan B: Moderate Social Distancing for the start of school. In-person instruction for all students will start on August 19. Remote learning is available for students who are not feeling well (see symptoms chart under “Health Checks/Alerts”), need to quarantine for exposure or positive diagnosis/test for COVID-19, or who opt to stay at home due to health concerns, including anxiety or a family member’s compromised immune system.

Attending school in person comes with great responsibility and requires everyone to care for and protect the entire JPII family. The only way we justify the risk versus reward of returning to in-person learning is by mitigating risk as much as humanly possible. If families and/or students cannot follow these restrictions, rules, policies, and guidelines to the letter, students will be required to switch to remote learning for the duration of Plans A and B. There will be one and only one warning for not following the rules in the school building. This is a matter of safety for our JPII family and community. There will be no exceptions. Please do your part by reading and following the information below.

Last modified: July 29, 2020

- If a student shows any signs of illness, they need to stay home. If a student develops symptoms throughout the day (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.), they must notify an adult immediately.
- Daily temperature screenings utilizing touchless thermometers for all students, faculty, and staff upon entering school. Individuals waiting to be screened must stand 6 feet apart from each other.
- Per CDC guidelines, a fever is determined by a measured temperature of 100.4° or greater.
- Students must not take a pain reliever at home to mask a fever, which could pose a serious harm to others in our school family. The use of a fever reducer at home will result in severe consequences. We must look out for others’ best interests and the common good.
- Coordinate with health officials to conduct contact tracing in the event any student, faculty, or staff member tests positive for COVID-19
- Inform parents of any positive tests for COVID-19 within their children’s school
- We will be posting signage and educating our community about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, when they should stay home, and when they can return to school.
- We will isolate any student who may be feeling sick or is being monitored.
Before a Student Leaves for School

When a Student Arrives at School
- The school will follow guidance from local, public health authorities – as outlined in the NCDHHS Toolkit – on appropriate steps following a suspected or positive diagnosis on campus, which may involve an entire pod switching to remote learning for a limited time.
- Students who choose to start the school year with face-to-face learning in the school building will be required to submit a 14-Day Health Screening Form that should be started on Wednesday, August 5. Students who choose to start with remote learning but later decide to transition to face-to-face instruction will be required to complete the Heath Screening Form for the 14 days prior to returning to the school building.
- Symptomatic individuals will be immediately isolated in a designated space and required to wear a face covering while waiting to leave the school.
- Symptomatic students will remain under visual supervision of a faculty/staff member.
- If an individual has had a negative COVID-19 test, they can return to school once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.
- If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 by a medical professional based on a test or their symptoms or does not get a COVID-19 test but has had symptoms should not be at school and should stay home until they can answer YES to the following three questions:
  - Has it been at least 10 days since the individual first had symptoms?
  - Has it been at least 24 hours since the individual had a fever (without fever-reducing medicine)?
  - Has there been symptom improvement, including cough and shortness of breath?
- A person can return to school, following normal school policies, if they receive confirmation of an alternative diagnosis from a health care professional that would explain the COVID-19 like symptom(s), once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.
- If a student/employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not have symptoms, they must remain out of school until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.
- A student/employee that has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has been presumed positive by a medical professional due to symptoms, they are not required to have documentation of a negative test in order to return to school.
- A student/employee has been determined to have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, they must remain out of school for 14 days since the last date of exposure (within 6 feet of someone infected for more than 15 minutes) unless they test positive. In which case, exclusion criteria above would apply. They must complete the full 14 days of quarantine, even if they test negative.
- Only teachers will move from room to room. Students have been placed in pods that will stay in the same classroom all day.
- Students will use the entrance/exit closest to the classroom assigned to their pod. To facilitate this, please see the school map section with traffic flow shown in green.
- We encourage families not to carpool with other families.
- Once students enter the building and complete a screening, they will go directly to their classroom. Congregating in common areas will not be allowed.
- Morning assembly and weekly Mass will be broadcast from the chapel and watched in classrooms.
- Lockers will not be utilized.
- Every student will be provided with 3 cloth face coverings. Students should wear a newly-laundered face covering each day.
- All students, teachers, and staff are required to wear a face covering (unless an exception applies, eating, or engaged in strenuous physical activity) on buses, other transportation vehicles, inside school buildings, and anywhere on school grounds, including outside.
- Face coverings must be worn by all students, teachers, and staff on buses or other school transportation vehicles.
- If a student has documentation from their health care provider stating they cannot tolerate wearing a cloth face covering due to developmental, behavioral, or medical needs, the school will require the student to wear a plastic face shield which wraps around the sides of the face and extends below the chin.
- Plexiglass protective barriers in areas where safe distancing is not possible (such as bathroom sinks)
- Enhanced cleaning protocols have been established to disinfect the academic and athletic campuses daily. Frequent cleaning includes high-touch surfaces, classrooms, common areas, bathrooms, and buses.
- Two Clorox T360 electrostatic sprayers have been purchased to clean classrooms, bathrooms, and common areas. These sprayers kill 99.9% of bacteria in 5 seconds in hard-to-reach places including the side, underside and backside of surfaces.
- Touchless hand sanitizing stations have been installed in each classroom and at all entrances/exits. Students are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer as well.
- Cleaning supplies will be available in every classroom.
- Lunch will be held in classrooms. Students will not have access to the fridges or microwaves at lunch time.
- Daily lunch service will be offered. Lunches will be individually packed by vendors and delivered to classrooms.
- Students are highly encouraged to bring a water bottle (with a covered spout) to school each day. Water fountains have been replaced with water bottle refilling stations.
- Health/PE classes will learn health during the fall semester.
- Athletics will adhere to guidelines set by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).
- Field trips, group assemblies, and ceremonies are suspended indefinitely.
- A video intercom system has been installed at the main entrance to communicate with office staff.
- Should a student forget something at home (food, books, etc.) do not bring them to the school. They will not be taken and will not be delivered to the classrooms. Please help your children be mindful of everything they need for the day before leaving home. There will be no exceptions.
- Parents and volunteers are important to the fabric of our school community. To minimize health risks, the school will limit non-essential visitors and contractors to the buildings, including parents and volunteers.
- If it is necessary for a visitor to enter the building, the visitor will be screened and only allowed access to the main office.
- Meetings with parents will take place virtually whenever possible.
- Remote learning will be an option for as long as necessary or prudent. Tuition is the same for in-person/remote learning.
  - Families must choose either in-person learning OR remote learning.
  - If you don’t feel comfortable sending your child to school, remote learning is the best option.
  - Students who opt for in-person classes but have to miss school due to illness may join the online class. However, there is not a hybrid option.
- A student who voluntarily elects virtual learning at the start of fall semester will have three opportunities to join physical school if they so choose in the fall:
  - Monday, September 21 (notify school by Monday, September 7)
  - Monday, October 19 (notify school by Monday, October 5)
  - Monday, November 16 (notify school by Monday, November 2)
- Every physical class section will also offer Google Classroom for those who select virtual learning.
  - All teachers will start a Google Meet video at the beginning of each class (some exceptions may apply).
  - Understand that Google Meet may not always be optimal and teacher time will be prioritized to those physically in school (for example, teachers may not be able to take class time to address technical problems with video feed).
- Students participating in remote learning DO NOT need to wear their uniform.
- Remote learning students must follow the same schedule as in-person students and be on time and present via video for the entire class.
- Grades will be taken and counted the same for remote learning students as they are for face-to-face students. All students will be held accountable for completing all assignments on time.
- Attendance and tardiness will be recorded along with students in a physical class.
  - Excessive tardiness or absences (including being in the class but camera not working or routine Internet problems) will be addressed as necessary.
- Teachers will answer remote students’ questions when asked.
  - Students will be required to turn on microphones to ask questions.
  - Teachers will not respond to questions via the class chat feature.
- Classwork/homework/assignments will be posted in JupiterEd and Google Classroom.

COVID-19 Agreement Between Families & JPII

Below are the expectations of our students, parents/guardians, and the school to help keep each other safe.

PARENT/GUARDIAN

To help my child at school, I know and understand that:

If my child, or anyone in my household, shows symptoms of COVID-19, I will not send my child(ren) to school. We will self-isolate for 14 days as a family. I will get them tested and I will let the school know the result as soon as possible via telephone or email.
If my child shows symptoms of COVID-19 at school, I will pick them up immediately. I will get them tested and I will let the school know as soon as possible of the outcome.
School personnel are not responsible for ensuring that my child wears a face covering throughout the day.
I will not be allowed into the school without a pre-arranged appointment.
I need to support all school personnel in their efforts to create an ‘as safe as possible’ environment.
I will read all communications sent from the school.
I will inform the school of any changes to parents/guardians and emergency contact details.
If my child is deemed unsafe, he/she will be sent home and cannot return to school until they are considered safe.

JPII

Our school will do our best to:

Provide an environment which is safe and has been risk-assessed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Adhere to the social distancing rules as set out by the government as much as we reasonably and practically can.
Adhere to protective measures and hygiene controls to reduce the risk of infection.
Provide a curriculum that meets the needs of your child’s well-being, mental health, and academic needs.
Contact parents/guardians if your child displays symptoms of COVID-19.
Inform you if staff or children in your child’s ‘pod’ test positive for COVID-19 as this will mean you will all need to self-isolate for at least 14 days
Communicate with you through regular emails and the school website.

STUDENT

I will do my best to:

Follow the directions of all staff first time, every time.
Keep to the 6 feet social distance rule.
Use hand sanitizer or wash my hands as soon as I go into school.
Tell an adult if I do not feel well.
Only use my supplies and do not share with others.
Not mix with any other students in the school outside of my pod.
Only enter and exit the school building through the designated route.
Cough and sneeze into my elbow or a tissue.
Regularly sanitize my hands or wash them using soap and running water for 20 seconds and dry thoroughly.
Follow the rules at all times to maintain the safety of myself and others.
Follow these expectations and know that if I don’t, I will be sent home and will not be able to come back into school until school administration agrees that I can be safe.