Health & Safety Committee

  • Health & Safety Committee Progress Report, July 20, 2020

     

    • Reviewed NY State Education Department Guidance, issued July 16 

     

    • Committee discussed health/symptom screening that is required of schools:
      • The district is required to screen all people who enter the building. 
      • M. Nemeth reviewed potential screening products
        • BOCES screening tool from the capital region
          • It is HIPPA compliant and the capital region went live last week with this product.
          • allows for customized reports to identify hotspots 
          • BOCES screening tool is the choice that most schools in our area are using
        • Ruvna - a text message, website, or app. Can customize the questions.
      • Screening should be done prior to arriving at school as much as possible since screening all of the students entering would be logistically challenging and would take a long time
      • Does screening need to happen prior to students riding the bus so other students on that bus are not exposed? 
      • Make sure temperature screening is part of any screening tool that we use
      • Some checks will still need to happen on site:
        • visitors
        • families who don’t  have a thermometer at home
        • families who forget to do screening at home
      • Our district physician has shared that it is most important to screen the adults in the building because the adults are the most likely symptomatic carriers. 
      • Kiosks that people can pass through as they enter to check temperatures.
      • Mike shared that screening will likely happen outside of the building.
        • Can tents be set up outside for screening?
      • Challenges for screening onsite:
        • Staffing - for multiple screenings?
        • Who - who is doing the screenings?
        • Staggered start for the day to minimize the congestion at the screening point
        • Equipment - tools for all three buildings
        • Privacy concerns for pulling a student out of line if a student has a temperature
        • Can we add a question: did the child take medication for fever that day?

     

    • Other topics of discussion:
      • Procedures if a student develops symptoms in school:
        • Separate nurse’s area (isolated) for suspected COVID cases
        • Need multiple screening rooms
        • Need cleaning protocols for screening rooms
        • Area that is isolated where students with symptoms can stay until they are able to be picked up

     

      • PPE requirements
        • How many masks do we need to provide
        • Scheduled mask breaks for students and staff -- where?

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Health & Safety Committee Progress Report, July 15, 2020 

     

    • Reviewed NYS Dept of Health Interim Guidance issued July 13, 2020

     

      • Types of PPE required and when it should be worn
      • Social distancing -- 6 feet; 12 feet for PE and music classes
      • Physical barriers -- plexiglass is mentioned but this is not allowed in schools; we will look into alternatives
      • Utilization of outdoor space
      • Cohorts
      • Contact tracing
      • Screening students, staff, visitors before entry
        • Pre-screening at home -- drawbacks to this
      • Coronavirus testing
        • Not currently available to school districts
        • We are looking into this
      • Containment zones if a student or staff member develops symptoms at school

     

     

    • Discussion of implications of the interim guidance

     

      • Social distancing -- how will it look in classrooms; R. Clamser’s staff is measuring every classroom and other spaces in the buildings to determine potential layout, capacity
      • Springhurst -- potentially reconfigure specials so they push into classrooms instead of having students go to those rooms
      • Students who cannot tolerate wearing a face covering due to a disability
      • Storage of students’ belongings if lockers are not being used
      • Cleaning and disinfecting classrooms -- between every period in MS/HS?

     

     

    • Signage for buildings

     

      • Will include:
        • directional signage
        • visitors
        • hand washing and hygiene
        • bathroom signage
        • signage for distancing
        • food service
      • Must be age appropriate
      • Some can be printed directly from CDC website
      • Springhurst has capacity to make signs in-house

     

     

    • Future work

     

      • Meeting on Monday, July 20: focus on hygiene section of guidance
      • Meeting on Wednesday, July 22: recommendations to the Task Force

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Health & Safety Committee Progress Report, July 13, 2020

     

    • Priorities for this Committee
      • Promote Healthy Hygiene Practices
      • Deploy Signage (level specific)
      • Establish Physical Distancing Protocols
      • Educate Staff, Students, and Visitors
      • Identify, Monitor, and Manage Exposure and Infection
      • Establish Procedures for Persons at High Risk

     

    • Other areas to consider based on information from Westchester County Health Department
      • Will this be the responsibility of each school district?
      • Training required for staff
      • Will this be required of staff and/or students prior to entry?
      • Will this be the responsibility of each school district?
      • In-district contact tracing
      • Coronavirus testing

     

    • Other areas raised by committee members
      • Symptom checks of students and staff -- establish protocols for how to do this and what to do when someone presents with symptoms

     

    • A Shared Google Doc Broken Down by Priority Areas
      • All committee members will use to brainstorm questions, ideas and suggestions

     

    • Meeting Schedule
      • Mondays at 10:00am and Wednesdays at 10:00am
    Comments (-1)