Keeping Students & Employees Safe
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The safety of our students and employees is our top responsibility. In light of the Governor’s Roadmap to Restarting Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Education issued Ready to Achieve! 2021-22 School Operational Guidelines pertaining to opening public and nonpublic school facilities to serve students in the 2021-22 school year. Should the public health situation worsen, restrictions may gradually tighten, allowing for less flexibility and fewer opportunities for in-person teaching and learning.
The Start Strong Jefferson plan follows guidelines based on Louisiana’s Ready to Achieve!. In addition to meeting the guidelines recommended by the state, we may take extra precautions to increase the safety of our students, employees, and families. Please note this plan may evolve throughout the school year in response to the latest medical recommendations. We will continue to work side-by-side with local, state, and federal medical experts to ensure our plan meets the changing nature of the pandemic.
Health & Safety
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Face Masks
- All adults and students in grades PK-12, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask while inside the school facility or in close proximity to others.
- Regardless of vaccination status, all visitors must wear a face mask while inside the school facility.
- All drivers and passengers on the school bus must wear a face mask at all times per Presidential Executive Order No. 13998 for Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel.
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Social Distancing and Static Grouping
- Adults should maintain six feet of physical distance from other adults and
students. - Students should maintain a physical distance of at least three feet from
other students and six feet from adults in a classroom or indoor setting to
the greatest extent possible. - Students who are unable to maintain a physical distance of at least three
feet from other students or six feet from adults should remain in static
groups. The static group composition should be maintained for as long as
possible. - The composition of a group may change if students are able to maintain
a physical distance of at least three feet from other students and six feet
from adults in a classroom or indoor setting to the greatest extent possible. - Students with disabilities should continue to receive special education and
related services in the least restrictive environment. - Schools should factor in any additional service providers who may need to
enter the classroom, students who receive services outside the classroom
(e.g. resource, APE), and/or students who receive services through
alternate instructional methods
- Adults should maintain six feet of physical distance from other adults and
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Personal Hygiene
- Students and staff should wash or sanitize hands upon arrival at school,
before and after eating, before and after using outdoor play equipment,
and before exiting the school facility. - Students should wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after changing any
classroom. Teachers in the classroom should wash their hands or use hand
sanitizer every time a new group of students enters. - Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol may be used in place of handwashing in some instances.
- Students and staff should wash or sanitize hands upon arrival at school,
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Daily Cleaning Efforts
- High-touch surfaces should be cleaned with a commercially available cleaning solution, including EPA-approved disinfectants at least twice perday. This includes:
- Light switches, doors, benches, bannisters, and bathroom fixtures
- Surfaces and objects in libraries, labs, and other settings where “hands-on” materials and equipment are used
- Student desks, which should be cleaned before and after each student’s use
- Sharing of materials between students should be minimized.
- Playground equipment and athletic equipment should be cleaned as
necessary, depending on frequency of use. - School employees will be provided an adequate amount of hygienic supplies according to the role and the number and age of students or adults served by that employee.
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Group Sizes
- The maximum group size that may convene indoors in a single room should be determined by physical distancing requirements.
- A physical barrier is not required if groups convene outdoors, but each group should remain separated.
- Schools should limit crowding at entry and exit points and maintain maximum group sizes and physical distance recommendations to the greatest extent possible.
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COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring
- Students and employees who are sick should stay home (regardless of the illness).
- Staff and families should notify school officials (e.g., the designated COVID-19
point of contact) if they (staff) or their child (families) become sick with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case. - Each school should establish an area used to isolate staff and students with
COVID-19 symptoms (such as fever, persistent cough, or shortness of breath). - Students in the isolation area must be monitored at all times.
- The isolation area should be cleaned after it is occupied by a sick student or adult.
- Parents will be responsible for picking up their child from school if it is determined that the student has any signs of illness.
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Visitors
- Limit any nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations.
- Nonessential visitors or non-district employees:
- must wear face masks and maintain a physical distance of six feet from others.
- are subject to a temperature screening and must sanitize their hands upon arrival.
- Essential visitors are individuals who must enter schools in order to conduct visits in accordance with Louisiana law or policy. Essential visitors include, but are not limited to, individuals, who:
- conduct CLASS observations.
- observe teacher candidates as part of the teacher preparation quality rating system.
- provide essential supports and services including, but not limited to, early intervention servic
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Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
- Schools should plan for and expect that some students/staff will contract
COVID-19 during the school year given the levels of COVID-19 in our communities. - Students and staff who have COVID-19 should stay home and remain isolated until they have recovered and have been determined to no longer be infectious according to CDC’s end of isolation criteria.
- Students, families, and employees should notify the school or their immediate supervisor if they test positive for COVID-19.
- Schools will communicate with employees and parents of students who were in close contact with the affected COVID-19 individual.
- All COVID-19 cases will be reported to LDH in accordance with the School Reporting and Data Sharing Order.
- Closures of individual classes and/or schools may be necessary. Factors considered will be the level of community transmission, number of students/faculty affected, and risk of spread at the school.
- Schools should plan for and expect that some students/staff will contract
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Contact Tracing
- Individuals who were in close contact with a COVID-19 positive case may be identified and contacted as part of the LDH contact tracing process.
- Close contact is defined as
- being within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period OR
- having direct contact with an infected person, including touching, hugging, kissing, or sharing eating or drinking utensils; or if an infected person sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on another person.
- Close contacts are encouraged to seek COVID-19 testing immediately, regardless of vaccination status. If negative, they should be tested again between 5-7 days post exposure.
- Close contacts of a COVID-19 positive individual will be quarantined for 10-14 days from the date of last close contact.
- If no symptoms develop during quarantine and no testing is done, the individual must quarantine for 10-14 days from the date of last close contact with a COVID-19 case.
- Close contacts who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 90 days and remain asymptomatic do not need to quarantine.
- Close contacts who are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose in a single-dose vaccine) at the time of exposure and remain asymptomatic do not need to be quarantined.
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Other Safety Measures
- Limit use of indoor shared spaces, such as cafeterias and gymnasiums, to maximum group sizes. Ensure physical distancing and face mask use. Clean between each group’s use.
- Close shared water fountains. Encourage students and staff to bring
bottled water from home. - Display COVID-19 informational signs in highly visible locations (e.g., school
entrances, restrooms) that promote everyday protective measures and describe how to stop the spread of germs (such as by properly washing hands and properly wearing a face mask). - Require all employees to participate in health and safety training throughout the school year.
Teaching & Learning
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Quarantined Students
- Should students need to be quarantined, they will bring devices home, access assignments in Google Classroom and conduct asynchronous learning for days out of school.
- Teachers will check assignments, provide feedback for assignments through Google Classroom and monitor student work.
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Technology
- The district has 1:1 device capacity for K-12 graders and will provide students with district computers in order to support instructional technology for teaching and learning.
- We continue to partner with Cox Communications so qualified families can easily access discounted, low-cost home internet. More information is available at jpschools.org/internetoffer.
School Procedures
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Facility Organization
- Remove unused desks and furniture in classrooms to maximize physical distance and minimize objects that must be cleaned.
- Establish distance between the teacher’s desk/board and students’ desks.
- Identify and utilize large spaces (e.g., gymnasiums, auditoriums, outside spaces) to enable physical distancing.
- Teach from one location in the classroom if possible and follow physical distance guidelines.
- Provide additional time for transitions.
- Designate areas of the hallway (i.e., lanes) as flow paths to keep students separated and to minimize congregation of students.
- Plan staggered class changes (e.g., by hall, odd/even room numbers, grade/discipline) to decrease the number of students in hallways at one time.
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Arrival and Dismissal
- Ask students to enter and exit in single-file lines to enable physical distancing.
- Establish one or two entry and exit points that enable the flow of students to move in a single direction.
- Set up hand hygiene stations at the entrance to the facility so students can clean their hands before they enter. If a sink with soap and water is not available, provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and supervise its use.
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Before & After-Care Programs
- Employees and students are encouraged to wear face masks and adhere to physical distancing protocols.
- Younger students who are unable to maintain physical distance should maintain static groups.
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Transportation
- According to the Presidential Executive Order No. 13998 on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel, all drivers and passengers on the school bus must wear a face mask at all times.
- Families are encouraged to drive their children to school if possible. This will reduce the number of students on buses.
- Parents and students are encouraged to maintain physical distance at bus stops and to avoid congregating in groups while waiting for the bus.
- All passengers should engage in hand hygiene upon entering the bus. Hand sanitizer should not exceed 80% alcohol concentration and containers should be securely closed, secured against shifting and protected from damage.
- Operational Standards
- Seating charts should be created and consistently enforced.
- Open windows at all times to facilitate air flow as weather conditions permit.
- Stagger unloading of buses at school to minimize student group size as they enter school and to allow six feet of distance while entering.
- Clean high-touch surfaces, including seats and handrails, as per normal. The bus should be cleaned and disinfected daily.
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Assemblies and Field Trips
- Assemblies are limited to maximum group sizes and with appropriate physical distancing in place. For younger students unable to maintain physical distance, maintain static groups. Face masks are strongly encouraged.
- Face masks will continue to be required during indoor school events like dances and indoor field trips.
- Students and staff should wash hands before and after events.
- Field trips can occur if strictly following indoor masking, cohorting, and transportation requirements.
- Outdoor field trip opportunities should be prioritized, if possible.
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Athletics and Physical Education
- Athletic activities are allowed to resume with the recommendations put forth in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Guidance for Opening Up High School Athletics and Activities.
- Outdoor and indoor spectator capacity for LHSAA-sanctioned athletics shall be set in accordance with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s guidelines developed in conjunction with the Office of the Governor and LDH at opensafely.la.gov.
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Band and Music
- Band and vocal music activities may continue with the guidance put forth in the JPS Band and Music Guidelines.
- Band, vocal and music classes may continue to occur outdoors until further notice.
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Food Preparation and Meal Service
- Wash hands before and after every meal.
- Ensure six feet of distance between students while eating to the maximum extent possible.
- Utilize classrooms for eating in place if possible.
- Allow students to bring food from home.
- Stagger meal times for each group and adhere to maximum group size based on physical distancing requirements in the cafeteria.
- Use disposable utensils.
- Mark spaced lines to enter the cafeteria and serving lines; designate entrances and exit flow paths; ensure single-file lines for food lines and disposal.
- Utilize outdoor seating as practical and appropriate.
- Food and nutrition staff should:
- Clean frequently touched surfaces such as kitchen countertops, cafeteria and service tables, door handles, carts and trays at least twice a day. Follow the directions on the cleaning product’s label and clean hands afterwards.
- Practice proper hand hygiene. This is an important infection control measure. Gloves must be worn throughout the preparation and service of food.
- Wash hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An
alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can be used, but not as a substitute for cleaning hands with soap and water.
