Fall Return to School

Montgomery County Board of EducationAugust 24, 2021

Outline for Today

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1. Students’ and Staff Social-Emotional Well-being

2. Healthy School Environment

3. In-Person Learning

4. Virtual Academy

5. Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

6. Newcomers

7. Contingency Plans

Students’ and Staff Social-Emotional

Well-being

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Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Justice

• Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

o Cohort 1 of Leader in Me SEL Curriculum includes 9 clusters

o More than 4,000 staff participated in 3-day trainings this summer

o Planning for implementation and integration into the school day

o Cohort 2 and three schools will continue teaching lessons on research-based competencies

• Student Well-Being Teams will remain in place

o Responded to 9,944 referrals for student and family support in SY 2020–2021

• Restorative Justice (RJ)

o More than 14,000 staff completed Restorative Justice training supported by County Council and ESSER allocations: 13,208 MCEA, 879 SEIU

o Middle and High school RJ Coaches identified to support implementation

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Social Emotional Support for Staff

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• Employee Assistance Program

o Helping staff access free-of-charge services

o Workshops, support groups, and Well Being Matters video series covering such topics as anxiety, resiliency, and work/life balance

o Quarterly impact analysis

• Well Aware Employee Wellness Program

o Virtual exercise and mindfulness classes

o Medical planning

Healthy School Environment

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Individual: Face masks are required in all MCPS facilities and on buses, regardless of vaccination status, and frequent hand washing is routine. PPE will be delivered quarterly

Facilities: School facilities will be regularly sanitized and equipped with cleaning supplies; ventilation and air quality will be monitored.

Testing: In-school COVID-19 screening tests will be implemented for prekindergarten through 6th grade students to provide early detection.

Vaccination: All staff are required to submit proof of vaccination or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing.

MCPS will implement a multi-layered health and safety protocol without limiting our ability to serve all students on premises, as MSDE requires.

Health and Safety: Our First Priority

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MCPS is participating in the Maryland Department of Health(MDH)/Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) COVID-19 screening testing program. This preventative asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic COVIDtesting and provides early detection of COVID spreads.

• Consent - Parents/guardians Pre-K–6 students consent to weekly testing

• Weekly Random Sample - Weekly, the screening program randomly tests 10 percent of the eligible consenting population at each school

• Tests - The approved testing vendors use a variety of oral or lower nasal swab test kits that are easy to administer and do not hurt

• Professionally Administered - Onsite healthcare staff, provided through the MDH program, will assist in test administration

• Start - Testing will begin in September

Screening Test for Pre-K–6 Students

DistinctionsIsolation

• An individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is sick (level of symptoms could be varied)

• Separates sick people with a contagious disease from those who are not sick

• Students that are experiencing illness may make up work once they are well

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Quarantine

• A individual who was in close contact* with a person positive for COVID-19 may enter quarantine

• Separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick

• Typical individual in quarantine is not sick and is available for learning experiences

*CDC defines close contact as within <6 feet, for 15 or more minutes in 24-hour period; in the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) were wearing masks

Quarantine and Vaccination Status

Vaccinated Individuals

• Do not need to quarantine following a close contact to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, unless symptoms develop or test positive

• Recommended that fully vaccinated individuals get tested between 3-5 days after exposure

• If asymptomatic, may continue to report in person during this time and while waiting for test results

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Unvaccinated Individuals

• Required to quarantine for ten (10) days from the last date of close contact to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19

• There are no testing exemptions for unvaccinated staff or students to shorten the quarantine period

Definitions of QuarantineIndividual Student Quarantine

• Individual student(s) who may not all be from the same homeroom or class period, who have tested positive for COVID or had close contact to someone who has tested positive.

• In most cases, all other students in the class remain in person.

• Example: Student tests positive, but has not recently been in school or class

• Example: Student is in direct contact with a positive person in their family or at an event, but they personally are not sick.

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Whole Class Quarantine

• Group of students from the same homeroom or class all in quarantine due to shared, direct exposure to an individual with a positive case.

• All students and staff in the impacted class will transition to virtual learning for that class (period for secondary).

• Example: Student tests positive, and has recently been in close contact with others at school. Contact tracing determines the extent of potential exposure; if all students are determined to be close contacts, the entire class would quarantine.

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• Ventilation - MCPS assessed all existing systems, replaced HVAC filters to highest MERV filter, added additional air cleaners where necessary, and extended HVAC system run time to “flush” air

• Product safety - Trained staff only will use approved safe and nonhazardous disinfecting/sanitizing products

• Cleaning and Disinfecting - MCPS building service staff will continue to regularly clean and disinfect all high-touch areas. Special attention will be given to the following for cleaning and disinfecting:

• door handles;

• light switches;

• restrooms in common areas

Our Buildings

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• All students will be served breakfast and lunch at no charge

• Schools are encouraged to take advantage of all available seating options(indoor/outdoor) to reduce density/capacity in cafeterias

• Principals, with support from OTLS and OFO, will develop and share theirschedules, lunch plans, and interest in purchasing flexible indoor/outdoorseating options with their DLAA

• Possible elementary school approaches:

o Elementary students will be assigned tables by class

o Identify some grade levels to eat in classrooms

o Utilize safe outdoor seating, such as courtyards

• Possible secondary school approaches:

o Open up all levels of buildings for students to eat in hallways

o Resume off campus open lunch

Lunch and Flexible Use Space

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Lunch and Flexible Use

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Lunch and Flexible Use

Indoor/Outdoor Picnic Table

Picnic Seat

Student Lap Desk

Stack stools

Indoor/Outdoor Floor Cushion

Discussion

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In-Person Learning

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In-Person Learning• Return to a more balanced approach of physical and

digital tools

• Work-based learning in real-life work settings throughinternships and apprenticeships

• Peer-to-peer collaboration

• Re-establishing social interaction and relationships

• In alignment with the Evidence of Learning framework, assessing student learning will begin in September

• Data will inform planning, supports, and interventions

Approach: Acceleration, Not Remediation

● Acceleration—moving forward with grade-level content and only addressing prerequisite skills and concepts from the previous grade as necessary, when they’re needed to work with grade-level content

● Learning recovery opportunities will be strategically and intentionally infused into ongoing instruction

Virtual Academy

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Office Partnerships

● Hiring

● Curriculum Planning and

Resources

● Supervision

● ESOL and Special Education

● Social Emotional Learning

● Supplies & Materials

School Partnerships

● Increased Access to Courses

● HS Scheduling Fair

● Internships

● Montgomery College

● CTE Half-day Programs

● Abbreviated Schedules

● Work Opportunities

Preservice Secondary Orientation Elementary Orientation

August 23rd - August 27th Thursday, August 26th Friday, August 27th

By the numbers...

*As of August 19, 2021

3,500 2402,430AcceptedApplied Withdrawn

730Applied after deadline*

Discussion

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Athletics and Extracurricular

Activities

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MCPS Athletics UpdateReturn to R.A.I.S.E. Plan

• COVID-19 Task Force for MCPS Athletics -

42nd meeting tomorrow

• All students eligible to start

• Committing to smart choices outside of school

• Responding to positive COVID-19 cases

• Importance of vaccinations

Summer

• Successful workshop – more than 10,000

contests scheduled

• One reported COVID-19 case during summer

conditioning

• Commitment to safety - Fall Heat Plan

High School Fall Season

• Two weeks complete - games begin

September 3

• Approximately 8,620 students and

500 coaches participating

• Spectators, concessions, admissions

• NFHS Network - streaming games

• Appreciation to athletics coaches

Middle School Fall Season

• Begins September 9

• Cross Country, Boys’ & Girls’ Softball

• Appreciation to athletic coordinators

and coaches

Extracurricular Activities Update

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Return to In-Person Engagement

● The MCPS extracurricular and fine arts programs will fully resume in person

● All students are eligible for extracurricular activities

● Extracurricular Activities Director, After School Supervisor and Academic Monitor are additional staffing support

● Students, staff, and guests will follow COVID-19 mitigation strategies

● Dance ensembles/classes, drama clubs/classes, choral and instrumental music programs are expected to follow specific COVID-19 safety guidelines

● Extra precautions will be expected for vocalists and wind musicians when participating: face coverings, special singer or musician masks, instrument bell covers, social distancing, and hand hygiene

Discussion

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Newcomers

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Meeting Newcomers’ Social and Academic Needs

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• Newcomers: children born outside the United States and entering

the country within the last three years

• $1.6 million in supplemental funding: transition coordinator, 8 ESOL

transition counselors, 6 limited and interrupted education coaches;

also, professional development

• Focus on training for cultural responsiveness

• Multilingual student support, student services staff, security teams,

all teachers and paraeducators

• Student data monitoring: attendance data, graduation rates,

assessment data, classroom data, multiple measures to inform course

placement and monitor progress for English Learners

Contingency Plan

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Planning and Design Boundaries

Fall Design team has met from May to date to:

• Organize around the existing MSDE requirementsfor in person learning at 100 percent capacity, 5 days per week

• Plan for circumstances that might include student quarantine and instructional access

• Establish planning frameworks together with SEIU, MCEA, MCAAP, and our community partners based on shifting national, state, and local guidance

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Quarantine Instructional Access Standards

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Parents can expect from school quarantine plans:

• Live instruction in core content

• Wrap around support services

• Morning check-ins

• Afternoon review of student work

• Not simultaneous instruction or “zooming” into class

Elementary Standards Secondary Standards

Parents can expect from school quarantine plans:

• Opportunity to Zoom with their regular teachers for each class

• Wrap around support services

• Morning check-ins

• Not simultaneous instruction or “zooming” into class

School Perspective: Arcola Elementary

• 100% in person since July 12

• Currently serving more than 600 students and 100 staff

• Lunch contact tracing and assigned seats

• Quarantine and instructional access

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Contingency for Hybrid Instruction*

• Our focus in MCPS is 5 days per week in-person instruction for all students

• If state agencies dictate an expectation of minimum physical distancing or occupancy, students would be either all in person or in a combination of in person plus virtual. This does not include an all virtual option

• All students will have a dedicated instructional experience, either in person OR a combination of in person and virtual.

*Should the need arise

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OTLS Support Model to Schools:Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)

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Discussion

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