Health Guidelines and Reopening Plan

All schools will follow these specific policies and procedures during the 2020-2021 academic year:

• Students, staff, parents, guardians and visitors will have their temperature checked with a no-touch, digital thermometer upon arrival
• Nurses will be in their offices to provide nursing care and assessment for students
• Students, staff, parents, guardians and visitors will wash their hands or use hand-sanitizer upon arrival
• Isolation rooms will be provided and protocols followed for ill students or staff as needed
• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including face shields, goggles, face mask, gloves - will be provided to health services staff to use in the isolation room
• Face masks will be available for staff or they may bring your own
• Face masks will be available for students upon request
• Face covering will be mandatory on the school bus for students and staff.
• Face coverings will be mandatory for all students 10 and over and anytime 6-foot social distancing cannot be maintained. For students under 10 it is strongly recommended they wear masks
• Students and staff will be asked to stay home if they feel ill
• Students and staff will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days after air and cruise travel
• Students and staff will be asked to self-quarantine based on exposure-to-COVID-19 risk evaluation (see below)
• As much as possible, students will limit their interactions to their classmates who are in the same grade
• Classrooms will be set up to maintain social distancing with all students facing the same direction. All classrooms should have assigned seating so contact tracing can occur
• No-touch thermometers will be available for teachers to do temperature checks throughout the school day
• Students and staff will strive to adhere to social distancing guidelines, maintaining a 6-foot buffer between other individuals at all times when on district property and district sponsored activities.
• Students and staff will help with daily cleaning of high-touch areas.

• Nurses (with help of school registrars) will track attendance and monitor for trends. They will monitor for attendance rates that drop 10 below normal for both students and staff.
• Nurses will provide a daily list of students that must be excluded from school the following day to the attendance secretary.

Students and staff will be excluded from school if they test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 that are based on CDC guidance and are not otherwise explainable.

Symptoms of COVID-19 that will require exclusion:

• If they present with a fever of 100 degrees or greater
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• New runny nose or congestion

Students or staff members who exhibit any of these symptoms should stay home and contact their school nurse or medical care provider for further diagnosis and treatment as appropriate.

School nurses are encouraged to use their professional judgement and to evaluate the entire clinical picture when making assessments. For example, a temperature of 100 degrees with body aches likely indicates an acute illness and should be treated as such. Conversely, a student with a history of asthma and a temporary cough after PE that resolves with student’s inhaler use would not necessarily be assessed as having “severe cough or shortness of breath.”

Non test-based reentry plan (all must apply)

• 10 days have passed since the first symptom appeared
• No fever for 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication
• Other symptoms have improved

Other explanation reentry plan (all must apply)

• Student or staff has doctor-confirmed explanation of symptoms
• Fever free without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours
• Other symptoms have improved

“Close contact” is defined as being within six feet, for 15 or more minutes, of someone not wearing a mask and who tested positive for COVID-19.

If a student or staff was in close contact with a person that tested positive for COVID-19, they will self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the person. They will self-monitor for symptoms. If symptoms develop, they will be directed to follow CDC guidelines for treatment, and the KCPS “Exclusion for Illness Guidelines” will be followed.

If a student or staff had prolonged and repeated exposure with someone while they had symptoms of COVID-19, they will self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the person. They will self-monitor for symptoms. If symptoms develop, they will be directed to follow CDC guidelines for treatment, and the KCPS “Exclusion for Illness Guidelines” will be followed.

If a student or staff was in the same room/building as someone who tested positive for COVID-19, but not in close contact (as defined above), the risk of catching the virus from that person is low. These individuals should continue to follow the general precautions, including social distancing, washing their hands and monitoring for illness (“Mask On, Clean Up, Stay Safe”).

If a student or staff was around someone else who was exposed to a person that tested positive to COVID-19, as long as the person they were around is not currently sick and the staff or student was not around the person with COVID-19, they do not fall under the definition of close contact. These individuals should continue to follow the general precautions, including social distancing, washing their hands and monitoring for illness (“Mask On, Clean Up, Stay Safe”).

Nebulizer treatments are identified by the CDC as aerosol generating procedures. These will no longer be allowed. Emergency medications in schools will be replaced with Albuterol Meter Dosed Inhalers (MDI). One-way valve spacers and chambers will be used with the MDI. The Albuterol MDI will be soaked in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol for two minutes and allowed to air-dry following use.

For students who require supplemental oxygen for ongoing chronic conditions, a mask is preferred over the nasal cannula. The nurse will wear PPE during this procedure. Student exposure will be limited.

Nurses will identify a clean care room for medically complex students that require special procedures such as tube feeding, catheterization, etc.

• Assess with parent/doctor any students who are considered high-risk
• Revisit health plans for students on IEPs and 504 plans for possible revisions to mitigate minimizing infection risk
• Revise medication administration schedules to minimize student interaction

Based on the size of their offices, school nurses will place chairs six feet apart for students to wait for treatment in the hallway outside the room if possible.

Nurses will evaluate the reason for the student visit and take a temperature prior to entering the office or waiting in the hallway for treatment. If a student’s symptoms meet the criteria, they will be given a face mask and placed in the isolation room until picked up by their parent, guardian or other authorized adult. The Health Services Plan will be followed in these cases.

Nurses will have a list of students considered at risk according to the CDC.

Each school has an isolation room. Isolation rooms will be utilized to keep all students and staff safe from illness. The isolation room door will remain open so that the nurse can monitor the student. If the nurse cannot monitor the room, a designated staff member will be assigned to do so. The nurse or designated staff member will wear proper PPE.

The nurse will meet students at the door of their office for thermometer checks. If the student has no fever or symptoms of COVID-19 (based on verbal assessment of the reason for the clinic visit), the student proceeds into the nurse’s office as usual.

If the student presents at the nurse’s office with a temporal check of 99.6 degrees or greater, the nurse will take the temperature orally. If the temperature is 100 degrees or greater, the nurse will put a mask on the student and send the student into the isolation room. The nurse will then call a parent, guardian or other authorized adult to pick up the student. The parent or guardian will be asked about recent travel in or out of the country by the student and/or members of the household. The nurse will perform a risk evaluation. The parent or designated person will pick up the student within an hour; if the student is still in the isolation room after an hour, 911 will be called and the student will be transported to the hospital. The nurse will advise the parent/guardian to contact the student's doctor to discuss sign/symptoms and risk factors.

If there are concerns that any KCPS staff have come in close contact of COVID-19, the nurse will call the Nurse Manager.

• PPE will consist of goggles or face shield, surgical face mask and gloves
• PPE should be used by the nurse (or other designated staff member) in the isolation room or when escorting the student to their car
• PPE will be designated for health services staff and/or designated staff members, and cleaned and stored for reuse
• PPE should be put on and taken off appropriately. (CDC Guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/using-ppe.html)
• Face covering will be mandated for all KCPS staff working with special education program students
• Face covering will be mandated for all students and staff on the bus when students are present
• Face covering will be mandated for all Child Nutrition Services staff while preparing and serving meals
• Face covering will be optional for students and staff not mentioned above or when six feet of distancing cannot be maintained.

Goggles and face shield should be cleaned with a facilities-supplied cleaning agent for COVID-19 and allowed to air dry. Per CDC recommendations, the following should be achieved:

• While wearing gloves, carefully wipe the inside, followed by the outside of the face shield or goggles using a wipe or clean cloth saturated with facilities supplied cleaning solution.
• Wipe the outside of the face shield or goggles with clean water or alcohol to remove residue.
• Fully dry (air dry or use clean absorbent towels).
• Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.

Completely dried goggles and face shields should be stored at the nurses’ discretion and the location shared with designated staff that may assist with the isolation room.

• Cloth face coverings will be recommended for all students and staff and required when social distancing cannot be maintained.
• Students will be required to wear face coverings on the school bus. Face coverings are available upon request.
• Students will be allowed to wear surgical masks. They will be allowed to reuse surgical face masks.
• When reused by the same person only, cloth and surgical face covering should be carefully folded so that the outer surface is held inward and against itself to reduce contact with the outer surface during storage. The folded mask can be stored between uses in a clean sealable paper bag or breathable container.
• Face masks should be removed and discarded if soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through
• Cloth face coverings should be laundered regularly

• Post CDC posters on handwashing, cough etiquette and COVID-19 symptoms
• Share KCPS policies that require students and staff to stay home if they are sick
• Inform families of steps being taken to mitigate health risks
• Teach and promote proper handwashing techniques
• Promote and provide flu clinics for students and staff as applicable
• Provide families with resource for health care needs and COVID-19 testing
• Educate all staff about bloodborne pathogen procedures and glove removal
• Educate staff on how to properly wear cloth face coverings

• Principal will notify the school nurse, custodial services, HR and communications
• The school nurse will notify the KCPS Nurse Manager
• The KCPS Nurse Manager will notify the Kansas City Health Department
• Custodial services staff will implement their cleaning protocol for classrooms and other areas identified as occupied by the person with COVID-19
• The school nurse will do contact tracing and notify any individuals that may have been in close contact with the person infected with COVID-19
• Based on Kansas City Health Department guidance, classrooms or the school building will be closed for 2-5 days for cleaning and other safety measures.
• Anyone who meets the definition of close contact will follow CDC-recommended quarantine guidelines

A school or school district may be compelled to close all buildings for up to 10 business days if any of the following occur:

• More than five percent of the students test positive for COVID-19 on any given day
• Four percent of the students test positive for two consecutive days
• Three percent of the students test positive for three consecutive days<./li>

• Minor ailments such as headaches, stomachaches, small abrasions, dry skin, chapped lips, and previous minor injuries will be handled as best as possible in the classroom
• Medications, bleeding requiring more than a bandage, breathing difficulties and other concerning symptoms should be sent to the nurse’s office
• Any students suspected of having COVID-19 should be sent to the school isolation room. As soon as possible, the school nurse should be informed that a student has been sent to that room.