Mamaroneck Public Schools 2021-2022 Safe Schools/ Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Plan

Mamaroneck Public Schools
                 2021-2022 Safe Schools/
               Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Plan

                                    Mamaroneck Public Schools
                                     1000 W. Boston Post Rd.
                                     Mamaroneck, NY 10543
                                          914.220.3000
                                      www.mamkschools.org

Introduction/Overview

Maintaining the health, safety and well-being of our students and staff, while continuing
full-time in-person instruction for all students, is our top priority. Mamaroneck School District’s
2021-2022 multi-tiered safety plan mitigates Covid-19 incidents and minimizes the need for
quarantining.

Our MUFSD Medical Team, along with our District administrators, have stayed on top of
evolving recommendations established by the the New York State Education Department
(NYSED); the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDOH); Centers for Disease
Control (CDC); and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and set protocols based on these
guidelines. With this guidance, we are confident we can have a productive school year, full of
high-quality teaching and learning that closely resembles “normalcy” and pre-pandemic times.

   ●   NYSED Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
   ●   Westchester County Department of Health
   ●   CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
   ●   AAP COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools

The lessons we have learned during the pandemic have enabled us to prepare for uncertainty. We
recognize the fluid nature of this pandemic and are ready to adjust instruction to hybrid or
full-remote should that become necessary and/or required by NY State or Westchester County.

Our plan is to communicate regularly and ensure that your questions are answered. An
interactive space will be set up on the District website, enabling parents to ask and submit
remaining questions in real-time; we will make every effort to monitor and provide timely
responses.

As always, our focus is to provide students with an educational program aligned with our District
mission:
“It is the mission of the Mamaroneck UFSD to promote intellectual engagement and an
appreciation of learning as an inherently rewarding activity; to prepare students to function as
responsible citizens; and to prepare students to live in a multicultural world.”

Masking and 3-Feet Physical Distancing
Masking: In summary, when masks are worn correctly and consistently and appropriate social
distancing is maintained, incidents of quarantine will be minimal. The following requirements
are in place:
    - NY State Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday, Aug. 24, that universal
        indoor masking will be required for all individuals entering the schools, regardless
        of vaccination status. This includes all students, staff members and any visitors. All
        masks and mask-wearing should adhere to CDC guidelines.
    - Outdoor masking will be optional for both students and staff; however, individuals who
        are unvaccinated should be masked in crowded outdoor settings, and the District may
        mandate masks for All (vaccinated and unvaccinated) at large outdoor gatherings,
        particularly if large numbers of unvaccinated students are congregating.
    - Masking accomodations can be made for students with documented medical or
        educational needs that make masking a significant detriment to health or education.
        Requests should be made to the child’s building administration and will be reviewed and
        approved by the Student Services department and the District Physician.

Physical Distancing:
   - As per CDC guidelines, physical distancing of 3 feet (when possible) will be used in
       classrooms and other instructional areas.
   - Lunch and certain special academic activities will require greater physical distancing (6
       feet), and we will use both traditional and non-traditional spaces to accommodate these
       needs.
   - Outdoor spaces at all of our schools will be used whenever possible. Physical distancing
       is not required when students are outdoors; however, students will be encouraged to
       enable space between them and their peers when outdoors.

Vaccines and Testing

Vaccinations: Health experts all agree that vaccination is the most effective Covid-19 safety and
prevention measure. The Mamaroneck School District encourages all of its staff, students and
family members to be vaccinated.

As per Governor Hochul’s announcement on Tuesday, Aug. 24, the State is working on
developing a method to require all teachers be vaccinated, with an option to test out
weekly. We will await further clarification on this mandate and provide any updates to the
community.

While we are pleased that a large percentage of our community is now fully vaccinated, we are
working to provide as many opportunities as possible for our unvaccinated population to receive
the vaccine. Through our partnership with Westchester County, we offered a pop-up vaccine
clinic for all residents in August at Mamaroneck High School and will evaluate demand in
determining future hosting opportunities.

Testing: Plans are underway to partner with the Westchester County Department of Health to
provide weekly Covid-19 surveillance testing to students and staff. Additionally, working with
our ongoing testing partner, Mirimus Labs, we anticipate kicking off the 2021-22 school year by
conducting gateway testing for all students and staff on Wednesday, September 1, with samples
being returned to school on 9/2 after implementing the test at home. We will be urging all to
participate so we may generate the highest level of participation possible.

Please Continue to Do Your Part:
Students and Staff Must Stay Home When Sick
All students or staff -- vaccinated or unvaccinated -- must stay home when feeling sick or
experiencing symptoms associated with Covid-19. First point of contact is your child’s school
nurse. Notify the school nurse of your child’s absence. Students will be required to provide a
negative Covid-19 (PCR or Molecular NAAT) test or receive clearance from their physician in
order to return to school. Nurses will work with families to determine return to school plans for
students.

See chart on What to Do if Your Child is Exhibiting Covid-Like Symptoms
* Covid-19 symptoms reminder: Fever or chills, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of
breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat,
congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. (Covid-19 symptoms may appear 2-14
days after exposure to the virus.)

Classroom Preventive Measures

The District will continue to provide hand sanitizer and hand washing opportunities within
classrooms. Teachers will continue to emphasize to students the importance of cleanliness and
respiratory hygiene, especially in the younger grades.

Contact Tracing
Our school building administrators and/or District health personnel will promptly report any incidents of
Covid-19 to the Westchester County Department of Health, and contact tracing will begin immediately.

Exposure & Quarantining

Who determines whether an individual needs to quarantine?
The Westchester County Department of Health makes all final quarantine determinations. The
Mamaroneck School District will provide the County with information regarding exposure and
make initial quarantine determinations, which are confirmed through the Department of Health.
As you can see from the chart below, in most instances, students will not need to quarantine.

We will follow CDC recommendations along with NYS DOE guidance:

   -   Students who are wearing their masks correctly and consistently and are more than
       3ft from a positive case will not be subject to quarantine.

   -   Individuals who are fully vaccinated will not be subject to quarantine as long as they
       are asymptomatic; these individuals would still need to be identified as contacts so that
       the contact tracers are able to verify vaccine status and do a wellness check.

   -   If a fully vaccinated individual has any symptoms, he/she would be placed on quarantine
       if identified as a contact.

   -   As for recess and/or outdoor time, it depends on the activity that is occurring and/or the
       sport that is being played. If it is not possible to know who was near a positive case, then
       everyone would be quarantined unless fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.

Cleaning and Ventilation
The District will continue with enhanced daily cleaning and disinfection protocols consistent
with CDC guidance and last year’s routines. We are operating our HVAC systems 24/7 to
continuously dilute the air in the building with as much fresh/outdoor air as possible, in addition

to running our 500 iWave air purifying devices, which were installed in our HVAC systems.
These sophisticated iWave units use a patented technology called needle-point bi-polar ionization
(NPBI) to help remove any pathogens in the air and on surfaces in our facilities. In addition to
neutralizing viruses, these units come with the added benefit of cleaning the air of bacteria, mold,
allergens, odors, and VOCs, etc., creating a healthy environment without producing any harmful
byproducts.

Social Emotional Well-Being

We are aware of the impact the pandemic has had on so many of our families. In addition to
providing a physically safe educational environment, our teachers, psychologists, counselors and
social workers are ready to do everything they can to help ensure an emotionally safe
environment by nourishing connections, fostering meaningful learning opportunities for all
students, and meeting students where they are at. Our District Crisis team continues to play an
integral role in helping us to navigate this challenging time.

We recognize the importance of the home-school connection and are dedicated to working on
parent outreach and responsiveness. Additionally, the District continues to partner with the
Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center to offer student peer groups, parent
workshops, and counseling services and provide vital resources for many of our families.

Special Academic Implications

  ●    Band/Orchestra: Students will participate in instrumental music activities. Wind
       instrumentalists will wear specialized musician masks and utilize instrument covers.
       Distancing will be a minimum of 3 feet and maximized wherever possible and students
       will perform outdoors when possible.*
  ●    Chorus: Students will participate in singing activities/instruction, but will wear masks
       while singing indoors. Distancing will be a minimum of 3 feet and maximized wherever
       possible.*
  ●    Labs: Lab activities will resume, and students will share materials and resources as
       needed. Students will be encouraged to wash or sanitize their hands before and after lab
       activities. Enhanced laboratory cleaning protocols also will be followed.
  ●    Library: Libraries will be open and students will be able to browse stacks, check out
       books and use other resources. Students will be encouraged to wash or sanitize their
       hands before and after library visits.
  ●    Physical Education: Classes will be held outdoors to the extent possible. When classes
       are conducted indoors, sharing of equipment and extended periods of close contact will
       be limited, and masks will be worn by students and staff.

* In order to provide a safe environment, instruction may be modified, taking space constraints
into consideration. Performance, competitions, and other musical events may or may not be
possible, depending on guidance and infection rates.

Athletics

All sports will practice and compete during the 2021-2022 school year in compliance with our
Mamaroneck Athletics COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols which have been derived from --

and will be updated based on -- the NY State Education Department, the Centers for Disease
Control guidance for schools, and the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance for youth sports
and physical activity.

   -   Vaccines: The Mamaroneck Athletics Department strongly recommends Covid 19
       vaccinations for all participants 12 years+. Vaccinations will help with maintaining a safe,
       healthy and uninterrupted fall athletic season. Vaccinations for all eligible athletes,
       coaches, and officials are one of the most important mitigation strategies we have
       available for preventing Covid-19 outbreaks on teams and in our community.

   -   Masks: Face masks must be worn by all staff, students, and visitors in school buildings
       and on school supplied transportation. Acceptable face coverings include but are not
       limited to cloth-based face coverings and disposable masks that cover both the nose and
       mouth. Since sports performed outside are lower risk for transmission of COVID-19, face
       masks are not required. Staff and student-athletes who are not fully vaccinated are
       encouraged to wear face masks on the sidelines and during all group training and during
       competition when there is sustained contact of 3 feet or less. It is also recommended that
       staff and athletes who are not fully vaccinated always wear a face mask between practice
       drills, on sidelines, and when arriving or departing from facilities.

   -   Physical Distancing: In general, all participants are encouraged to socially distance at 3
       feet or more.

Remote Learning for Quarantined Students

Philosophy: The District recognizes the importance of maintaining continuity of learning for all
students impacted by COVID-19. Thus, providing developmentally appropriate remote learning
opportunities during a quarantine period to maintain continuity of learning is a district
responsibility.

As we return to full-day in-person learning, we recognize that a teacher’s primary responsibility
is to focus on learning in the classroom. Thus, teachers must prioritize the delivery of instruction
to students in class and support, to the extent practicable, learners under quarantine connecting to
the classroom by Zoom.

Process
In the event a student is directed to quarantine by Westchester County Department of Health, as a
result of contact with an individual who is positive for COVID or tests positive for COVID-19,
upon official notification the parent or guardian must notify the District’s COVID-19
Coordinator.

Students will be eligible for remote classroom access 24 hours following receipt of notification
of quarantine for the specific school days that fall within the quarantine period. Eligible students
will receive a Zoom link to the classroom(s) for the mandated quarantine period.

Elementary Level - Remote Learning
Remote learning for the quarantine period will include synchronous (live streaming) and
asynchronous instruction (access to classroom assignments and materials). Quarantined students
will participate by live streaming for morning meetings, literacy and math instruction. Students

will participate in asynchronous learning for the remaining portions of the school day by
accessing class materials posted on Google Classroom when practicable.

Secondary Level - Remote Learning
Remote learners subject to quarantine will follow the regular class schedule and participate by
live streaming to the extent practicable (except for classes that are held in outdoor settings or
areas without webcams).

Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct for Remote Instruction
Parents of quarantine students who participate by live stream acknowledge that a teacher’s
primary responsibility is to deliver a lesson and meet the needs of students present in class.
Therefore, parents of quarantined students who are participating remotely will refrain from
interrupting the teacher or the flow of the class and at no time distract or engage the teacher with
questions, concerns, or clarifications while the student is live streaming. Parents agree to
communicate questions or concerns with the his/her child’s teacher consistent with
communication practices previously determined by the teacher (e.g., email, phone, an/ or
exchange of materials).

We expect full cooperation from parents/guardians, and failure to follow expectations may result
in a pause in synchronous learning.

Transportation

Busing will return to a regular schedule, and all eligible families will receive a bus assignment.
Buses will be loaded back to front.Students and staff will be masked on buses, and windows will
be open as much as the weather permits. Additionally, buses will be cleaned and disinfected a
minimum of once per day. Every bus will also have extra masks for any student who needs one.
Given the new Covid-19 quarantine regulations, there will be no need to quarantine students
(aside from the positive individual) on the bus.

Visitors

For the safety of students and staff, the District will restrict school visitations during instructional
times to meetings and appointments that require in-person interactions (i.e. educational
programming, specific family meetings of a sensitive nature, and observations by clinicians). In
all cases, visitors to District schools will be screened and will be required to wear a mask
throughout the duration of the visit.

After school PTA sponsored activities will be conducted and expected to follow the District’s
protocols, including mask mandates indoors. Building use permits will also again be available
for outside groups. These groups will also be expected to follow the District’s mitigation
strategies including the indoor mask mandate. Masks will also be required for all Board of
Education and after school meetings.

Daily Attestations Form

The CDC and NYSED are no longer recommending daily attestations for schools. The District
will discontinue the use of this daily form. As a reminder, we expect all students and staff to
monitor daily for Covid-19 symptoms; make sure to stay home when sick.

School Level Covid-19 Protocols

School building leaders will be communicating over the course of the next week regarding
specific school-level Covid-19 protocols. FAQs relevant to each building will be included.

Thank you for your time and attention to these important Covid-19 guidelines. We wish all of our
employees, students and families a successful school year.