Safe Return Plan - Menlo Park Academy

COVID-19 Dashboard

Last Updated: January 25, 2022 at 9:15 AM

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Introduction

Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to the Menlo Park Academy (MPA) community for their patience and support during this continued challenging time. The 2021-22 Safe Return Plan details the procedures that will help to accomplish a safe and successful return for the 2021-2022 school year. The decisions made for this plan took into consideration information from multiple sources, including; community transmission rates, vaccination eligibility, local and federal guidance, and current legislation. We will continue to reassess such considerations on a regular basis and adjust our plan as needed. While we cannot eliminate risk of transmission, our hope is that the following plan mitigates risk while allowing for an educational experience that encompasses the whole child.

This page provides a summary of important information and policies included in the 2021-22 Safe Return Plan. Menlo Park Academy families can access and read the full plan online by clicking below.

Read the Full Plan (v 1.4)

Promotion of Staff & Student Health

COVID-19 Vaccination

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), growing evidence suggests people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to have an asymptomatic infection or transmit COVID-19 to others than those not fully vaccinated.
Having high levels of fully vaccinated individuals is one of the most important tools in a safe reopening.
All MPA staff were offered the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting in February 2021.
We encourage all staff, volunteers and families to speak to their healthcare provider about their vaccine eligibility.
MPA will communicate to the school community any local vaccine clinics via the school website or Parentsquare.
To learn where vaccines are available within the community, MPA staff and families are encouraged to visit vaccines.gov or gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Any persons who received a COVID-19 vaccine and are experiencing side effects should reference the Post Vaccine Decision Tree at the bottom of this page to determine if they should attend school.

Use of Face Masks

According to the CDC and Ohio Department of Health (ODH), masks are one of the most important mechanisms to protect against the spread of the virus.
Regardless of vaccination status, all MPA staff, families, volunteers, and visitors will wear face masks/coverings per MPA Board Policy 411.1 “Use of Face Masks/Coverings.”
We understand it can be challenging for a younger child to keep a mask on. Staff will encourage mask usage with positive reinforcement.
Students will be asked to bring their own face masks/coverings. We encourage fun masks that reflect an individual’s personality and style, while still school appropriate and comfortable.
Masks worn to school need to meet CDC recommended criteria. Gaiters are allowed as a substitute to a traditional mask as long as they meet CDC recommended criteria. No masks with ventilation holes.
MPA will provide masks for persons who have forgotten their mask, or if a mask has become soiled or wet.
Parents are encouraged to make sure the student has an extra face mask in their backpack.

Symptom Screening

All parents/guardians are required to screen students for symptoms of illness before leaving for school.
Staff and volunteers/visitors will be required to complete a symptom self-screening before coming into the building as well.
This screen should include a temperature check and observation for the symptoms below.
Any person exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should NOT ENTER THE BUILDING and STAY AT HOME.
The parent/guardian or staff member should notify the school of the absence and if the symptoms are consistent with COVID-19 symptoms.
Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 include:
- Fever above 100.0 ℉ OR chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath (for students with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea

Diagnostic and Screening Testing

Any person exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 will be encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or local health department for appropriate evaluation and testing.
Effective October 2021, Menlo Park Academy will join a COVID-19 testing program funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Regular testing finds contagious individuals before a person feels sick as well as asymptomatic individuals.
- Finding COVID-19 infections early helps us keep school safe and students in school.
- This program uses a non-painful technique, either using a short nasal swab or by collecting saliva.
- Consenting (parents of students) students and staff will gently swab the inside of their own nose or collect saliva into a tube while a trained school staff person is present. The school staff will send the samples to a laboratory for testing later that day.
- Students and staff will be offered the opportunity to test once a week. Test results will be returned within 24-48 hours. Results will be posted to a secured online portal, which allows MPA to obey privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To find out more about the program go to https://testedandprotected.org.

Illness in Student or Staff

Any person who develops symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day will be immediately sent to an isolation area utilizing social distancing measures while wearing a face mask.
Once in the isolation area, students will be monitored by a staff member wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) while maintaining appropriate physical distance until transportation arrives.
Areas of the building that were occupied by the person exhibiting symptoms will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
The individual will be sent home or to a healthcare facility if symptoms are severe. See Menlo Park Academy Decision Tree-Students/Staff Experiencing Symptoms of Illness During School (Appendix A).
During this pandemic, first aid kits will be on each floor to allow teachers to tend to minor first aid needs, such as ice packs and bandages, while decreasing student movement in the building. All staff complete basic first aid training.
An air purifier will be present in student services to further increase ventilation.

Confirmed COVID Case in School

Parents/guardians of a COVID-19 positive child are encouraged to notify the school.
Staff members should notify their supervisor.
The local health department will be notified of the positive case immediately. Any guidance from health officials will be followed.
The identity of those persons who have tested positive will be kept confidential.
Parents/Guardians of the school community and of any close contacts will be notified within 24 hours of the school being notified of the positive case.
The MPA COVID-19 Dashboard located on this page will be updated weekly to reflect active cases, total cases and number of quarantined persons.

Return to School Following Illness or Exposure to COVID-19

According to the CDC, a close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).
An infected person can spread the COVID-19 virus starting from 2 days prior to start of symptoms, or for asymptomatic persons, 2 days before the positive test, until they meet criteria for discontinuation of isolation.
Any person determined to be a close contact in the school should notify their healthcare provider for further guidance or need for testing.
If a student or staff member was exposed within the school, MPA will follow the ODH Guidelines for Quarantine After Exposure in K-12 Classroom Setting with the Mask To Stay/Test to Play option
For individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19, return to school will be permitted per local health department and CDC guidance.
We recommend referencing the Student COVID-19 Return to School Guide and the Staff COVID-19 Return to School Guide, available for download.

Return to School Following Illness or Exposure to COVID-19

We recommend referencing the Student COVID-19 Return to School Guide and the Staff COVID-19 Return to School Guide, available for download.

Post-COVID Vaccine Decision Tree

Extended Learning Plan

The following plan has been created in response to Governor DeWine’s request that schools and districts design plans that address learning recovery and extended learning opportunities to meet the needs of students. At Menlo Park Academy, we will work together to be sure students receive the help and support they need. The key components of the plan are the following;

Identification of Impacted Students: MPA will use testing and survey data to determine which students require additional attention by defining specific thresholds for action from the data.

Approaches to Support Impacted Students: MPA will identify the resources and programs available to support students impacted over the last year in both academic and social-emotional needs.

Budget, Major Players, and Timeline: MPA will identify the available resources to address the needs of impacted students and the timeline associated with using those resources.

Read the Full Plan