Bemidji Area Schools
Safe Return to School Learning Plan
REVISED: August 26, 2021
The following information is a summary of how Bemidji Area School District plans a safe return to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year. The goal of Bemidji Area Schools is to reopen school buildings for in-person instruction this fall while prioritizing the health, safety, and wellness of students, staff, and community members.
Plan Goals
1. Safety of students and staff
2. Prioritize in-person learning
3. Recover from learning loss due to the pandemic
Communication
Timely and clear communication to students and families will be a strategic goal for the 2021-2022 school year. Messaging to families will be relayed using various media channels according to the district Communications Plan. For district-wide announcements, we will utilize our mass messaging system, Skylert, as well as email and snail mail. In addition, the district will communicate by using district and school websites, mass media, and social media platforms as necessary. Individual schools will also use familiar platforms and apps to communicate with parents as well as text messages and voice phone calls. Therefore, it is important that school offices have current and active phone numbers for each family at all times. We ask that all parents/guardians provide their children’s schools with current phone numbers for emergency contact purposes.
Review and Revision
The district’s Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan will be reviewed and revised as necessary when changes to CDC and Public Health guidance occur. With students, families, and K-12 educators preparing for the start of the 2021-22 school year amid concerns about an uptick in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant, health and education officials are recommending that schools follow CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools this fall. These best practice recommendations reflect the current state of the pandemic as well as the importance of in-person learning.
State Officials Recommend CDC School COVID-19 Guidance
With students, families, and K-12 educators preparing for the start of the 2021-2022 school year amid concerns about an uptick in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant, health and education officials are commending that schools follow CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools this fall. These best practice recommendations reflect the current state of the pandemic as well as the importance of in-person learning.
Prevention Strategies: All staff, students, and visitors within Independent School District No. 31 buildings, regardless of vaccination status, are recommended to follow the strategies of physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and disinfection, contact tracing, screening testing, and staying home when sick as defined in the “CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools” and implementation of the shortened quarantine period as outlined by MDH Quarantine Guidance.
- All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated.
- All staff, students, and visitors within Independent School District No. 31 buildings must wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status, as specified in the “CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools.”
- Students, teachers, and staff should stay home if they have signs of any infectious illness, and should contact their health care provider for testing and care.
- Students, teachers, and staff who have been fully vaccinated do not need to stay home if they have had recent close contact with a confirmed case so long as they remain asymptomatic and do not test positive. Follow CDC testing guidance for anyone exposed to a confirmed case.
- People who are not fully vaccinated and returning to in-person school, sports, or extracurricular activities (and their families) should get tested regularly for COVID-19 according to CDC guidelines.
- Schools will continue rapid and thorough contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and disinfection as important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
- All eligible people are encouragedto become fully vaccinated so that we will be able to keep schools open for in-person learning.
Health & Safety Protocols
The following procedures are applicable for in-person learning situations and will be implemented to protect the health and safety of students, staff and the community.
Learning Options
- Our intention is that all students will return to face-to-face learning for the 2021-22 school year.
Reporting Symptoms and Exposure
As we move into the 2021-22 school year, vigilance will be required to monitor the signs of COVID-19 in the school district and in the community.
Following are protocols for assessing individual health situations:
- All students and staff are asked to conduct a daily self-screening and stay home if necessary. This is considered a good general health practice.
- Parents are responsible for reporting any symptoms their students may have, as soon as they occur.
- Minnesota Department of Health quarantine guidelines must be followed.
- School staff will monitor students throughout the school day, and report any symptoms to school administrators and/or nurses.
- Any staff member or student experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent home and must follow all guidelines provided by the Minnesota Department of Health and the school district.
- Symptoms of COVID-19 include the following (a checklist is enclosed from the Minnesota Department of Health):
- Fever of 100.4 or greater, or chills
- A cough
- Shortness of breath
- Abnormal fatigue
- A muscle or body ache
- A headache
- A new loss of taste or smell
- A sore throat
- Diarrhea
- Other resources will be provided as they become available through local health resources and MDH.
Visitors
- Schools will not allow visitors during the school day.
Bus Transportation
- Face coverings are required on all public transportation, for all passengers and drivers, per federal mandate.
- Students are required to remain in their assigned seats during the entire route.
- No eating or drinking is allowed while on a bus.
- Students are restricted to their assigned routes only.
- Parents/guardians will be responsible for alternative transportation arrangements.
Food Service
- All breakfasts and lunches will be served and eaten in main cafeteria areas.
- Students are welcome to bring their own lunches if they prefer.
The School Day
- Bemidji Area Schools will review CDC, MDH, and MDE guidance regarding face covering requirements for K-12 schools. Bemidji Area Schools will review and adjust the face covering requirements as guidance changes or local data requires.
- Students will have assigned seats facing the same direction.
- Students will be encouraged to use hand sanitizer upon entry into classrooms.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms, as well as other areas throughout the school.
- Students will be encouraged to wash hands throughout the day for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap.
- Drinking fountain access may be limited based on guidelines from MDH. Bottle-filling stations will be accessible. Students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to use throughout the day.
- Student groups will follow staggered times for bathrooms breaks, recesses, and lunches to reduce congregating of students.
- Physical education will take place outside whenever possible.
Appropriate Accommodations
Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies have been provided. To learn more, parents/guardians should contact his/her child’s case manager.
Vaccinations
Vaccination information provided by the Centers for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health and local public health will be communicated to families.
All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated.
Students and employees who have been fully vaccinated do not need to stay home even if they have had recent close contact with a confirmed case so long as they remain asymptomatic and do not test positive.
Cleaning
Infection control practices are being implemented, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of work surfaces, equipment, tools and machinery, delivery vehicles and areas in the school environment, including restrooms, break rooms, lunch rooms, meeting rooms, and drop-off and pick-up locations. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting will be conducted in high-touch areas.
- Cleaning and sanitation will continue to take place frequently throughout the day.
- Frequently-touched surfaces will be sanitized frequently.
- Rooms will be cleaned and disinfected daily.
Facility Alterations
Physical changes will be made to facilities to provide safety mitigation.
- In-Door Air Quality – The maximum amount of fresh air is being brought into the workplace, air recirculation is being limited and ventilation systems are being properly used and maintained.
- Signage related to health & safety will continue to be posted in schools.
- Symptoms of illness, social distance and hand washing signage will remain prevalent throughout buildings.
Student Support and Engagement
- Community Partnership: ISD 31 will work with all available local, county and state resources to provide a wide range of services to our students and families.
- Specialized Services: Bemidji Area Schools will focus on ensuring the needs of all students are met.
- Referral to services
- Providing support when and where it has been identified as a need
- Evaluating outcomes
- Crisis Prevention and Response: ISD 31 staff will provide a wide net of resources to help with a variety of student, family and community needs.
- COMMUNICATION: Ongoing communication from the school to staff and families will remain a high priority throughout the planning stages and implementation of our Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan.
We recognize the importance of communicating with staff, students, parents and communities. We will continue to communicate as we move forward toward 100% face to face learning. We appreciate working with students and families and look forward to continuing to build that relationship.
Are the face coverings on buses required because it’s considered “public transportation” and the State of MN is requiring them for “public transportation”?
Since the face masks for unvaccinated people are a recommendation, I’m assuming you won’t be asking parents to turn in vaccination records to prove who is vaccinated.
This is great information. Do you know if lunches will cost something this year? I think that’s the only thing I see people wondering about. Thanks.
No masks for our students. We need to unmask our children. Masks don’t work, and never have for viruses. You can even read this on the mask packaging. This entire mask nonsense is hurting the social development of our kids. They’re also countless health related issues caused by wearing these masks all day. Do the research! If the district decides to mandate masks for 2021-2022, I will strongly consider enrolling my child elsewhere. This nonsense needs to stop. Masks don’t prevent transmission of the virus. They are actually detrimental to our kids mental & physical health. Our kids have strong immune systems that will fight this virus off rather quickly if they by chance contract it. We need to stop this nonsense over a virus that has a 99.9x survival rate.
I am glad to hear that the district will be using science as a guide in mandating mask wearing as it is proven to be highly successful in the prevention of transmission of airborn droplets. I hope masks will be worn correctly by all students and staff covering nose AND mouth. Further, as Delta surges, and kids are more susceptible who is making the decision to move kids back to online learning, and will it be based on CDC guidance? American College of Pediatrics? Or do we have to meet a death count in kids before action is taken?
Right. So let’s use science as our guide. Fact: Covid-19 is less lethal than the common flu. Please look around at a few sources besides CNN and MSNBC. The information each of you needs to make intelligent decisions, including the District, is readily and accurately available…if one chooses to actually look. If you choose not to, well, great; lock everything down and freak out while buying up all the toilet paper you can find again.
Will there be any distance learning available this year? I do not feel comfortable sending my daughter to school if everyone is not wearing a mask as the covid cases are rising. Thank you.
MASKS don’t work! Disappointed that our superintendent and board refuse to realize the facts. They are just puppets listening to the misinformation given to them by Sanford who is getting kick backs from the govt every time they get a Covid positive patient. Last year was effective not because of mask wearing, but because of hand washing, clean facilities and common sense. Masks do much more harm if you actually follow the science and turn off the liberal driven media. It’s all about control. There is no science showing that masks work. Especially the cloth ones they talk about. This so-called “variant” can’t even be tested for, it’s more an idea than anything. The PCR tests can’t decipher between different variants, hell, they can’t even credibly differentiate between Covid & influenza. Even the corrupt CDC (which is a private organization by the way) admits that the test resulted in way too many false positives, which is why they are discontinuing it on December 31st. We are being played. This disease is no where as deadly or severe as they make it out to be. Our kids have strong immune systems and will be fine 99.99% of the time. Masks are a joke, it’s just virtue signaling 101. My hope is that parents and community members come out in droves for the special board meeting in a few weeks. Make our voices heard, speak truths, and let these people know that we won’t be silent and fall victim to this farce. And remember there’s also the choice to take our students out of the district. Without kids they have no jobs. Heartland Christian or other area schools (Laporte, Clearbrook, etc.) would be more than happy to take more kids, hey and heartland may even reduce tuition costs if they see a mass influx of students!!! Lol wishful thinking.
My BIGGEST CONCERN: Will Parents be able to have the option to have their kids do distant learning again this school year, as the fear of high risk families contacting the viruse’s due to the lack of participation of vacinations and masking. Will you allow for these students/families to be able to do distance learning if they are very uncomfortable letting thier chilren attend in person school. yes or no, and when will we find out? School is quickly approaching and need to know if we need to reconsider other options.