COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for AOD Schools

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

• All staff and students will wear facial coverings when in classrooms, except (1) while eating and (2) unless face coverings cannot be medically tolerated as documented through written and signed verification by a physician.
• All passengers and drivers will wear facial coverings when on a school bus, except (1) when eating and (2) unless face coverings cannot be medically tolerated as documented through written and signed verification by a physician, with parental consent.
• All staff and all students in grades pre-kindergarten and up will wear facial coverings when in indoor hallways and common areas, except (1) when eating and (2) unless face coverings cannot be medically tolerated as documented through written and signed verification by a physician, with parental consent.
• AOD schools will not conduct indoor assemblies that bring together more students than the most recent MDHHS Health Order allows.
• School Masses may be allowed in church or non-church spaces (auditoriums, gyms, etc.) and may bring together students from more than one class, provided that all AOD Mass guidelines are followed.

HYGIENE

• Provide adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (including soap, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol for safe use by staff and students, paper towels, tissues, and signs reinforcing proper handwashing techniques).
• Systematically and frequently check and refill soap and hand sanitizers.
• Daily, provide opportunities for handwashing with soap and water by students and teachers.
• Limit sharing of personal items and supplies such as writing utensils.
• Classrooms and frequently touched surfaces including desks, light switches, doors, benches, and bathrooms, will undergo regular cleaning with either an EPA-approved disinfectant or diluted bleach solution.

SPACING, MOVEMENT, AND ACCESS

• Space students as far apart as feasible in classrooms, whether desks or tables are utilized.
• Post signage to indicate proper social distancing.
• Place markers at six-foot intervals where line formation is anticipated.
• Provide social distancing markers in waiting and reception areas.
• Post signs on the doors of restrooms to indicate proper social distancing and hand hygiene techniques.
• Restrict entrance to the school to students and staff only, with the following allowances: Family members or other non-staff adults are not allowed in the school building except under circumstances determined by school officials. All non-staff adults entering the building must be screened for symptoms using a monitoring form, wear a facial covering, and wash/sanitize hands prior to entering. Strict records, including date and time, should be kept of all non-staff adults entering and exiting the building.

SCREENING STUDENTS AND STAFF

• Cooperate with the local public health department regarding implementing protocols for screening students and staff.
• Maintain a quarantine area and a staff person to care for students and staff who develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 at school.
• Students and staff who become ill with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 will be placed in an identified quarantine area with a facial covering in place, if able, until they can be picked up. Identified person caring for these children/staff will wear a facial covering.
• Symptomatic students and staff sent home from school will stay home until they have tested negative or have completely recovered according to CDC guidelines.
• Staff will conduct daily self-examinations, including a temperature check, prior to coming to work. If they exhibit any new or unusual symptoms as reported on the COVID-19 school monitoring form, they will stay home. Staff member will contact the school administrator.

TESTING PROTOCOLS FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF AND RESPONDING TO POSITIVE CASES

• Cooperate with the local public health department regarding implementing protocols for screening students and staff.
• Symptomatic students and staff will be kept home until they have tested negative for COVID-19 or have been released from isolation according to CDC guidelines.
• Families will be notified of the presence of any laboratory positive or clinically diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the classroom and/or school to encourage closer observation for any symptoms
  at home.

RESPONDING TO POSITIVE TESTS AMONG STAFF AND STUDENTS

• Cooperate with the local public health department if a confirmed case of COVID-19 is identified, and in particular, collect the contact information for any close contacts of the affected individual from two days before he or she showed symptoms to the time when he or she was last present at the school. The Local Health Department will initiate contact tracing, following regular public health practice.
• Notify local health officials, staff, and students immediately of any possible case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable federal and state privacy laws.

FOOD SERVICE, GATHERING, AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• If cafeterias are used and six feet of distance between students is not possible, meal times should be staggered or physical barriers should be used. Serving and cafeteria staff will use barrier protection including gloves, face shields, and surgical masks.
• Retreats, one day and overnight, are allowed provided that proper safety protocols are in place. Schools must present the safety plan to the AOD for approval before signing a contract or registering students. 
• In-person tours and on-site registration are allowed if all state health orders are followed and held outside of the school day.
• Allow all non-liturgical events at a parish at the discretion of the pastor, provided gathering sizes and capacity limits are observed (in compliance with the most recent MDHHS Order), social distancing is achieved, masks are worn and areas are disinfected after use.
• Activities involving singing and the use of musical instruments are permitted so long as masks can be worn at all times; slit masks are permitted only when students are playing wind or brass instruments. Please see MDHHS's Guidance for Band, Choir, and Orchestra Programs.

ATHLETICS

• Schools will comply with all guidance published by Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

BUSING AND STUDENT TRANSPORTATION
(INCLUDING EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND ATHLETICS)

Schools who use public school district busing will defer all safety guidelines to those providers. The following is intended for schools who are the direct provider of busing services.

• Schools will require the use of hand sanitizer before entering a school bus. Hand sanitizer will be supplied on the bus.
• The bus driver, staff, and all students in grades preK-12, if medically feasible, will wear facial coverings while on the bus. Note: there may be situations where it is not safe for the bus driver to wear a facial covering. Decisions about these situations should be made on a case-by-case basis with local public health officials.
• Schools will clean and disinfect transportation vehicles before and after every transit route. Children will not be present when a vehicle is being cleaned.
• Schools will clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces in the vehicle (e.g., surfaces in the driver’s cockpit, hard seats, arm rests, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, and grab handles) prior to morning routes and prior to afternoon routes.
• Schools will clean, sanitize, and disinfect equipment including items such as car seats, wheelchairs, walkers, and adaptive equipment being transported to schools daily.
• If a student becomes sick during the day, they will not use group transportation to return home and must follow protocols outlined above. If a driver becomes sick during the day, they will follow protocols for sick staff outlined above and will not return to drive students.

MENTAL & SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL HEALTH

• Schools are to identify a point person or establish an access navigator to facilitate mental health referrals, communications to families/ students, and public-facing wellness materials.
• Provide all staff with timely, responsive, and ongoing training/professional development.

RETURN TO SCHOOL TASK FORCE

CHAIR, VIC MICHAELS, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF

STUDENT SERVICES AND ATHLETICS, ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT

Fran Ashe, Finance Consultant for the Archdiocese of Detroit

Gabriela Bala, Elementary School Principal of Royal Oak St. Mary

Katie Brydges, Elementary School Principal of Birmingham St. Regis

Msgr. Charles Kosanke, Pastor and Rector of the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit and Most Holy Trinity Parish in Corktown

Christine Fornal, former Vice President of Nursing at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital

Jill Haines, Assistant Superintendent of School Finance & Government Programs, Archdiocese of Detroit

Judy Hehs, High School Principal of Wixom St. Catherine of Siena

Katherine Kalich, Elementary School Principal of St. Clair Shores St. Joan of Arc

Jeanine Kenny, Elementary and High School Principal of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes

Tom Reidy, President of Birmingham Brother Rice High School

Hon. Michael Warren, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge, General Civil/Criminal Division

Dr. Salvatore Ventimiglia, MD, Pediatrics Specialist at Shelby Pediatrics & Child Lung Center

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Evoy, Department of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Detroit

Emily Mentock, Director of Creative & Marketing Services, Archdiocese of Detroit

RESOURCES

GENERAL

CDC: Resources for Childcare, Schools, and Youth Programs

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html

Federal OSHA

www.osha.gov

HYGIENE

Handwashing video translated into multiple languages

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQuPGVcceg

CDC Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

CDC Hygiene Etiquette

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html

HOUSEKEEPING

CDC Disinfecting

http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

CDC Cleaning

http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

http://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

EMPLOYEES EXHIBITING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19

CDC Sickness Steps

http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

OSHA TRAINING

Federal OSHA

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf

SOCIAL DISTANCING

CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

Social distancing calculator

https://www.banquettablespro.com/socialdistancing-room-space-calculator

MENTAL HEALTH

Catholic Charities of SE Michigan

https://ccsem.org/covid-19-outreach-and-resources/resources/