Health and Safety Plans 2021 - 2022
Health and Safety Protocols for the Opening of Falmouth Public Schools
August, 2021
The #1 Priority for Falmouth Schools
All students in school, every day: safe, healthy and learning
Falmouth Schools Actions to Keep Kids in School
Vaccinations
- Staff (voluntarily) share their vaccination status in order to comply with state reporting requirements and inform close contact/quarantine procedures
- Families (voluntarily) share student vaccination status in order to inform close contact /quarantine procedures
- When a vaccine is made available for children under age 12, our Health Services Team will provide information and sponsor on-site clinics (based on availability) for community
- Fully vaccinated people who are asymptomatic do not have to quarantine when exposed to a positive COVID case
Masking
- Universal indoor masking for all students, staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. [exceptions: eating per distancing protocols and IEP/504 accommodations that include a provider’s note]
- Asymptomatic students who attend school where wearing masks indoors is consistently enforced and who were at least 3' away from the individual who tested positive (with no physical contact) in a classroom do not have to quarantine from the regular school day
Pool Testing
- Pool Testing and Binax testing, managed by medical professionals, with the consent and participation (voluntarily) of 30% of staff and students in each school [contingent on securing adequate staff and resources]
- Any student or staff member who participates in weekly pooled testing is exempt from quarantine if exposed to COVID at school and asymptomatic.
Ventilation (upgrades and maintenance of systems)
- All ventilation units (all schools) - 02 Prime Ionization installed last school year, rechecked this summer for optimum efficiency
- MS - New ventilation installed in small and large gyms
- MS - New HVAC unit installed in art/tech/ed/computer room wing
- All Schools- Increased frequency filter changes and upgraded from merc 8 to 11 (higher density filters)
- HS - All air handler unit room coils cleaned this summer
- MS - Room univents cleaned and filters changed over summer
- All air flow systems - Increased outdoor airflow to dilute any concentration of virus particles
- All air flow system units - confirmed all working as designed (this summer)
- Filters in all air flow units now checked more frequently by visual inspection and replaced when needed rather than as previously scheduled
Hygiene (hand washing and respiratory etiquette)
- Encourage regular hand washing
- Make hand sanitizer readily available throughout the schools
- Encourage positive habits related to sneezing, tissue disposal, etc.
Staying Home when sick
- Request all staff and students to conduct a symptom screener (currently being updated to account for high prevalence of certain symptoms due to seasonal allergies, etc.) each day prior to arriving at school
- Staff and students stay home / go home if sick
- Getting tested if symptomatic
Physical Distancing
- 3’ Distance where possible
- Eating (no masks)
- Students in assigned or recorded seats, distanced to the extent possible from a small group (4-8) of other students
- Elementary classrooms will be assigned to pods (2-3 classrooms per pod) to minimize mixing and reduce risk of exposure
- Use of Eco-spaces will continue to be encouraged
Contact Tracing
Compliance with Maine DOE/CDC Guidance around contact tracing
Cleaning/Disinfecting
- Sanitizing products will continue to be available for all staff in all rooms
- Covid-19 Cleaning protocols will continue to be followed