From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Trussville City Schools released a plan for reopening on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021.
The school system will only require masking when social distancing is not in place. No masking will be required while outdoors or while eating and drinking. TCS is asking parents to make sure their children have masks as part of their school supplies.
“There will be activities during the school day when wearing a mask is not needed,” TCS said in a letter. “There will be activities during the school day when a mask is needed.”
Masks will be needed in classrooms if students are within three feet of each other and in crowded hallways.
The TCS system plans to keep students at least three feet apart and will not allow visitors to schools. Plexiglass shields will remain in place, as well as cleaning and sanitizing stations throughout high-traffic areas.
Quarantine exemptions have changed this year. Below is more information on the reopening plan from www.trussvillecityschools.com:
Where did we get the details? From the ADPH Toolkit. Here is the link and a quick summary:
- The new ADPH Toolkit guides school systems with specific information to promote student health and create a safe school environment. This includes wearing a mask during group activities indoors where students are within three feet.
- School bus passengers and drivers must wear a mask.
- TCS employees will wear a mask indoors according to their proximity to others.
- Masks are not worn when eating or drinking.
- Masks are not designated for outdoor activities or in settings with maximum physical distancing.
- Thankfully, there are quarantine exemptions this year that are different from last year. This may keep your child in school on an exemption.
Please trust that the school nurses and administrators understand the Toolkit. We are starting the year once again with new health information, and we ask that you help us keep schools open by having your child bring a mask daily and wear it as instructed by the teacher or principal. This is a safety concern.
Our plan is so much better than last year, and we appreciate the Trussville parents for working with us to keep everyone safe and keep schools open. Working together means winning together!
Please see other TCS mitigation strategies below and thank you for your help and cooperation. We anticipate community metrics that may change the guidelines, so let’s all do our part to keep Trussville healthy and safe!
Thank you,
Dr. Pattie Neill, Superintendent
Trussville City Schools
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Reopening Information for Parents:
- Keep children home if they are sick or have COVID symptoms. See graphic below from the ADPH Toolkit (page 9).
- Be sure your student brings a mask every day.
- Understand that indoor masking is protective during activities where students are within three feet of each other (page 3).
- Attendance: Masks can prevent a 14-day quarantine for your child (page 3).
- COVID-related absences will be counted the same as last year.
- Masks are required by the CDC on school buses for all passengers and drivers (page 2).
- Vaccinations are recommended by health professionals for all eligible persons as the best way to mitigate COVID 19 (page 14).
- On the school supply list, please add a mask and a water bottle. Water fountains have been repurposed as “filling stations” for now.
Let’s work together by doing our part to keep schools safe and open five days per week!
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Exemptions from Quarantine
• Students can be exempt from quarantine if students are 1) masked, 2)three feet apart, and 3) have been in a properly ventilated area when a positive case is near (ADPH Toolkit page 3).
• Students are exempt from quarantine if they are both fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.
• Students who have had a confirmed COVID case in the past three months may be exempt from quarantine, if they do not have symptoms.
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Facility/Operational Safety Precautions
- Water fountains have become “filling stations.” Students should bring water bottles to refill as needed.
- Students will be socially distanced three feet apart, or more.
- No visitors in schools.
- One-way foot traffic will be the same as last year.
- Permanent plexiglass shields are still in place, and portable desk shields are still available.
- The same cleaning/sanitization plans are in place as last year, especially for high-touch, high-traffic areas.
- Hand sanitizer will be available.
- TCS HVAC systems recirculate outside air, so ventilation is maximized.
- Cafeteria seating will be socially-distanced and food serving methods are the same as last year.
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School Health Clinics
- Well-entrances and sick-entrances are still operational.
- School nurses will send students home if they have symptoms.
- School nurses will notify parents of close contacts with a positive case.
- Some students may be exempt from quarantine if students are masked, vaccinated, or have had COVID in the last 90 days.
- School nurses will report system numbers to the State COVID dashboard weekly.
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General Hygiene
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with others.
- Practice respiratory etiquette: sneeze into your elbow, keep hands off eyes, nose and mouth.
- Wash hands vigorously for 20 seconds multiple times a day.
- Have a clean storage space – or pocket – for mask storage when not in use.
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Academic Information
If your child has a COVID related absence due to quarantine or isolation, a quarantine facilitator (QF) will contact your child during this time periods as shown below. The following 8-step graphic describes how students in isolation/quarantine may continue their classwork if they feel well enough to participate.
Chromebooks and Schoology will be utilized the same as last year.