(Updated August,20 2021)
Stakeholder Group:
Kathleen Bove – Teacher
Britt Buckenroth – Librarian
Kelli Heslin – Teacher
Candace Horton – Parent
Chris Howe – Transportation
Matthew Klafehn – Principal
Andrew Kourt- Superintendent
Lisa Kreutziger – Secretary
Joshua Noble – Principal
Val Ozga – Parent
Christina Seyerlein – School Nurse
Christina Weiner – Parent
Communication/Family Engagement
Health and Safety
Facilities
Child Nutrition (school meals)
Transportation
Social-Emotional Well-being
School Schedules
Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism
Technology and Connectivity
Teaching and Learning
Special Education
Bilingual Education and World Languages
Teacher and Principal Evaluation System
Certification, Incidental Teaching and Substitute Teaching
COVID Screening and Testing
Contact Tracing
School Closure
Screening Testing
Extracurricular Activities
COVID Coordinator: The Superintendent of Schools, Andrew Kourt, is the designated COVID-19 safety coordinator. It is the coordinator’s responsibility to oversee continuous compliance with the In-Person Learning plan as well as ongoing updates to the plan in response to CDC, DOH, NYSED, and district experience and government requirements.
I.) Communication/Family and Community Engagement
The school district has engaged stakeholders through stakeholder group meetings, county DOH meetings, bargaining unit leadership meetings, meetings with local government officials, advice of legal counsel, and BOCES Component District meetings to develop its reopening plan. The Columbia County Department of Health, NY State Department of Health, NYSED, local government agencies and the governor’s office provide ongoing information that will be used to update our plan over time.
The district will continue to provide information through multiple modes including the district website, phone calls, emails, and the School Messenger system. Additionally, each district building will be provided with appropriate signage to remind and inform visitors, staff and students about safety protocols such as handwashing, social distancing and appropriate use of face coverings.
The district will host virtual community sessions to provide information on updates to our in person learning plan with the opportunity for parents to ask questions in the chat feature.
The District is committed to providing ongoing instruction and training in COVID-19 symptoms, hygiene practices and contagion mitigation. We fully understand that our behaviors are the greatest factor affecting our safety with respect to contagion.
We work diligently and consistently to encourage all faculty, students, staff and visitors to adhere to CDC and DOH guidance regarding the use of PPE, social distancing and handwashing so that we can contribute to our own health and the health of members of our larger community. We will communicate in the language(s) spoken at home and in a manner accessible to those with hearing and/or visual impairments.
II.) Health and Safety
Faculty and Staff Health Screening – The district will require daily completion of a digital pre-work health screening for all faculty and staff, reviewed by direct supervisors. This screening tool will be emailed directly to faculty and staff members.
Student Health Screening Tool – Parents are required to complete a daily health screener for their child. This screening tool will be emailed to families directly each morning. The school nurses will monitor this tool and contact families if the tool was not completed.
Daily Temperature Checks – All students and staff will engage in daily temperature monitoring. Staff who have a temperature in excess of 100 degrees will not report to work. Students who display symptoms of COVID-19 or a fever of 100 degrees or more will be placed in supervised isolation until a parent can bring the student home and bring the student for medical evaluation and clearance to return to school.
Isolation Room – Each building has a dedicated isolation room. Students with symptoms of illness will be sent home, using extreme caution to reduce contagion to the extent possible.
Visitors – Only those who have specific school business and prior approval from the building administrator may enter the school buildings. If approved, visitors must complete a screening questionnaire. Temperature must be taken, and the visitor must wear a mask. Families may drop items off in school vestibules for students. Visitors will be allowed into our buildings by appointment only.
Physical Distancing – Responsible parties must ensure that appropriate physical distancing is maintained between individuals while in school facilities and on school grounds, inclusive of students, faculty, and staff, unless safety or the core activity (e.g., instruction, moving equipment, using an elevator, traveling in common areas) requires a shorter distance or individuals are of the same household.
- By current CDC guidelines, Students in grades K-12 will maintain at least a 3 feet physical distance from other students within classrooms. Out of caution, the New Lebanon Central School District is going to attempt a greater physical distance up to 6 feet whenever possible for our students.
- A distance of at least 6 feet is recommended between students and teachers/staff and between teachers/staff who are not fully vaccinated.
- Students participating in activities that require projecting the voice (e.g., singing) or playing a wind instrument must be six feet apart and there must be six feet of distance between the performers and the audience during performances and concerts.
- Six feet of physical distance must be maintained in common areas and outside of classrooms (e.g. lobbies, auditoriums, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and hallways), where possible.
- Six feet of distance is required when eating meals or snacks, or drinking, or other times masks must be removed. This may mean that meals cannot be eaten in classrooms that have been converted to three feet of physical distance during instruction time.
- Students and faculty/staff will maintain a 6 feet physical distance when participating aerobic activity resulting in heavy breathing, for example during PE class or recess
Face Masks – Face masks are required at all times indoors, except for meals and/or mask breaks
- Students who are unable to medically tolerate a mask, including students where such a mask would impair their physical health or mental health are not subject to the required use of a mask.
- Responsible parties should offer assistance to students who may have difficulty in adapting to wearing a mask.
- Mask breaks are permitted as long as students are 6 feet apart from one another
- The district will have masks available for anyone who needs them
- Anyone in common areas, such as hallways, is expected to wear a mask. Office employees, while seated at their desk, capable of maintaining social distancing and when no visitors are entering the office, may lower their masks. Similarly, teachers may lower their masks when alone in their classrooms. However, when visitors enter the office or classroom, all staff members must wear a mask.
- Effective June 7, 2021, face masks are not required to be worn outdoors on school grounds, including during outdoor school sports. However, Responsible Parties may choose to require face masks outdoors on school grounds, subject to the parameters of this guidance. No student, teacher, staff member, or visitor may be prevented from wearing an acceptable face mask voluntarily on school grounds.
- Masks do not have to be worn during outdoor recess but students should stay in cohorts and be physically distanced.
Returning to School After a Quarantine or Positive COVID Case: The Columbia County DOH will be contacted to provide the most current protocols for practices regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases. In no case will an employee or student with a confirmed COVID-19 case return to school without a medical release. We will rely on consultation with the DOH about the requirements for determining when individuals, particularly students, who screen positive for COVID-19 symptoms can return to the school. This return requires at a minimum, documentation of evaluation by a healthcare provider (healthcare provider’s note clearing a person to return to school), and symptom resolution, or if COVID -19 positive, release from isolation as required by the DOH. Current advice from the CDC is for individuals who have been exposed to a case of COVID-19 to remain in isolation for 10 days. People with a positive test for COVID-19 but no symptoms can return after 10 days with no symptoms. Individuals who know that they have COVID or who have tested positive may return with a doctor’s release after 10 days since the first appearance of symptoms and at least 24 hours with no fever and no fever reducing drugs. Because these limits have changed over time and are likely to change going forward, the district will defer to the DOH when allowing students and staff to return to school. The district will continue to post updates to these guidelines, but the current advice of the DOH will always be the determining factor. In all cases, the district will assist the DOH in contact tracing efforts and with follow up on testing protocols.
III.) Facilities
Cleaning and Disinfecting – All schools will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily. High-touch areas will be sanitized regularly throughout the school day. High touch areas on buses will be sanitized between bus runs. All staff will be instructed in sanitizing protocols so that these may be used between users in classrooms and other spaces to the extent possible. Sanitizing spray will be available throughout the school and specifically in each classroom so that areas may be sprayed by users prior to use to increase their confidence in their environment. Our cleaning and maintenance staff will be cleaning and sanitizing daily all areas occupied by students, faculty and staff. Each employee will maintain a log that includes the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection for each room. The Business Official, who is responsible for facilities and grounds, will review the logs regularly and will provide training in cleaning and sanitizing expectations for maintenance staff. As applicable, the district will comply with the current Building and Condition survey and will perform all tests and inspections required by regulations, codes and laws. The testers will follow all of the safety protocols described in this plan.
Public Use of Indoor Facilities – For the current time, there will be no use of the facilities by community organizations. We will evaluate this monthly in conjunction with Columbia County DOH.
Water Fountains – Water fountains will be turned off. Classroom’s will have cups available so that students in the elementary school can get water from the faucet and water bottle stations will be available for students at the Jr/Sr High School.
Emergency Drills – All safety drills will be conducted as per NYSED regulations. For lock-down drills, the drill will be modified to allow social distancing of 3 feet or more. The teacher conducting the drill in any specific classroom will review that in an actual emergency, students may have to be closer together, but for the purposes of the drill, all contagion mitigation strategies will remain in place.
Ventilation – All of our facilities, classrooms and offices have windows for natural ventilation. Our faculty are instructed to open windows when weather permits. Our mechanical ventilation system has filters that are changed according to the schedule as determined by the manufacturer and according to guidelines of our health and safety experts.
Space Configuration – Classroom spaces will be modified so that students’ work spaces are physically distanced to at least 3 feet apart (the district will make every attempt to space out desks further when possible) Unnecessary furniture and objects will be removed to help maximize the distance between students and for better airflow. All desks should face the same direction and/or students should be seated on the same side of tables.
Work Spaces – Students will not share work spaces when possible. If students have to share a space the area will be cleaned and disinfected between uses.
Lockers – At this time per recommendation of Columbia County DOH use of lockers at the Jr./Sr. High School will not be permitted. This will be re-assessed regularly.
Cubbies – At the Elementary School cubbies should be spaced out and students should be organized so that they are physically distanced by 6 feet. Teachers should use bins to help space students out.
Foot Traffic – Measures will be put in place to reduce bi-directional foot traffic using tape or signs with arrows in hallways, or spaces throughout the school, and post signage and distance markers denoting spaces of at least 3 feet in all commonly used areas and any areas in which lines are commonly formed or people may congregate (e.g., outdoor spaces, libraries, cafeterias, health screening stations).
Assigned Student Workspaces – For contact tracing purposes all students in every classroom should have an assigned seat. These assigned seats should be documented and maintained by the classroom and or special teacher. The seating charts should be shared with the school office.
IV.) Child Nutrition
If students are in school they will have time in their day for breakfast and lunch. Meals will continue to meet all nutritional requirements.
There is currently no cost to breakfast or lunch due to a Federal Free meal program.
If in-person instruction is not provided and students are all learning remotely, we will provide all the meals they would receive at school. Families will be notified when meals can be picked up from school.
Students will be 6 feet physically distanced between other individuals while eating in the school cafeteria. If not feasible, meals may be served in alternate areas (e.g., classrooms) or in staggered meal periods to ensure physical distancing.
Face masks must be worn while transitioning to and from their lunch tables, while in the kitchen, and any other time that the student is not eating.
Between each lunch period cleaners will clean and sanitize each table in the cafeteria according to DOH guidelines. Students will be encouraged to dispose of all trash in an appropriate receptacle.
Students must wash hands before they eat and/or use hand sanitizer
Sharing of food and beverages is prohibited (e.g., buffet style meals, snacks), unless individuals are members of the same household. Adequate space should be reserved for students, faculty, and staff to observe physical distancing while eating meals.
Pre-packaged snacks could be brought in from home for student celebrations. Families are encouraged to order food from our district kitchen. Please make arrangements with your child’s teacher.
When students are given permission to eat or drink in their classroom, the students must be seated, facing one direction, and physically distanced 6 feet apart from their classmates. If a 6 foot physical distance is not set up in a specific classroom – the teacher will have to utilize a larger space. For example, snack room, the cafeteria, outside, etc.
For contact tracing purposes, students will have an assigned seat in the cafeteria. These seating charts should be documented and updated when needed.
V.) Transportation
Cleaning – Each bus in use will be cleaned and disinfected daily and high contact areas will be sanitized between each run. Because of their flammability, hand sanitizers will not be allowed on any bus. However, hand sanitizer will be available at multiple locations in the garage and in the schools.
Face Masks – Students and staff must wear a face covering while on any bus at all times. District employees may wear a face shield in addition to a cloth face covering. The district will request that parents/guardians provide an appropriate face covering for their child(ren), but the district will provide a face covering to any child who needs one so that no child is denied transportation for lack of a mask. Gloves will be provided on each bus in case a driver must assist a student directly.
Health Assessment – As is the case with all employees, staff in the transportation department will complete a health self-assessment prior to arriving at work. This health survey will be emailed to each driver each morning to complete. The guardian of each child is expected to complete their child’s health assessment before entering the bus.
Driving Students to and From School – Parents are encouraged to provide transportation to the extent that they are able. It is to our ability to transport students that we reduce our current ridership. This reduction will allow us to increase social distancing on each bus.
Physical Distancing On the Bus – Our intention is to physically distance our students on the school buses as much as possible. The bus seats will be used as barriers. Members of the same household will be required to always sit together in the same seat. As students are picked up, they will be distanced to the greatest extent possible. When possible, seats should be skipped on the bus to allow for physical distancing.
Assigned Seats – Each child should have an assigned seat and the driver should keep an accurate seating chart for contact tracing purposes. These seating charts should be updated regularly and a copy should be given to the head bus driver for quarantining purposes.
Ventilation – Windows and top hatches will remain open on the buses as long as weather allows.
VI.) Social Emotional Well-Being
Communities and schools are facing unprecedented challenges as we respond to this global pandemic. Our school community (students, parents, faculty, and staff) has experienced extremely stressful and sometimes traumatic experiences while isolated from school, friends, and community. To the best of our ability, the district will support our students, faculty, and staff members’ social and emotional wellbeing regardless of whether instruction is in person, remote, or hybrid.
Our Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Program Plan is reviewed and updated annually to better meet our student’s current needs. This plan has been developed under the direction of our school counselor. Each building’s shared decision making (SDM) teams will review this plan and make recommendations for changes or updates as necessary. The SDM advisory team will include representative stakeholders.
A mental health team consisting of school psychologists, counselors, and administrators meets monthly during the school year to review student mental health referrals, current programs, student needs, and emotional support services. This group will also gather and provide resources for students, their families, and our faculty/staff to the best of our ability.
As it becomes available, professional development opportunities will be provided to faculty and staff to enhance our ability to support students during and after COVID-19. Professional development will also provide support for coping and resilience skills for students, faculty, and staff. These opportunities will be provided during faculty meetings, conference days, and grade level meetings.
VII.) School Schedules
In Person Instruction – At Walter B Howard Elementary School and the Jr/Sr High School all students in grades Pk-12 will be in attendance for in-person instruction Monday through Friday.
Full Time Remote Learning – The New Lebanon Central School District is not offering a full time virtual program for students during the 2021-2022 school year. If a child has a medical reason and a document from a physician the district will evaluate the request and potentially provide a remote program through a BOCES supported program. This learning experience will not be provided by New Lebanon faculty and staff. There will be a long term commitment to this program and students will not be able to go back and forth from in person to virtual learning. To apply to this program a written request should be sent to the superintendent with a document from the child’s physician. The superintendent will then consult with the district’s physician to grant the request. The request will then have to be submitted to the building level 504 team. This team will then work to create a 504 plan for the child consisting of a virtual learning experience due to a medical reason.
Remote Instruction Due to School Closure or Student Quarantine – Should circumstances require a transition or continuation of 100% remote instruction, assigned times will be established for teachers and students to meet remotely. This may be organized by grade level, partial classroom groups, or subject specific courses. Scheduled times for virtual meetings will be communicated to students and families. Additionally, resources to aid in learning (recorded video lessons, assignments, web sites, applications, etc.) will be shared with families by the child’s teacher. Google Classroom will be the platform used whenever practical to house all class-specific information and assignments.
Long Term Remote Learning Plan will be shared in early September 2021 – this document will be posted on the district website
VIII.) Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism
Research has shown that there is a direct link between student attendance and participation in learning on achievement. Student attendance will be taken daily using the student management.
If a student is quarantined due to a positive COVID case a child’s teacher will provide work like any other absence due to a medical illness. The quarantine paperwork and medical documents should be sent to the school nurse. If a child is out for an extended amount of time due to a medical absence, the district will provide an educational tutor. Again medical documentation must be provided to the child’s school.
When a child does not attend school for an extended amount of time and the child’s family does not communicate with the school and/or provide the necessary medical documentation, the district is obligated to report educational neglect. The statewide central register of child abuse and neglect will be contacted only as a last resort after all other strategies to connect with students have been exhausted.
IX.) Technology and Connectivity
Chromebooks – Students in grades K-12 will have full access to a Chromebook during school day. Students in grades 4-12 are likely to take their device back and forth from school to home. A Chromebook will be provided to all students to take home if in person learning is paused due to an emergency school closure.
Connectivity – The district has increased access to high speed internet by creating hotspots in its parking lots. The New Lebanon Town Hall and the New Lebanon Library also offer access from outside their buildings. Given the local geography and the lack of broadband suppliers in the area, this increased access is intended to mitigate the lack of broadband or the lack of sufficient access for some of our households.
Programs – The district will continue to enhance our technology programs and tools that we use in the district to instruct our students. Students will be able to display evidence of learning through creations of digital products using multiple digital platforms.
X.) Teaching and Learning
In-person instruction and long term remote learning will be delivered regularly to students by a NYS certified teacher and will be aligned to NYS Learning Standards.
Instruction will be accessible to all students, whether delivered in person or remotely. In order to mitigate concerns regarding availability of technology, the district will provide students with computing devices and will be establishing multiple locations within the district for families to go to obtain free Wi-Fi access.
Email and Google Classroom will be the established methods for students and families to communicate to teachers with regard to instruction and use of technology. Information from building principals will be disseminated through email, text and/or phone messaging using the School Messenger System. The student management system parent and student portals will continue to be utilized to communicate grading, attendance and student discipline information. Parents will be strongly encouraged to create a portal account so that they may better monitor their child’s progress throughout the year.
Whenever present in a school building, all persons will follow health and safety guidelines outlined in NYSED guidance and required by the New York State Department of Health.
XI) Special Education
Regardless of the mode in which services are provided, either in-person, remote or a combination of remote and in-person, students will receive their required services consistent with the provisions of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and consistent with the need to protect the health and safety of students with disabilities and those individuals providing special education and services.
The special education department will continue its notification protocols and will maintain all records through the IEP Direct system to document services and programs offered and to provide a continuity of services. As required by regulation and IDEA, the district will maintain communication in the parent’s preferred language and mode of communication regarding their child’s plan. Regardless of the mode of instruction, either in-person or remote the district will maintain all current modes of communication.
During our professional development days and Special Education department meetings the district will provide time to review and revise our methods to support an understanding of the provision of services consistent with the recommendations in students’ individualized education programs (IEPs) as well as plans for monitoring and communicating student progress. Special Education teachers will continue to collaborate with general education teachers to modify (as appropriate) the curricula outlined above for Students with Disabilities as per each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal(s).
Resource Room and Special Class teachers shall continue to plan and provide instructional activities related to each student’s IEP goal(s) or other learning goals regardless of the mode of instruction, either in-person or remote.
Reading teachers and Therapists (OT, PT, etc.) will continue to plan small group and individualized learning for students on their caseloads regardless of the mode of instruction, either in-person or remote.
XII.) Bilingual Education and World Languages
All ELL (English Language Learner) services will continue throughout the district. New Lebanon Central School District will complete the ELL identification process as required by Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154. Eligible students will be provided with instruction based upon their most recently measured English language proficiency level. Communication for parents/guardians of ELL students will be provided in their preferred language and mode of communication.
XIII) Teacher and Principal Evaluation System
All teachers and principals will be evaluated according to the district’s current APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review) plan to the extent possible if the district is providing instruction in a remote model or if NYSED suspends Regents Exams for an additional year. The district will use the approved observation tool. Should the district be providing instruction remotely, administration will conduct observations according to the plan to the extent that elements can be observed in a remote model of instruction. We do not anticipate making any changes to our APPR.
VXIV.) Certification, Incidental Teaching, and Substitute Teaching
All teachers will hold valid and appropriate certificates for their teaching assignments except where otherwise allowable under the Commissioner’s regulation or under Education Law. At this time, all teachers and teaching assistants in New Lebanon are working within their certification areas.
XV.) COVID-19 Screening and Testing:
COVID Symptoms In School – In the event an individual screens confirmed for COVID-19 symptoms while at school, meaning that they have a fever, or appear symptomatic while at school with any of the COVID-19 symptoms identified by the CDC, they will be placed in an isolation area. A parent or guardian will be called to pick their child up from school immediately. Staff members will be asked to leave immediately. Individuals will be referred to their primary care provider (PCP) for evaluation
COVID Symptoms at Home – If a child has any symptoms of COVID it is essential that the child stays home from school. We ask that the child’s guardian to call the school nurse and the nurse will inform the parent of next steps according to DOH protocols. The school nurse will inform the parent that the school will need a negative COVID test, and/or a note from their doctor, or the child will have to quarantine at home before the child can return back to school. If the primary care provider (PCP) determines that the symptoms are not COVID-19 related, a note from the primary care provider (PCP) stating such diagnosis must be provided in order to return to school or work. If the primary care provider (PCP) determines that the symptoms are COVID-19 related, testing must occur. It is imperative that individuals seek medical evaluation from their primary care provider (PCP) to determine whether or not these symptoms are related to a known or diagnosed condition other than COVID-19 (i.e. ear infection, allergies, etc.).
Diagnostic and Screening Testing – Any member of the school community who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, is a direct contact of a person identified as having COVID-19 or has been otherwise exposed to COVID-19 should immediately seek diagnostic testing. Schools should make sure families without regular access to healthcare know where in the community to find testing if needed.
Positive Screen Protocols – Any individual who screens positive for COVID-19 exposure or symptoms, if screened at the school, must be immediately sent home with instructions to contact their health care provider for assessment and testing.
- Students who are being sent home because of a positive screen (e.g., onset of COVID-19 symptoms) must be immediately separated from other students and supervised until their parent/legal guardian or emergency contact can retrieve them from school.
- Responsible parties should provide such individuals with information on health care and testing resources, if applicable.
- Responsible parties must immediately notify the state and local health department about the case if diagnostic test results are positive for COVID-19.
- Asymptomatic individuals who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in the previous 3 months who screen positive for COVID-19 exposure may remain at school at discretion of the county DOH.
- Anyone with symptoms must be immediately sent home with instructions to contact their health care provider for assessment and testing irrespective of vaccination status or previous COVID-19 infection.
- The school will conduct a deep cleaning of all areas in which the child or adult had contact with.
XVI.) Contact Tracing
District Protocols -When the district is informed of a positive COVID 19 case, the following procedures will be observed:
- The District will contact the Department of Health for specific quarantining details on every specific case
- Based on the information, the district will contact-trace all students and staff who were in contact with the COVID positive person. These decisions are based on current DOH guidelines.
- A district staff member will call any families and employees who will have to be quarantined based on being in direct contact with the infected person.
- The district superintendent will send a letter by email to all district families and faculty/staff notifying the community of a confirmed positive case
- The County Department of Health Contact Tracing Team will contact each family and staff member who was a direct contact with the positive individual with quarantining directions.
- The School district, in conjunction with the DOH, will make a determination if the classroom, grade level or school is safe to maintain in person learning.
As noted in the New York State Department of Education’s guidance to schools for reopening…“Contact tracing is a public health function performed by local public health departments to trace all persons who had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. This allows public health officials to put in place isolation or other measures to limit the spread of the virus. Schools must cooperate with state and local health department contact tracing. Schools can assist public health departments in knowing who may have had contact at school with a confirmed case by:
- keeping accurate attendance records of students and staff members;
- ensuring student schedules are up to date;
- keeping a log of any visitors which includes date, time and where in the school they visited; and
- Assist local health departments in tracing all contacts of the individual at school in accordance with the protocol, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program.
Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state laws and regulations. School staff should not try to determine who is to be excluded from school based on contact without guidance and direction from the local department of health.”
In the event an individual is identified as a confirmed case within a school, the County Health Department will determine a starting date for which the school will need to provide contact tracing information. This date will be 48 hours prior to the individual becoming symptomatic. To this end, the school district will need to keep records that will be made available to the County Health Department for those who may have been in close contact with the confirmed case. Any close contacts will be identified by the County Health Department. The district COVID-19 School Safety Coordinator will be asked to assist the county with quarantine surveillance monitoring of contacts in connection with a confirmed case in a school.
If a student or staff member is identified by the County Health Department as a contact, they will be contacted by a county case manager and be instructed to quarantine for 10 days. Any contact identified by the County Health Department may not return to school until such a time as they are released from mandatory quarantine by the case manager.
VXVII.) School Closure
School closure decisions will occur in consultation with the County Health Department. This may involve the closure of a classroom, grade level or entire facility depending on the quantity of suspected and/or confirmed cases. There may be no need to close a school building if the County Health Department determines that the identified close contacts are excluded from school and the facility may continue normal operations. Full closure of a school facility may be necessary in some situations and will be implemented on a case-by-case basis.
XVIII.) Screening Testing
Screening testing identifies infected people, including those with or without symptoms (or before development of symptoms) who may be contagious, so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission. In K-12 schools, screening testing can help promptly identify and isolate cases, quarantine those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and are not fully vaccinated, and identify clusters to reduce the risk to in-person education. Screening testing can be used to help evaluate and adjust prevention strategies and provide added protection for schools that are not able to provide optimal physical distance between students.
New Lebanon CSD is following CDC recommendations for all students, athletes and for students participating in extracurricular activities.
| Indicator | Low Transmission
Blue |
Moderate Transmission
Yellow |
Substantial Transmission
Orange |
High Transmission
Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total new cases per 100,000 persons in the past 7 days2 | 0-9 | 10-49 | 50-99 | ≥100 |
| Percentage of NAATs that are positive during the past 7 days3 | <5.0% | 5.0%-7.9% | 8.0%-9.9% | ≥10.0% |
Parents will have to complete a consent for COVID testing form before the district tests students for COVID19.
A random 10% sampling of students, faculty, and staff whose guardian has given consent will be tested once weekly in school.
The Columbia County Department of Health is highly encouraging all athletes, no matter their vaccination status to participate in weekly COVID testing. The New Lebanon CSD is asking all athletes to participate in COVID testing. The reason for this is, our local health department has seen an increase in people who are vaccinated test positive with COVID. It is our goal to keep our students safe and keep our buildings open for in person learning and extracurricular activities. This testing measure is in abundance of caution and exceeds the CDC recommendations. If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me at akourt@newlebanoncsd.org.
XIX.) Extracurricular Activities
It is the New Lebanon Central School District’s goal to provide our students with extracurricular opportunities throughout the school year. In order to do this there will have to be extra safety precautions established for all such activities.
Athletics: (Subject to change depending on DOH and Wasaran League guidelines)
Masks
Outdoor Sports – No masks required for athletes and coaches, highly recommended for high-risk sports and/or those unvaccinated
Indoor Sports – Masks required for all athletes and spectators
Spectators
Outdoor Sports – Masks not required, but highly recommended for unvaccinated individuals. All spectators should physically distance unless from the same household
Indoor Sports – Limited Spectators, masked at all times. All spectators should physically distance unless from the same household
Concession
Will be allowed with precautions
If indoors, masks should be worn at all times unless eating. When eating and masks off 6 foot physical distancing must take place
Workers/Servers – Masked indoors and outdoors
COVID Testing
The Columbia County Department of Health is highly encouraging all athletes, no matter their vaccination status to participate in weekly COVID testing. The New Lebanon CSD is asking all athletes to participate in COVID testing. The reason for this is, our local health department has seen an increase in people who are vaccinated test positive with COVID. It is our goal to keep our students safe and keep our buildings open for in person learning and extracurricular activities. This testing measure is in abundance of caution and exceeds the CDC recommendations. If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact Superintendent Andrew Kourt at akourt@newlebanoncsd.org.
Student Clubs:
We are putting a hold on student clubs in both buildings during the month of September. We are hoping to be able to offer in person clubs to our students in the near future. More information to come on requirements for participation in clubs.