District 196 is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for each employee, student, parent and visitors to our buildings. This operational plan identifies and explains the practices and protocols to help ensure we have a safe and healthy learning environment, and help mitigate transmission of COVID-19 in our school communities during the 2021-22 school year.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change rapidly, this plan will be updated to reflect any shift in protocol, guidance and/or requirements.
Our primary focus continues to be the education of our students, while integrating health and safety responses into our existing pre-pandemic public health support. The district will continue to support the recommendations of public health agencies. We look forward to our continued partnership in this school year, and we remain committed to educational success and keeping our learning communities safe.
Our COVID-19 Operational Plan is rooted in prevention strategies based on community spread, vaccination coverage, populations at risk and efficacy of mitigation steps. It is important to remember that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts high vaccination numbers combined with low community spread lessen the need for masking and other prevention strategies.
The CDC also identifies masks and the vaccine as effective preventative strategies that can lessen the time a person should be in isolation or quarantine, and can influence the trajectory of transmission.
Along with CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), we strongly recommend people to get vaccinated, when eligible. For more information about vaccinations and to schedule an appointment, visit the MDH website. We also strongly recommend families and students to get tested regularly. Find a testing site near you by visiting MDH website.
We recommend every student and family regularly review the following:
This plan is updated as needed, and follows all applicable executive orders, and current guidance and standards from the MDH, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the CDC, and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). If you have questions about the plan, contact your principal or program coordinator.
Public health agencies will continue to guide our decision-making process and the Minnesota Department of Health Recommended COVID-19 Decision Tree and Minnesota Department of Health Recommendations for Handling a Confirmed Case of COVID-19 will act as guidance to help determine protocol and next steps related to monitoring, quarantining and notification. The district is required to report all positive COVID-19 cases to MDH. And all families are required to report their student(s) positive test results to their building.
All staff and students who intend to participate in person are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to get tested for COVID-19 regularly. Review the MDH COVID-19 Testing Recommendations to help determine when/if you need to be tested. Find a testing site near you by visiting MDH website or review the following options:
State of Minnesota Community Testing Sites: https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/index.jsp
State of Minnesota/Vault: https://learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-minnesota/
Valley Medical & Wellness: https://www.valleymedical.com/contents/covid-19
Walgreens: https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-testing.jsp
Anyone experiencing symptoms or has been identified as a close contact should stay home, get tested and refer to the CDC’s recommendations for quarantine and isolation. [Updated March 1, 2022]
However, if a person has had lab-confirmed COVID-19 in the past 90 days and is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, retesting is not recommended. The person should remain home until symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free for 24 hours. [Updated March 1, 2022]
If a student is symptomatic at school, the school will notify a parent/guardian for the student to be picked up. Additional mitigation strategies may be implemented in this scenario.
If a person tests positive for COVID-19 and has symptoms, they are REQUIRED to stay home and isolate for at least five days. The five-day isolation period must start with day zero being the first day symptoms started OR the day the positive test was taken, if symptoms don’t exist. A student may return on day six if symptoms have improved AND they have been fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medication. All families are required to report their student(s) positive test results to their building. The building is REQUIRED to report positive COVID-19 tests to MDH through the RedCap portal. [Updated January 12, 2022]
If the person tests positive for COVID-19 and does not have symptoms, they are REQUIRED to stay home for at least five days, with day zero being the day they tested positive. [Updated January 12, 2022] Community members are encouraged to reach out to those people they determine to be close contacts when they are the positive case. All families are REQUIRED to report their student(s) positive test results to their building. [Updated January 12, 2022]
Additional mitigation strategies may be implemented in the classroom in which the positive case was identified. If a school learns of a positive COVID-19 test during school hours, the administration will notify a parent/guardian for the student to be picked up.
Beginning January 17, 2022, school COVID-19 teams will no longer be required to send daily or weekly COVID-19 case notifications to families, as this information is provided weekly on our COVID-19 Dashboard, which is available on all school websites. [Updated January 12, 2022]
The dashboard is updated each school-contact day with current student and employee positive cases, and it is updated weekly with vaccination data and county case rates. The information is collected from the CDC, MDH and all schools. Visit the COVID-19 Dashboard at District196.org/covid19. [Updated March 1, 2022]
Effective immediately, face masks are no longer required to be worn in District 196 buildings or on school buses or other district transportation. This COVID-19 protocol aligns with the CDC’s revised guidance around face masks in K-12 settings and on school transportation. [Updated March 1, 2022]
Mask-wearing is a personal mitigation choice. The district supports families’ and students’ decision to continue wearing a mask.
The COVID-19 Community Levels is a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Using this mitigation matrix, there are no situations that would prompt districts to require the use of masks.
Take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in your area. [Added March 1, 2022]
Social distancing (also called physical distancing) means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. Social distancing continues to be a critical tool in decreasing the spread of COVID-19. All persons in the building and on district transportation must do their best to provide as much space as possible between themselves and other people.
Floor markings will be placed at building entrances, service counters and throughout the school to indicate where people should stand and provide directional flow and spacing for social distancing.
Signage will be posted in all district buildings promoting health and safety.
Proper hygiene practices such as frequent handwashing with soap and water, cleaning hands using hand sanitizer and disinfecting surfaces will be implemented and taught at all schools.
Appropriate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (e.g., soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant) will be available and strategically placed in areas where they may be/are frequently used.
Schools will build routines of hand hygiene into the daily school schedule for all students and staff, including handwashing and sanitation breaks during or between classroom activities.
HEPA filters will remain in all instructional spaces and buildings.
Regular cleaning and disinfection of our learning spaces and vehicles will continue, and they will be cleaned and disinfected regularly using disinfectant products that are approved and effective against the COVID-19 virus.
All meals throughout the 2021-22 school year are free, regardless of eligibility, for all in-person District 196 students ages 18 and younger, due to special funding from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. The District 196 Food and Nutrition Services Department will follow practices consistent with MDH, MDE and CDC health and safety guidelines when serving students in our schools.
Mealtime health and safety measures include:
Scannable meal IDs replace keypad system
Keep classes together, where possible
Alternate seats, where possible
Single-use silverware available
HEPA filters in cafeterias
Cleaning and disinfecting between meal times
Face masks are no longer required to be worn on District 196 buses or in any district transportation vehicles. [Updated March 1, 2022]
Bus ride recommendations including boarding, seating and school arrival:
Every student preK-12+ has access to a district-owned iPad. The district will assist families who need access to the internet. Technical support is provided for students and families.
Zoom, Schoology and Seesaw are the tools used to connect students and teachers.
Hot spots are available for students who do not have reliable access to the internet. Contact your school directly to submit a request for a free hotspot.
Engaging, enriching and inspiring opportunities for students during non-school hours is an important component of a well-rounded education. Therefore:
Band and instrumental music programming is safer when conducted outdoors.
When inside, provide as much space as possible between participants.
Personal protective equipment, including instrument bell covers, HEPA filters in instructional space, and sanitizers and cleaning products, will be available.
Students are able to participate in athletics and activities according to guidelines set forth by the Minnesota State High School League and the district. Review the MSHSL COVID-19 protocols.
District facilities are available for community use according to guidelines set forth by the CDC and the district.
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a tremendous amount of stress, fear and anxiety for many people. It’s normal to be experiencing these feelings right now. And it is important to be gentle with yourself and others, and to take steps to support both your own and your family’s mental well-being.
Additional staff is in place at schools to assist with the various needs of students, including school counselors, psychologists, social workers and nurses.
Use the district’s Virtual Calming Room for mindfulness opportunities. Your school staff is available to guide you to additional available resources, both within the district and within the community.
Mental Health Resources
A physical copy of this plan is available at every building in the front office. All staff, students, families and visitors are expected to comply with and follow the established guidelines and protocols in this plan for the health and safety of our community. Site leaders and supervisors are expected to ensure compliance with these provisions and support employees as needed.
If you have questions about anything in this 2021-22 COVID-19 Operational Plan for Students, Families & Guests plan, talk with your principal first. If you have further questions, contact a member of the Pandemic Operational Plan Team.
District 196 websites are now mobile-first! The desktop navigation on all of our websites is now condensed into a single-click hamburger menu icon located at the top right of websites. This update mirrors the design and functionality of the site as accessed by a mobile device. Get started by clicking the MENU icon.
