Return to School Plan for 2021-2022 – Revised Aug. 16, 2021
Sussex Technical School District Return to School Plan for 2021-2022 (revised Aug. 16 2021)
The Sussex Technical School District continues to collaborate with the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) and the Delaware Department of Public Health (DPH) to ensure the district complies with all health and safety requirements relative to The American Rescue Plan (ESSER III). Further, the district follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Sussex Technical School District has used and will continue to utilize these resources and public input to guide the allocation, spending, and implementation of strategies and actions that support the learning and social/emotional needs of students, educators, and families in the development of the Return to School Plan for 2021-2022. The district offered to receive feedback from faculty and parents on the priorities of the district and the best practices in meeting student’s social, emotional, mental, and physical health. Our Return to School Plan for 2021-2022 includes the resumption of five full days of in-person learning for students on-site. Health and Safety Sussex Technical School District received an updated order from the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services effective August 16, 2021 regarding health and safety measures surrounding COVID-19. The information outlined below reflects these recommendations and orders.
- Wearing of Masks:
The district will maintain the current CDC protocols indicating a mask is not a substitute for social distancing. Masks must be worn by students, faculty, staff, and visitors when inside the school buildings regardless of vaccination status. Masks must be worn while traveling on a school bus. Masks are not required when seated at a table to eat or drink, they are not required when students are outdoors. Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of the face without gaps. The district expects students bring a mask daily and recommends face coverings be washed and dried after each day.
- Physical Distancing:
The district will maintain the current CDC protocols where students should be at least 3 feet apart in low, moderate, or substantial community transmission areas. In addition, students and staff should maintain a minimum of 3 feet apart with face coverings, including when seated at desks or standing in classrooms.
- Handwashing:
The district will continue encouraging all employees and students to wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. In addition, the district will continue to provide hand and other sanitizing supplies, face masks, hand drying supplies, and tissues to encourage continual attention to sanitation and safety.
- Cleaning and Maintaining Healthy Facilities:
The district will continue cleaning with proper supplies and products to reduce germs on surfaces. In addition, the district will make every effort to remove contaminants which decreases the risk of infection from surfaces. When there are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, the district continues to clean using protocols in place.
The school district will request upgrades to our ventilation and air conditioning systems in sections of the building and, where necessary, make roof improvements to mitigate potential leaks leading to contamination areas. The district is intending to replace antiquated systems to allow for higher quality filtration systems. These changes will be made in accordance with all regulatory requirements.
- Contact Tracing in Combination with Isolation and Quarantine:
The district will continue the practice of contact tracing should COVID 19 occur in the district. The COVID Coordinator will execute the protocols established by DPH for any occurrences. Persons who test positive for COVID-19 or those in close contacts with those persons should contact the district COVID Coordinator. The COVID Coordinator/school nurse will notify families of close contacts as soon as possible after being notified someone in the school has tested positive. The district will collaborate with the health department, to the extent allowable by privacy laws and other applicable laws, to confidentially provide required information about COVID exposures.
- Testing and Vaccinations:
Information regarding COVID-19, testing sites, and vaccinations should access https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/vaccine/where-can-i-get-my-vaccine/ to find up-to-date information from the State of Delaware. Students, teachers, and staff should consult with the district COVID Coordinator with any questions related to COVID-!9 and the school rules and regulations. Regulation comes through the Department of Public Health (DPH).
The district provided an on-site vaccination clinic with a community partner to provide vaccinations for staff, students, and community members.
Instruction and Student Supports: The district approved additional summer hours for all school counselors, nurses, and special education services to meet every student’s academic, emotional, social, mental health, and basic needs. All departments within the school have worked collaboratively in the recent school year to review content and standards, realign instruction, and determine the appropriate assessments for the content and their students. All lessons were posted promptly on Schoology to ensure every student could remain on track throughout the school year in all assignments and assessments. Consequently, numerous lessons learned during the past school year will inform our plans moving forward. In many departments, teachers continue to work collaboratively during the summer of 2021, looking at high-quality instructional materials, identifying anchor texts, and working on curriculum mapping documents. In looking forward, the Sussex Technical School District intends to open the school with all students attending in-person, five days a week. The district provides grade-level appropriate instruction and assessments for every student, focused on priority content, and provided grade-level instruction in CTE and academic content. It also means students have intentional instruction, addressing gaps in learning, focused on priority content. The teachers will use various methods to determine student needs, including diagnostic assessments, formative and summative assessments, and student work. When needed, customized plans will be developed with multiple opportunities for support to be utilized. A curriculum review cycle has been revised to address changes in both CTE and academic content. Teachers will continue to engage in the district’s professional development opportunities and partner with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). These collaborative efforts will provide specific and targeted professional development around improving instruction and connections between the career and technical courses and the academic content. In addition, the Superintendent meets regularly with his cabinet and school administrator and teacher leadership for continuous improvement. Technology To enhance instruction, classrooms have been updated with new Smartboards and new technology, including camera and audio systems, computers, and fiber optic network systems. This is an ongoing process with the intention of moving to a one-to-one technology device for all students. The district has determined school year 2021-2022 will be used to pilot various devices to ascertain which are the most appropriate. Because Sussex Tech is a technical school, the technology platforms quite often are industry driven; thus, it is not simply a matter of deciding upon one platform because each CTE pathway is guided by its own industry standard. Social and Emotional Health Sussex Technical School District remains committed to supporting the social and emotional development of all students and staff. In the context of a Multi Tiered Support System (MTSS) approach to reentry, the district is working on offering assessments to students to identify who is experiencing significant stress or trauma and academic disruption. Further, the district will provide staff and students the appropriate contact information for the community and universal supports and resources through the school counselors, the school Wellness Center, and the Behavioral/Interventionist Specialist. Staff in the district will continue working with students around emotional and mental health and well-being. The district will utilize existing schoolwide data sources and pay particular attention to student engagement. Looking at attendance data, nurse office visits, the school-based LaRed Wellness Center and Behavioral /Interventionist visits will aid the district in ensuring timely intervention for those disconnected from their school community.
| NOTIFICATION ABOUT COVID OCCURRENCES IN THE DISTRICT Sussex Technical School District will post any current generic COVID notification letters to our COVID update page here |
| Persons wishing to make comment about the plan should direct those comments to feedback@sussexvt.k12.de.us. |
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