July 28 Frequently Asked Questions - Novi Community School District

ROAR Plan Questions and Answers

The ROAR Plan was shared with parents and our community on July 7. Since then, a number of questions have been asked about our Return to School Planning.

Last week – July 21 - we shared answers to a series of questions. Those questions and answers can be found on our district website under the Academics Tab, the ROAR Plan link, July 21 Frequently Asked Questions.

We continue this week to update previous answers and tackle additional questions. The answers may undoubtedly create more questions which we will continue to answer in the days and weeks ahead.

This work of finalizing our fall 2020 plans continues to be a work in progress. Parents and staff are asking good questions and providing good insight that helps us refine our thinking and improve our fall 2020 options. You will notice that some answers may change. This is not done to create confusion, but done to ensure that we have the best answers possible.

We continue to reflect and consider carefully how we can create a safe environment in the fall. We are weighing student, staff, and community safety concerns.

We are eager to have our students return to school, but we understand our responsibility to create a safe environment for both students and staff. We are committed to providing that safe environment and will work with our staff and parents to find solutions that work for all of us and provide a high quality educational experience for our students.

Family, Community, School Cooperation

It is important to remember that none of the Novi Community School District plans will work unless we agree to work together. There are no perfect solutions for our return to school. Each option has both positive and negative elements. What we are searching for is a solution that we believe will support our students educationally and create a safe environment for students and staff.

Working together also means that we will create safe environments for our students when they are not in school.

Working together we can find our way.

Fall 2020 options

The Superintendent and administrative team will make a recommendation to the Board of Education. This recommendation is based on months of research, planning, and conversations with staff, parents, and community members. The recommendation is based on what the administrative team and I, the Superintendent, believe is best for the education of the students in our community school district.

The Novi Community School District Board of Education has the final authority to approve the Novi Community School District Return to School Plan.

The administrative recommendation to the Board of Education is as follows

Students should return to in-person instruction.
- A five day a week return to school is recommended
- A hybrid approach is also provided if there are concerns about a five-day-a-week return
A robust virtual option will be provided for any family.

Recommendation One for in-person instruction: Return to school five days a week

This option would be the closest to the typical school experience for students.

Positives

Students would be in school 5 days a week
Students would have the opportunity to experience the full range of school offerings
- Specials
  - K-6 specials – art, music, and media – would take place in the classroom.
  - K-6 physical education would take place either in class, outside, or in the gym.
- Electives
  - 7-12 students would have the range of electives
    - Modifying student movement through the halls will be examined to minimize congested hallways and extraneous student contact
- Support services would be available for all students
  - Math and reading intervention would be available
    - These services might take place within the classroom or in a separate location to create as safe of conditions as possible
  - Special education services would be available to support students with IEPs

Safety

Student cohorts will be created
- K-6 cohorts will be the class
  - These students will stay together for most, if not all, of the day
- 7-12
  - Cohorts will be created as much as practical to limit the interaction of large groups of students
Desks will be moved as far apart as possible
- All desks will be facing one direction
- Students will be assigned a desk
  - K-6 students will sit in the same desk all day long
  - 7-12 students will be assigned a desk in each class period
As needed desk/table partitions will be added to increase safety
Student movement within the classroom will be limited
Small group interactions may take place but students will keep an appropriate distance
Students will not share supplies
Teachers will be able to move throughout the classroom and interact with students one-on-one or in small groups
Lunch will be eaten in the classroom or in a designated spot that limits the number of students who are close to each other
K-6 students will have recess by class
- No interaction with students from other classes
Masks will be required for all K-12 students
Disinfectant wipes will be available in each classroom
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building

Concerns

It is not possible with our current physical space to create the recommended social distance
- Students in most classrooms will be within 2-4 feet of each other
Having K-6 students stay within one classroom and with limited opportunities for movement all day is a concern
- We will work to mitigate this concern as much as possible
The best safety practices are often not necessarily the best educational practices
- For example, limiting movement is not educational best practice but it is best practice for safety

Recommendation Two for in-person instruction: A hybrid blend of in-person and virtual

A hybrid model divides the school population in half and brings half the students to school at a time. There are various models in the hybrid approach. On the days students are not in school, they would have a virtual assignment from their teacher and the teacher would check in on the students but not provide instruction.

Positives

Smaller class sizes – 15 students or less – will be created
Reduces the number of students entering the building each day
Social distancing can be achieved
Students will be in school with teachers
Small class sizes will provide for more individualized attention on the days students are in school
Students would have the opportunity to experience the full range of school offerings
- Specials
  - K-6 specials – art, music, and media – would take place in the classroom.
  - K-6 physical education would take place either in class, outside, or in the gym.
- Electives
  - 7-12 students would have the range of electives
    - Modifying student movement through the halls will be examined to minimize congested hallways and extraneous student contact
- Support services would be available for all students
  - Math and reading intervention would be available
    - These services might be modified to be push into the classroom or one on one to create as safe of conditions as possible
  - Special education services would be available to support students with IEPs

Safety

Student cohorts will be created
- K-6 cohorts will be the class
  - These students will stay together for most, if not all, of the day
- 7-12
  - Cohorts will be created as much as practical to limit the interaction of large groups of students
Desks will be moved as far apart as possible
- All desks will be facing one direction
- Students will be assigned a desk
  - K-6 students will sit in the same desk all day long
  - 7-12 students will be assigned a desk in each class period
As needed desk/table partitions will be added to increase safety
Student movement within the classroom will be limited
Small group interactions may take place but students will keep an appropriate distance
Students will not share supplies
Teachers will be able to move throughout the classroom and interact with students one-on-one or in small groups
Lunch will be eaten in the classroom or in a designated spot that limits the number of students who are close to each other
K-6 students will have recess by class
- No interaction with students from other classes
Masks will be required for all K-12 students
Disinfectant wipes will be available in each classroom
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building

Concerns

Curriculum coverage will be impacted
- It will not be possible to move as quickly through the curriculum because students will not be in class every day.
  - Even though students will be given assignments and have a virtual experience on the days they are not physically present this will not be the equivalent of being in school 5 days a week.
- Teachers cannot provide both in-person and virtual instruction simultaneously.
- Teachers will make curriculum choices that may eliminate some assignments or experiences in an effort to focus on critical or power standards
  - Teachers will attempt to focus on core competencies

It is possible that the hybrid approach may become an everyday, 5 day a week experience if the number of students opting for virtual reduces the number of students opting for in-person instruction by half. If we can create class sizes of 15 or under without having to resort to an every other day, hybrid approach, we will do that and have class five days a week.

It is not anticipated that we will offer both a five day in-person and a hybrid in-person option.

Recommendation: Robust virtual option

A virtual option will be available to all students.

Positives

Students will have a full school day with all instruction online.
The virtual day will be a school day.
- Teachers will be available during school hours.
Teachers will interact with students each hour.
There will be a minimum of 15 minutes of live instruction every hour.
- Teachers will then assign work, work with small groups of virtual students, conference individually with students.
Teachers could take the entire hour for instruction if needed.
The time commitment for virtual students will be very similar to the time commitment for in-person students.
Attendance will be taken each day, potentially each hour.
Protocols on how to test are still being developed.
Students will receive grades and report cards.
Specialized or one section courses will be offered
- This may require some teachers to teach both a virtual course and an in-person course at the 7-12 level
- Teachers who teach specialized courses may have two or three in-person classes and then teach one or two online courses
- This will be done to provide as many options to students as possible
Students will be able to participate in extracurricular and after school sports and clubs

Safety

There are no safety concerns because students will be at home
A student’s social emotional health may not be as easily addressed in a virtual environment

Concerns

Some courses will not be available to virtual students because it is very difficult to do them virtually.
- Band, choir, orchestra will not have a virtual component unless the whole district is mandated to go virtual.
- Hands on courses may be difficult because students would not have the supplies at home – jewelry making or physical education.

These recommendations will be presented to the Board of Education on Thursday, July 30. They will be asked to give final approval on Thursday, August 6 on our Return to School Plan. It is hoped that the Board will identify a direction on July 30 so that we can communicate with families next week and ask for a commitment.

I recognize that it is difficult to make a commitment without knowing all of the answers. However, not all of the answers are known at this time. The general framework provides a sense of what each option will be.

General Health and Safety Concerns

What health indicators is the district examining to determine its approach to school reopening?

The district looks at both the spread of the virus and the prevalence of new cases.
Currently Oakland County is in Phase 4 which allows for in-person instruction.

Will are the safety measures the district is focused on for fall 2020?

Masks
Masks are mandatory in Phase 4 for all students in grades 5-12.
- Even though the Governor’s Task Force strongly recommends masks in grades K-4, in Novi masks will be required in grades K-4.
- The only exceptions will be health with a doctor’s note.
- All staff will be required to wear masks. Staff will also have face shields to use.
- Why are you requiring masks in grades K-4 even though it is just a strong recommendation in the Governor’s Return to School Plan?
- Masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Masks will provide our students and staff an extra layer of safety in the K-4 setting.
Hand sanitizer
- We have ordered hand sanitizer for each classroom
- Buses will have hand sanitizer
- Common areas will have hand sanitizer
Disinfectant wipes
- Each classroom will have disinfectant wipes that students and staff can use to clean hard surfaces like desks, table tops, door handles.
- Buses will have disinfectant wipes that students can use to clean seats and handrails.
Social distance
- The district is committed to creating as much space as practical between students.
- In-person class sizes will be limited to 15 students or less using a hybrid approach.
- In a five day a week in-person instruction we will create as much space as possible
- There will be no large gatherings during the school day.
- No assemblies.
- No eating together in a common area without practicing social distance.
- Lunch may be in classrooms or in unused spaces in the building.
Recess
- Recess will be by class only to maintain appropriate social distance.
Student cohorts
- We will attempt to create groups of students – student cohorts - who spend the majority of their day together.
- This will limit exposure as much as possible.
- This is easier in K-6 buildings.
- We will work to create cohorts in 7-12 as practical.
Health screenings
- All staff will be required to participate in a daily health screener.
- Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor the daily temperature and health status of their children.

Protocol for a positive test for COVID

Staff or Student Exhibits COVID-19 Symptoms

If a staff or student exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, the staff or student must remain at home until he or she is symptom and fever (100.4 or higher) free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants).
NCSD will similarly require a student who reports to a building with symptoms be:
- Isolated in a designated area, and wearing a face mask, away from all other students and staff members.
- The parent/guardian will come immediately to pick up their student from school.
- The student will not be allowed to return until he or she is symptom and fever (100.4 or higher) free for 24 hours.
NCSD will similarly require any staff who reports to a building with symptoms to:
- Return home until he or she is symptom and fever (100.4 or higher) free for 24 hours.

Staff or Student Tests Positive for COVID-19

A staff member or student who tests positive for COVID-19 will be directed to self-quarantine at home for 10 days and must be symptom/fever (100.4 or higher) for 24 hours before returning to school.
- Any siblings of a student who tests positive will also be directed to self-quarantine at home for 10 days.
- If the parent or any other person living in the household of a student tests positive for COVID-19, the student and any siblings will be directed to self-quarantine at home for 10 days.
- If students are quarantined, the district will continue to provide instruction.
When staff or student is symptom free, they may return to school after 10 days have passed since the date of his/her first positive test and he/she have not had subsequent illness. Staff members or students who test positive and are directed to seek care for themselves at home may return to school when:
- Ten full days have passed; and
- Symptom/fever (100.4 or higher) free for a full 24 hours
If NCSD learns that a staff member or student has tested positive, NCSD will report the case to the Oakland County Health Department who may conduct an investigation to determine who may have had close contact with the confirmed positive employee or student in the prior 10 days and direct those individuals who may have had close contact with the confirmed positive case to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that staff member or student.

Staff/Student Has Close Contact with Individual Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

Staff Member or Student Has Close Contact with an Individual Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

Staff Members or students who have come into close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be directed to self-quarantine at home for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that individual.
- Direct close contact is defined as less than six (6) feet and face to face for a prolonged period of time (15 minutes or longer).
If NCSD learns that a staff member or student has tested positive, NCSD will report the case to the Oakland County Health Department who will conduct an investigation to determine who may have had close contact with the confirmed positive employee or student in the prior 14 days and direct those individuals who may have had close contact with the confirmed positive case to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that staff member or student.
If applicable, NCSD will also notify any staff members, families of students, or visitors who may have had close contact with the confirmed positive staff member or student. If a staff member or student learns that he or she has come into close contact with a confirmed positive individual outside of school, he/she must alert their administrator of the close contact and not return to school for 14 days from the last date of close contact.

Confidentiality/Privacy

Except for circumstances in which NCSD is legally required to report classroom and building site occurrences of communicable disease, the confidentiality of all medical conditions will be maintained in accordance with applicable law and to the extent practical under the circumstances. When it is required, the number of persons who will be informed that an unnamed staff member or student has tested positive will be kept to the minimum needed to comply with reporting requirements and to limit the potential for transmission to others.
NCSD reserves the right to conduct contact tracing in order to inform the staff members, families of students, or visitors that an unnamed person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 if the staff members or students might have been exposed to the disease, so the staff member or student may take measures to protect their own health. NCSD also reserves the right to inform staff members, families of students, or visitors that an unnamed person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 if they might have been exposed to the disease, so those individuals may take measures to protect their own health.

General Questions

Why is the administration, as one of its in-person recommendations, recommending the hybrid approach to the Board of Education?

Our school, like most schools in the state, cannot properly social distance if we bring all students back to in-person instruction. Our classrooms do not have enough space to separate a typical number of students in a classroom.
Here are some picture examples:

Classroom set up with practical distance in a typical classroom.

A Novi classroom spaced with desks six feet apart.

As you can see, a classroom with the “typical” number of desks does not allow much social distance spacing even when they are spread out as far as possible.
The classroom with six foot spacing between desks – the hybrid classroom - only allows for between 12 and 15 desks per classroom.
Spacing was strongly recommended in the Governor’s Return to School Roadmap.
- In order for us to try and meet the standard we need to reduce the number of students in a classroom. With our current staffing, and because we do not have additional classroom space or additional staff, one way to meet that stand is to reduce the number of students who attend school each day.

How will my child’s fall school in-person experience be different than in year’s past?

In both in-person recommendations, students will have assigned seats.
K-6 classrooms will stay in cohorts throughout the day, remaining with the same group of students for the school day.
Specials – art, music, media/library, and physical education - will be brought to the classroom instead of having students move to different locations.

Will teachers be able to wear face shields instead of masks, especially when teaching skills such as reading?

All teachers will be given a face shield (made by our Novi Community School District robotics team).
As appropriate the teacher may use the face shield, for example, when teaching reading to young students.

The health protocols talk about being “symptom-free.” Does this mean that any sniffle or cough or runny nose without fever means the child just stay home?

We will be cautious with our students and staff.
If there is a history of allergies or asthma that creates “symptoms” it will be important to communicate clearly with building administration and teachers
If a student chooses to switch at the semester break between virtual and in-person or vice versa, will the child have the same teacher?
- If a student switches between virtual and in-person hybrid or vice versa the majority of students will not have the same teacher. Virtual teachers are not in-person teachers.
- The one exception may be at the middle and high school where a math teacher, for example, may have four in-person classes and one virtual class. In that case a student may end up with the same teacher if they switch from in-person to virtual or vice versa.