Clear Creek ISD: What you need to know about the district’s 2020-2021 school plans

Like many school districts, Clear Creek ISD has had to make some last-minute changes to its reopening plan just weeks ahead of its initial start date.

The district has delayed the first day of school to Monday, August 24 and has announced all students will begin the year participating in virtual instruction.

Beginning Monday, August 31, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 6th grade, 9th grade and certain groups of special education students will be welcomed back to school for face-to-face instruction.

The remaining grade levels and special education students will return to school on Monday, September 14.

RELATED: Some Clear Creek ISD parents demand in-person learning begin no later than Sept. 8

Here’s what to know for so far:

Calendar

The first day of school is scheduled for August 24.

Click here to view the 2020-2021 school calendar.

Measures underway or being considered

Personal Protection

• Students (as developmentally-appropriate and per CDC guidelines), staff and visitors will wear a facemask/covering when entering a CCISD facility, in common areas such as hallways and cafeteria, when not eating, and whenever a physical distance of 6 feet from another person is not possible.
• CCISD is developing schematics for classrooms to achieve a 6-foot distance for students and teachers however that may not be possible in all classrooms. When not possible, students and teachers will wear a face covering. Individual needs will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Requests for accommodations should be submitted in writing to campus administration.
• All staff will be required to take a COVID-19 Health Assessment prior to coming to work every day.
• Parents will be asked to administer the COVID-19 Health Assessment daily prior to sending their children to school, take their temperature, and keep them home if ill.
• Students and staff will follow current COVID-19 Return to School/Work Guidelines.
• Individuals who develop symptoms of the COVID-19 illness will be sent to the school health clinic, placed in isolation and sent home immediately. Parents/Guardians will need to make every effort to receive children within 30 minutes.
• Students will be instructed on methods to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 at school.
• Students will be trained on proper hand washing techniques and participate in scheduled hand-washing times throughout the day.

Protocols for campus visitors

• Individuals who proceed beyond the reception area will follow specific guidelines for visitors.
• All visitors entering the building must sanitize hands upon entry.
• Visitors proceeding beyond the secure vestibule area will be subject to screening by way of a symptom screening form.
• Visitors and staff will adhere to safety protocols including physical distancing for meetings.
• Cleaning/disinfecting will occur after each meeting.

Cleaning and disinfecting protocols

• Frequent cleaning and disinfecting will occur throughout the school day.
• Nightly deep cleaning.
• Each classroom and restroom will be cleaned/disinfected at the end of each day.
• All high touch areas will be disinfected throughout the day.
• Cleaning supplies will be provided for each classroom and common area to maximize room-to-room cleanliness.
• Custodians will wear masks and gloves during work hours.
• The cafeteria will be disinfected regularly.
• Staff will have access to supplies to clean/disinfect working surfaces and shared objects after each use and during breaks in instruction.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the building in common areas

Transportation

• Eligible bus riders may register for bus transportation through Back-to-School Forms between July 13 and August 4, 2020.
• Hand sanitizer will be available when boarding the bus.
• All bus drivers will wear face coverings/masks.
• All students, as developmentally-appropriate and per CDC guidelines, will wear face coverings/masks while riding the bus.
• Buses will be cleaned/disinfected between each transportation run and at the end of the day.
• Transportation staff will be trained in proper cleaning/disinfecting procedures.
• All Clear Creek ISD vehicles will be equipped with cleaning and disinfecting supplies.

Breakfast and Lunch

• Cafeteria and serving areas will be cleaned between uses.
• Lunches served by CCISD child nutrition will be “Grab and Go.”
• Students may eat in various locations throughout the building to maximize social distancing.
• Cafeteria, serving, and eating areas will be cleaned between uses.
• Signage and staff will reinforce social distancing throughout the cafeteria.
• All CCISD child nutrition staff will use face coverings/masks and gloves while performing job responsibilities and will be trained to practice health and hygiene regulations.

Arrival, Dismissal, and Transition

• Parents will not be permitted to walk students inside the school building beyond the secure vestibule without a mask.
• Each group of students will be directed to a designated location prior to the start of school.
• Water fountains will not be accessible. Students should bring water to school.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be placed at entrances, exits and common areas throughout the building.
• All areas of the building (gym, cafeteria, larger classrooms, common areas, etc.) will be utilized to limit the size of student groupings.
• Dismissal exit points will be established.
• Campuses will implement staggered release procedures.
• Students will be released directly from their classroom whenever possible.
• Transition time of students will be limited as much as possible during the school day. Whenever possible, teachers in grades PK-5 will rotate into the classrooms to limit student transitions. Students in grades 6-8 (intermediate) and 9-12 (high school) will have a campus schedule designed to limit student transitions during the school day.

Classroom configurations and procedures

Each classroom will have the following:

• Visual reminders of distancing requirements in all classrooms, marking off areas for common spaces and distancing best practices.
• Access to alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Access to disinfectant supplies to sanitize working surfaces.
• Desks or tables will be physically distanced as much as spatially possible.
• Shared supplies will be limited and cleaned between uses.
• Based on district guidance, teachers will develop, teach, and implement procedures that:
  • Limit student movement within the classroom such as turning in assignments, materials being passed out, etc.
  • Establish student responsibilities to clean personal areas and materials/supplies.
  • Reinforce hand washing protocols and intermittent use of hand sanitizer.
  • Reduce the use of large table seating in classrooms and replace with desks when possible.
  • If tables are used, limit the number of students per table to provide as much social distancing as possible.
  • To the extent possible, locked doors will be propped open between classes to minimize contact with doors and door handles by students and staff entering or exiting classrooms.

Extracurricular and student organization activities

• Hand sanitizer will be available in gym areas and equipment will be sanitized on a regular basis.
• Locker room use will be determined by TEA/UIL. If locker rooms can be accessed, all locker room space will be utilized to follow social distancing guidelines.
• Bus travel will follow transportation guidelines provided by CCISD and TEA.
• Spectator attendance at games and contests may be limited based on TEA and UIL guidelines.
• Ticketing for events may be utilized to control capacity of facilities.
• Event procedures will be in place to minimize face-to-face interactions.
• Separate entrances and exits may be utilized and event doors may be propped open to minimize physical contact with handles.
• Spectator seats may be marked and/or configured in a way to enforce social distancing.
• Concessions and/or concession sales may be limited to encourage social distancing and to follow health and safety guidelines.
• School-wide indoor pep-rallies will not be held during the Fall semester.
• Outdoor pep-rallies or gatherings must include appropriate social distancing.
• Assemblies and student activities must adhere to recommended social distancing.
• Hand washing or hand sanitation stations will be available for any activity.
• Use of face coverings should be implemented per face mask protocols.

P.E.

• Visual markers will be on the gym floor and bleachers as reminders of social distancing rules.
• Locker room and class size will be determining factors when it comes to dressing out for secondary physical education classes.
• Students will be placed in smaller, appropriate groups for instruction and activities for appropriate social distancing.
• Students will need to provide their own water bottles.
• Restroom use will be the practice of “one in and one out.” Equipment will be disinfected after each use.
• Any activities bringing students into close physical contact will be avoided. Activities requiring multiple students to touch or handle the same equipment will be avoided.
• Sanitizing areas and access to handwashing will be provided.

Instruction methods offered

Clear Creek ISD intends to offer face-to-face instruction, as well as virtual instruction for families who feel uneasy sending their students to campus.

The district is also prepared for students to move to intermittent School-to-Home Learning in the event a classroom or a school has 10% of the student/staff population with COVID-19 at one time.

All students will begin the year participating in virtual instruction on August 24 and select grade levels and special education students will be welcomed back to school on either August 31 or September 14 for face-to-face instruction.

Face-to-face

The district plans to welcome more than 40,000 students back into schools and maintain a regular schedule as much as possible with social distancing and COVID-19 safety measures.

The district has extended the school day by 10 minutes to make up for time dedicated to following health protocols throughout the day.

Virtual

Clear Connections Online Academy is a self-paced instruction that allows students to learn fully from home. According to CCISD, the online academy does require a great deal of parental involvement. Students may be required to come to a CCISD facility to take unit or semester exams. A course catalog and enrollment instructions will be shared soon.

School-to-Home Learning

Students will temporarily learn from home and their teacher(s) work remotely in a classroom and deliver instruction in real-time (synchronous instruction) as well as self-paced work (asynchronous instruction).

• Students will have a formal start and end time of the school day during School-to-Home learning.
• Daily attendance will be required.
• Students will receive direct authentic instruction from their teachers as well as participate in group and individual work.
• CCISD traditional grading system is maintained including GPA and Class Rank.
• Teachers will be in a CCISD classroom, delivering instruction in real-time a large portion of the day.
• Internet and computer access is necessary for K-12. Individual technology needs will be addressed.

Survey

Parents and students were asked to complete a survey by May 28.

The Safely Reopen CCISD Committee has used this feedback to develop the previously mentioned recommendations to strategically and safely reopen Clear Creek ISD schools in August.

Recent updates

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