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Joplin Schools SRCSP

Safe Return to In-Person Instruction & Continuity of Service Plan (SRCSP)

The purpose of the Joplin Schools Safe Return to ln-Person lnstruction and Continuity of Service Ptan (SRCSP) is to define how Joplin Schools will ensure continued operations to maintain the health and safety of students and staff. The SRCSP will be reviewed every six months and revised, as needed. The review process may include consultation with students, families, all levels of district staff, and stakeholders representing the diversity of Joplin students to advise the Board's final decision.

Key Components

  • Sanitation & Physical Distancing
  • Screening Guidelines
  • Masking & Improved Ventilation
  • Visitor Access & School Activities
  • Student-Athlete Guidelines
  • Covid-19 Infections
  • Navigating Learning Environments

Joplin Schools has reviewed and revised the SRCSP eight times since July 2020. The latest version reflects our current practice as the district has navigated COVID-19.

Original version: July 30, 2020
Most Recently Updated: June 27, 2023

A young girl smiles, holding up a drawing of a red heart in a classroom.

Sanitation & Physical Distancing

Sanitation

Hand hygiene continues to be a key everyday action to combat the spread of Covid-19. Cleaning your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is one of the most important steps to avoid getting sick.

  • Hand Sanitizer stations will be available at the entrance of each campus.

  • Be health-courteous to others:

    • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

    • Throw used tissues in the trash.

    • If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.

    • Wash your hands immediately after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.

  • Students are encouraged to carry water bottles. Refillable bottle stations above fountains will be the preferred method.

  • Joplin Schools custodial staff will disinfect high-use areas throughout the day.

  • After school hours, custodians will use EPA List-registered products for regular deep cleaning.

  • Only district-purchased soft seating will be allowed for sanitation purposes.

Two students tend to a colorful school flower bed, picking blooms.

Physical Distancing

lf needed due to long-term interruptions of in-person instruction, Joplin Schools will continue to provide for the nutritional needs of students as permitted under the USDA.

  • As good practice for classroom management and illness prevention, classroom seating charts will be required in classrooms and on the bus.

  • In order to prevent students from congregating in hallways or common areas, buildings will likely only open 30-minutes before start times to ensure that students can be supervised in individual spaces as needed. Special arrangements for access into buildings outside regular school hours (such as tutoring or extra/co-curricular activities) will be arranged by staff members and supervised accordingly.

  • Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria, classroom, or "Grab and Go" features based on the campus. Lunch will be served in the cafeteria. Students may be asked to sit in cohort groups for management and illness prevention strategies. 

Screening & Ventilation

Screening Guidelines

  • Parents should screen children at home before children come to school. Students with symptoms should stay home and parents should consult their healthcare providers.
  • Parents also have the option to utilize the telemedicine portal at school for their students. See your school nurse for more details.
  • School staff members should self-screen at home and stay home if they are sick.
  • Students may be visually inspected for signs and symptoms of illness as they enter school and/or the classroom.
  • Updated screening symptoms and exposure checklist:
    • Fever or chills
    • Cough
    • Headache
    • Muscle Aches
    • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • New runny nose or congestion
    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
    • Sore throat
  • If you are sick, stay home.

Improved Ventilation

  • Joplin Schools will continue to use MERV-rated air filters for improved air quality district-wide.
  • Joplin Schools conducted an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) study for each campus. From that study, recommendations were made for a multi-step approach to improve air quality over the course of several years. The first step in the process is to make sure that the building automation systems (BAS) for the HVAC systems are up-to-date.
    • The antiquated BAS units will be updated to help the district run more efficiently, monitor IAQ, collect data for energy consumption and analytics, or allow scheduling efficiencies.
    • Updated systems will include the newest TRANE SC+ units as well as adding additional data points for temperature, humidty, CO2, etc.
    • This data gathering will be used to adjust equipment, repair improperly running processes, and increase efficiency.

Masking

Masks may be worn voluntarily by students and staff in the buildings of Joplin Schools, but the wearing of masks in school buildings will not be mandatory.

Parents and visitors to Joplin Schools’ buildings may voluntarily wear a mask, but will not be required to do so.

Transportation, Visitor Access & Student-Athletes

Transportation

  • Drivers will ensure that one rear window, one roof hatch, and the driver’s window will remain open to create a continuous flow of air through the buses as weather permits
  • Masks may be worn voluntarily by students and staff on Joplin Schools transportation, but the wearing of masks on Joplin Schools transportation will not be mandatory.

 

A school bus driver smiles while sitting in the driver's seat.

Visitor Access & School Activities

  • Visitors will be required to enter through the main entrance and comply with Joplin Schools’ safety protocols for screening and tracking guests in district buildings.
  • A pre-registration link will be sent in advance to parents who wish to attend large school events that occur during the regular school day.
  • Visitors who do not pre-register with the link provided by the school for large school events (ie: class parties) must bring their photo ID and wait to be screened before entrance to the event is allowed.
  • These restrictions will apply during the school day but may differ somewhat for evening activities, which are optional to attend.
  • In-school gatherings such as assemblies, rallies, dances, elementary holiday parties, etc., may be held.

Student-Athlete Guidelines

MSHSAA has rescinded all COVID-19 requirements/guidance, including the COVID Return to Play Protocol. Policies and procedures on how to handle COVID-19, as it relates to MSHSAA sports and activities, are now fully a local school board decision.

For the safety of our student-athletes, the Joplin Schools Athletic Department believes that we should continue to have a system in place to ensure that student-athletes who test positive for COVID-10 are fit to return to normal activity.

  • Any student-athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 should immediately isolate according to Joplin Schools guidance for all students. Upon completing the recommended isolation period, student-athletes may return to normal athletic activity either:
    • A) Providing a note from a doctor cleraning the student-athlete for normal athletic activity (ie: doctor visit, school telemedicine visit with parental consent. etc.)
    • B) Completing the MSHSAA COVID-19 Return to Play Form under the direction of a school athletic trainer and coach.

COVID-19 Infections

  • Students or staff who display symptoms of COVID-19 while at school will be moved to a designated sick area within the school building to minimize contact with others until they got home.
  • If contact tracing becomes a necessity, Joplin Schools will institute a procedure with guidance from health officials.
  • People who have COVID-19 and have or had symptoms should isolate for at least 5 days. To calculate the 5-day isolation period, day zero is the first day of symptoms. Day one is the first full day after the symptoms developed.
    • They can end isolation after 5 full days if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation).
    • If they continue to have a fever or other symptoms that have not improved after 5 days of isolation, they should wait to end isolation until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their other symptoms have improved. They should contact their healthcare provider with questions.
  • Joplin Schools will continue to provide COVID-19 testing to symptomatic staff as tests are available.
  • Joplin Schools encourages staff to consult with their local healthcare provider regarding vaccination.
  • All individuals are encouraged to help mitigate COVID-19.
  • If you are sick, stay home.

Two children read books outdoors on a sunny day, one holding a book titled 'The One and Only Bob'.

Navigating Learning Environments

  • COVID-19 has allowed schools around our state and nation to think differently about instruction during intermittent and long-term absences, including the poticy adoption of Atternative Methods of lnstruction (AMI). Joptin Schools has created a three-tiered approach to navigating learning environments which includes expectations for up to 36 hours of AMI and potential long-term closures. 
    • Claiming attendance for intermittent and long-term absences will follow reporting guidelines as outlined by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
  • School counselors, social workers, qualified mental health providers, school psychologists, nurses, teachers, and administrators will promote positive mental health by educating staff, parents, and students about symptoms of and help for mental health problems, social and emotional competency, and resliency.
    • Staff will be provided opportunities for mental health training, conducted by DESE.
    • Additional school counselors will be added in the 2022-24 school year.
    • Joplin Schools will continue to partners with local mental health agencies to provide support to students and staff in need.
  • The district will ensure a positive, safe school environment and will teach and reinforce positive behaviors and decision-making. School-based problem-solving teams will be used to identify struggling students early so an intervention plan can be developed and implemented.
    • These teams are comprised of school personnel (ie: teacher, principal, counselor, etc.) to identify academic and/or behavior deficits based on data and create an intervention to close gaps for students.
    • A board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) will be available to support staff on how to address students’ social-emotional needs. The BCBA, along with trained educators from an established district behavior team, may assist in behavior modification for students in need.
    • The BCBA will also be available to provide embedded classroom support for teachers/students in need.
  • Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities will be provided through IEP and 504 plans. The IEP Form G will serve as a plan for interruptions.

Download the SRCSP