Health and safety

Student and Staff Attendance Capacities


In preparing this reopening plan, our team carefully considered group size limitations, social distancing requirements, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), and local healthcare and hospital capacity when considering how to best facilitate a safe return to school for students and staff.  Based on our team’s assessment of those (and other) factors, our reopening plan is structured as follows:

Students in grades UPK through 8th grade will attend school on a daily basis and attend class in small cohorts (15-18 students) that permit adequate social distancing in classrooms.  The cohorts shall occupy classrooms at rates no greater than 60% of a room’s calculated occupant capacity.


Students in grades 9-12 will participate in a hybrid schedule.  They will engage in both on-site and remote learning activities in cohorts (or smaller classes, in situations where cohorts are not possible).  They will occupy classrooms at rates no greater than 60% of a room’s calculated student capacity.

In order to accommodate smaller cohorts and class sizes, some areas of our campuses (i.e., auditoriums/theaters, gymnasiums, cafeterias, libraries, and specialized classrooms) may be repurposed as general education or special education classrooms, as appropriate.

Health Checks and Screenings

The district will develop resources to educate parents, guardians, and staff members regarding the careful observation of symptoms of COVID-19 and health screening measures that must be conducted each morning before coming to school. The resources include the requirement for any student or staff member with a fever of 100°F or greater and/or symptoms of possible COVID-19 virus infection to refrain from coming to school/work.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of Coronavirus symptoms was used to develop these resources.

We will implement the following practices to conduct mandated health screening.

  1. Daily temperature checks (or attestations) and screening questionnaires are required for all staff, contractors, vendors, and essential visitors prior to or immediately upon arrival at work/school.

  2.  Daily temperature checks (or attestations) and periodic screening questionnaires for students prior to arrival at school. Students unable to demonstrate their temperature has been checked at home will be screened by a member of our school staff.  School-based screenings will be conducted in a private and confidential manner;  time away from class shall be minimized.

  3.  Students with a temperature of 100°F or greater or a positive response to a screening question shall be isolated from others and sent home.  Staff with a temperature of 100°F or greater or a positive response to a screening question shall not be permitted to report to (or remain) at work.  Visitors and/or vendors with a temperature of 100°F or greater or a positive response to a screening question shall not be issued a visitor pass and admitted to our campuses.

  4.  Students and staff must notify the school when they develop symptoms or if their answers to the questionnaire change during or outside school hours.  Students should report these changes to our nurse/health office.  Staff should report these changes to their immediate supervisor.

  5.  The school nurse and/or attendance clerk shall review the incoming reports of student screenings by parents/guardians and attest that they are completed.   The district office shall review the incoming daily employee screenings that are completed electronically;  a designated secretary or clerk at each building shall review the incoming daily employee screenings that are completed on paper.

  6.  Students, staff, and visitors will be reminded frequently of the importance of daily health screenings via signage, flyers, emails, and printed reminders.

  7.  Any temperature checks for students or staff conducted on a school campus shall be performed by an appropriately trained individual.  Students or staff awaiting temperature checks shall be supervised by trained staff and must maintain social distancing during their waiting period.  The district shall ensure that each school has an adequate supply of digital thermometers, PPE, and barriers available for staff to utilize during on-campus temperature checks.


Health hygiene:  The district will emphasize healthy hygiene practices for students and staff by providing initial and refresher education in hand and respiratory hygiene, along with providing adequate supplies and time for frequent hand hygiene. Signs will be posted throughout the school (e.g., entrances, restrooms, cafeteria, classrooms, administrative offices, auditorium, custodial staff areas) and regular messaging will be shared with the school community. Signage will be used to remind individuals to:

  1. Stay home if they feel sick.

  2. Cover their nose and mouth with an acceptable face covering when unable to maintain social distance from others or in accordance with any stricter policy implemented by the school.

  3. Properly store and, when necessary, discard PPE.

  4. Adhere to social distancing instructions.

  5. Report symptoms of, or exposure to, COVID-19.

  6. Follow hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection guidelines.

  7. Follow respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.

Hand Hygiene:  Students and staff must carry out the following hand hygiene practices: 

  1. Wash hands routinely with soap (any kind) and water for at least 20 seconds.

  2. Dry hands completely after washing. Use paper towels to dry hands if available instead of a hand dryer if they are available.

  3. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizer should be rubbed on the hands until it is completely absorbed. DO NOT dry hands if sanitizer is used.

Hand washing should occur:

  1. Before and after eating (e.g. snacks and lunch).

  2. After going to the restroom or after assisting a student with toileting.

  3. After using a tissue.

  4. Before and after using shared materials.

  5. Before and after putting on or taking off face masks.

  6. After coming in from the outdoors.

  7. Anytime hands are visibly soiled.

Respiratory Hygiene:  The COVID-19 virus spreads from person to person in droplets produced by coughs and sneezes. Therefore, the district will emphasize the importance of respiratory hygiene.

Students and staff must carry out the following respiratory hygiene practices.

  1. Cover a cough or sneeze using a tissue. If a tissue is used, it should be thrown away immediately. 

  2. If you don’t have a tissue when sneezing or coughing, sneeze into your elbow.

  3. Wash your hands after sneezing or coughing.

  4. Face coverings are protective. Wearing a face covering will keep the respiratory droplets and aerosols from being widely dispersed into the air.

Social Distancing, Face Covers, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The district has established policies and procedures for maintaining social distancing (6’ minimum) of all students, faculty, and staff when on school facilities, grounds and transportation.  The district has further established that some activities (aerobic, some voice/vocal activities, playing of a wind instrument) require greater social distancing (12’ minimum).

Students, staff and visitors to our schools will be expected to wear face coverings indoors and outside, including on the school bus, at all times.  Students will be allowed to remove face coverings during meals and for short breaks so long as they maintain appropriate social distance. Students who are unable to medically tolerate a face covering will not be required to wear one.  Such exemption shall be reviewed and approved by the child’s school nurse and/or the district’s Committee on Special Education.

Face coverings will be provided to students and staff, if needed, at no cost. Acceptable face coverings for COVID-19 include, but are not limited to, cloth-based coverings and surgical masks that cover both the mouth and nose.

Employees are allowed to wear their own acceptable face covering if they choose. Employees with medical documentation stating they are not medically able to tolerate face covering will not be required to do so.  Such documentation shall be reviewed and approved by the school nurse or the district’s Medical Director.

Face coverings may be challenging for students (especially younger students) to wear in all-day settings such as school, so there may be limited periods of time when masks are not worn.

Face coverings should not be placed on:

  1. Children younger than 2 years old;

  2. Students where such covering would impair their health or mental health, or where such covering would present a challenge, distraction, or obstruction to education services and instruction;

  3. Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious; and

  4. Anyone who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance.

The district will instruct students, parents/guardians and staff, contractors and vendors on:

  1. The proper way to wear face coverings

  2. Washing hands before putting on and after removing their face covering

  3. Proper way to discard disposable face coverings

The district will ensure that an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (masks/face coverings, face shields, gloves, etc…) are maintained in each building for staff and student use, as needed.

Infection control strategies

In addition to social distancing and the use of face masks and other protective equipment, the district will implement the following additional safeguards to mitigate the risk of community transmission of the COVID-19 virus:

  1. Installing curtains, plastic shields, or other physical barriers in locations where social distancing might be easily compromised.

  2. Forming cohorts or small groups of students to reduce population density in classrooms.

  3. Implementing one-way traffic flow patterns in hallways, stairways, and entrances/exits.

  4. Staggering arrival, dismissal, and transition/passing times to reduce hallway traffic.

  5. Reducing or eliminating all use of student lockers and cubbies.

  6. Utilizing multiple entrances and exits during peak arrival and dismissal times.

  7. Arranging office and classroom furniture to prevent individuals from facing one another.

  8. Maintaining adequate ventilation and air flow in classrooms and offices.

  9. Restricting use of common areas and large group assembly/instruction areas.

  10. Limiting gatherings in small spaces (elevators, closets, small offices).

  11. Canceling or limiting assemblies, athletic practices/events, performances, and field trips.

  12. Conducting meetings and conferences virtually whenever possible.

  13. Limiting visitors to school buildings.

  14. Staggering lunch and recess/playground schedules to prevent large group assemblies.

  15. Installing throughout buildings and at each building’s entrance.


Management of ill persons, contact tracing and monitoring

The district requires students, faculty, or staff members who develop COVID-19 symptoms during the school day to report to the nurse’s office. If there are several students waiting to see the school nurse, students must wait at least 6 feet apart. The district has designated quarantine areas to separate individuals with symptoms of COVID- 19 from others until they can go home or to a healthcare facility, depending on severity of illness. One area will be used to treat injuries, provide medications or nursing treatments, and the other area will be used for assessing and caring for ill students and staff. Both areas will be supervised by an adult and have easy access to a bathroom and sink with hand hygiene supplies.

PPE requirements for school health office staff caring for sick individuals includes both standard and transmission-based precautions. In areas with moderate to substantial community transmission, eye protection (e.g., goggles or face shield) should be added. When caring for a suspect or confirmed individual with COVID-19, gloves, a gown, eye protection, and a fit-tested N-95 respirator will be used, if available. If an N-95 respirator is not available, a surgical face mask and face shield will be used.

School health office cleaning will occur after each use of cots, bathrooms, and health office equipment (e.g., blood pressure cuffs, otoscopes, stethoscopes). Health office equipment will be cleaned following manufacturer’s directions.

Disposable items will be used as much as possible (e.g., disposable pillow protectors, disposable thermometers, disposable thermometer sheaths or probes, disposable otoscope specula).

Aerosol Generating Procedures

Respiratory treatments administered by nurses generally result in aerosolization of respiratory secretions. These aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) potentially put healthcare personnel and others at an increased risk for pathogen exposure and infection. The district requires the following PPE to be worn during AGPs: gloves, N-95 or a surgical mask with face shield, eye protection and a gown. PPE will be used when: suctioning, administering nebulizer treatments, or using peak flow meters with students who have respiratory conditions.

Treatments such as nebulized medication treatments and oral or tracheostomy suctioning will be conducted in a room separate from others with nursing personnel wearing appropriate PPE. For nebulizer treatments, if developmentally appropriate, the nurse will leave the room and return when the nebulizer treatment is finished.

Cleaning of the room will occur between use and cleaning of the equipment should be done following manufacturer’s instructions after each use.  

If Students or Staff Become Ill with Symptoms of COVID-19 at School

The district requires students or staff with a temperature, signs of illness, and/or a positive response to the questionnaire to be sent directly to a dedicated isolation area where students are supervised, prior to being picked up or otherwise sent home. Students will be supervised in the isolation area while awaiting transport home and will be separated by at least 6 feet. Students will be escorted from the isolation area to their parent/guardian. Students or staff will be referred to a healthcare provider and provided resources on COVID-19 testing.

Return to School after Illness
The district has established protocols and procedures, in consultation with the local health department(s), about the requirements for determining when individuals, particularly students, who screened positive for COVID-19 symptoms can return to the in-person learning environment at school. This protocol includes:

1. Documentation from a health care provider following evaluation

2. Negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result

3. Symptom resolution, or if COVID-19 positive, release from isolation

The district will refer to DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID-19 Infection or Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for faculty and staff seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the faculty or staff member had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19.

The district requires that individuals who were exposed to the COVID-19 virus complete quarantine and exhibit no COVID-19 symptoms before returning to in-person learning. The discharge of an individual from quarantine and return to school will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.

COVID-19 Testing

In the event that a large-scale testing is required at the school, the district will work with the following community providers:

  • Bassett Healthcare Network

  • Schoharie County Department of Health

Contact Tracing

The district will notify the state and/or local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID-19 diagnostic test result by an individual within school facilities or on school grounds, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the district.

To assist the local health department with tracing the transmission of COVID-19, the district has developed and maintained a plan to trace all contacts of exposed individuals in accordance with protocols, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program.  

Districts may assist with contact tracing by:

1. Keeping accurate attendance records of students and staff members

2. Ensuring student schedules are up to date

3. Keeping a log of any visitor which includes date and time, and where in the school they visited

4. Assisting the local health departments in tracing all contacts of the individual in accordance with the protocol, training, and tools provided through the NYS Contact Tracing Program

Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state laws and regulations. School staff should not try to determine who is to be excluded from school based on contact without guidance and direction from the local health department.

For more information about how COVID-19 containment efforts will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communications and Engagement section of our reopening plan.

School Closures

The district will collaborate with the local health department officials to determine the parameters, conditions or metrics (e.g., increased absenteeism or increased illness in our school community) that will serve as early warning signs that positive COVID-19 cases may be increasing beyond an acceptable level.

Minimally, the following considerations shall apply:

  1. Schools in regions in Phase 4 can reopen if the daily infection rate remains below 5 percent using a 14-day average, unless otherwise directed from the county health department.

  2. Schools will close if the regional infection rate rises over 9% after Aug. 1. Schools will close if the 7-day rolling average of the infection rate is above 9%.

  3. If the infection rate rises about 9%, schools must wait until the 14-day average is below 5%

  4. Once schools open at Phase 4 below 5% for a 14-day rolling average, schools can remain open even if the rate continues to rise about 5% until it reaches 9% for the 7-day average.

  5. School will be notified by: [CONTACT INFORMATION OF LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT] on the situation.

  6. School administrators should consider closing school if absentee rates impact the ability of the school to operate safely.

  7. Schools may choose to modify operations prior to closing to help mitigate a rise in cases. If infection rates are rising above 5%; consider modifying school operations for medically vulnerable students and staff if they are participating in in-person activities.

  8. Schools should consult their medical director and/or the local department of health when making such decisions.

  9. Determine which operations will be decreased, or ceased and which operations will be conducted remotely; include process to conduct orderly closures which may include phasing, milestones, and involvement of key personnel.

For more information about how school closure information will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communications and Engagement section of our reopening plan.

Cleaning and disinfecting

The district will ensure adherence to hygiene and cleaning and disinfection requirements as advised by the CDC and DOH, including “Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfection of Public and Private Facilities for COVID-19,” and the “STOP THE SPREAD” poster, as applicable. Cleaning and disinfection logs will be maintained that include the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection.

Examples of facility types where cleaning and disinfection frequency will be distinguished include

  • Bathrooms

  • Athletic training rooms, locker rooms

  • Health offices, isolation rooms

  • Administrative offices (main office, reception area)

  • Frequently touched surfaces in common areas (door handles, elevator buttons, copy machine keypads, etc.)

  • Breakrooms

  • Cafeterias/Kitchens

  • Computer labs

  • Science labs

  • Classrooms

  • Maintenance offices and work areas

  • Bus Garage

  • Buses, school vehicles

  • Libraries

  • Large meeting areas (auditoriums, gymnasiums, music rooms)

  • Playgrounds (cleaning only)

  • Outdoor seating areas (plastic or metal)

Students, faculty, and staff will be trained on proper hand and respiratory hygiene, and such information will be provided to parents and/or legal guardians on ways to reinforce this at home.

The district will provide and maintain hand hygiene stations around the school, as follows:

  • For handwashing: soap, running warm water, and disposable paper towels.

  • For hand sanitizing: an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol for areas where handwashing facilities may not be available or practical.

  • Accommodations for students who cannot use hand sanitizer will be made.

Regular cleaning and disinfection of the facilities will occur, including more frequent cleaning and disinfection for high-risk and frequently touched surfaces. This will include desks and cafeteria tables, which should be cleaned and disinfected between each individual’s use. Cleaning and disinfection will be rigorous and ongoing and will occur at least daily, or more frequently as needed. 

The district will ensure regular cleaning and disinfection of restrooms. Restrooms should be cleaned and disinfected more often depending on frequency of use.  

For more information about how cleaning and disinfection information will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communication and Engagement section of our reopening plan.                 

Vulnerable populations/accommodations

We recognize that some students and staff members are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, live with a person who is at an increased risk, or simply do not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment. It is our goal that these individuals are able to safely participate in educational activities. 

Visitors on campus

No outside visitors or volunteers will be allowed on school campuses, except as required for the health and safety of students. Parents/guardians will report to the front office and not go beyond unless it is for the safety or well-being of their child. Essential visitors to facilities will be required to wear face coverings and will be restricted in their access to our school buildings. Visitors must follow all safety protocols as listed above.

School safety drills 
The district will conduct fire (evacuation) drills and lockdown drills as required by education law,  regulation, and fire code without exception.  Drills will be conducted in a manner that maintains social distancing at exits and gathering points outside the building, while still preparing students to respond in emergencies.

In order to achieve social distancing during school safety drills, the district may modify safety drill protocols in several ways including but not limited to:

  • Conducting drills on a “staggered” schedule, where classrooms evacuate separately rather than all at once, and appropriate distance is kept between students to the evacuation site. 

  • Conducting lockdown drills in classroom setting while maintaining social distancing/using masks.

  • Conducting lockdown drills on a “staggered” schedule with smaller numbers of students present to maintain social distancing

  • Conducting lockdown drill in classroom without “hiding”/ “sheltering” while still providing an overview of how to shelter or hide in the classroom.


If schools reopen with a “hybrid” in-person model, such as one where students attend school on alternate days in order to reduce the occupancy of the school building, schools must be certain that all students are receiving instruction in emergency procedures and participating in drills while they are in attendance in-person.

Regardless of the modification used when conducting a drill, students should be instructed that if it was an actual emergency that required evacuation or lockdown, the most imminent concern is to get to safety; maintaining social distancing in an actual emergency that requires evacuation or lockdown may not be possible and should not be the first priority.