MVCTC High School Reopening Plan 2020-21 School Year (7/17/2020)

07/17/2020

Dear Parents and Students,

Thank you for sending your child to the Miami Valley Career Technology Center. We are honored that you place your trust in us for your child’s education. Below is an outline of the district’s reopening plan based on the current status of the coronavirus, COVID-19, in our area. Student and staff safety is ALWAYS our primary goal and the guidance below is our plan to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 as much as possible. It is important that you understand that no matter the precautions taken by the district, staff and students, there is still a chance that your child may be exposed to the coronavirus; in fact, there are few places in our society where this risk does not exist.

COVID-19 has created unique challenges for parents, students and school districts across the State of Ohio. Schools were initially closed on March 16, 2020, by Governor DeWine and the Director of the Ohio Department of Health. Since that time, Ohio has been readjusting to this new ‘normal’. The governor has recently released his expectations for how schools will reopen.

Based on the governor’s guidance, MVCTC has outlined its plan to reopen the district to students and staff in August. Do understand that this plan is not all inclusive and will need to be adjusted as new guidance is provided. There is no way for district staff to predict the spread of the virus and subsequent directives from local and state health officials or acts of the governor or the legislature. Please ensure that your most up to date contact information is on file with the district at all times, so we can communicate the latest updates as they occur.

First Day of School:

On Thursday, August 13, 2020, ONLY junior students will report to MVCTC. No seniors will be in attendance on August 13.

On Friday, August 14, 2020, ONLY senior students will report to MVCTC. No junior students will be in attendance on August 14.

Beginning on Monday, August 17, the district will follow the schedule outlined below.

Schedule:

MVCTC will start the school year with a ‘soft start’. Juniors and seniors will be assigned two days a week where they will meet on MVCTC’s campus and spend both days in their career-technical lab.

Seniors will attend Monday and Tuesday.

Juniors will attend Thursday and Friday.

For both juniors and seniors, Wednesday will be dedicated to online learning assignments for academic and elective courses.

A 35 minute lunch period will be provided during the time they are on campus each day.

Online assignments will be provided each Wednesday and will be due the following Wednesday by 12:00 p.m. (noon). MVCTC will follow this schedule for the entire first semester, August 13 through December 17, 2020. MVCTC will reassess the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in late fall and hopes to make adjustments to the schedule for the second half of the school year. Until December 17, 2020, or if the pandemic worsens and we are forced to provide instruction solely online for a period of time, we will follow the aforementioned schedule. It is our goal to fully return students to campus for the second semester, if it is deemed appropriate by local and state health officials.

Please refer to the chart below for a visual explanation of the district’s reopening plan.

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Junior Lab Rotation	Online Academics and Electives	Online Academics and Electives	All Online Academics and Electives	Career Technical Lab	Career Technical Lab
Senior Lab Rotation	Career Technical Lab	Career Technical Lab	All Online Academics and Electives	Online Academics and Electives	Online Academics and Electives

This schedule will allow MVCTC to offer in-person career-technical coursework and ensure that students still complete academic requirements required for graduation.

Food Service:

Students will be seated in the cafeteria and other locations in addition to the cafeteria so that recommended distancing requirements are met since students cannot wear a mask during this time. Students will be assigned a seat. Lunch times have been expanded to allow for a staggered release of students to lunch to avoid overcrowding in the halls and permit time for cleaning chairs and tables in between lunches. Additional lunch times have been established to ensure a minimal number of students in the lunch area at any given time. We encourage you to use the online meal payment system, so your child can avoid exchanging money with the cashier. To start the year, no hot food will be served. Students may purchase a cold boxed lunch or bring their own packed lunch. Microwaves will not be available. Students are encouraged to bring a full water bottle (clear preferred) with the student’s name written on it for identification. They can carry this with them on campus to minimize the use and touching of the water fountains. In accordance with health department guidance, water fountains on campus will be turned off with the exception of one water bottle filling station in each building.

Transportation:

By law, transportation to and from MVCTC is provided by each student’s partner district. Students may choose to drive to campus on their assigned day. Open enrolled students, who are not enrolled at one of MVCTC’s 27 partner districts, must provide their own transportation. Please check with your individual school district to understand their transportation plan for MVCTC students.

Since transportation is provided by the partner school, please follow their individual guidelines relating to social distancing and wearing a face mask/covering when riding the school bus to MVCTC. Once on MVCTC’s campus a mask will be required.

Upon arrival, students eating breakfast will report to the Student Activity Center. All other students will report directly to their career technical lab.

Enhanced Cleaning:

In addition to current daily and evening cleaning schedules, MVCTC has contracted with additional cleaning vendors to ensure that the facilities are as safe as possible. Furthermore, our modified schedule will limit the number of staff and students on campus at any time; this will assist us in maintaining a cleaner learning environment for your child. Each lab and classroom has been outfitted with hand-sanitizer and cleaning products. These items are also available across the campus in high traffic areas, especially in hallways.

Mask/Face Covering:

The federal and state guidance currently STRONGLY recommends wearing a mask/face covering in public, MVCTC will require students to wear a face mask/covering when they are on campus if they are not able to maintain the current social distancing requirement of six feet. With our plan to bring all juniors and seniors back into the lab, we will not always be able to maintain six feet of social distancing between students in a number of our labs due to the nature of the work they are performing. As a result, students in these labs will be required to wear a mask throughout most of the day. For students in labs that typically provide for six feet of social distancing, they will only be required to wear a mask in situations that do not permit six feet of social distancing, for example, in common spaces, traveling in the hallway, interacting with a staff member and other situations that do not permit six feet of social distancing. The district will provide a mask to any student that does not have one of their own but encourages students to bring their own. Please be aware that any logos or graphics on the face covering must not be offensive in any way to other students and staff. If a student chooses not to meet these requirements or wears their mask/face covering in such a way that it does not cover their nose and mouth, they may be asked to leave campus and/or face disciplinary consequences.

MVCTC staff members will be required to wear a face mask/covering at all times unless they are sitting alone at their desk, if students are not present or they are appropriately socially distanced from others.

Visitors:

Visitors are strongly discouraged from visiting campus. With that said, and in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, MVCTC will not be permitting outside guests into its student run preschool, restaurant, salon, dog grooming, automotive and other public services until the pandemic is over. Additionally, parents or other visitors will not be allowed on school premises without an appointment. District representatives are available to speak with you on the telephone at 937-837-7781 or feel free to email your question to QUESTIONS@MVCTC.COM. In the exceptional event of an in-person meeting being necessary, an appointment should be made, and social distancing guidelines will be followed throughout the meeting. Masks/face coverings will be required for all campus visitors.

Parent/Guardian’s Responsibility:

In addition to monitoring your child for the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, etc.), on the day they are assigned to come to MVCTC’s campus, check his/her temperature before leaving home. If the temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees or he/she displays other symptoms, please keep your child home. Remember to call the attendance line to inform school personnel that your child will be absent.
Inform the school nurse, Ms. Lanna Anspach, if your child has COVID-19 symptoms. She can be reached at 937-854-6261 or email lanspach@mvctc.com
Parents/Caregivers should notify the school if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or if they, or any member of the household have been diagnosed or who are presumed to have COVID-19.

When this occurs: Your child must self-quarantine at home for 14 days. If tested and a negative result is provided to the nurse, your child may return to school earlier than 14 days.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/parents-caregivers.html

Create a plan to pick up your child as quickly as possible if the school calls to let you know they are sick.
Follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State of Ohio health guidance to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/families-and-individuals/

Student’s Responsibility:

Before leaving home to travel to MVCTC, check that your temperature is less than 100.4 degrees. Additionally, assess yourself for other COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, etc.). If you have any of these symptoms, please stay home.
Wash your hands frequently throughout the day. Use the hand sanitizer provided in your classroom and throughout campus.
Bring a clean mask/face covering, for times when social distancing is not possible. This may be a large portion of your day.
Try to avoid touching high contact items and your face as much as possible.
Maintain six feet of distance between you and others when possible on campus.

Student Orientation Information:

This information will be mailed in a separate letter in the next week.

As we continue to prepare for the upcoming school year, what school will look like and how our students will experience learning, we want to assure you that we are approaching this work thoughtfully and collaboratively. The health and safety of our students and employees and ensuring that we provide a rigorous, enriching and high-quality education for all students are our highest priorities.

In closing, MVCTC is excited for your student to return to campus in August! We look forward to working with each of you to ensure the best educational experience possible.

Nick Weldy, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Miami Valley Career Technology Center

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