August 17, 2021

Dear Harrison Central families and staff,

We look forward to welcoming all students when the 2021-22 school year begins on Monday, August 23, 2021. The district has prepared the below Health and Prevention Guidance for this upcoming school year. This guidance is based on current public health conditions and recommendations and orders from federal, state and local public health agencies. As with all COVID-19 related matters it is subject to change based on new developments that may occur at any time.

We will continue to closely monitor our community's transmission rates, our students and staff's positive case rates, the severity of cases and the number of quarantines which cause students and/or staff to be absent, even when they feel healthy. If data trends determine we need to make changes to any of our practices and guidelines, we will adjust.

Our goal to promote maximum learning for every student relies on the efforts of everyone- staff, students, parents and family members. We greatly appreciate the passion, effort, care and concern demonstrated by our Harrison Central staff over the last 18 months to continue to advocate for the realization of our goal for each and every student despite facing many obstacles and unknowns. We continue to be grateful for this strong partnership and shared goal, and we look forward to a great year ahead, together.

The information below and our entire 2021-2022 School Plan is available on our Harrison Hills district website www.hhcsd.org.

Let’s have a great year together!

 

Sincerely,

 

Dana L. Snider

Superintendent 

Health and Prevention Guidance for the 2021-2022 School Year

• Face Masks: Harrison Central will follow the Ohio Department of Health guidance, which strongly recommends that those who are not vaccinated wear face masks while in school. Parents and individuals will have the option to have their children wear face masks while in school or participating in school activities.
• Physical Distancing: Individuals will be physically distanced by 3 feet when possible.
• PPE: Desk and table sneeze guards will be available for students and staff upon request, including in the school cafeterias.
• Hand Washing/Hand Sanitizing: Increased hand washing will continue to be emphasized throughout the school day. Hand sanitizer will continue to be placed in classrooms and throughout the buildings. Students will be encouraged to sanitize their hands throughout the day.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Routine cleaning protocols will continue throughout all school buildings and buses.
• Vaccinations: The Ohio Department of Health continues to encourage our community to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Ohio Department of Health provides information on the benefits of the vaccine in a school environment. The COVI0-19 vaccine is not required for staff and students.
• Vaccination Clinics: Similar to other vaccination clinics provided by the Harrison County Public Health District, and Harrison Central may serve as a vaccination site.

TRANSPORTATION
Students that registered for Harrison Central transportation may ride their assigned bus for the 2021-2022 school year.

• Face Masks: Per federal requirement, face masks will be required to be worn by all students, staff and school bus drivers while on the bus.
• Hand Sanitizing: Hand sanitizer will be available on all school buses.
• Assigned Seats: Students will have an assigned seat and will be seated up to the bus capacity.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Each bus will continue to be cleaned and disinfected daily.

Questions regarding Harrison Central Transportation should be directed to the Department of Transportation via email Mike Saffell [email protected].

BUILDING PROTOCOLS

• Visitors and Volunteers: Essential visitors and volunteers will be permitted into school buildings, determined by the building principal.
• Air Flow/HVAC: The building HVAC systems will continue to be programmed to bring in more outside air throughout the day.
• Water Bottle Fillers/Fountains: Water bottle filling stations will be open for use. Water fountains will continue to be closed.

FOOD SERVICE
All enrolled Harrison Central students are eligible to receive one breakfast and one lunch at no charge for the 2021-2022 school year through United States Department of Agriculture waivers. Lunch room menus are available on the Harrison Hills Food Service webpage.

• All breakfasts will be eaten in students’ first classroom.
• Cafeteria Seating: In order to provide sufficient information for contact tracing all students will be assigned lunch room tables. Preschool students will eat all meals in their classroom
• PPE: Table dividers will be available for students upon request.
• Hand Sanitizing: Students will be encouraged to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer before lunch periods.

HEALTH AT SCHOOL

• Self-Assessment: Everyone is encouraged to do a self-assessment before entering a Harrison Hills facility. Please refer to the COVID-19 symptoms listed by the Ohio Department of Health. Anyone exhibiting symptoms should refer to health protocols:
• What to do when your child is sick: Families should follow the previously established illness guidelines in the student handbook.

CONTACT TRACING AND QUARANTINE
Harrison Central will follow the Ohio Department of Health contact tracing and isolation and quarantine protocols.

• Contact tracing: The Harrison County Health Department (HCHD)will conduct all contact tracing for highly infectious diseases.
• Reporting COVID-19 cases: Staff members and students should continue to report positive COVID-19 test results to the HCHD. Our schools are required to report known cases to the HCHD for anyone physically in our buildings. As is the current HCHD policy, fully vaccinated individuals will not need to quarantine for the ten days if exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual unless symptoms are present.
• District Notifications: The communications team will follow the District's communicable disease notification process of notifying parents of possible contacts.
• The Harrison County Health Department is responsible for quarantining individuals for the required ten days who have come into close contact with a person who is positive for COVID-19. Wearing a mask helps keep children and adults in school, since unvaccinated students or adults who are not wearing a mask face a much greater risk of quarantine if they are exposed to a positive case of COVID-19.

LEARNING RECOVERY AND EXTENDED LEARNING PLAN
Academic advancement throughout the pandemic requires a holistic response, with an equal commitment to capturing lost learning opportunities, while also recognizing how the whole child is impacted. Harrison Hills has developed a Learning Recovery and Extended Learning Plan in accordance with Ohio Department of Education guidance to identify student academic needs, address learning gaps, identify social and emotional needs, and alleviate non-academic barriers.
To assist in remediating student learning gaps, afterschool reading and math intervention for grades K-8 will be held daily from 2:50-5:00. Student enrollment forms will be sent home on the first day of school.