Midlakes 2021-2022 Back to School Plan

This plan applies to Midlakes Middle/High School and Midlakes Elementary School and will be posted through at least December 31, 2027, per requirements.

INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW:

The Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District is committed to providing full in-person instruction at all grade levels in the safest manner possible. The District wants students in school while doing its part to minimize the spread of COVID-19 at school and throughout our community.

The District has developed this plan in conjunction with the latest guidance from the CDC, New York State Education Department (NYSED), Ontario County Administration and Public Health, and our school physician to develop a plan that supports full in-person instruction by following certain health and safety protocols.

Providing full in-person instruction requires Midlakes to observe physical distances of three feet, in accordance with CDC and NYSED recommendations. Therefore, this plan includes layered prevention strategies to protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, and other members of their households.

This plan reflects our efforts to respond to the current rate of COVID-19 transmission in our community and region, while providing the flexibility necessary to adapt to changing circumstances, including those related to variant strains of the virus. We are prepared to apply additional safety protocols if the transmission rate worsens and prepared to adjust our plan if local transmission rates demonstrate sustained improvement.

All students will have the opportunity to attend school in-person, every day at the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year. We hope that through cooperation and collective adherence to our health and safety protocols, we will be able to sustain this model and potentially loosen restrictions during the school year.

All aspects of this plan take effect on Monday, August 23, 2021. The plan is subject to change with limited notice based on state, regional, and local circumstances.

»NYSED: Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
»AUG. 16, 2021: Presentation to Board of Education on School Reopening

BACK TO SCHOOL PLAN: SUMMARY POINTS

The following summary points represent the key components of the 2021-2022 Back to School Plan. Please refer to the full plan below for complete details.

Midlakes will return to full in-person instruction, five days per week, for all students. All educational services and programs will be offered in-person. All grade levels will follow their regular daily schedules. Grades 7-12 will return to an eight-period day, and students will be transported to their half-day BOCES CTE programs from the campus of Midlakes. 
Indoor masking will be required for students, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, when Ontario County COVID-19 transmission levels are rated as moderate (yellow), substantial (orange), and high (red). Disposable masks will be made available to students and staff throughout the school day. 

UPDATE: On August 27, 2021, the New York State Department of Health issued the following determination pursuant to 10 NYCRR 2.61:
"After careful review and consideration of CDC recommendations for face coverings/masks in school settings, I hereby adopt such recommendations, imposing them as requirements, where applicable, until this determination is modified or rescinded. Accordingly, universal masking of teachers, staff, students, and visitors to P-12 schools over age two and able to medically tolerate face covering/mask and regardless of vaccination status, is required until this determination is modified or rescinded. Such requirement is subject to applicable CDC-recommended exceptions."
This order supersedes any locally developed face covering protocols included in Midlakes’ reopening plan.

On August 28, 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office issued the following statement:
"Because of the importance of in-person learning, schools should implement physical distancing to the extent possible within their structures but should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement."

Therefore, all references to physical distances of three (3) feet contained in Midlakes’ reopening plan will remain in effect, as written, to support full in-person instruction for all students and programs.
Mask breaks will be scheduled at all grade levels and time spent outdoors will be encouraged as weather and academic activities permit. 
Masks are not required outdoors for vaccinated individuals. Masks are strongly recommended outdoors for unvaccinated individuals, but they are not required.
Midlakes will observe physical distances of at least three (3) feet indoors, including classrooms, common and eating areas, music, physical education, etc. 
Per CDC and NYSED recommendations, no physical distances will be used on school buses. Students will be seated up to two or three per seat, with the second and third students added to a seat later in the bus run. Bus windows and roof hatches will be opened to increase ventilation as weather permits. 
Passengers (students and adults) and drivers must always wear a mask on school buses. 
Families are encouraged to provide transportation, whenever possible, to reduce student capacity on buses. 
Midlakes will support local health departments in the contact tracing process by sharing seating charts and assigned seating in buses, classrooms, and cafeterias, as needed, in the event of exposure to a positive COVID-19 case. 
Daily health screeners and temperature checks are no longer required. Messages will be sent regularly to families and staff reminding them of the symptoms of COVID-19 and the importance of staying home when feeling ill. 
Decisions regarding quarantine and isolation resulting from a positive case are made by the local health department. Midlakes will assist in communication to families, but lengths of quarantine and isolation are directed by the local health department. 
Midlakes will be prepared, as required by the New York State Education Department, to switch to remote learning in response to quarantines, school closures, or a declaration of a public health emergency. In these cases, Midlakes will use student iPads, Seesaw (K-6), Schoology (7-12), and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction to support remote learning. 
All special cleaning and ventilation protocols for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission will be continued. 
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette are important. Signs will be posted in school buildings and school buses to remind students and staff of proper etiquette. Hand sanitizer will be readily available in school buildings and on school buses.

1. COVID-19 VACCINATION

Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccination is not required for school attendance/employment. However, medical experts continue to note that vaccinations for COVID-19 have a significant impact on slowing the rate of transmission.*

At this time, Midlakes will not require students or staff to be vaccinated. Midlakes will not collect information regarding the vaccination status of students, staff, or visitors. Should a state or federal law require employees to be vaccinated, Midlakes will comply and engage our collective bargaining units as appropriate.

*NOTE: Those who are vaccinated can still contract and potentially transmit COVID-19 but symptoms tend to be less severe and significantly diminish serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

2. COVID-19 SCREENING TESTING

As stated by the CDC, screening testing can help identify those infected with COVID-19, including those with or without symptoms and those who may be contagious. In K-12 schools, COVID-19 screening testing can promptly identify and isolate cases, help quarantine those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 who are not fully vaccinated, and identify clusters where the virus exists. Further information on quarantine can be found on the CDC website.

For COVID-19 screening testing in schools, the CDC recommends the following:

In areas with substantial or high community transmission levels;
In areas with low vaccination coverage;
For certain higher-risk activities;
In schools where other prevention strategies are not implemented; and
For participants who are not fully vaccinated and seek to participate in sports, extracurricular activities, or other activities with elevated risk (example: activities that involve singing, shouting, band, and exercise that could lead to increased exhalation).

NOTE: Ontario County Public Health may use Midlakes as a voluntary surveillance testing site if the area is in a substantial and/or high transmission zone, should the need arise. No decision has been made regarding screening testing at Midlakes. The District will continue to consult with Ontario County regarding the potential need and implementation of screening testing.

Furthermore:

Prior to any student testing, written parental consent will be obtained.
Should the District be required to participate, screening testing will be offered to all teachers and staff who have not been fully vaccinated. 
If required, screening testing will be conducted in a way that ensures the confidentiality of results and protects student, teacher, and staff privacy.
If required, the District will seek to use screening testing that would be conducted in the most non-invasive manner possible.

3. MASKS

Update as of August 27, 2021, to supersede any locally developed face covering protocols included in Midlakes’ reopening plan:

On August 27, 2021, the New York State Department of Health issued the following determination pursuant to 10 NYCRR 2.61:
"After careful review and consideration of CDC recommendations for face coverings/masks in school settings, I hereby adopt such recommendations, imposing them as requirements, where applicable, until this determination is modified or rescinded. Accordingly, universal masking of teachers, staff, students, and visitors to P-12 schools over age two and able to medically tolerate face covering/mask and regardless of vaccination status, is required until this determination is modified or rescinded. Such requirement is subject to applicable CDC-recommended exceptions."

The CDC has updated its guidance on masks due to emerging evidence that the Delta variant of COVID-19, currently the predominant strain in the United States, is more infectious and has led to increased transmissibility when compared to other variants, even in vaccinated individuals. As a result, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status and community transmission levels.

The CDC recommends that individuals who are not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings and during activities involving sustained close contact with others. Fully vaccinated individuals might choose to wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised.

The CDC recommends that schools should have a sufficient supply of masks for students and staff who forget their own or need a replacement in school and on buses.

Midlakes requires masks to be worn indoors by students, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, during Moderate, Substantial, and High COVID-19 transmission designations in Ontario County.

Midlakes strongly encourages, but will not require, masks to be worn indoors by students, staff, or visitors during a Low COVID-19 transmission designation in Ontario County.

Passengers (students and adults) and drivers must always wear a mask on a school bus.

Mask breaks will be implemented throughout the school day, according to plans and schedules developed by the building principals. Increased physical distancing will be used during mask breaks.

Masks, where appropriate, and bell covers will be used in music classes where indoor masking is required.

Masks are not required outdoors. Time spent outdoors during the school day will be encouraged as weather and academic activities permit.

Midlakes will monitor Ontario County transmission rates and may reevaluate indoor masking requirements pending lower transmission rates. Any changes to the indoor masking criteria will be made in consultation with Ontario County Administration, Ontario County Public Health, and the Midlakes school physician. Adjustments may be made to the masking protocols based on changing circumstances.

4. PHYSICAL DISTANCING

The CDC recommends that schools maintain at least three (3) feet of physical distance between students in classrooms, combined with indoor mask-wearing, to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least three (3) feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is important to implement multiple other prevention strategies, such as “cohorting”.

The CDC states that “cohorting” can be used to limit the number of students, teachers, and staff in contact with each other, especially when it is challenging to maintain physical distancing, such as among young children, in areas of moderate to high transmission levels. The use of “cohorting” can limit the spread of COVID-19 between cohorts but should not replace other prevention measures within each group.

According to the CDC’s order, physical distancing is not required on school buses.

Midlakes will implement physical distances of three (3) feet, to the extent practical, in all indoor settings and at all levels of community transmission.

“Cohorting” is an approach that will take place in schools/classes whenever practical, especially at the elementary level.

Students participating in music and physical education indoors will be physically distanced three (3) feet, or more, whenever practicable. Students will wear masks while singing and students playing wind instruments will use performance masks and bell covers.

Large group assemblies where physical distancing can be maintained are permissible, physical distancing will be implemented whenever practical.

Students moving through cafeteria lines will be physically distanced to the extent practicable. In cafeterias, each table or radius will become a “pod” and subject to quarantine given a positive exposure.

Students will be assigned tables in the cafeteria; each table will serve as a “pod” for contact tracing purposes.

5. INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

Per the New York State Education Department, Midlakes will prioritize the return of all students to in-person instruction.

All aspects of the District’s academic program will be provided in-person.

All grade levels will return to the regular daily schedules in their school buildings.

Grades 7-12 will return to the traditional eight-period daily schedule.

WFL BOCES CTE programs (morning and afternoon) will meet at their normal times and transportation to these programs will be provided from the Midlakes campus.

The District will continue to transport students to out-of-district placements, as assigned.

Midlakes schools are staffed with school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and community agency social workers/counselors. Students will be supported by a professional in the Pupil Support Office or other trained staff members.

Staff training will be provided according to our Professional Development Plan and will include social-emotional learning and supports, multi-tiered systems of support, and Trauma, Illness and Grief support.

Appropriate assistance to students with disabilities and other health care needs will be provided by the Office of Special Programs, the Committee on Special Education, and/or School Health Offices.

An informed, empowered community of parents, guardians and other persons in parental relations/positions is critical to ensuring that English Language Learners (ELLs) are well served. In order to best support ELLs and their families, we provide translations and interpreter services in a variety of situations. Staff will receive professional development regarding the best practices in supporting ELLs and a set of guidelines for accessing translation/interpreter services.

6. CHILD NUTRITION

The Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District will provide all students with access to school meals each school day.

Meals will be free to students throughout the 2021-2022 school year.

To begin the year, “brown bag” meals (breakfast and lunch) will be provided. The District is planning to transition to traditional "hot meals" and "serving lines" by Monday, October 4, 2021, as COVID-19 circumstances allow. More information regarding this transition will be provided to families in advance of the change.

Students will be assigned to tables in the cafeteria and will sit three (3) feet apart facing the same direction. Each table will serve as a “pod” for contact tracing purposes. Each “pod” may be subject to quarantine by the local health department in the event of positive exposure.

Students moving through cafeteria lines will be physically distanced to the extent practical.

7. TRANSPORTATION

The CDC’s order regarding masks, issued in January 2021, states that all “passengers on public conveyances ... traveling into, within, or out of the United States ... regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth.” This statement applies to all forms of public transportation, including school buses. Passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses, including those operated by public and private school systems, regardless of vaccination status, subject to the exclusions and exemptions in the CDC’s order.

Passengers (students and adults) and drivers must wear a mask on school buses. Disposable masks will be available on buses for those needing them.

Midlakes will no longer implement physical distancing requirements on buses, per CDC and NYSED recommendations. Students will be seated up to two or three per seat, with the second and third students added to a seat later in the bus run. Siblings and students from the same household/daycare will be prioritized for sitting together in the same seat.

Bus windows and roof hatches will be opened to increase ventilation as weather permits (temperatures greater than 40 degrees and no precipitation). 

Buses will be supplied with approved wipes for cleaning of high-touch surfaces between bus runs.

Families are encouraged to provide transportation, whenever possible, to reduce student capacity on school buses. 

Midlakes will support local health departments in the contact tracing process by using seating charts and assigned seats on buses.

8. FACILITIES AND CLEANING

The CDC encourages cleaning school buildings and school buses at least once a day to sufficiently remove any germs that may be on surfaces. Midlakes will follow all Facilities recommendations from NYSED. Other steps will include:

Learning and eating spaces will be configured to support physical distances of three (3) feet, whenever practicable.
Signs will be posted to promote hand sanitization and respiratory hygiene.
Health offices will be configured to support physical distancing and provide designated “sick” and “well” areas to the extent practicable.
Custodial staff will be trained in COVID-19 cleaning protocols and schedules.
Custodial staff will clean high-touch surfaces throughout the day and perform a deeper cleaning each night.
Custodial staff will perform a thorough deep clean of any high traffic areas, such as the cafeteria, throughout the day and as needed.
Custodial staff will maintain cleaning checklists and logs, and cleaning product information will be made available.
Classrooms will be supplied with approved wipes for additional cleaning of high-touch surfaces as needed.
Areas of suspected COVID-19 exposure will be cleaned and sanitized based on guidance and recommendations from the local health department.
Outside air will be cycled in at the higher levels and HVAC filters will be changed regularly, above manufacturer recommendations.

9. TEMPERATURE CHECKS AND HEALTH SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRES

The CDC no longer recommends temperature screenings or daily health screening questionnaires at school. However, schools should be proactive in communicating to everyone that children experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should stay home and be tested for COVID-19. Families are encouraged to be mindful of any indication that their children are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and to seek testing when such symptoms are present. The CDC maintains a list of COVID-19 symptoms on its website.

Furthermore, school leaders play a significant role in educating teachers, staff, families, and students about when they should stay home and when they can return to school. Amid the recovery from the pandemic, the CDC recommends that:

Students and school personnel should stay home if they are showing signs and symptoms of infectious illness, including COVID-19, and get tested.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to check/screen for COVID-19 symptoms prior to their child attending school each day.
Schools should encourage everyone in their school community to get tested when symptoms are indicative of COVID-19, as this will help with rapid contact tracing and prevent the spread of COVID-19 at school.

Schools are reminded to follow Education Law § 906, which provides that whenever a student in a public school “shows symptoms of any communicable or infectious disease reportable under the public health law that imposes a significant risk of infection of others in the school, he or she shall be excluded from the school and sent home immediately, in a safe and proper conveyance. The director of school health services shall immediately notify a local public health agency of any disease reportable under the public health law … The director of school health services, or other health professionals acting upon direction or referral of such director, may make such evaluations of teachers and any other school employees, school buildings and premises as, in their discretion, they may deem necessary to protect the health of the students and staff."

Midlakes will follow the following student and staff health procedures:

Staying home when sick with COVID-19 is essential to keep COVID-19 infections out of schools and to prevent spread to others.
A daily health screener will no longer be used.
The District will send frequent reminders to students and staff that they must stay home if they are exhibiting symptoms.
Students and staff who exhibit symptoms associated with COVID-19 are encouraged to consult one of Midlakes school nurses before coming to school/work. Families/staff may be asked to contact their physician for additional steps.
Students and staff who exhibit symptoms associated with COVID-19 during the school day will be sent home.

10. CONTACT TRACING, QUARANTINE, AND ISOLATION

The CDC recommends that school leaders continue to collaborate with local health departments, to the extent allowable by privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), to confidentially provide information about people diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 in their school communities. Doing so makes it possible to identify which students, teachers, and staff with positive COVID-19 test results should isolate, and which close contacts should quarantine.

School leaders should, to the extent allowable by applicable privacy laws, report new diagnoses of COVID-19 to their local health department as soon as they are informed. School leaders also should, to the extent allowable, notify teachers, staff, and families of students in close contact with a positive case as soon as possible (within the same day, where practical).

The CDC guidance document defines a close contact as someone within six (6) feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more during a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

Exception: In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within three (3) to six (6) feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time. Additional guidance for wearing masks is available from the CDC. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

According to the CDC, people who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19, unless they exhibit symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they do not have symptoms, and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days (2 weeks) following exposure or until their test result is negative.

Midlakes will continue to collaborate with Ontario County Public Health to the extent allowable by privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to confidentially provide information about people diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 in our school community.

Midlakes will work collaboratively to identify which students, teachers, and staff with positive COVID-19 test results should isolate, and which close contacts should quarantine.

Please refer to the flowing flowcharts/guidance documents relating to Quarantine, Isolation and Return to School/Work from Ontario County Public Health.

Fully Vaccinated Exposure
Unvaccinated Exposure
Symptomatic Individual, No Known Exposure

11. REMOTE INSTRUCTION RESULTING FROM QUARANTINE, ISOLATION, OR A DECLARATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY

The District must be prepared for the current situation to change rapidly and with little notice. As required by the New York State Education Department, Midlakes must be prepared to return to 100% remote instruction at any time, based on a small- or large-scale quarantine/isolation, school closure, or a declaration of a public health emergency.  

Students may be returned to 100% remote instruction if:

Classrooms or portions of classrooms are quarantined by the local health department;
One or both schools are closed at any time due to increased rates of COVID-19 infection or other factors;
Or a public health emergency is declared, and schools are directed to switch to remote instruction.

The District’s plan provides for partial or complete shifts to remote instruction. These shifts may last for short or longer periods, depending on the circumstances and recommendations or directives from the local department of health.

Remote instruction may involve some students being instructed remotely while others attend school in-person. Therefore, remote instruction for students in GRades 4-12 will follow the regular daily schedule for that classroom, grade level, or school. Instruction will be delivered synchronously, to the extent possible, using Zoom and the 1:1 device (iPads) provided by school. When remote instruction is necessary, the District will take daily attendance for in-person and remote instruction, as required by the NYSED guidance. Remote attendance procedures will be shared with families by the principal of each school.

Midlakes will communicate small- and large-scale shifts to remote learning with as much notice as possible. In some cases, short delays may be necessary to support a successful transition.

When it is necessary for designated students, classrooms, or schools to shift to remote learning for a designated period:

Students will follow their regular daily schedule and connect synchronously with their teachers/classrooms, to the extent practicable, using school-issued devices (iPads).
Grades UPK-6 students, parents, and teachers will connect and communicate using Seesaw.
Grades 7-12 students and teachers will connect and communicate using Schoology.
Parents and teachers at all grade levels will also communicate via email and phone.
Zoom will be used to support synchronous instruction.
Some asynchronous instruction will be included as appropriate to the grade level and subject area.
Regular grading standards and practices will be maintained, and students will complete work assigned by their teachers, but teachers will exercise the level of flexibility and patience appropriate to the situation.
Families can email techhelp@midlakes.org to receive technical support.
In some cases, remote tutoring may be considered as an option for instructing students who are directed to isolate or quarantine by the local health department.
In the event of quarantine, isolation, or school closure, remote learning help can be found on the Quarantine/Isolation page.

12. ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Both the CDC and NYSED recognize that school-sponsored sports and extracurricular activities provide students with enrichment opportunities that can help them learn while supporting their social, emotional, and mental health. To ensure the health and safety of students during these activities, the CDC recommends the following:

Due to increased exhalation that occurs during physical activity, some sports can put players, coaches, trainers, and others at increased risk for getting and spreading COVID-19. Close contact sports and indoor sports are particularly risky. Similar risks might exist for other extracurricular activities, such as band, choir, theater, and school clubs that meet indoors.

Prevention strategies during these activities remain important. At a minimum, students and adults should follow the same school-day policies and procedures during athletic and extracurricular activities.

Students should refrain from these activities when they have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and should be tested.

Schools are strongly encouraged to use COVID-19 screening testing for student-athletes, students participating in extracurricular activities, and other activities with elevated risk (singing, shouting, band, and exercise that could lead to increased exhalation), and adults (coaches, teachers, advisors) who are not fully vaccinated and participate in or support these activities to facilitate safe participation and reduce risk of transmission — and avoid jeopardizing in-person education due to outbreaks.

Ontario County Public Health would like schools to consider voluntary surveillance testing, when in a substantial and/or high transmission zone. This may include students engaged in athletics and/or high-risk extracurricular activities. No decision has been made regarding screening testing at Midlakes. Midlakes will continue to consult with Ontario County regarding the potential need and implementation of screening testing:

Prior to any student testing, written parental consent will be obtained.
Should the District be required to participate, screening testing will be offered to all teachers and staff who have not been fully vaccinated. 
If required, screening testing will be conducted in a way that ensures the confidentiality of results and protects student, teacher, and staff privacy.
If required, we will seek to use screen testing that would be conducted in the most non-invasive manner possible.

The CDC and NYSED recommend:

High-risk sports and extracurricular activities should be virtual or canceled in areas of high community transmission unless all participants are fully vaccinated.
People who are fully vaccinated can refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if they are asymptomatic, facilitating continued participation in in-person learning, sports, or extracurricular activities.
Coaches and school sports administrators should also consider specific sport-related risk factors. Based on the CDC, the following factors affect COVID-19 transmission risk:
- Setting of the sporting event or activity. In general, the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower when playing outdoors than in indoor settings. Consider the ability to keep physical distancing in various settings at the sporting event (i.e., fields, benches/team areas, locker rooms, spectator viewing areas, spectator facilities/restrooms, etc.).
- Physical closeness/proximity. The spread of COVID-19 is more likely to occur in sports that require sustained close contact (i.e., wrestling, hockey, football).
- Number of people. The risk of spread of COVID-19 increases with increasing numbers of athletes, spectators, teachers, and staff.
- Level of intensity of activity. The risk of spread of COVID-19 increases with the intensity of the sport.
- Duration of time. The risk of spread of COVID-19 increases with the duration of exposure athletes, coaches, teachers, staff, and spectators spend in close proximity or in indoor group settings. This includes time spent traveling to/from sporting events, meetings, meals, and other settings related to the event.

Midlakes will require students, faculty, and staff who are involved in sports and extracurricular activities to follow the same school day policies and protocols during athletic events. These include:

When operating during a moderate, substantial, or high transmission designation, masks will be required for all spectators while indoors regardless of their vaccination status.
Athletes participating in indoor sports during a moderate, substantial, or high transmission designation should wear masks, as tolerated, while engaged in physical activity. Students not engaged in physical activity, coaches, and spectators will be required to wear masks indoors when in a moderate, substantial, or high transmission designation.
Passengers (students and adults) and drivers must wear masks on school buses. Disposable masks will be available on buses for students who need them.
Students should refrain from any sports or other extracurricular activities when they have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and should get tested.

The Athletic Director will communicate expectations and protocols to student-athletes and families, specific to seasons and sports, based on current data and recommendations. Midlakes will consider specific sport-related risks and will use transmission zone designations and the monitoring of any community or school spread to make adjustments to school-related activities based on the following:

Setting of the sporting event or activity. In general, the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower when playing outdoors than in indoor settings. Midlakes will assess the ability to keep physical distance in various settings at sporting events (i.e., fields, benches/team areas, locker rooms, spectator viewing areas, spectator facilities/restrooms, etc.).
Physical closeness/proximity. The spread of COVID-19 is more likely to occur in sports that require sustained close contact (i.e., wrestling, hockey, football).
Number of people. The risk of spread of COVID-19 increases with increasing numbers of athletes, spectators, teachers, and staff, especially during indoor events. The District will monitor the transmission zone designation and may place capacity limits on indoor events when deemed necessary. This will be communicated to parents in advance.
Level of intensity. The risk of spread of COVID-19 increases with the intensity of the sport.
Duration of time. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases the more time athletes, coaches, teachers, staff, and spectators spend in close proximity or in indoor group settings. This includes time spent traveling to/from sporting events, meetings, meals, and other settings related to the event.
Presence of people more likely to develop severe illness. People at increased risk of severe illness may need to take extra precautions.
Should the District become aware of an increase in school or community transmission that would indicate a need for the District to adjust any of its COVID-19 policies or procedures the District will notify parents of that need and will adjust quickly and accordingly.

13. USE OF FACILITIES BY OUTSIDE GROUPS

Midlakes is committed to providing access to school facilities to outside groups and community members to the extent possible according to our health and safety protocols and changing circumstances.

All groups using Midlakes school facilities will be required to follow all protocols as outlined in our reopening plan.
ML Schedules (available on our school website) will be used for reserving space, subject to compliance with District health and safety protocols.
Access to school facilities may change in response to evolving data and circumstances.
Capacity limits for participants and/or spectators may be applied.

14. OPTIONAL REMOTE LEARNING

The New York State Education Department's position on remote instruction, pursuant to the memo to the field from Commissioner Rosa on July 29, 2021, is as follows:

So long as allowed by public health officials, schools should be open for in-person teaching and learning, and students should be in school.
In the case of school closures due to a declared public health emergency, schools must be prepared to provide remote instruction.
While NYSED will not require schools that are open for full-time, in-person instruction to provide online or remote instruction, school districts may work with students and families to offer remote options if it is deemed to be in the best educational interest of the student.
Districts should consider the value of online capacity developed in response to the pandemic to expand programmatic offerings and to offer remote learning opportunities that are responsive to student needs. This can be done directly through cooperative agreements with other school districts or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services. This can help where documented medical conditions prohibit the safe return for students to in-person instruction and where students who have otherwise struggled have excelled with remote learning.

Remote instruction consistent with both the July 29, 2021 memo and existing regulations count for state aid purposes towards the minimum instructional hours and days.

Midlakes encourages all students to attend school in-person according to the health and safety protocols outlined in the reopening plan.

Midlakes recognizes that some families may not be comfortable sending their children to school for in-person instruction at this time. Therefore, Midlakes is offering a K-12 remote learning option through the eAcademy offered by Erie 1 BOCES. This option is available to families who expressed interest by August 20, 2021, and subsequently confirmed enrollment with district administration.

Enrollment in the eAcademy requires a full-year commitment for the entire 2021-2022 school year. The District is unable to allow students to switch between in-person instruction and optional remote instruction during the school year. Also, students enrolled in eAcademy for optional remote instruction are not eligible to participate in any in-person learning opportunities offered by the District (i.e., CTE programs at FLTCC, etc.).

Students who enroll in the eAcademy for optional remote learning are eligible to participate in interscholastic sports and extracurricular activities, according to the health and safety protocols outlined in the District’s reopening plan.

15. HOME INSTRUCTION

Should a parent choose to homeschool their student(s) the following information is important to note:

Homeschooling is governed by the regulations of the New York State Education Department. Parents wishing to homeschool a child must follow the published guidelines, including submission of an intent to homeschool and an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP).
The New York State Education Department has published a Q&A document to support parents in the homeschooling process.

16. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Data and Decision Making

NOTE: Per order by the New York State Department of Health, and until further notice, CDC COVID-19 transmission designations for Ontario County will not impact the universal indoor mask requirement. Ontario County’s CDC COVID-19 transmission designation may influence other adjustments to Midlakes’ reopening plan, in consultation with Ontario County Administration and Public Health, and Midlakes’ school physician.

Ontario County Public Health data will be used to determine our CDC transmission zone designation as either low, moderate, substantial, or high. The zone designation and data shared by OCPH each Friday will be used to determine the protocols for the upcoming week. For example, if on a Friday the District is in a low transmission designation, then it will follow the protocols within this document for the low transmission designation during the following week. The District will NOT switch protocols on a day-to-day basis. Information on which protocols the District will be used each week will be communicated to students, parents, faculty, and staff in advance of the start of school the following Monday morning.

Occupancy Limits

Indoor and/or outdoor occupancy limits may be applied based on updated information and recommendations from the local department of health.

Visitors

Visitors to buildings during the instructional day will be permitted on a limited basis.
Virtual options for visits will be encouraged to limit access.
Visitors will be advised to refrain from entering buildings if they are exhibiting signs or symptoms of COVID-19.

Field Trips

As travel restrictions are not in place by government officials, the District may choose to cautiously proceed with field trips as deemed appropriate.
All masking and distancing protocols will be followed on field trips similarly to what would be expected in school at the time of the field trip in relation to the CDC transmission designation for the destination.

Handwashing and Respiratory Etiquette

The District will encourage, promote and practice handwashing and respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes) to help limit the spread of infectious illnesses, including COVID-19. The District will monitor and reinforce these behaviors and provide adequate hand washing supplies. In addition, the District will take steps to:

Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Remind everyone in school to wash hands frequently and to assist young children with handwashing.
If handwashing is not possible, students, faculty, staff, and visitors are encouraged to use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol (for teachers, staff, and older students who can safely use hand sanitizer). Hand sanitizers should be stored out of reach and out of sight of young children and should only be used by children six and younger under adult supervision.

17. SUMMARY

The District will continue to monitor changing circumstances related to COVID-19 and consider adjustments to the reopening plan in consultation with Ontario County Administration and Public Health, the school physician, Section V Athletics, the Finger Lakes Athletic Association, and other relevant groups. We will also evaluate and respond to any updated guidance, recommendations, and/or directives from the state, county, or local level. Any changes to health and safety protocols or other aspects of the reopening plan will be communicated to students, families, and staff with as much notice as possible. The District administration will also provide regular updates to the Board of Education at public Board meetings throughout the school year.

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