Roanoke City Public Schools guide for reopening schools post pandemic.

2. Thank you…
• Transition and Restoration Task Force
• Task Force Subcommittees
• School Re-opening Work Group
• School Board
• Parents
• Principals and Administrators
• Teachers and Staff
• Students
• Community Members
• City of Roanoke
• Health Officials
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3. Guiding Documents and Information
• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)
o Recover. Redesign. Restart. Revised July, 2020.
• Virginia Department of Health (VDH)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
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4. Virginia Department of Education
Phase III Instructional Plan Guidance from Recover. Redesign. Restart.
• Programmatic Guidance:
o In-person instruction may be offered for all students, however physical distancing measures
should be implemented.
o Remote learning exceptions and teleworking should be options for students and staff who
are at a higher risk of severe illness (as defined by the CDC).
o Mitigation strategies may impact operations and capacity limits. A multi-faceted instructional
approach may need to be planned for Phase III.
• Health, Safety and Physical Distancing Guidance:
o CDC advises that individuals maintain six feet of distance to reduce the risk of COVID-19
transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that schools maintain a
distance of at least one meter (approx. three feet) between everyone present at school, and
is monitoring ongoing research. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says
spacing as close as three feet may have similar benefits if students wear cloth face
coverings and do not have symptoms of illness. Physical distancing is not limited to distance
between children; physical distancing between adults is a key mitigation measure. In areas
where the community transmission of COVID-19 is more substantial, distancing of at least
six feet will need to be strongly considered; this guidance may be subject to change as we
learn more.
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5. Virginia Department of Education
Phased Guidance from Recover. Redesign. Restart.
• Special Considerations from Phase I and Phase II:
o From Phase I: School divisions may elect to provide in-person instruction for students with
disabilities in both extended school year services and school year special education
services, including private placements, with physical distancing. Students will only attend
such programs if the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team agrees it is appropriate
and the parent consents. Virtual instruction may remain appropriate for certain students who
may be challenged with adherence to the strict physical distancing and safety guidelines as
determined by the IEP team and the parents’ consent.
o From Phase II: Schools may offer limited in-person instruction to preschool through third
grade and English Learner students given the unique challenges of providing remote
academic and physical emotional support to young learners and English language learners.
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6. Ten Point Safety and Academic Plan for Re-opening Schools
1.Health and Safety
2.Curriculum
3.Instruction
4.Assessment
5.Professional Development
6. Infrastructure
7. Budget
8. Human Resources
9. Calendar/Policy
10. Communications
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7. Parent Survey
• 8,390 participants
Each question should be interpreted independently based on analysis of the responses.
• Understanding that there are degrees of risk associated with school attendance
please indicate your preference for instruction in the fall for this student.
o Hybrid Instruction (This student will attend school as scheduled and participate in
online learning)
o Online learning only (I do not intend for my student to physically attend school, but
my student will participate in Roanoke City's Online Learning Program)
• 68% of students returning to RCPS indicated preference of hybrid instruction
• 31% of students indicated online learning only
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8. Roanoke City Public Schools Employee Survey Results Report
• Survey Timeframe: Thursday July 2, 2020 through Thursday July 9, 2020
• Survey Participants: Roanoke City Public School Employees- Please note Staff Breakdown Below:
o 90% Licensed Teachers completed the survey
o 58% Non-Licensed Staff completed the survey
o 94% Administrative/Professional Staff completed the survey
• Total Number of Respondents: 1523
• Are you comfortable with returning to your worksite?
• 78% Comfortable Returning (75% Teachers, 81% Non-Licensed Staff, 83% Administrative/Professional)
• 22% Not Comfortable Returning (25% Teachers, 19% Non-Licensed Staff, 17%
Administrative/Professional)
• With updated Organizational Health and Safety policies and procedures in the workplace, are you willing to
comply with such policies and procedures? (examples: remaining home when ill, temperature screening,
wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing 6 feet when applicable, and handwashing).
• 99% Yes
• 1% No
Employee Survey
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9. • Our Way Forward: Providing High-Quality
Instruction in Healthy and Safe Environments for
Students and Staff Members.
• Our Plan…
o Follows guidelines
o Addresses parent and staff requests
o Follows health guidance and mitigation
factors
o Is flexible
o Addresses the physical and social-
emotional wellness of students, staff and
parents
RCPS Proposed Phase III Plan
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10. RCPS Proposed Phase III Plan
Our Plan to Maximize Instruction in a Safe Environment:
• In-person Instruction:
o Four days per week of face-to-face
instruction
o 1 day per week of virtual
instruction
o 70% capacity
• RCPS Virtual Academy:
o Canvas
o Virtual instruction
o 30% capacity
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11. 10
1. Health and Safety

12. Health and Safety
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Documents developed for:
o COVID Screening Protocols for all staff, students and visitors for all schools and
Administration Building
o Guidelines for managing those with COVID symptoms, exposure or positive
tests in our schools
o Extra guidance for school nurses and employee health regarding COVID
o Educational documents and presentations for families, students and staff

13. Health and Safety
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Staff Safety Measures:
o Passive Screening (staff) - RCPS to provide home self-monitoring software that will
aide staff to self-screen for illness.
o Free access to Employee Health hotline which is staffed by Registered Nurses.
o Active Screening Process (Students/individuals) - Performing Health Intake Screening
before entering any RCPS building(s).
o Provide appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and PPE education to all
staff, free of charge
o Educate all staff on proper hygiene practices.
o Provide online staff education to include:
 Transmission
 Prevention
 Proper handwashing
technique
 Self-distancing
 Proper application of PPE
 Monitoring one’s health
 Safety tips
 Cough/Sneeze etiquette
 Cleaning and disinfecting

14. Health and Safety
• Free access to Employee Health Clinic Nurse 8 hours per day and 5 days each week
• Provide staff educational documents/guidelines/protocols before student return to reduce
staff anxiety. These documents/guidelines/protocols include:
• Provide student educational videos related to COVID mitigation that will afford staff with a
roadmap for student teaching.
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o Staff Guidelines for Health Services at School
o RCPS Guidelines for Managing COVID
o Hygiene protocol for staff, Students and Visitors
o Face Covering Protocol
o COVID Screening Protocol for Individuals

15. Health and Safety
Student Safety Measures
• Active Screening Process-Performing Health Intake Screening on all students entering
RCPS building(s).
• Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and PPE education to all students, free of
charge.
• Provide all students with age appropriate COVID education and mitigation practices.
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16. Health and Safety
Parent Education
• Provide parents with necessary educational documents so home teaching can occur (see:
Parent/Guardian Education Talking Points).
• Provide link to CDC on RCPS homepage for parent education related to COVID:
o Symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
o Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 If You Are Sick
o 10 Things You Can Do to Manage Your COVID-19 Symptoms at Home
o What You Should Know about COVID-19 to Protect Yourself and Others
o Guidance for Large or Extended Families Living in the Same Household
o How to Stop the Spread of Germs
o Important Information About Your Cloth Face Coverings
o How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Cloth Face Covering
o How to Wash Cloth Face Coverings
• Provide link on RCPS homepage to direct parents to VDOE Phase III.
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17. Student Support
• Restorative Practices
o Restorative Community Circles (Preventative)
o Restorative Justice (Reactive)
• Social Emotional
o School-wide survey of students’ Social Emotional Learning (SEL) needs
o Daily SEL experiences (using curriculum and daily lessons)
o All staff will be trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) to help
recognize signs of mental health concerns in students
• Student Regulation Experiences
o Identified calming/safe spaces (consider COVID-19 impact/disinfecting
between individual students)
o Sensory walks (consider COVID-19 impact/disinfecting between individual
students/disinfecting between students)
o Proactive student movement breaks
o Virtual Calming Room
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18. Student Support
• Student Engagement
o Virtual Student Organizations and Clubs
o Virtual Book Club to discuss current affairs, diversity and equity
o Classroom lessons and discussions around current affairs, diversity and equity with
appropriate teacher training
o Student led organizations center around diversity and equity
o Student lessons on trauma and the impact of stress on the brain and body and coping skills
o Journaling – students and teachers journaling, teachers journaling with former students to
loop for closure
o Mental health committees to include students
o Equity focused Leadership development groups for underserved students
• Individual Counseling Support
o Use of evidence-based intervention programs with targeted individuals
o Individualized counseling through school-based mental health support system or community
mental health provider (working in the schools)
o Create a system for school-based mental health professionals to check in with
students/families virtually
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19. Staff Support
• All school staff should be provided with training and Professional Development on
SEL
• Daily SEL Experiences
• Self-care (Mindfulness and EAP)
• Equity training to include implicit-bias, cultural humility, and anti-racism (Privilege
Walk, Courageous Conversations, Equity Chats)
• Trauma informed care training
• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training
• Strengthen school-based staff wellness programs with school leadership support
• School-based practices of celebrating success and highlighting accomplishments of
all staff; taking time to increase positive emotions
• Provide opportunities for building principals and other school leaders to debrief with
colleagues and support each other during stressful times
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20. Family Support/Community Partnerships
• Reminders about how to stay healthy during COVID-19 posted prominently
throughout the school.
• Reduced school supply list to reduce family costs and to reduce the need to go
outside to shop.
• List of activities families can do to occupy time at home (board games, cards, etc..)
• Encourage health compliance strategies to be modeled by all staff.
• Develop a list of community organizations and resources.
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21. 2. Curriculum
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22. Modes of Instruction
Face-to-Face
o Monday – Thursday students who receive in-person instruction (up to 70% capacity)
o Friday students will be working on virtual assignments and participating in small group
remediation to fill learning gaps through Microsoft Teams in Canvas
Virtual Academy
o All students may choose to attend school 100% online using the Canvas Learning
Management System (LMS)
o RCPS teachers will be providing high quality, rigorous instruction
o Students will be held accountable for logging onto Canvas and completing
assignments/assessments on a daily basis
NOTE: RCPS is ready to pivot between this hybrid approach to 100% virtual or 100% face-to-
face
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23. Curriculum
• All teachers will be trained to develop courses in Canvas beginning July 20
• All online courses will be delivered through Canvas, with the exception of some
Career and Technical courses
• Instructional calendars and curriculum are being revised to minimize the effects of
the long-term school closure
• Curriculum revisions are being done by curriculum supervisors, specialists,
coaches, and teachers.
• Differentiated content will be provided to mitigate learning gaps.
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24. 3. Instruction
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25. Instruction
• Content is being created for the first weeks of school for both in-person and virtual
learning to reduce teacher stress while learning a new LMS and to maintain
consistency of expectations
• RCPS is focusing on both instruction and social/emotional learning for students
upon reopening of schools
• School counselors will be assigned to all students, including those in the Virtual
Academy
• Students who are attending school in-person will receive the same level of
instruction they have in the past, modified to meet social distancing guidelines
• Students in the Virtual Academy will be provided with teacher vetted instructional
videos, written text, directions for hands-on activities, and contact with teachers
through regular office hours
• Remediation will be provided through teacher-directed tutorials for in-person
instruction, as well as small group virtual meetings on Fridays for both in-person
and 100% virtual students
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26. Special Education
• Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students with disabilities will be amended prior to the 2020-
2021 school year to reflect the service times, accommodations and goals without IEP meetings if agreed
upon by the parent and RCPS. The IEP teams will amend the IEPs to reflect the following:
o Students with disabilities participating in special education setting more than 50% of the time could
have up to four days per week of in-person instruction available if determined appropriate by the
student’s IEP team and with parental consent.
o Students with disabilities participating in the general education setting more than 50% of the time will
follow the RCPS instructional plan developed for in-person instruction.
o Students with disabilities in private day school placements will follow the instructional plan for the
private day school where they are assigned.
o Students with disabilities in homebound or homebased settings will participate in the instructional of
RCPS as determined appropriate by the student’s IEP team and with parental consent.
• Within the first six weeks of school, baseline data will be collected and IEP meetings will be held to
review and amend the present levels of students, goals, accommodations, services and the least
restrictive environment.
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27. 4. Assessment
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28. Assessment
• Diagnostic assessments for reading and mathematics will be available for all levels,
including:
o Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (mathematics and SEL)
o K-3 PALS (reading)
o Fountas and Pinnell (elementary reading)
o VDOE mini-assessments (gr 3-8 mathematics)
o ReadTheory (secondary reading)
o Algebra Readiness Diagnostic Test (middle school mathematics)
o IXL (secondary reading and mathematics)
o WIDA (English Learners)
• Formative assessments or "snapshots" are taken throughout the school year to provide
teachers with insight into learning gaps
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29. 28
5. Professional Development
and Training

30. Professional Development
• Be mindful of staff time and mental stamina when scheduling professional
development.
• Administrators will work with Human Resources on completion of required
trainings for all personnel.
• Administrators will be trained on health and safety protocols.
• Each principal will need to ensure school staff are trained about health and safety
protocols.
• The administrators assigned to professional development will work with
maintenance and operations to train teachers on creating and maintaining safe
learning environments following social distancing guidelines.
• The team will propose an instructional plan for teachers that proves both
functional and collaborative.
• Staff can be trained virtually and/or in person.
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31. Professional Development
• The team will train staff about transition (pivoting) to virtual learning full-time if
schools have to close due to a COVID-19 case.
• Administrators assigned to professional development will work with coordinators to
develop a two-week unit that details all of the virtual and blended learning required
for students to be successful.
• Administrators assigned to professional development will work with the technology
team to create step-by-step directions for Virtual Virginia, Canvas, RCPS specific
sites, email, and live access, along with videos, lessons, activities, to support
student achievement and mastery.
• The professional development team will work with staff, parents, community
members, and students to create a pathway to independence regardless of the
COVID-19 realities.
• Professional development team will work with the technology department and
coordinators on developing teacher training to not only model lessons and long-
term support, but the templates and examples that will allow teachers to begin
working with blended learning immediately.
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32. Professional Development
• Administrators will work with the technology department and teachers to secure
resources for onboarding to blended learning.
o Onboarding to blended learning would include an opportunity for trained
teachers and staff to meet with parents and students prior to reopening.
Schools will provide to training for parents and students on blended learning. It
is also during this time that schools can provide assistance on completion of
registration requirements, how to access SEL assistance, schedule
amendments for IEPs, ELPs, etc.
o Parents and students would be provided with devices to access virtual learning
as well as learn the protocols for successful and safe participation in the
educational environment.
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33. 6. Infrastructure
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34. • 8,390 participants
Each question should be interpreted independently based on analysis of the responses.
• Understanding that there are degrees of risk associated with school attendance
please indicate your preference for instruction in the fall for this student.
o Hybrid Instruction (This student will attend school as scheduled and participate in
online learning)
o Online learning only (I do not intend for my student to physically attend school, but
my student will participate in Roanoke City's Online Learning Program)
• 68% of students returning to RCPS indicated preference of hybrid instruction
• 31% of students indicated online learning only
• Buildings of concern (6’ Distancing): Preston Park, Westside, Grandin Court,
Fishwick
Infrastructure
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35. Infrastructure
• Understanding that there are degrees of risk associated with student
transportation please indicate your preference for transportation in the fall.
o I will provide transportation to and from school for my student (includes student
drivers).
o My student will ride the bus and wear a face covering on the bus.
o Skipped
• 46% indicated transportation will be provided
• 35% indicated a need for transportation
• 19% skipped
An average of 20 students per bus with face coverings
Four start times: 7:00AM, 8:00AM, 9:00AM and 10:00AM
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36. Infrastructure
• Do you have internet access that is reliable enough to support online learning?
o Yes
o No
• 92% responded internet access was available
Survey previously indicated approximately 77% internet access availability in 2019-20
• 56% would rely on computer/tablet provided by RCPS
• IT staff believes RCPS has appropriate hardware based on survey response
• Internet Access – Cox Communications Discussions
Not Impacted by Survey
Food Service: PK-8 delivery to classroom
9-12 hallway/common area delivery
Grab and Go food service for Online Instruction
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37. 36
7. Budget

38. Budget
• CARES Act - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER)
Fund Allocation = $5,840,468
• FEMA Relief - Assistance for emergency protective measures
• Identified Potential Cost Areas
o Student Transportation
o Student/Staff Technology Needs
o PPE and Sanitizing Supplies
o Extra Staff Time
o Training Stipends
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39. 8. Human Resources
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40. • What, if any, personal issues may limit your ability to return to work during COVID-19?
o Medical, Health/Safety of Staff, and Childcare.
• Working with partners that will provide low cost, flexible child care for our employees
o Boys and Girls Clubs
o YMCA
• How can the district best support you in transitioning back to work during COVID-19?
o Consistent Communication, training prior to staff/students returning, protocols/ procedures, and clean
buildings.
• Health Education
o Safe workplace
o Employee Assistance Program;
o United Healthcare Resources on COVID-19
Human Resources
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41. 9. Policy/Calendar
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42. 41

43. 10. Communications
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44. Official Announcement of Reopening Schools Plan
• Principals are notified two to three hours prior to the official announcement (either in-
person or virtual).
• Official announcement will be announced simultaneously. This includes:
o Email to staff
o Robo-call to parents/staff
o Social media postings
o News conference
• There will be a Q&A webpage for staff with frequently asked questions. After the
announcement, the Superintendent should meet with staff members to answer their
questions/concerns if needed. (Could be in-person or virtual)
• The Superintendent will hold two virtual town hall meetings. They will most likely be held
that week to reach parents that work morning and evening.
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45. Educating the Public after Announcement
• This information would be given through social media posts and videos.
Considerations are:
o Masks requirements
o Cleaning process
o Screening process
o Temperature check
o Bus protocols
o Hand sanitizer availability
o Food
o School/dismissal times
o Immunizations/physicals
o Visitors
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46. Communication and Training
• Administrators will be trained on health and safety protocols.
• Each principal will need to ensure school staff are trained about health and safety
protocols.
• Train staff about student expectations and the reasons of why it must be followed.
• Staff can be trained virtually and/or in person.
• Administrators assigned to professional development will work with the technology
department to secure resources and a timeline for onboarding (students, staff, and
parents).
• Be mindful of staff time and mental stamina when scheduling professional
development.
• Schools will work with the technology department to schedule opportunities to train
parents and students how to use virtual learning tools.
• Train staff and community members about transition to virtual learning full-time if
schools have to close due to a COVID-19 case.
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