July 31, 2020
Dear Falls City School Families,
Falls City Public Schools and Falls City Sacred Heart School have developed our “Return to School Plan to Keep School Safe”. The plan is a blueprint for our schools in the Falls City community. Plans for each school building have been developed by school committees and administrators working through the many details needed for schools to operate safely beginning on August 13, 2020. In planning, our first priority is the safety of our students, employees, and our community. Our plans take into account these ever-changing times to continue educating our students, if and when circumstances change, throughout the year related to COVID-19.
Plans were developed with input from parents, employees, school board members, community stakeholders, administrators, ESU 4 leaders, the NDE, the SEDHD and health care professionals. As stated in our letter on July 14, we are working on three scenarios. A Risk Dial, updated weekly, by the Southeast District Health Department will be used to help local school leaders determine what scenario they are in at that current time. Our “Return to School Plan to Keep School Safe” is based on the following:
- No/Low Spread Plan (GREEN/YELLOW) - School buildings are open with 100% of students and staff, with restrictions. The school district will initiate preventative practices and additional proactive safety protocols. Wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and vigilant hand hygiene is our best defense in slowing the spread of this virus.
- Moderate Spread Plan (ORANGE) - School buildings are open, but use may be minimal, altered, or staggered. Such use may be based on social distancing directives from the Governor’s Directive Health Measure or SEDHD requiring us to limit class sizes, the number of people in groups, etc.
- Substantial Spread Plan (RED) - School buildings are closed. The closure may be short-term or extended and will likely be based on district health declarations or by the NDE. This may be enacted if the Governor’s Directive Health Measure closed schools again due to health concerns. (If we have outbreaks of COVID-19 in specific schools, we may enact individual school closures instead of district-wide closures.)
As new data, recommendations, and practices emerge, the local “Return to School” plan will be revised and updated to reflect changing conditions and needs. We know our plan may change before we even start school. We need to be ready to pivot as things change in our community or as guidelines change. Parts of our plan will be difficult. Difficult for our students and difficult for our teachers and staff. We will be doing most of the usual things but in different ways. We must be willing to work through the difficulties. We must develop a culture in our schools where many of our actions are designed to protect our teachers and staff, our students and in turn protect our parents, grandparents and the rest of the community.
We are planning for all students to be in attendance on August 13. The goal of our schools is to educate with our students and teachers in our buildings like education is meant to be. Our best chance of achieving this goal is for everyone to do their part. If parents and students do not want to return to remote learning, we must do everything we can to keep our schools safe and our community safe. Our “Return to School” plans will help us do this.
Falls City Public Schools’ and Falls City Sacred Heart’s plans can be found on their school websites. Specific details and guidelines for how school will look beginning August 13 are in our plans.
Thank you for your support!
Tim Heckenlively, Superintendent
Falls City Public Schools
Doug Goltz, Superintendent
Falls City Sacred Heart