2021-2022 SDOC Guidelines for COVID-19

These guidelines are subject to change at any point in response to changes in the COVID-19 pandemic or legislative action.  

Date Updated: 09/03/2021

MASKS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURaged in all SDOC
Schools and for events

Masks are now required on all buses per SCDE Regulations

Any  student or staff member, vaccinated or unvaccinated,  experiencing symptoms of  COVID-19 should isolate, notify the school nurse, and get tested immediately. That individual should remain isolated until test results are received.

~ Only essential visitors will be allowed in school buildings

~ Field trips suspended for the 1st 9 weeks of school

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• Classrooms will be “cohorted” - they will not not “mix” with other classrooms throughout the day.

• No school after-school clubs - YMCA and 21st Century programs will operate.

• Students will eat meals in classrooms.

TESTING FOR COVID-19

• Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 must notify their school nurse and isolate, at home, for a period of 10 days.

• Fully vaccinated people and people verified to have been infected with COVID-19 in the previous 90 days** who were in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 but do not have COVID-19 symptoms DO NOT need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms.  Individuals may voluntarily choose to provide documentation of their full vaccination status to eliminate the need for quarantine. 
  **positive PCR or antigen test from a medical office; no at home test results will be accepted

PHYSICAL DISTANCING

• At least 3 feet of distance between individuals  should be maintained to the greatest extent possible.

  • Arrange desks to maximally increase the space between them.  

  • Remove non-essential furniture to maximize the distance between students.

  • Grouping of desks should be limited based on space.

• Each school will maintain an isolation room for students who have symptoms of COVID-19.  Students with 2 or more symptoms of COVID-19 will remain in the isolation room, away from the general public until a parent/guardian arrives to take them home.

• Each teacher MUST provide their school nurse with a seating chart and update those charts when any seating arrangements have been altered.  This includes classroom, cafeteria, and cohorts on the playground.

QUARANTINE

• If a student  is identified as a close contact through contact tracing:
  • If the individual is vaccinated, they will not be required to quarantine from school if they voluntarily choose to provide documentation of their full vaccination status. If the individual develops  symptoms of COVID-19, they will need to be isolated for a period of 10 days.
  • If the individual is NOT vaccinated, a 10 day quarantine period will be required
  • If at any point an individual identified as a close contact, vaccinated or unvaccinated, shows symptoms, they will be required to isolate until test results are received

CLOSE CONTACT

• Grades PIP-2nd: 
  • If three (3) or more students test positive in a classroom within a 10 day time period,  consideration will be given to placing the classroom in quarantine for 10 days.
  • Principal will make a Messenger ONE-CALL  to the parent/guardian of students in the classroom notifying them of the positive case and requesting them to monitor their child closely for symptoms of COVID-19, and report any positive COVID-19 cases to the school nurse. 
• Grades 3rd - 12th:
  • Anyone who has been within 3 feet of a COVID-19 case greater than 15 minutes within a 24 hour period must quarantine for 10 days. 

HOUSEHOLD CONTACT

• If a person can separate from the COVID-19 positive case, the household contact may return to school after a quarantine period of 10 days.  

• If the household contact can not separate from the COVID-19 case, the household contact may return to school after a quarantine period of 20 days.

SCHOOL EMPLOYEES

• School staff are considered critical infrastructure employees and, if replacement while the exposed staff member completes their recommended quarantine period is not possible, they will be allowed to work while wearing a face mask, remaining at a minimum six (6) feet from others for a quarantine period of 10 days. They are to monitor for symptoms during the 10 days of  quarantine as recommended by DHEC.  If school staff develop symptoms or they test positive for COVID-19 during their quarantine period, they must immediately isolate and will not be allowed to return to work until their isolation period ends.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTION

• In general, cleaning once a day is usually enough to sufficiently remove potential virus that may be on surfaces.  Disinfecting (using disinfectants on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency COVID-19 list) removes any remaining germs on surfaces, which further reduces any risk of spreading infection. 

• If a facility or bus has had a sick person or someone who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 24 hours, clean and disinfect the space. 

BUSES

• MASK WILL BE REQUIRED ON ALL SDOC BUSES  per SCDE regulations

• Exceptions to the mask policy apply for students with disabilities that meet the following:

  • A person with a disability who, for reasons related to the disability, would be physically unable to remove a mask without assistance if breathing becomes obstructed. Examples might include a person with impaired motor skills, quadriplegia, or limb restrictions.

  • A person with an intellectual, developmental, cognitive, or psychiatric disability that affects the person’s ability to understand the need to remove a mask if breathing becomes obstructed.

• Each bus driver MUST provide their supervisor and school nurse with a seating chart and update those charts when any seating arrangements have been altered.

• Bus drivers must keep family members together in cohorts.

OUT OF COUNTRY TRAVEL

• Students and staff should notify the school nurse if they have or plan to travel out of the country.

• Upon returning to the US, individuals will be required to quarantine, at home, for a period of 10 days before returning to school. 

• If symptoms develop, a negative COVID-19 test is required before returning.

School Buses fall under the January 2021 CDC  order requiring masks on all forms of public transportation.   On August 26, 2021, The SC Department of Education announced that they would begin enforcing the CDC order in response to a significant increase in cases and high community spread rates. A revised memo released on August 27, 2021  included the following information:

"To facilitate adherence to the CDC Order, the SCDE will equip all state-owned school buses with an adequate supply of face coverings that meet CDC Order requirements. If a student boards a bus without a face covering, bus drivers should offer the student a face covering. School districts shall implement disciplinary measures designed to enforce this requirement, including, but not limited to suspending a student from riding a bus. However, no student should be placed in an unsafe situation as a result of attempting to board a bus without a face covering."

SC Department of Education Face Covering on Buses Memo

As a district, we will begin assigning disciplinary consequences for students who choose to not wear a mask beginning Tuesday, September 7, 2021. The consequences for not wearing a mask will be:

1st time:  Students will receive a warning

2nd time: A phone call will be made to the parent to explain the
situation and consequences of further refusal

3rd time:  Student will be suspended from the bus for one day.

Each additional refusal will result in an increase in the number of days the student is suspended from the bus.  It is possible with repeated refusal to wear a mask may result in suspension from the bus for the remainder of the school year. 

For an individual to be considered fully vaccinated, a minimum of 2 weeks must have past since receiving the final vaccine dose. 

Moderna or Pfizer:  an individual must be 2 weeks past the second dose of vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson:   an individual must must be 2 weeks past the single dose of vaccine.

You QUARANTINE when you might have been exposed to the virus. You should stay home and monitor for symptoms and social distance when around people.

You ISOLATE when you have been infected with the virus, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should stay away from others even in your home. 

There are many places within the community to get tested for COVID-19.  Many medical practices as well as pharmacies have testing options.  The following provide free testing to the community:

DHEC-Tour Health - Oconee County Health Department 
Open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

609 N Townville St   Seneca, SC 29678
Please pre-register using the link:  https://www.tourhealth.com

Pre-Registration Strongly Recommended but Not Required. Wait times at all sites vary and patients are seen in the order that they arrive. Pre-registration will help to reduce your wait time at the site.

Appointment Needed: No
Referral Needed: No
Pediatric Testing Available: Yes - All ages

 

Clemson Community COVID-19 Testing
Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Nettles Park, 102 Nettles Park Road, Pendleton, SC 29670

Prior to arriving at the community-testing site, you must register and obtain a COVID-19 testing QR code.  To do this, visit this link:   Clemson  Community COVID Testing

When you arrive at the testing site, you will be required to present the QR Code you obtained from registration.  Please have your QR Code ready on your phone or printed for scanning prior to arriving to the test site.

Note: The QR code you obtain from your initial COVID-19 testing registration may be used as many times in the future as needed without re-registering.

• Make sure you have had nothing to eat or drink 30 minutes prior to testing.
• This COVID-19 test type is Saliva PCR (not rapid antigen).  You should receive your test results via text and email within 24 to 30 hours of your test.

 

 

This plan describes how the Local Education Agency (LEA)  or district will provide the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services for all schools, including those that have already returned to in-person instruction. This report template complies with all reporting requirements of the ARP Act (Public Law 117-2), the ESSER III grant terms, conditions, and assurances (CFDA Number 84.425U), and the interim final rule established by the U.S. Department of Education, 86 FR 21195.

SDOC Safe Return to In Person Instruction Plan

This plan describes how the SDOC will use funds that it is awarded under the ARP ESSER program. This report template complies with all reporting requirements of the ARP Act (Public Law 117-2), the ARP ESSER grant terms, conditions, and assurances (CFDA Number 84.425U), and the interim final rule established by the U.S. Department of Education, 86 FR 21195.

SDOC ESSER Plan

SDOC ESSER Spending Plan