Health and Safety

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR REOPENING

  • Sixty percent of Ohioans are considered high risk based on CDC guidance.
  • Social determinants of health and other COVID-19 high-risk factors evident in TPS.
    • 5400 students in grades K-12 have a chronic health condition
  • 67% of students are of racial/ethnic minority
  • A significant number of students live in multi-generational homes or are being raised by grandparents
  • 85.7% of students are economically disadvantaged
  • Healthcare access including pace of widespread testing with expedient test results

FACE COVERING

Pre-K 

Pre-K students are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering in school. When appropriate, students will transition to a face shield for instructional purposes. Students will be offered a face shield if a face mask is not worn unless the student cannot wear a face shield for a safety reason.

Pre-K students will have labeled face shields that will be kept in the classroom. Students will clean their own face shields each day. Teachers will receive a list of storage options for face coverings.

Kindergarten through 12th grade

Students in grades K-12 must always wear face coverings while in the school building. Students will provide their own face coverings. Cloth face coverings are recommended. Face shields will be used when deemed appropriate.

All students will follow these best practices for face covering:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before and after putting on a mask
  • Use the ties or loops to put your face mask on and take it off
  • A mask should cover your face from the bridge of your nose to your chin
  • Don’t touch the front of the mask, especially when taking it off
  • Wash and dry your face mask daily and discard it if it becomes wet or soiled
  • Wearing a face covering does not replace the need for frequent hand washing and social distancing

Why am I being asked to wear a face covering?

Face coverings have been shown by experts to be one of three powerful tools in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Along with social distancing and hand hygiene, face coverings minimize the distribution of respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking that cause COVID-19.

How do I wear a face covering?

  • Face coverings must cover your nose, mouth and chin.
  • Wash or sanitize your hands before putting on and after taking off a face covering.
  • Use the ties or loops to put on and take off your face covering. Do not touch the front of the mask.
  • If you do touch the front of your face covering, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.

How do I care for my face covering?

Face coverings can be stored in a paper bag when not being worn. Wash and dry your face covering daily, either by hand or in a washing machine and dryer.

Transportation

K-12 students are required to wear a face covering while on a bus due to the inability to social distance. Face coverings must be on prior to boarding the bus.

TEMPERATURE MONITORING

We are asking all parents and guardians to complete a basic health check of their children prior to their leaving for school each day. That includes a daily temperature check.

If a child’s temperature is 100 or above, the child must remain isolated at home for 10 days or until a health care provider gives written permission to return to school.

If your family does not have a thermometer, please contact the school for assistance.

If a daily in-school temperature check becomes necessary for all students, we will notify parents, guardians and the community at large.

We will use a touchless, infrared thermometer. Students with temperatures of 100 or above would be sent home. The parent or guardian will be notified and expected to arrange for student pick-up. The child would then need to stay home for 10 days or until a health care provider gave a written documentation that the child was free to return to school.

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS

As all of us at Toledo Public Schools plan for the 2020-2021 school year, we want you to know that the health and safety of our students, staff and families are our top priority.

These are the primary efforts we’ll be making to keep the TPS community safe:

  • Cleaning and disinfecting more intently than ever, paying special attention to frequently touched surfaces.
  • Rearranging classrooms, cafeterias and other spaces where people gather to keep people as far apart as possible.
  • Reminding students and staff about the importance of social distancing whenever necessary.
  • Requiring everyone in our buildings and in our vehicles to wear a face mask or face shield. Physician-approved exceptions will be made for those with certain medical conditions or physical limitations.
  • Using signs, shields, tape and barriers to control the flow of traffic and remind everyone of their personal responsibility to keep themselves and other safe.

RAPTOR/VISITOR MANAGEMENT

The Visitor Management system screens and tracks everyone coming in and out of TPS buildings.

Accurate and reliable visitor details and sign-in history are recorded for every visitor that enters our schools which includes COVID questioning for tracing purposes if needed.

The system checks visitors against a custom database set by TPS, which may contain custody alerts and/or banned visitors.

Volunteer Management

Volunteers apply in an easy-to-use, customizable online application tool, and are screened for sex offender status, and criminal background results are compiled for easy review, approval, and tracking.

Reunification

Verify every student is accounted for and reunited with an approved guardian. Track every individual’s status changes over time, creating a recorded history of events for each student and staff member.