Questions, Concerns and Feedback from Teachers, Parents and Health Professionals: -When they say "local community spread", could schools in Delaware be in different phases of opening? For example, the community that Baltz Elementary is located in has an increased rate of infections but Holy Angels in Newark has a low community spread Would they be operating at different levels or will all Delaware schools be on the same level of operations? - As a parent of two students in the Red Clay Consolidated School District (HB du Pont Middle School and AI High School) I wanted to reach out as the process of school re-openings for the fall are being discussed and considered I am fully in support of schools reopening and getting students back full time into schools buildings for the new school year The past 12 weeks have been very difficult for all and when the situation of school closures was suddenly enforced I more than appreciate the hard work that teachers, schools and district staff have put in to y and keep the students engaged but it has been hard on all and it is not only the face to face teaching that mine and every student has missed out on, school is so much more I fully supported that we all needed to stay at home to flatten the curve and not overwhelm health professionals, and this goal has been successfully achieved and this is being evidenced by the current phased reopening of the state The next steps are in place with increased testing and contract tracing, and a good stock of needed medical supplies which I know were some of the key things required for school openings to be considered I have been following the rt live rate and thankfully in Delaware the rate has been ranging between 0.81-0.84 since April 21, 2020 which is another good indicator as to where we are Looking at the daily Covid-19 data in Delaware, school aged individuals are small percentage of all positive cases to date and not withstanding underlying health issues are not in the at risk category for deaths Whilst any death is tragic the majority (80%) of deaths have been in the older community 65+ and those living in long term care facilities and/or with underlying health issues This demographic needs to be considered when looking at the school reopening The newer studies being published by the CDC and WHO are also showing that whilst Covid-19 is of course a transmittable disease but transmission from surface contact is not the major spreader, and that following good personal hygiene and avoiding touching faces including eyes and mouth are all key steps and easy to achieve These steps are no different to practices in place when flu season or GI illnesses hit school communities Many reputable doctors from around the word are now stating that the virus as it changes is becoming less potent with the risk of serious complications and death being reduced The bigger picture of the impact on students and their mental health has to be addressed, as even happy and mentally healthy students are suffering and this needs to stop The students (as long as the curve stays flattened) need to be back in school buildings able to be taught in person, work with their peers, and engage in activities schools have to offer – sports, marching band, music to name a few These things cannot be replicated via distance learning and the thought of having to motivate students to continue remotely in the fall in unimaginable at this time There has to be a way to safely get students back where they belong and to continue their learning rather than being in the holding pattern of maintaining their learning which they have now done for the past 12 weeks I have heard rumors about split days or part weeks and while every option needs to be considered I am unsure as to feasibly how these are going to be managed especially with middle and high school schedules, and again the impact on the students would not be favorable Kind Regards, Ann Pollock - Scenario – Minimal to Moderate Local Spread It may be good to specify what constitutes minimal versus moderate spread While I appreciate that the utility of the working group recommendations will be in the practical ability to apply them, experience is there is a wide variation among parents how they see risk and deal with uncertainty All schools should be very clear and upfront on the source of the information and protocols they are using Saying that we are going to follow the CDC recommendations isn’t good enough and given the inconsistencies from federal and local public health there needs to be an anchor for all schools, parents and students to operate from Establish a set of principles that outline what the main goals are for reopening and getting back to our normal routines Some people may see one positive case as a reason to shut down again, while others may be okay with knowing that viruses spread and there are treatments available to help those who go on to become sick For example: Quickly identify flair-ups of positive cases and provide support and services Protect those students that have risk factors and need to take extra measures a Asthma b Diabetes c Auto-immune disorder d Metabolic disorder Activate support and care for students, family and affected individuals Maintain and foster a positive and constructive mindset to go forward as a community Prior to school re-opening, identify those students most at risk See list a-d above These students will be known to Parents and their family doctors and therefore, if a flair-up occurs, the plan of action would be to support them first As we enter the Fall and re-opening, there will be a number of students with seasonal allergies The sneezing, sniffling and runny noses have the potential to raise concern Care needs to be taken not to overreact and quickly determine that the symptoms are indeed allergy related In terms of the Protocols: Recommendations to maintain feet distance and personal space / screens at the front of desks were developed months ago when there was much less experience with the disease Now that we have observational data over several months of gatherings, states opening up, crowds etc… with no appreciable flair-ups it seems that the recommendations can be modified (new data, new information, new solutions) 6-feet social distance can be modified to 3-4 feet Personal screen – no requirement for a screen with young people who are very, very low risk One way hallway traffic – maintain flow in the hallway, no prolonged lingering (casual contact not a high risk, prolonged contact with an active infection is added risk Keep in mind, not all of those people who were quarantined on the cruise ships back in February tested positive or contracted SARS-COV-2 infection after being exposed to a shared ventilation system) Handwashing should be emphasized (as the guidelines do) and there should be a minimum of three times a day It should not necessarily require ‘hand sanitizer’ but soap and water and that will reduce risk among the students, teachers and administration How about organizing a Parents orientation and clean-up event at schools? The basic idea is to get Parents involved with the clean up and wiping down of the school in preparation for their child’s return Also, school administrators can review the plan and answer any questions The outcome desired is for a group of parents to be assured (through a hands-on experience) that the school is ready to re-open and has a plan Several parents will also have confidence that they helped clean the school the ‘right way’ and it is now okay to return Those parents should also be encouraged to voice any remaining concerns, become part of the ongoing solution, and share/post their experiences so other parents are confident as well Consider through student council or sports teams that each school has a Student Action Team (SAT) to help any student that is impacted (tests positive, at risk and therefore has to stay away for a few days) by getting homework, books, zoom study groups, interactions with student groups Part of building community involvement and civic responsibility mindset Hope this helps and I realize that there are a wide range of views about how to approach reopening Hopefully Delaware has flattened the curve permanently and only minor isolated incidents occur Best Regards, Steve Buckanavage Hitchens Farm Newark, DE - That meeting was a bit overwhelming Just my initial thoughts – I don’t think it will be reasonable to hit those guidelines (