Thompson Falls School District
2021-22 Plan to Reopen School and Contingencies for School Closure Due to COVID outbreak

We are currently  in Phase 3B (see below)

Phase 0

Local or State Stay at home order

All school facilities are closed to the public

1. Full time remote learning

Phase 1

Restricted local or state operations Limits on group size at 10-15, without social distancing, as per local or state order.

Health screening for students done upon arrival at school. Monitoring during the day. Handwashing and steps to limit germ transmission are pro-actively taught and time dedicated throughout the day for this activity. Frequent sanitizing of any common areas, surfaces and bathrooms.

Blended Model of on-site and remote learning.

 In the event there is a confirmed case, either staff or student, there could be a short-term school closure for contact tracing and additional disinfecting of the facility.

Face coverings are strongly recommended, unless mandated by local or state agencies. Face coverings will be available for staff and students upon request.

No public visitors to schools

Phase 2

Modified local or state operations

Limits on group size at 50, without social distancing, as per local or state order

Health screening for students done upon arrival at school. Monitoring during the day. Handwashing and steps to limit germ transmission are pro-actively taught and dedicated time throughout the day Frequent sanitizing of any common areas, surfaces and bathrooms, Face coverings are recommended, unless mandated by local or state agencies, when social distancing is not possible. Face coverings will be available for staff and students upon request. No public visitors to schools beyond the office.

On-site learning will return for all students, with possibly a modified schedule. Near to full capacity in schools with modified operations and school activities (modified lunch, passing times and recess to limit large grouping) Limited or modified extra-curricular activities in conjunction with plans provided by the MHSA. In the event there is a confirmed case, either staff or student, there could be a short-term school closure for contact tracing and additional disinfecting of the facility. Upon parent request due to health concerns, parents may request educational instruction through remote learning. 

Phase 3
Traditional School Model.  
Return to normal local activities
Handwashing and steps to limit germ transmission are proactively taught.
Time will be dedicated throughout the day for this.

The District will:

1. Provide Staff with PPE as needed
   1. Recommend the use of masks for staff and students who have not been vaccinated.
   2. Hand Sanitizer throughout the buildings
      1. Students and staff will sanitize in and out of classrooms, offices, restrooms
      2. Encourage frequent hand washing throughout the day.
   3. Face Shields will be ordered for staff who want them.
   4. Additional cleaning supplies will be provided for all classrooms, offices, and other areas of the buildings
2. Hire an additional custodian for daytime cleaning in each of the three campuses (3) – 5 hour/day employees
3. Hire a full-time nurse
4. Order and install safety signage
5. Order and install touch free dispensers for soap and paper towels.
6. Limit Visitors to parents or guardians picking up students to the office area of buildings
   1. Require visitors to sign in at the school office with phone number for contact tracing if necessary
   2. Limit visitors to less than 15 minutes in the building
   3. Take temperature
   4. Ask the health screening questions
7. Staff who have not been vaccinated will self-screen daily.
   1. Take temperature
   2. Answer the health screening questions
8. Teachers will screen their students at the beginning of the day.
   1. Take temperature
   2. Ask the health screening questions
   3. Students with symptoms will be sent to the nurse (K-8) or to the office (9-12) for further screening and parent notification.
9. Encourage social distancing and limited contact between students and other staff.
10. Order and Install plexiglass shields in the lunchroom and office windows.
11. Students will sit by class groups in the lunchroom and tables will be spaced out to help with social distancing.
    1. The high school campus will remain open for lunch and students will be encouraged to eat outside in nice weather.
12. Order additional Chromebooks for students and staff
13. Encourage the use of Google Classroom for turning in homework 
14. Offer Teachers training in the use of Google Classroom prior to the start of school and other professional development during the year to support online learning should the need arise. 
15. Encourage music and Physical Education classes to take advantage of nice weather and hold class outside whenever possible 
16. Communicate with the County Health Nurse regarding students or staff with symptoms. Refer them to their health care provider. 
17. Provide an online or distance learning option for parents who do not want to send their children to school. 
18. Students who start online must stay online for the remainder of the semester. The district will provide an online platform for students that is age appropriate. 
19. Students who miss class due to quarantining will be treated like any other student absence, homework will be provided by the teacher. 
20. Busing will be provided using our contractor Mosher Transportation.
    1. Drivers will not be screening students for symptoms before they board the bus.
    2. Students will be required to sit in family groups.
    3. Windows should be opened when weather permits to allow for increased fresh air circulation
    4. Buses will be sanitized after every route is run.
    5. Masks are recommended.
21. Follow Sanders County Health Department, Montana State Health Department, CDC, OPI, and Governor’s recommendations for students or staff that test positive.

The District will:

1. Provide Staff with PPE as needed
   1. Recommend the use of masks for staff and students who have not been vaccinated.
   2. Hand Sanitizer throughout the buildings
      1. Students and staff will sanitize in and out of classrooms, offices, restrooms
      2. Encourage frequent hand washing throughout the day.
   3. Face Shields will be ordered for staff who want them.
   4. Additional cleaning supplies will be provided for all classrooms, offices, and other areas of the buildings
2. Order and install touch free dispensers for soap and paper towels.
3. Limit Visitors to parents or guardians picking up students to the office area of buildings
   1. Require visitors to sign in at the school office with phone number for contact tracing if necessary
   2. Take temperature
   3. Ask the health screening questions
4. Staff who have not been vaccinated will self-screen daily.
   1. Take temperature
   2. Answer the health screening questions
5. Teachers will screen their students at the beginning of the day.
   1. Take temperature
   2. Ask the health screening questions
   3. Students with symptoms will be sent to the nurse (K-8) or to the office (9-12) for further screening and parent notification if needed.
6. Encourage social distancing and limited contact between students and other staff.
7. Students will sit by class groups in the lunchroom and tables will be spaced out to help with social distancing.
   1. The high school campus will remain open for lunch and students will be encouraged to eat outside in nice weather.
8. Encourage the use of Google Classroom for turning in homework.
9. Continue professional development during the year to support all learning.
10. Encourage music and Physical Education classes to take advantage of nice weather and hold class outside whenever possible
11. Communicate with the County Health Nurse regarding students or staff with symptoms. Refer them to their health care provider. 
12. Students who miss class due to quarantining will be treated like any other student absence, homework will be provided by the teacher.
13. Busing will be provided using our contractor Mosher Transportation.
    1. Drivers will not be screening students for symptoms before they board the bus.
    2. Windows should be opened when weather permits to allow for increased fresh air circulation
    3. Masks are required per the Federal Department of Transportation mandate.
14. Follow Sanders County Health Department, Montana State Health Department, CDC, OPI, and Governor’s recommendations for students or staff that test positive.

Phase 4:  Reopen All Schools as Normal with In-Class Instruction

In order to return to a healthy educational environment, the district asks that parents do not send their children to school if they are sick or exhibiting any of the symptoms related to COVID-19.  The district cannot guarantee the health and safety of anyone but we can all work together to minimize the risks of spreading all infectious diseases.

Flow chart, shown above, may be downloaded here for clearer viewing.

COVID-19 Information Continued…..

Fully vaccinated people who have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 should be tested 3-5 days following the date of their exposure and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. They should isolate if they test positive.  

A person is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 ≥2 weeks after receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) or ≥2 weeks after receipt of the single dose of the Janssen vaccine.  

If there is a positive COVID-19 case in the Thompson Falls School District #2 and your student has been named a close contact (For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5- minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes), they will quarantine unless you can show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination record OR show proof of a Positive COVID-19 test within the past 3 months.  

Thompson Falls School District #2 will follow the recommendations made by Sanders County Health Department.

 The CDC website is https://www.cdc.gov for more information.

10/7/21 - Today, October 7th, the Thompson Falls School District was notified that an elementary student had tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Wednesday, October 6^th.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay healthy!

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10/1/21 - Today, October 1st, the Thompson Falls School District was notified that a high school student and an elementary staff member have tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Wednesday, September 29^th.  The staff member’s last day was October 1^st.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay healthy!

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10/1/21 - Today, October 1st, the Thompson Falls School District was informed that a district staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Thursday, September 30th.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay healthy!

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9/28/21 - Today, September 28th, the Thompson Falls School District was notified that a high school student had tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Thursday, September 23rd. If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay safe!

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9/24/21 - Today, September 24th, the Thompson Falls School District was informed that an elementary staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Thursday, September 23rd.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay healthy!

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9/23/21 - The Thompson Falls School District has been notified by the Sanders County Health Department that an elementary staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Thursday, September 23rd.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay well!

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9/23/21 - The Thompson Falls School District has been informed, that a junior high staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Friday, September 17th.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay well!

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Today, September 19th, the Thompson Falls School District was informed by the Sanders County Health Department, that an elementary student had tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Tuesday, September 14th. If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay safe!

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9/11/21 - The Thompson Falls School District has been informed, that a high school staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Thursday, September 9th.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay safe!

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9/9/21 - Today, September 9th, the Thompson Falls School District was informed, that a high school student had tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Wednesday, September 8th. If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay safe!

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9/8/21 - Today, September 8th, the Thompson Falls School District was notified by the Sanders County Health Department, that an elementary student had tested positive for COVID-19.  The student's last day attending school was Wednesday, September 1st.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. Stay safe!

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9/8/21 - The Thompson Falls School District has been informed, that a District staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.  The staff member's last day attending school was Thursday, September 2nd.  If any students or staff are at risk of exposure, the Sanders County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.  It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions.  Stay safe!

Dear Parents,

Thompson Falls Public Schools are starting the school year with masks as recommended but optional in the classrooms and on campus. The CDC is however mandating that school bus drivers and passengers wear masks on the bus. This includes activity buses. Because this is a federal mandate we are required to follow it or risk losing federal funding. The district is very dependent on federal funding to provide lunches for students, provide special education services, additional teaching and support staff that our local tax dollars would not be able to cover. Please help us by sending your child that rides the bus to school with a mask to wear on the bus. Below is the information on the federal mandate. Thank you and we look forward to having another great year at Thompson Falls Public Schools. 

Why students and drivers are required to wear mask on school buses.
Yes, school bus operators, including operations by public school districts, and their passengers are required to wear masks as defined by the Order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The CDC Order provides limited exemptions to the mask requirement for certain small categories of individuals, including: children under the age of 2; persons with disabilities who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask because of a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); and persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty.
In an FAQ concerning the CDC Order, the CDC states that passengers and drivers on school buses must wear a mask unless the driver is the only person on the bus. This requirement applies to all school buses whether publicly or privately owned.  

Background
The President’s Executive Order 13998, Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel, directs the CDC and the heads of Agencies to take action, to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require masks to be worn in compliance with CDC requirements when traveling in or on various modes of transportation.  The CDC subsequently issued an Order, Order under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264) and 42 Code of Federal Regulations 70.2, 71.31(b), 71.32(b) (CDC Order), under its existing statutory and regulatory authority, requiring individuals to properly wear masks, unless otherwise exempted, when boarding, disembarking, and traveling on any conveyance, as defined in the CDC Order, to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Similarly, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued Security Directive No. SD 1582/84-21-01 (TSA Security Directive), applicable to certain surface transportation modes, to implement Executive Order 13998 and enforce the CDC Order.  Both the CDC Order and the TSA Security Directive became effective on February 1, 2021. The CDC Order, consistent with the mandate in Executive Order 13998 to implement additional measures to protect public health in domestic travel, requires a mask to be worn by any operator or passenger traveling on a conveyance within the United States unless otherwise exempted.  Conveyances include all road vehicles (subject to certain exceptions, e.g., for private conveyances operated solely for personal, non-commercial use), including school buses. [1]

[1]  Executive Order 13998 directs the heads of Agencies to require masks, to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, in or on all forms of public transportation as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 5302.  School bus operations are specifically excepted from the statutory definition of public transportation.  The TSA Security Directive, likewise, does not include school bus operations in its mask mandate.  However, as explained above, the CDC Order applies to school buses.

If you would like to enroll your child in Thompson Falls Public Schools as an out of district student and you are living outside of the district's boundaries you are required by Board Policy 3141 to apply for admission on an annual basis.  To apply please complete the out of district student application and submit it to the district office.  The superintendent will make recommendation to the Board for approval of out of district students.  If your child is not going to be recommended for enrollment for the upcoming school year, you will be notified by the district's office prior to the board receiving the recommendations.  The Superintendent's decision is final and there is no appeal process.  You must submit all required information listed on the application form to be considered.  For High School students the board has a 25% cap on out of district enrollments.

Bud Scully
Superintendent

2021-22 New Student Out of District Attendance Application

Keeping an open and honest dialogue between our school district and the community is very important to us and a necessity to ensure the continued success of Thompson Falls Schools.  The goal of our "Heard Around Town" page is to respond to misconceptions in the community about our school district.  If you have heard something about Thompson Falls Schools that you would like to clarify or need more information about, click HERE to submit and an answer will be provided below.  This page will be updated as often as possible with new submissions being added to the top.

Thanks to the suggestion from a community member, our responses will now be dated.  We hope this will be helpful.

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Heard Around Town: 

Response: 

The tragedy in Florida rekindled the national debate on gun laws and school safety. In 2013, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Thompson Falls School District’s School Board and administration established school safety as our number one goal and declared the environment our top priority. Some of the actions taken by the District since that time are shown below.  These are a few of the items made possible with input from Thompson Falls School District staff, law enforcement, emergency services, and professional state organizations since 2013.

• Added a School Resource Officer, S.R.O., made possible due to a joint effort between the District, Frisbie-Morbella foundation, and City.
• Formed school crisis teams for each campus that review safety procedures.
• Provide annual C.P.R./ First Aid training to staff each fall.
• Installed security cameras that cover every entry and exit to the school and the main corridors of the high school and junior high.
• Installed cameras in all buses.
• Updated emergency response bags in classrooms to include defensive spray.
• Additional lighting installed on each campus.
• Installed mirrors in key locations for increased field of view.
• Installed darkening shades in elementary classrooms.
• Numbered all classrooms and posted emergency evacuation plans.
• Reduced the number of unlocked doors in schools.
• Upgraded Student Information System (S.I.S.), to allow broad messaging through multiple platforms, (text, e-mail, and phone).
• Provided two-way radios to all staff members.
• Upgraded the phone system to allow emergency announcements in each room.

The safety and well-being of the people in our schools and community is everyone’s responsibility. This is our town, our school, and these are our challenges. School and community safety is a multifaceted issue that presents a variety of challenges including mental health, staff training, law enforcement, facility improvements, and emergency response personnel. Our greatest resource is the people in our school and community that work together to find solutions and be positive. We are thankful to all those who dedicate their time and talents to public service. Many opportunities exist in Thompson Falls including; ambulance, firefighters, and search and rescue. The schools are fortunate to have access to support personnel onsite including administrators, school counselors, CSCT therapists, school psychologist, and an S.R.O.

We encourage people to report potential concerns or suspicious behaviors to law enforcement and school officials. Information that is received is investigated in a professional manner. If you have an idea about school safety you would like to share please contact our school administration and/or S.R.O. The District will continue to work on school safety and providing a great environment for our students.