• Schools will limit to two volunteers per classroom at a time. Additional parents may remain on campus outside of buildings on days when classes are held. 

• Volunteers must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or test weekly with our school nurse prior to entering the class. 

• HCCD will not limit access for direct service providers, but will ensure compliance with school visitor policies.

• HCCD will continue to emphasize the importance of staying home when sick. Anyone, including visitors, who have symptoms of infectious illness, such as flu or COVID-19, should stay home and seek testing and care.

• Students will line up in a scheduled fashion with their respective class to enter any indoor instructional area with masks in place prior to entering.

• Staff will take steps to reduce traffic at drop-off and pick-up locations. 

• Any staff member that is symptomatic of the virus including a temperature above 100.4 degrees should remain home and contact their immediate supervisor.
• Each school site will have a separate quarantine room for any student or staff displaying symptoms of the virus. Students and/or staff displaying a temperature or symptoms of the virus will be contained to the quarantine room until they can be safely released from campus. The quarantine room will receive immediate deep cleaning after use.

• Recommendations for staying home when sick and getting tested:

  1. Follow the strategy for Staying Home when Sick and Getting Tested from the CDC.

  2. Staff members and students with symptoms of COVID-19 infection not to return for in-person instruction until they have met CDPH criteria to return to school for those with symptoms:

     • At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; and

     • Other symptoms have improved; and

     • They have a negative test for SARS-CoV-2, OR a healthcare provider has provided documentation that the symptoms are typical of their underlying chronic condition (e.g., allergies or asthma) OR a healthcare provider has confirmed an alternative named diagnosis (e.g., Streptococcal pharyngitis, Coxsackie virus), OR at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset.

• The Superintendent will coordinate the actions of our staff regarding testing and periods of quarantine. The Superintendent will also coordinate all return to work stipulations.
• School Site Principals and School Nurse will coordinate the actions of students regarding testing and periods of quarantine. The respective Site Principals and School Nurse will coordinate any return to school stipulations for students.
• Per the order of CDPH on August 11, 2021, all schools must verify vaccine status of all workers by October 13, unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated workers must be tested at least once weekly with either PCR testing or antigen testing.   

• Per AB 86 (2021) and California Code Title 17, section 2500, schools are required to report COVID-19 cases to the local public health department.

• District will provide a COVID-19 liaison to assist the local health department with contact tracing and investigation. 

• Starting Tuesday, January 18, 2022,  Hickman will follow the new Group Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 at School from the California Department of Public Health. 
  
  If your child is in a class where a student has tested positive for the virus we will contact all families in that class with the following information:

  • Your child may remain in school unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 including extracurricular activities.  Being exposed to somebody with COVID-19 does not necessarily mean that your child will become infected.  In fact, scientific research, and experience from around the country – including from California during this school year – demonstrate that schools remain among the safest places for children to be.
  • Your child should get tested for COVID-19 within 3-5 days after the last date that the individual with COVID-19 was in school, or sooner if your child starts to show symptoms.  You may get tested at school, at home using a testing kit provided by the school, at a testing center,  or by using an over-the-counter test.  This decision will be made by the parent.  If you test outside the school we will not require verification by the parent.
  • If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive for COVID-19, please ensure they isolate at home immediately and notify us right away.  When you notify us, we can take additional steps to keep our school community safe.  (See our post about Isolation of COVID Positive) 
  • Your child must continue to wear a mask indoors in the school and community per school, local, and state requirements. Follow school policies to protect against COVID-19.  High-quality masks with the best fit and filtration will provide the best protection for your child and the school community.

• In coordination with the County Public Health Officer, the HCCD will use ParentSquare posts and direct messages to immediately communicate to affected stakeholders of potential virus exposures. 
• The HCCD Pandemic Plan, a guide for maintaining safe school, structures and buildings has been updated to include protocols and procedures to implement when there is a pandemic or like situation (i.e. COVID-19).  

Quarantine recommendations for unvaccinated students for exposures when both parties were wearing a mask, as required in K-12 indoor settings.

If your child is in a class where a student has tested positive for the virus we will contact all families in that class with the following information:

• Your child may remain in school unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 including extracurricular activities.  Being exposed to somebody with COVID-19 does not necessarily mean that your child will become infected.  In fact, scientific research, and experience from around the country – including from California during this school year – demonstrate that schools remain among the safest places for children to be.
• Your child should get tested for COVID-19 within 3-5 days after the last date that the individual with COVID-19 was in school, or sooner if your child starts to show symptoms.  You may get tested at school, at home using a testing kit provided by the school, at a testing center,  or by using an over-the-counter test.  This decision will be made by the parent.  If you test outside the school we will not require verification by the parent.
• If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive for COVID-19, please ensure they isolate at home immediately and notify us right away.  When you notify us, we can take additional steps to keep our school community safe.  (See our post about Isolation of COVID Positive) 
• Your child must continue to wear a mask indoors in the school and community per school, local, and state requirements. Follow school policies to protect against COVID-19.  High-quality masks with the best fit and filtration will provide the best protection for your child and the school community.

Quarantine recommendations for: unvaccinated close contacts who were not wearing masks or for whom the infected individual was not wearing a mask during the indoor exposure; or unvaccinated students as described in #7 above. 

1. For these contacts, those who remain asymptomatic, meaning they have NOT had any symptoms, may discontinue self-quarantine under the following conditions:

   • Quarantine can end after Day 10 from the date of last exposure without testing; OR

   • Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a diagnostic specimen is collected after Day 5 from the date of last exposure and tests negative.

2. To discontinue quarantine before 14 days following last known exposure, asymptomatic close contacts must:

   • Continue daily self-monitoring for symptoms through Day 14 from last known exposure; AND

   • Follow all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., wearing a mask when around others, hand washing, avoiding crowds) through Day 14 from last known exposure.

   • If any symptoms develop during this 14-day period, the exposed person must immediately isolate, get tested and contact their healthcare provider with any questions regarding their care.

For those who are vaccinated, follow the  CDPH Fully Vaccinated People Guidance regarding quarantine. 

For both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, follow the CDPH Isolation Guidance for those diagnosed with COVID-19. 

• 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.

• For more information on cleaning a facility regularly, when to clean more frequently or disinfect, cleaning a facility when someone is sick, safe storage of cleaning and disinfecting products, and considerations for protecting workers who clean facilities, see Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility.

• If a facility has had a sick person with COVID-19 within the last 24 hours, we clean AND disinfect the spaces occupied by that person during that time.

• Restrooms will be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day.
• Student device keyboards, screens, and mice will be wiped clean by each student at the end of their use on each school day. Students will have devices assigned to each specific student for the entire school day. Devices will not be shared.
• Students will not share basic school supplies.
• Tissues will be available within each classroom. 
• Drinking fountains have been made inoperable.  Only no-touch bottle filling stations are available for use.
• Any student displaying signs of sickness will be immediately referred to the school site nursing station for assessment.

• Hand hygiene recommendations

1. Teach and reinforce washing hands, avoiding contact with one's eyes, nose, and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes among students and staff.

2. Promote hand washing throughout the day, especially before and after eating, after using the toilet, and after handling garbage, or removing gloves.

3. Ensure adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors, including soap, tissues, no-touch trash cans, face coverings, and hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol for staff and children who can safely use hand sanitizer.

• Signage will be prominently displayed at all sites reminding individuals of proper virus safety protocols.
• Students will frequently be reminded of virus safety protocols.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be available in all instructional areas and bathrooms.
• Portable hand sanitizing stations will be utilized at strategic locations on the playground and lunch areas.

• General COVID-19 safety procedures and protocols have been posted on the HCCD website and at all school sites.
• All staff will receive on-site training.
• All staff will complete the Target Solutions COVID-19 and all other trainings noted in HCCD Reopening Plan Checklist. 
• The HCCD website and ParentSquare will be utilized to communicatewith parents.

• Maximize physical distance as much as possible while eating (especially indoors). Using additional spaces outside of the cafeteria for mealtime seating such as classrooms or the gymnasium can help facilitate distancing. Arrange for eating outdoors as much as feasible. 

• Clean frequently touched surfaces. Surfaces that come in contact with food should be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before and after meals.

• Given very low risk of transmission from surfaces and shared objects, there is no need to limit food service approaches to single use items and packaged meals.

• Students will be required to sanitize their hands upon entering the bus.
• Masks will be required for all on the bus unless medical exemption.
• Social distancing will be utilized when possible with cohorts or families sitting together.

• Recent evidence indicates that in-person instruction can occur safely without minimum physical distancing requirements when other mitigation strategies (e.g., masking) are implemented.  This is consistent with CDC K-12 School Guidance.  Hickman will therefore not have a minimum physical distancing requirement inside buildings in lieu of the use of face coverings.

• Cohorts breaks will be scheduled to reduce the overlap at restrooms.
• Students will be frequently reminded of social distance and of the need to wash their hands.

• Students will be reminded of social distance practices.
• All students will return to class in a scheduled fashion to limit hallway and entry congestion.

• Masks are optional outdoors.

• Students are required to mask indoors, with exemptions per CDPH face mask guidance.  Mask exemptions must be signed by a doctor using the form linked here.  Adults in school settings are required to mask when sharing indoor spaces with students.  

• Persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition, must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.

• Students or staff who inadvertently fail to bring a face covering to school will be provided one.

• Students who are not properly wearing a face covering will be politely and respectfully asked to do so.  If a student refuses a conference will be set up with the parents and the student in which they will be offered alternative educational opportunities (Independent Study or Homeschool)

• In limited situations where a face covering cannot be used for pedagogical or developmental reasons, (e.g., communicating or assisting young children or those with special needs) a face shield with a drape (per CDPH guidelines) can be used instead of a face covering while in the classroom as long as the wearer maintains physical distance from others.