Franklin Lower School

School Information
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950 Norton Street, 14621
Principal: Stephanie Harris
(585) 467-3131
stephanie.harris@rcsdk12.org
Reopening Plan
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As per Governor Cuomo and the New York State Education Department document on Recovering, Rebuilding, and Renewing: the Spirit of New York’s Schools Reopening Guidance from July 13, 2020, Franklin Lower School has developed a plan that adheres to the governors and the NYS Education Department’s guidelines. This document details how Franklin Lower School plans to reopen the school building safely.
Read the Reopening Plan
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General Information
Distance Learning 7-8
Students in grades 7-8 will follow their typical class schedule in a remote learning environment. Doing so will ensure consistency and continuity of instruction, eliminate conflicts, and build natural breaks (lunch) into the day for students. This also retains planning time for teachers. Class periods will be adjusted to allow for a “screen time break” and transition time between classes. A combination of synchronous large group instruction, synchronous small group instruction, and asynchronous learning will be provided to students each week.
Hybrid Model 7-8
Week 1 / Week 2: Students come to school four days a week to receive face to face learning. Students will be split into Group A or Group B to provide 50% occupancy and groupings will include grade level, courses, and cohorts. Direct instruction will be delivered to students in small groups within their classroom while maintaining health and safety measures outlined by CDC guidelines. Note: Parent Preference to Distance Learning: students will work 100% remotely and will not come to the building for instruction. Parents need to contact the school as soon as possible to indicate distance learning is preferred.
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Communication/ Family & Community Engagement
- Given the complexities around the reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, our school will provide regular and frequent communication to students, families, staff, and the wider community through our website, robocalls, emails, text messages, and social media.
- We will communicate with our multilingual families in their preferred language and mode.
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Health and Safety
Social Distancing
Identify how classrooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums, art, music, libraries and other areas will be arranged to allow for social distancing. Limit student movement to other rooms, have staff rotate to students for special areas as much as possible.
Six feet of space from person to person is required in all directions. If six feet of space is not maintained face covers must be worn. Desks must be placed facing the same direction to reduce potential transmission of disease by droplets produced by talking, coughing or sneezing.
Twelve feet of space is required in all directions in areas where aerobic activities (gyms), projecting the voice (singing), or playing a wind instrument take place. Encourage single flow movement whenever possible, for example identifying a stair tower for going up and a stair tower for going down.
Cohorts:
Identify groups of students that will stay together will the same staff whenever possible. Cohort size is determined by classroom capacity. Limited to no more than 12 students in most situations. Students will be assigned a grade level cohort/cluster group and remain with that group for all activities and instructional delivery. Students will not rotate per period, rather a subject matter teacher will rotate to cluster/cohort rooms. During teacher transitions, rooms/equipment will be sanitized by staff members. All assigned clusters/cohorts will be provided masks and cleaning/sanitizing supplies (ex: hand sanitizer, masks)
9-12 Program/100% Virtual:
Students will be grouped by their grade and language level and will be designated by their homeroom. Students, teachers and support staff will follow our master schedule.
***Additional cleaning supplies (sanitizer, spray disinfectant, masks) will be housed in all rooms/areas being utilized by students and staff.
Special Area Teachers:
Identify where special area instruction will take place. Identify if there are shared items and how shared items will be disinfected between each use.
Special subject teachers
(PE/Music—will be provided in music/auditorium rooms and in the gymnasium) all other special subjects will remain in the assigned classroom for alternative instructional. Students assigned PE/Music will be escorted with their cohort by a staff member to and from the referenced area. Students and staff will follow all covid guidelines during the supervised transition. During rotation/period change staff will sanitize equipment, desks and other areas that have been occupied.
***Additional cleaning supplies (sanitizer, spray disinfectant, masks) will be housed in all rooms/areas being utilized by students and staff.
Face Covers
Face covers must be worn whenever an individual is within six feet of another person and in all communal areas. Encourage face cover wear at all times.
Face Cover Location(s):
Identify where face covers will be stored if a student or staff member requires one. Face covers will be housed in each main office of each floor. In addition, each assigned/utilized room will be provided additional masks in the event they are needed.
Face Cover Breaks:
Identify times and locations for mask breaks for staff and students. These locations must allow for the person to have at least six feet of space in all directions.
All students and staff will have a chance to have a face cover break within the first 5 minutes of each period. Once the rotating teacher arrives to the room, students and teacher will be able to break (abiding by all distancing guidelines within the classroom).
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Facilites
Screening & Visitor Log
Student Screening:
Identify which doors will be used for student screening and temperature taking. Multiple entrances should be used whenever possible. Students must be social distant and be supervised while waiting.Student Screening Locations:
Students will be screened upon entry into the building. Grades 7-8 students will enter through exit 3, grades 9-12 will enter through exit 4, and scanned accordingly. Students that are deemed “feverish” or answer yes to any screening questions will be escorted to the quarantine room(immediately upon entry) and contacts will be made.
Identify Screening Team:
A screening team will be identified for each section(upper/lower Franklin) which will include Adminstrators, SSOs, Parent Liaison and “Nurse” if needed in certain circumstances.
Staff Screening:
Identify which doors will be used for staff screening, kiosk locations, and temperature taking. Multiple entrances should be used whenever possible. Staff must be social distant while waiting.
Staff Screening Locations:
All staff assigned to Franklin Lower will enter at Exit 2 and be screened upon entering. All staff assigned to Franklin Upper will enter at Exit 5 and be screened upon entering. ***Staff that are deemed “feverish” or answer yes to any screening questions will be sent home and await instructions. During they will be advised to contact their health provider and benefits department.Identify Screening Team:
Administrator (on call) and SSOVisitor Screening & Log:
Visitors will not be allowed in building without prior approved authorization from the school. If a visitor comes inside a building they must be logged and screened.
- Visitors will follow the six foot social distancing mandate and follow regulations for wearing face coverings to limit the spread of illness while on site.
- Nonessential visitors will be limited at all District buildings, including school buildings, District offices and facilities.
- When possible, parent meetings and other meetings will be held as phone/virtual conferences.
- There will be no permits issued for inside building use. Outside use will be through permit only. Only activities approved by the State will be allowed and must adhere to all CDC and NYSDOH requirements.
- The use of shared writing utensils and clipboards for sign in will be minimized. Shared items will be disinfected between each use.
- When necessary, a protective barrier will be provided for reception and food service areas. Social distancing makers will be placed.
- Reception seating areas will be limited and set up to allow for social distancing (six feet separation).
- All visitors will be required to sign-in at each building excluding deliveries that are performed with appropriate PPE or through contactless means.
Visitor Screening Location:
- Visitors will enter at the front door. They will use the onsite screening kiosk and will not be admitted if they screen positive. They will be advised to contact their healthcare provider.
Positive Screening
Identify a dedicated isolation room for students or staff members that with a temperature, signs of illness, and/or a positive response to the screening questionnaire. Students must be supervised prior to being picked up or otherwise sent home. Students’ parent/guardian must be provided with information on testing resources and advised to contact their healthcare provider. If possible, staff members should leave the building immediately. Advise staff to contact their healthcare provider and the Benefits Department.
Isolation Room Location:
*Grades 7-8 Quarantine/Isolation Room #21*Grades 9-12 Quarantine/Isolation Room #47
Safety Drills:
Safety drills must be performed. All on-site students and staff must participate in drills. Identify how drills will be conducted.
Evacuation Drills:
***During all evacuation drills, Face coverings must be worn by all staff and students during the drill. In addition staff will maintain a class line with all students and follow the evacuation root assigned to them/classroom exit. During the transition staff will escort the assigned students out to their designated location and comply with all covid 19 guidelines(ex; social distancing and masks worn at all times)Lockdown Drills:
***During lockdown drills, all typical procedures will be followed, however masks and safe distancing will still need to apply during the lockdown drill.Daily Supply Inspection:
Supplies must be inspected daily. Supplies to be inspected include face covers, tissues, hand hygiene materials (i.e., soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer) and cleaning supplies (i.e., disinfectant, paper towels, general purpose cleaner). Supply quantities could limit the ability of a building to stay open. It is important that low supply amounts are reported immediately.Identify people responsible for the daily supply inspection and the location the inspection forms (Daily Checklist for Supplies) will be kept:
Custodial staff (led by head custodian) will be charged with ensuring all supplies are replenished consistently as needed. Additional cleaning supplies (sanitizer, spray disinfectant, masks) will be housed in all rooms/areas being utilized by students and staff. A checklist with listed procedures and supply replenishments will be completed at identified check points and as cleaning/work duties are assigned and completed. Copies of the checklist and completion will be on file in the main office areas of each floor for reference at any given time. In addition copies will be kept in the custodial office for reference at any given time. All staff should assist in ensuring that designated supplies are fulfilled and at hand on any given time. If they notice more supplies are needed or to be replenished they should call the main office immediately.
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Child Nutrition
Pre-made breakfast and lunches will continue to be available to all our students at all our High School Distribution Sites from 9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday for any student that is not on site for instruction.
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Social Emotional Well-Being
- Our school acknowledges the correlation between academic learning and social-emotional and mental health needs of students. We recognize that if students are not feeling safe and secure - physically, socially, and emotionally - they cannot optimize their learning. Therefore, we remain committed to attending to the social-emotional and mental health needs of our students under all learning circumstances.
- Classroom teachers will maintain a positive, supportive, and respectful learning environment in all settings. Time will be allocated for teachers to facilitate class meetings and community circles. Administrators and all members of the Social-Emotional Team (Administrators, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school nurse, and behavior specialists) will continue to support individual students, teachers, and families during periods of distance learning.
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Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism
- Students must attend instruction daily, even when that instruction is being provided in a remote learning environment. Each teacher will take daily attendance for each class at the secondary level, and every day at the elementary level by the child’s teacher. Teachers and students are expected to engage in substantive daily interaction (teacher to students and students to teacher).
- Our Building Attendance Team will support teachers and families relative to student engagement with remote learning protocols and expectations, including regular attendance and work completion.