Falls City Parent Letter 7/15/2020

July 15, 2020

Dear Falls City School Families,

Falls City Public Schools and Falls City Sacred Heart School continue to collaborate on Falls City’s plan regarding reopening our schools for face-to-face instruction in August and the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, there continues to be concerns and questions related to how our schools plan to reopen on August 13, 2020. While we are in the business of educating, our first priority is the safety of our students and our employees. Be assured, we have been working diligently on our Reopening Plan. Due to all the factors and information needed to plan as COVID-19 issues unfold, the comprehensive Reopening Plan will be released on or before Friday, July 24. Our plan is to return to school as normal (traditional) with enhanced safety and cleaning procedures. However, we must be proactive and be prepared during these ever-changing times to continue educating our students if and when circumstances change, as predicted, throughout the year related to the health and safety of our students and employees.

We have and continue to gather input from parents, employees, school board members, community stakeholders, administrators, ESU 4 leaders, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Southeast District Health Department and health care professionals. While state decisions may decide the general format that school takes in the fall, it will fall to the local administration and Board of Education to decide the fine details of any protocol and plan for increased safety procedures that can be taken at every school location. We are working on three scenarios:

1. Low/No Spread Plan- School buildings are open with 100% of students and staff, with minimal restrictions. The school district will initiate preventative practices and additional proactive safety protocols. Wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and vigilant hand hygiene is our best defense in slowing the spread of this virus. High School and Middle School activities and competitions will occur under the guidance of the NSAA. (Again, this is our plan for August pending more restrictive guidance from the Governor.)

2. Minimal/Moderate Spread Plan- School buildings are open, but use may be minimal, altered, or staggered. Such use may be based on social distancing directives from the Governor’s Directive Health Measure requiring us to maintain a social distance (six feet), to limit the number of people in groups, etc. High School and Middle School activities and competitions will occur under the guidance of the NSAA.

3. Substantial Spread Plan- School buildings are closed. The closure may be short-term or extended and will likely be based on state (NDE) or district health declaration. This would be enacted if the Governor’s Directive Health Measure closed schools again due to health concerns. (If we have outbreaks of COVID-19 in specific schools, we may enact individual school closures instead of district-wide closures.) High School and Middle School activities and competitions will occur under the guidance of the NSAA.

PPE – Face Masks - Students and staff will be required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth when social distancing of six feet cannot be maintained. For example, in classrooms where distancing can be maintained a mask may not be utilized, however during passing periods or standing in lines a mask would be appropriate.

Parent/guardians providing documentation from a health care provider of their child having an underlying condition which would exempt them from wearing a mask should contact the building principal.

Furthermore, the school placed an order for (5) “adult sized” cloth masks for every student and staff member, and we have been told they will arrive within 2-3 weeks. We have also ordered child-sized cloth masks for children in preschool through grade 3.

As we move forward, we are taking into consideration that we have medically compromised students and staff. Parents of students with a higher risk of severe illness can contact their school administration, if needed, before the start of school. School administrators will finalize plans with parents regarding their academic needs for the upcoming school year. As we continue the reopening planning process, we will keep you updated. Thank you for your continued support and positivity as we strive to do what is best for ALL of our students and employees during these challenging times.

Thank you for your support!

Tim Heckenlively, Superintendent
Falls City Public Schools

Doug Goltz, Superintendent
Falls City Sacred Heart