Please click to view the new 2021-2022 School Supply List for elementary school students.
đź–ŤÂ Individual teachers may request additional supplies once the school year begins.
Please click to view the new 2021-2022 School Supply List for elementary school students.
đź–ŤÂ Individual teachers may request additional supplies once the school year begins.
At any point during the academic year, CMCSS may need to switch the entire district, or individual schools, into or out of traditional (in-school) and remote (out-of-school) models based on the current conditions surrounding the pandemic. Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, parents and guardians should make preparations throughout the year in the event that school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place.
The CMCSS Communicable Disease Team in conjunction with the Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) will continuously review the local spread of COVID-19 to make district-wide decisions related to the Continuum of Learning options. Although some districts are selecting one metric to determine in-person vs. remote learning, there is not a general consensus at this point on which metric is best for making school closure decisions. Therefore, CMCSS and MCHD are taking a more holistic approach and are, on a daily basis, reviewing the following metrics in Montgomery County:Â
CMCSS and MCHD will continue reviewing multiple metrics and will be adding metrics over time such as employee and student absentee rates.
Click here for the current COVID-19 local data that is reviewed by CMCSS and MCHD on a daily basis. This data is provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.
The CMCSS Safety and Health Department will investigate any potential exposure cases in the school system in collaboration with the Montgomery County Health Department. Procedures and protocols are continuing to be developed as new guidance is released.
Click here for the current CMCSS Return to Work/School Flowchart developed by the CMCSS Safety and Health Department in collaboration with the Montgomery County Health Department.
Any school closures will be decided in conjunction with the CMCSS Communicable Disease Team and the Montgomery County Health Department. Transitioning from traditional to remote (rolling closures) for individual schools will be affected by the time frame required for receipt of test results and the length of time it takes to conduct contact tracing.
In collaboration with the Safety and Health Department, Communicable Disease Team and the Montgomery County Health Department, the CMCSS Communications Department will support schools in promptly communicating any school-level closures to stakeholders via phone, text, email, school and district websites, and other communications channels as needed.Â
CMCSS will implement the new Standard Response Protocol that includes the addition of the “HOLD” response. The new response will be used to ensure building occupants are not moving throughout the building during an investigation of a suspected COVID-19 positive case currently in the building.Â
Students will eat in the school cafeteria unless otherwise configured by the school. By state law, teachers receive a duty-free lunch period, and in the majority of instances there is not enough school-based staff to monitor meals in the classroom. The district will space students as best it can, but parents should not expect that students would be provided with six feet of separation from other students while eating breakfast and/or lunch in the school cafeteria. The following are additional protocols that the Child Nutrition Department will follow:
All CMCSS families who wish to use the cafeteria this year are encouraged to pre-pay their student’s cafeteria account via SchoolCafé. The safe and convenient online system allows parents to make payments, track meal balances and purchases, and monitor their student’s account.
Families with students in CMCSS K-12 Virtual will be able to pick up meals for children at schools. Details for this pick-up service will be provided in the coming weeks. Parents/guardians who feel their household may be eligible for free or reduced meal benefits should apply online at SchoolCafé. The online application allows for a contact-free, secure application environment. Free and reduced meals are available for eligible students choosing either traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual.
Should individual schools or the entire district need to transition from traditional to remote, the district will communicate details on the plan to provide meals for remote learning.
The Operations Department is continuing to make modifications to custodial procedures to reduce the spread of communicable diseases. For more information from the CDC on how COVID-19 spreads, click here. The following are some of the modifications that will currently be in place:
CMCSS face mask requirements are based on local, state, and national guidance, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC, as well as feedback from families and employees.
Students and employees are urged to bring their own masks. However, the district will have masks available for any students or employees who do not have their own. Cloth face masks should be washed after each use. Face masks must adhere to the Student Dress Code in the Student Code of Conduct: obscene, profane, provocative, violent, or inflammatory words or pictures on body/skin, clothing or jewelry, or clothing advertising alcoholic beverages, drugs, drug paraphernalia or tobacco products are prohibited and students are prohibited from wearing, while on school property or at any school-sponsored activity, any type of clothing, apparel, or accessory, which denotes such students’ membership in or affiliation with any gang (T.C.A. § 49-6-4215). For more information from the CDC on the use of cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19, click here.Â
According to the CDC, it is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles. The CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings. Â
CMCSS will continue to purchase PPE and will continue to monitor supply levels and order supplies as needed as funding allows.
The State is providing no-cost PPE, including face masks for any school stakeholder who wants or needs one, thermometers for every school, and face shields for every staff member. This includes 298,000 cloth reusable masks for teachers, and 27 million disposable masks for students distributed by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Every classroom teacher will have a full-year classroom disinfecting kit to use so no teacher pays for these materials out of their own pockets. The kits include hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, gloves and masks.
School nurses will be provided with surgical masks, gloves, protective gowns, and face shields.
As recommended by the CDC, washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. Students and staff will be required to wash hands throughout the day. When soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol is an acceptable substitute. Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout school buildings and in cafeterias.
In addition to the hand sanitizer the district already has in stock, the Operations Department has ordered over 700 half-gallon bottles of hand sanitizer as well as 5-gallon refills. Old Glory Distilling Co. will be donating 4oz bottles of hand sanitizer to all staff.
Sneeze guards will be installed in all front offices.
Gov. Lee’s Safe Reopening Plan for Tennessee Schools, July 28, 2020
As described by the American Academy of Pediatrics, physical distancing, sometimes referred to as social distancing, is simply the act of keeping people separated with the goal of limiting the spread of contagion between individuals. There is a conflict between optimal academic and social/emotional learning in schools and strict adherence to current physical distancing guidelines. Each school will develop guidelines to promote physical distancing that are developmentally appropriate and feasible.
School buses are mass transit vehicles and CMCSS school buildings, classrooms, and cafeterias are designed and equipped to serve large numbers of students at the same time. District vehicles and facilities are not capable of providing the six feet of individual spacing that is currently recommended by the CDC to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID. Parents and guardians selecting a traditional return to school for their children should not expect that their child(ren) would remain six feet from their classmates during their ride to and from school or at all times while they are in district buildings.Â
Students will be required to remain seated in classrooms with assigned seats, and when feasible, will remain with cohorts to minimize cross-over with other students and staff.
The CMCSS Safety and Health Department, in conjunction with the CMCSS Professional Learning Team, will develop online COVID-19 training for students, staff, parents, and visitors before the start of the 2020-2021 school year. The training will consist of the following items:
Employees will be expected to self-screen, including temperature checks, before entering school premises.Â
Self-screening protocols for students and visitors will be implemented as needed. However, families are strongly encouraged to engage in self-screening at home prior to each school day. If students or employees are sick or someone in their home is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, they should not come to school. Click here for updated guidance from the CDC regarding screening K-12 students for symptoms of COVID-19.
Modifications will be made to the student attendance policy for the 2020-2021 school year to the extent allowable by law. If students or employees are sick or someone in their home is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, they should not come to school. CMCSS is awaiting a COVID-19 specific code from the Tennessee Department of Education for attendance purposes. Students who need to be out for an extended period due to illness will be excused, and there will not be a gap in their education as the district will have the ability to provide remote learning for that student.
For employee-specific attendance questions, please click here for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) policy. Employees with concerns should email [email protected].Â
Have you had any of the below symptoms as a new-onset in the past 72 hours? (This does not include chronic conditions)
If “yes”, please consult your personal health care provider before returning to any CMCSS locations.
Each school building will utilize its School Safety team to ensure proper hygiene measures are in place throughout the school year. The School Safety team will attempt to maintain minimization of the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the following areas:
The role and responsibilities of the school nurse are essential healthcare workers as we face the COVID-19 pandemic in our community and schools. The following are some of the specific responsibilities of the school nurse during the pandemic:
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents are encouraged to consider alternative methods of transportation to and from school because passengers on school buses will not always be afforded a minimum six-foot distance from other students. Parents and guardians selecting a traditional return to school for their children and who opt-in to transportation should not expect that their child(ren) would remain six feet from their classmates during their ride to and from school. The following protocols will be in place on CMCSS transportation:
Since March 12, 2020, CMCSS has restricted school- and district-sponsored travel. Until further notice:
CMCSS will limit nonessential visitors from the school environment to prevent crowding, and access to the building will be limited for all visitors. Lunchtime visitors will not be permitted. Essential visitors should conduct a self-screening of symptoms before entering the building and will be required to wear a face mask while on campus. Building administrators will approve any essential visitors throughout the day. Parents/guardians should call or email their child’s teacher or the front office of the school to set up an appointment before arriving.
Water fountains will be taped off, placed out of order, and unavailable until further notice. Students should bring bottled water to school each day. Touchless water bottle filling stations can still be utilized. However, these stations are not available at all school locations and it is not feasible for providing water for an entire school. The district will continue to explore options for hydration.
As of July 24, 2020; subject to change. (PPE section updated Aug. 20, 2020)