A full return to campus is proposed for Tuesday, September 8, 2020 pending Public Health Advisory Levels in Franklin County. The Virtual Learning Program will also begin on September 8.     

Each family will need to decide what is best for their child(ren). However, here are some points to consider. First, NAPLS is doing everything that it can to ensure that children, teachers, and staff are as safe as possible when they return to school. We are following all public health guidelines by ensuring social distancing whenever possible, requiring frequent handwashing and sanitization, and developing a facial covering/facemask policy. 

The District is monitoring the situation closely and should the public health situation worsen locally or in the county, adjustments to the learning model will be made as needed, to ensure that we are using the best available evidence to protect our students, our staff, and our community. 

If your child(ren) or a member of your household is elderly or has a chronic condition that places them at high-risk of COVID-19, you may wish to consult your family physician regarding what is best for your family in terms of whether or not your child(ren) should return to school in person. 

For more information about what is considered high-risk, please see the information available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-increased-risk.html

Finally, it is important to note that attending school in-person provides a number of benefits to children including but not limited to social and emotional development, nutrition and physical activity, and mental health supports, as outlined by the statement put forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): 

https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-

guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/

Your child's Intervention Specialist, Case Manager, or Counselor, in conjunction with the Director of Special Education/Coordinator, will communicate with you in reference to adjustments to schedules, services or delivery model that may be necessary to individually meet the needs of your child. The IEP team will still meet with students according to their IEP, including related service staff.  Staff and students will be following the social distancing and mask/face shield requirements to the extent possible. 

The exact timing of any transition  from in-person to e-learning will be determined based upon guidance from health officials.  A county level color change may not automatically trigger a transition for students and staff.

When school is open for in-person, daily student attendance is taken.  If a parent keeps a student at home, the parent/guardian is required to notify the school district of the absence reason.  

The district will continue to actively monitor any/all changes to student attendance requirements by the Ohio Department of Education or the General Assembly to update families accordingly.

We encourage parents to talk with, reassure, and support their children about these changes, and the importance of social distancing and wearing masks. 

• Allow your child to ask questions and answer them to the best of your ability. Find guidance here.
• Explain the why behind wearing a mask and have your child practice wearing their mask as well as how to properly put the mask on and off without spreading germs. 
• Read a story about returning to school such as Going Back to School or Welcome Back to School.
• Follow recommended guidelines regarding masks and social distancing this summer to help prevent a future surge in cases that might impact the start of school. 
• Help students get back into a normal schedule at least a week before school begins, such as reinstituting bedtime and wake up routines. 
• Be sure that all your child’s immunizations are up to date, including newly required immunizations for students entering kindergarten, 7th and 12th grades. 
• Stay in close communication with your school should your health situation or return plans change. 

While we understand that students returning at the semester may be somewhat ahead or behind of the classroom instruction, we felt this was an important option for our families. Teachers, school counselors and administrators will work with students to ensure the most appropriate placement and to provide intervention support as necessary.  This is similar to what is required when students move into our district in the middle of a school year. 

Whether in Option 1 or Option 2, students in grades 1-10 will be given a district owned and managed iPad and students in grades 11 & 12 will be given a district owned and managed Chromebook.  PreK and K students will be given an iPad to use if they do not have access to a device at home. Contact your building principal if you do not have wifi at home.

Most back-to-school events will be virtual to limit large group gatherings.  Individual schools will communicate how they will handle schedule pick-ups, meet the teacher events, etc.

Until further notice, lockers will not be used. Additional information will be provided by building principals prior to the start of the school year. 

We recognize the importance of providing students and staff with extra social and emotional support as they return to school this year. Expect to see extra time for building relationships and establishing new routines, and focus on coping strategies. 

Our counselors, mental health specialists and psychologists will be ready to assist students and staff in need of support. Additionally, school-based mental health professionals will be available and we’ll be sharing additional resources throughout the year.

Students participating in the VLP will continue to be supported by New Albany teachers, counselors, mental health specialists and psychologists as well.

We anticipate a blended model where students will learn independently at home and receive direct instruction while in school.  Our goal is to keep the school experience as normal as possible for our students. Students will continue to have their regular academic offerings in language arts, math, social studies and science.  

On elearning days students will work in Schoology on relevant and meaningful activities and assignments, including new learning material that will be directly tied to the instruction from the classroom. They will receive guidance for these learning opportunities in class. We will work with our teachers to find ways that virtually engage students at home, but direct contact with teachers will be limited because they will be teaching another group of students on campus.

Should Option 1 students have to transition to elearning at home due to public health guidance, there will be an increase in the amount of synchronous, or real-time, instruction when compared to remote learning from Spring 2020. 

Though we would like to accommodate requests, it is unlikely that we will have the time or operational flexibility to do so.

There will be many factors for us to consider as we assign students to their hybrid learning group. We will work diligently to keep siblings/households together on the same schedule. Other considerations include staffing, course offerings, special programming, and transportation. It is important to note that this process will take quite a bit of time to complete and it is imperative that Virtual Learning Program Commitment Forms be completed as soon as possible so this process can begin. The deadline to respond with a commitment form is July 22, 2020. *Update the deadline was extended to Aug. 10, 2020 at noon. 

An exposure is defined as having close contact (being within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) with a person that has tested positive for or has been diagnosed with COVID-19. If a student or staff  member is identified as testing positive, staff begin the process of identifying the location of that student or staff member if at school and communicating with the Franklin County Public Health Department. In the case of a bus, only those students that may have been sitting in a 6 foot radius of that student for at least 15 minutes may need to be quarantined. This would also be the rule for the classroom or cafeteria. The act of quarantining is to protect others and monitor the individual to make sure they do not begin to show symptoms of COVID-19.  

The district is making a concerted effort to account for students and staff on a daily basis in terms of their location and proximity to one another. Seating charts are in place for the classrooms, the school buses, the cafeteria spaces, etc. This enables staff to be able to track who may have been exposed in the event of a student or staff member testing positive for or being diagnosed with COVID-19. 

If we have a confirmed case of COVD-19, we will follow direction from the Franklin County Public Health Department. This may include closing a classroom, school, or schools for a period of time and shifting quickly to remote learning at home for students who are impacted. Many of our new procedures are designed to support contact tracing should a confirmed case occur. This will assist the Health Department with quickly identifying and contacting individuals who may have been exposed. 

Communication regarding students, staff, or families who test positive for COVID-19 will be issued following the recommendations from the Franklin County Public Health Department while maintaining privacy according to FERPA and HIPAA guidelines.

Parents should notify the school nurse or school office immediately if someone in their family has tested positive for COVID-19.  

Administrators will work with school counselors, teachers and families to design a plan for academic continuity and support when quarantines occur.

We do not anticipate testing students or staff through the school. This is a decision the employees and families should make with guidance from their health care providers and public health departments and we will strongly encourage them to do so.

There are a number of ways to get your family tested for COVID-19. Talk to your family physician or check out Franklin County Public Health’s testing information page to see the numerous locations to get tested in the greater Columbus area: https://covid-19.myfcph.org/testing/

UPDATED!

Policy approved by the board of education - Aug. 3, 2020

Click here to view the policy.

Students and staff will need to wear masks following our face-covering protocols. 

Students Grades K-12:  Masks are required on the bus, entering and exiting the school building/classrooms, in the hall, in classrooms, in restrooms, etc.. When students are appropriately spaced in a classroom, the teacher may allow mask breaks.  When students are actively moving, participating in any lab or small or large group activity, masks are required.

Families shall provide clean face coverings daily for student personal use as the schools will have a limited supply. 

Student Face Covering Exemption:  A face covering exemption may be available for certain medical reasons.  Families must submit physician orders to the school nurse if a student required to wear a mask may not do so for health or developmental reasons.

Students should plan to have at least two cloth masks as part of their back-to-school supplies and we ask that parents practice with their children now to learn to wear masks, put them on, and take them off safely. 

We will practice social distancing as much as possible. Due to the size of our student body and our facilities it will not be possible at all times. In classrooms, student seating may be arranged to all face in the same direction, when possible, and will be spaced 3 feet apart or more whenever possible, following the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance. On buses, we will be placing two students per seat (siblings may sit together). At lunch, we will maximize available spaces for distancing and potentially use alternate spaces beyond cafeterias. Students will be grouped in cohorts to the extent possible throughout the day in an effort to support contact tracing if an exposure occurs. The cohort size could change based on the grade of the child and the academic schedule, but the goal is to minimize the cohort size whenever possible.

As always, clinics will be staffed by clinic aides (LPNs or RNs) and registered school nurses (RNs). There will be separate areas created—one for regular care and an isolated area for anyone who presents signs or symptoms of illness.  

Parents will no longer be allowed to bring medications into clinics. If you need to provide medication for your child, a nurse will meet you in a designated area to handle this.  

You can also expect to see changes in how we administer stocked medicines, nebulizer treatments, and new criteria for staying home from school/returning to school, based on CDC guidelines.

Please reach out to your school nurse if you have specific concerns regarding your child’s medical care.

We’ve stocked up on personal protective equipment, hand washing materials and cleaning supplies. 

In addition to our regular cleaning, we’ll be disinfecting more often in common areas like hallways, cafeterias, bathrooms, playgrounds and buses, as well as high-touch surfaces like door handles and desks.  The district is purchasing an industry approved disinfectant for school settings that is effective against COVID-19. We’ll also be using electrostatic disinfectant sprayers as needed in buildings and buses for intense after-hours cleaning once they are received.

We’re already meeting the State Department of Health’s recommended environmental steps to reduce indoor COVID transmission through the use of HVAC MERV 13 air filters as recommended by the CDC.

We will offer food services for breakfast in grades 1 - 12 and lunch in grades PK-12. Logistics, use of alternate spaces etc. will be determined by school building to minimize risk to the extent possible.  We will increase cleaning, hand sanitation, limit student movement to adhere to social distancing requirements and require students to sit with identified cohorts. Students will still be required to remain on campus for lunch and as always, students may bring their own lunch to school. 

All Parents should expect some changes to current food policies in order to protect students who have food allergies. For example, no lunch, packed or purchased, can contain anything made with peanuts or other tree nuts.  Since students will potentially be eating in their classrooms, no allergens can be present.

Water fountain/refill stations etc. at school will not be operational.  All students should bring their own filled water bottle daily.  Water bottles should not be shared.  Water will be available for purchase at school. 

As mentioned, currently there will be two students per seat (siblings may sit together) and masks will be required on buses. Should the situation change and health officials shift this recommendation, the district may adjust to one student per seat with siblings still assigned together on one seat.  ALL students will be required to sit in assigned seats to assist with contact tracing, when necessary.

We know that there are strong opinions about the use of masks. We are following guidelines of the CDC, the Ohio Department of Health and Governor's orders. The State of Ohio strongly recommends masks for the increased safety of both students and the adults in the school and at home. 

We will continue to have conversations with health officials surrounding the most appropriate ways to ensure masks and or face shields are being utilized safely and correctly according to those recommendations. Mask breaks will be scheduled when appropriate social distancing can be ensured for the safety of the students and staff.

Faculty, staff and administrators will be monitoring use of masks in all required grades/areas and will work with parents and students to resolve issues and concerns individually. Students who cannot or will not wear a mask during the required times at school may be approved for a face shield if medically necessary or may need to utilize online learning at home.  

• SchoolsPLP (Personalized Learning Platform) is the district’s Virtual Learning Program (VLP) platform and its multiple digital curriculum providers (Lincoln Learning, Bright Thinker, eDynamics, EdOptions, and BYU) are accredited.
• New Albany is the institution that awards credit.  Students that successfully complete courses through the VLP will be awarded New Albany credit. 
• All of New Albany High School Courses are NCAA approved, including courses completed through the VLP.
• New Albany teachers will support the program through facilitation and management of student progress. 

The District researched a number of online learning platforms and have experience using one program at the high school. There is no online learning platform that completely meets the needs of our students and our schools. There were many considerations when determining the appropriate online learning program for the upcoming school year, and we chose the program that addressed more of the criteria considered than others.  Members of the leadership team, including principals, used the following criteria to review the different online platforms:

• Grade levels offered
• Alignment of curriculum to Ohio standards
• Alignment of curriculum to New Albany curriculum framework
• Course offerings (Electives & levels of courses)
• Flexibility of online curriculum

SchoolsPLP is not an institution, but it is a curriculum platform that hosts multiple providers. SchoolsPLP works with EdOptions as their institution for accreditation. SchoolsPLP has 5 providers (Lincoln Learning, Bright Thinker, eDynamic, Ed Options, and BYU) on its platform, and they each hold the accreditation for their individual platform. While accreditation is important to the curriculum provider, as the article mentions, our primary focus is that the courses are aligned to the Ohio Standards and NAPLS courses are aligned to these standards, and we as a school/district determine which courses are awarded credit, which we then issue to our students. We have already determined that all SchoolsPLP courses will transfer as credit on a student's transcript.

Yes, all of New Albany High School Courses are NCAA approved, including courses completed in SchoolsPLP and the VLP.

Yes, coursework completed through SchoolsPLP will count towards graduation. Schools/districts determine which courses are awarded credit, which we then issue to our students. We have already determined that all SchoolsPLP courses will transfer as credit on a student's transcript.

High school level courses within the SchoolsPLP platform are compliant according to the NCAA and course completion will allow for students to have the courses appear on their New Albany school transcript, as well as being calculated into the GPA for our middle and high school students.

Students will access grade-level appropriate content through online platforms at home.  A New Albany teacher will be assigned to work with each student to provide support and guidance. 100% online learning at-home will be available for students who commit to the online option for at least the first semester.  SchoolsPLP, our online platform, provides self-paced and teacher guided lessons.  There will be synchronous and asynchronous instruction. See our recent Parent Letter for more details. 

If the district moves to e-learning in Option 1 sometime during the year, Option 1 students will receive online instruction through their NAPLS courses and teachers, while students enrolled in the VLP will remain in that program for the semester.

If you have already made a commitment to the Virtual Learning Program, but would like to make a change based on information in this document, you can email Dr. Jessica Mamais (mamais.1@napls.us) to make that change, prior to the deadline of July 22, 2020.  *Update the deadline was extended to Aug. 10, 2020 at noon. 

Students’ final schedules will not be determined until after the July 22 deadline. ( *Update the deadline was extended to Aug. 10, 2020 at noon). However, The school will work with each student to create an online schedule.  SchoolsPLP has a variety of elective courses available for students to choose from. While the electives may not be identical to the traditional classroom, students will still earn credit for the online courses.  It has not been determined if Band, Orchestra, or Choir will be offered in the Virtual Learning Program.  

SchoolsPLP also offers many AP and Honors Courses.  We will work with students to ensure that if their course selections are not available through the virtual learning program that a suitable replacement is offered. If you need assistance with finding courses in the SchoolsPLP catalog, contact Dr. Jessica Mamais (mamais.1@napls.us). 

College Credit plus courses offered in the district will NOT be offered through the VLP.  However, 100% online students may also enroll in CCP courses not offered in the district. These courses will follow the specific college’s reopening plans.

All students choosing the Virtual Learning Program will be assigned to a New Albany Teacher.  Details about a students daily schedule will be released after the July 22nd commitment date. *Update the deadline was extended to Aug. 10, 2020 at noon. 

The Virtual Learning Program will be personalized for each student, and the type and level of interaction with other students has not been determined.

The two learning options we are using for the 2020-21 school year require major staffing and curriculum adjustments. At this time, it has not been determined that moving from Option 1 to Option 2 for total online programming via our Virtual Learning Program or from online to face-to-face will be possible. It depends upon the numbers of students requesting to switch options and the staffing adjustments that would be necessary.

Therefore, families will be making their choice for the entire semester. However, if our county advisory level changes significantly and we are able to bring all students back to campus every day safely, we will work with the health department to transition our plan and communicate at that time.

We will continue to provide support to students in our EL and special education programs. Teachers will work with families to ensure support is in place.  For gifted students, we are still determining what level of support we can provide. 

For local assessments, we are working on how to administer standardized assessments remotely while maintaining the assessment vendors requirements for test administration. It could be the case the students in the VLP who require specialized testing for gifted identification will need to come to a part of campus where an approved proctor can give the test. If applicable, VLP students will be required to take the same Ohio State Tests as students in Option 1. More information will be provided later.

The rigor required of the virtual learning courses will be appropriate for the type of course offered, I.e., honors, AP, etc. In addition, students and parents will have flexibility with their learning schedule.  

Students enrolled in the VLP will be able to access their NAPLS counselors for college readiness and preparation and will be included in all communication regarding these topics from administrators, senior team teachers and counselors. There will be an online course option for completing Senior Seminar projects and requirements.

Yes students will be fully eligible to participate in school sports and other activities as long as they maintain all eligibility requirements through NAPLS and OHSAA.