Hybrid learning for Young 5 to grade 8 is underway in the Grosse Pointe Public School System and high school students returned for half days this week.
Moreover, at a special meeting on Jan. 20, GPPSS Board President Joseph Herd directed the administration to formulate a plan for students to return to full-time face-to-face learning. The current timeline for the return is Monday, March 1, for students in Young 5 to grade 4 and Monday, March 15, for students in grades 5-12.
Concerns about COVID-19 have raised questions for parents, teachers and students on what steps were taken to prepare the buildings to maximize safety and mitigate risk.
In an interview with School Pointes, Deputy Superintendent for Business and Operations Amanda Matheson responded to 20 questions assembled as a guide by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Read the full report “Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools” here.)
Matheson’s responses, summarized below, refer to the district’s current hybrid plan.
Are the number of cases in the area low enough for schools to reopen?
The school district follows the most recent guidance from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services regarding reopening schools. In keeping with the governor’s latest recommendation for all school districts to open for some form of face-to-face instruction by March 1, GPPSS is providing hybrid learning in cohorts for students in Young 5 through grade 12, alternating in-person instruction with remote learning. Students with special needs attend full-time.
During the fall, GPPSS initially relied on the Wayne County Health Department for data to make informed decisions regarding the presence of COVID in the community. In November, it became clear the information the WCHD provided was not reliable and at times was inaccurate. With the assistance of a Grosse Pointe community member, the administration sought a more reliable source to track local COVID numbers. The end result of this effort is the Grosse Pointe COVID Dashboard.
In the administration’s view, the key to prioritizing safety while keeping students in school is to monitor the numbers within the school communities. For example, if a student, teacher, or other staff member tests positive, the district takes appropriate steps based on the person’s symptoms, exposure and contact with others.
In some cases, an entire class may need to quarantine. In others, it may just be a teacher if that teacher wasn’t in close contact with any other person.
When and how will masks be required and how will the school support mask use?
Everyone who enters the building is required to wear a mask at all times unless they are eating or drinking. Students are complying remarkably well with this requirement, according to teachers and principals, and may only need an occasional reminder if wearing a mask improperly.
The only other time it's permitted for a student not to wear a mask is if they are medically unable to tolerate it. Most students who cannot tolerate masks have elected the virtual program rather than face-to-face instruction.
While students generally wear their own masks to school, disposable surgical masks are available to all students and staff. Face shields are provided for teachers as an optional additional layer of protection.
Will hand-washing stations or hand sanitizer be available throughout the school and when will children be required to wash their hands?
There is ample hand sanitizer throughout all the school buildings, including in the main office and every classroom as well as gymnasiums, cafeterias and multi-use spaces. Students are accustomed to using hand sanitizer when they walk into the classroom in the morning, before and after lunch and when they return from recess. Bathrooms are stocked with soap and paper towels for traditional hand washing.
When and how will physical distancing be maintained throughout the school day?
The state encourages six feet of social distancing but has allowed school districts to maintain as little as three feet if needed. Social distancing decals placed six feet apart serve as reminders in areas where students line up, such as outside bathroom doors or at main entrances.
With half as many students in a class due to hybrid learning, teachers have either removed desks from the classroom or seat students at every other desk.
Will outdoor air supply rates (ventilation) be increased in school buildings, including classrooms, and how will the school verify that ventilation is adequate?
The district has contracted with an environmental air company to conduct an air balancing test on the overall HVAC system in every school building. This routine checkup is designed to increase the airflow through the building. As soon as the company completes its testing, the district makes the recommended adjustments on maximum airflow and filters.
However, because the HVAC system is designed to increase the airflow through the entire building, it’s difficult to increase the air supply in individual classrooms. In fact, increasing air handlers up to 100 percent fresh air for individual classrooms conflicts with the heat supply. The goal is to balance fresh air and heat while achieving maximum efficiency for the system.
Does the ventilation system use a filter with a rating of MERV 13 or higher for the air going into classrooms and has it been inspected or replaced recently?
MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value. Filters with higher MERV ratings catch higher percentages of particles as well as smaller particles. The CDC recommends increasing air filtration as high as possible without significantly diminishing design airflow; the district has done this in every building.
As part of its inspection, the environmental air company recommends the highest filter appropriate for a unit. Again, the emphasis is on maximum efficiency for each HVAC system.
Will portable air cleaners with HEPA filters be used in classrooms and other relevant spaces in the school?
In addition to maintaining systems, making sure they run at maximum efficiency and upgrading air filters, the district is looking into portable air purifiers. More will be known on best use after companies respond to a request for proposal outlining the number of spaces and square footage of each in every building — a total of approximately 600 spaces.
A request for competitive bids is necessary because the quantities purchased exceed the $25,288 threshold allowed by the state for purchasing goods.
Units will be scalable by size, with one model sufficient for a classroom but a larger unit required for a multipurpose room, gym or cafeteria. Priority also will be given to interior classrooms with no fresh air supply versus exterior classrooms with windows. Companies will bid on large spaces, interior spaces, exterior spaces and a combination thereof. The administration will present these proposals to the Board of Education to make the final determination, likely in February or March. The timing coincides with the expected allocation of approximately $1.5 million in COVID relief funds.
While some families and PTOs have offered to donate air purifiers, in many cases the unit is more appropriate for household use than a classroom. Recognizing this, some parents suggested donating six units for a single classroom, which presents logistical difficulties such as a shortage of outlets or electrical capacity. In addition, any unit purchased would need to have a HEPA filter, be non-ozone and not emit any kind of scent.
Hallways are not feasible for air purifiers as they lack electrical outlets and extension cords provide a tripping hazard.
Will any physical barriers (e.g., plexiglass) be installed in the school?
Plexiglass shields are installed in a number of office spaces. Each student also has access to a portable desk shield. This trifold partition is sturdy enough to remain upright on a student’s desk but light enough to fold for easy transporting. This will be especially helpful with specials, such as art and music, beginning again. The shield remains in the classroom at night so custodians can spray them down with a disinfectant.
Will de-densification strategies, like staggered arrival and dismissal times, be implemented?
The current de-densification strategy is the hybrid model in place. Elementary and middle school students attend in cohorts, with half the class attending Monday and Thursday and the other half Tuesday and Friday. At the elementary level, cohorts attend on alternating Wednesdays. In middle school, students attend all six hours in a half-day format remotely on Wednesdays.
High school students will attend in half-day cohorts beginning the second semester.
We have also removed excess furniture to maximize the floor space for student spacing.
Will the school consider using alternative classroom and lunchroom spaces?
At the elementary and middle schools, students eat in their classrooms with volunteers supervising so teachers may enjoy a lunch break. If there are not enough volunteers available, students may eat in a common space like a cafeteria or gym, limited to three or four at a table seated diagonally from one another. When the weather gets warmer, tents will allow students to eat outdoors even during inclement weather.
High school students don’t eat lunch in school due to the half-day cohort schedule.
How will the school limit the amount of shared surfaces and what is the plan for regularly disinfecting surfaces throughout the entire school?
Sanitizing wipes are available in every classroom. At the elementary level, students wipe down their desks before and after they eat. Middle school students do the same. Seventh and eighth graders who change classes every hour are responsible for disinfecting their own surfaces to ensure the area is sufficiently clean.
Custodians coordinate with teachers to find a time during each school day when the classroom is empty to disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as light switches, work tables, sinks and pencil sharpeners. All surfaces are disinfected again in the evening following a thorough cleaning.
How will transportation to and from school change when school reopens?
The district’s transportation services are limited to special education students and former Poupard students who live west of I-94 and elect to ride the bus to Mason or Monteith elementary schools. The same protocols are followed on buses as in the school buildings. Students, drivers and bus aides wear masks. Hand sanitizer is available. Students do not share seats and sit in alternating opposite rows.
Who is the “point person” or person in charge of the COVID-19 response team/plan and how will they communicate changes in school policy to parents/students?
Leading the response team at the school level are the principal and administrative staff. Each school has a COVID tracking sheet and reports students who are absent due to COVID-19 to central administration. Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Jon Dean coordinates with principals to make sure they communicate correct information to families. Nicole Pilgrim, director of human resources, handles the staff side.
Policy or procedure changes are communicated through district emails.
What guidance for contact tracing, testing and quarantining/isolation is in place in the event that my child’s teacher or another student in the class contracts COVID?
The district notifies the school community and provides information to those directly contacted using template letters recommended by Wayne County.
How will parents, students and staff be educated about symptoms and will health checks be done on students, staff and teachers every day?
The district uses resources from Wayne County, including a recommended screening form, which mirrors what the CDC recommends. Early on, a daily temperature check was required. Currently, it’s a list of symptoms to report. Students stay home if they report one symptom on one list or two symptoms on another.
Parents go through the checklist at home with their children on an honor system. Parents know what to watch for by now and are expected to work collaboratively with the district for the safety of their own family as well as others.
If a teacher or student has to stay home, what strategies are in place to support remote work or learning and make sure students don’t fall behind in their schoolwork?
This is scenario-driven. If a teacher is out and feels fine, students attend class with a substitute teacher and the teacher instructs remotely just like they did when they were virtual.
If the entire classroom is quarantined with the teacher, the class pivots to remote learning.
If the teacher is ill, a substitute teacher is assigned to take over classroom teaching.
If students are out, they work with their classroom teacher and principal to keep up with school work the same as they would with any illness. In some cases, a lesson is recorded and shared with the student later or a list of activities is provided to them to complete on their own.
What other policy changes are being considered to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk?
There are no board-level policy changes underway, although the district was required to submit a COVID response plan to Wayne County. Within that plan was a mitigation plan; the district received 100 percent on that plan.
What precautions will there be during physical education, indoor choir, band or theater to make these activities more safe?
The hope is to conduct physical education classes outdoors as much as possible. Other specials involve social distancing, mask-wearing and limiting shared materials or disinfecting them between use. Additional PPE has been purchased for band classes, including special instrument shields and band masks with slits to allow a mouthpiece.
Will recess be modified when schools reopen?
Students attend recess with their cohorts and are separated on playgrounds on a rotating basis. For example, one class may spend time on the pavement, another on playground equipment or a section of grass.
Will students be allowed to participate in sports?
High school students are permitted to participate in sports practices and games according to the rules of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. There are no intramural sports offered currently at the middle school level or outside groups or teams using district facilities.