Field trips, campus visitors are back. What else returns when Modesto City Schools open?
Field trips and campus visitors will resume at Modesto City Schools this fall, yet in a sign of the pandemic’s lingering impact, seating charts for contact tracing and daily cleaning for COVID-19 prevention will remain in place.
These details were included in a reopening report presented to district trustees Monday night. Officials from the district’s Department of School Leadership shared more information on what the fall will look like for students returning to in-person instruction five days a week Aug. 9.
The reopening plan follows requirements set by the California Department of Public Health, the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board and the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, Assistant Superintendent Heather Contreras said.
“That really guides what happens for protocols of students and staff,” she said.
For example, the district will require masks inside schools for all students and employees, regardless of vaccination status. This follows a rule from the state health department.
Masks also are required for unvaccinated employees in district offices, Contreras said.
On Monday, the school board unanimously decided to send a letter to the California public health agency asking for local control over masks and other COVID-19 policies. The district doesn’t have power to contradict statewide requirements unless state officials specifically leave decisions up to districts.
So far, California public health officials have said masks are required in all public school buildings, but districts will determine how to enforce mask-wearing. That does not mean districts can forego the mask mandate. Rather, local school leaders will determine what level of discipline a student would receive for not wearing a mask.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended all students and employees wear masks inside schools.
What students can expect
Parents and other visitors will be allowed on campus again if wearing masks, Senior Director of School Leadership Laurie Hulin said.
Meals no longer will be prepackaged, but water bottles will continue to replace drinking fountains, she said.
Students will not see arrows directing them to move through school in a certain direction, or plexiglass shields on their desks. They will not have to practice social distancing in most cases.
School officials will seek to “maximize physical distancing” when students are eating indoors, according to the reopening presentation. When possible, students will eat outside.
School bell schedules will return to prepandemic times. Students will not have to wear masks outdoors, including during recess.
Masks are not required for student athletes and spectators at outdoor games, according to the presentation.
For indoor sports, spectators must wear masks and students should wear masks “as tolerable.” That means student athletes can remove their masks when they need to catch their breath, Senior Director of School Leadership Will Nelson said.
School officials are waiting for the California public health department to release guidance on co-curricular activities such as band and choir.
Contact tracing
Teachers will use seating charts to continue contact tracing.
Quarantine protocols depend on a person’s vaccine status and symptoms. Contact tracers will let school officials know if students need to quarantine, Nelson said.
More information on the district’s contact tracing protocols is included in the Report on Preparing for the Start of School Year attached to the July 26 board meeting agenda at agendaonline.net/public/modestocity.
Cleaning
Modesto City Schools will sanitize “all points of contact,” including desks and chairs, every day, according to the presentation. Schools will continue to use MERV-12 HVAC filters and HEPA filters to increase air ventilation.
School officials will get rid of disinfectant wipes previously offered for 7-12 grade students to use, according to the presentation.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
