Covid-19

Face masks are required in our school buildings and on buses through the end of the school year following Minnesota's Safe Learning Plan. 

Beginning Monday, June 14, face masks are no longer required in school buildings. This includes summer school, camps and clinics, athletics and other summer programming. One exception is that masks are required for Learning Ventures (child care) staff and students until July 1, 2021, or until Minnesota achieves a 70 percent vaccination rate. Minnesota Department of Health continues to strongly recommend face masks be worn in school buildings. 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, face masks, or other equipment to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness.

• The State of Minnesota provided the following supplies to all public schools:
  • Every K-12 student received one cloth face covering.
  • Every school staff member received one cloth face covering.
  • Every school received three disposable face masks per student.
  • Every school received face shields for all licensed teachers and 50% of non-licensed staff.
     
• In addition Spring Lake Park Schools:
  • Installed plexiglass barriers in the main offices at each school
  • Equipped staff and students in special education programs with more restrictive face shields based on student need
  • Provided additional face shields available for staff upon request
  • Made additional masks available for staff and students and paper masks available in the main office and health office
  • Made gloves available for all staff to use for cleaning
  • Provided plexiglass barriers for every classroom teacher

HAND HYGIENE practices and education

• Hand sanitizer is available throughout each building.
• Hand washing and sanitizing is recommended upon arrival at school, before and after meals, before and after recess and throughout the day.

Minnesota Department of Health continues to recommend physical distance be maintained at three feet between students and six feet between staff and students and between staff members. 

• Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend we follow enhanced cleaning protocols. 
• Building ventilation in our school buildings has all been replaced since 2008 and exceeds the recommendations for the circulation of outdoor air.

During the 2020-2021 school year, we have not allowed visitors into our schools unless pre-approved through the building principal. 

We will allow limited visitors in consultation with each building's leadership and with safety plans in place. 

It is strongly recommended that all students and staff self-screen before coming to school each day.

• Stay home if there are one or more of the more common symptoms (fever greater than 100^o, new cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste/smell) or two or more of the less common symptoms (sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, extreme fatigue, new severe headache, new nasal congestion or runny nose).
• Report symptoms to the school.
• Students will use designated isolation areas to wait for a ride home if symptoms develop during the day.
• Students/Families and staff are to notify the school if they have been directed to self-isolate or quarantine.

View and download a Daily Health Self-Screen for COVID-19 Symptoms document

Vea y descargue un documento de Cheque Diario de Salud para los síntomas de COVID-19

We work with Minnesota Department of Health on any positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 and follow their direction for contact tracing, notification and other critical actions.

Close contact

• Close contact is defined as being near a COVID-19 positive person closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer.
• Working with MDH, school or district staff will notify students/families and/or staff if they have been exposed and need to stay home.
• We will follow Quarantine Guidance for COVID-19 Exposure. Families requesting a quarantine shorter than 14 days will consult with a school nurse.

Illness - If students, staff have a confirmed case of COVID-19 or symptoms:

• The individual must stay home for at least 10 days since symptoms began AND until no fever for at least 1 day without medication AND improvement of other symptoms.
• Siblings and household members stay home for 14 days.
• Other staff and students who have had close contact with the individual will also stay home/quarantine for 14 days.

See Minnesota Department of Health’s  Decision Tree for People with COVID-19 Symptoms.

View our Procedures for Close Contact, Illness and Notification Fact Sheet

We work directly with Minnesota Department of Health on any potential close contacts and positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 and follow their direction for contact tracing, notification and other critical actions.

Close contact is defined as being near a COVID-19 positive person closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer during the infectious period. The infectious period is defined as beginning two days before onset of symptoms OR two days before a positive test if the person did not experience symptoms. 

Working with the Minnesota Department of Health, school or district staff will notify students, families and/or staff if they have had a close contact with a positive case with what further actions are recommended. Minnesota Department of Health guides us on the notification process for close contact and illness to ensure individual health privacy.

The scope of the notification depends on the breadth of exposure and interaction with others. Generally:

• Elementary (grades K-4) notifications will include families of entire classroom group; all staff that worked directly with student or staff that tested positive and building and district leaders.
• Intermediate/Middle School and High School (Grades 5-12) notifications will include families of the impacted learning team, families of other students that may have been in elective classes with the student of staff that tested positive; all staff that worked directly with the student of staff that tested positive and building and district leadership. 
• People participating in athletics and activities will be notified within and between their designated “pod” as guided by Minnesota Department of Health in the contact tracing process. 

Notifications of close contact will include direction from Minnesota Department of Health that includes things like recommendations for testing, staying home and other next steps.

View our Procedures for Close Contact, Illness and Notification Fact Sheet

Physical distancing recommendations from Minnesota Department of Health will be maintained. 

• Entrances and exits are modified to regulate traffic flow and access.
• Hallways are divided in half or made one way to create traffic flow patterns that maximize physical distancing.
• Classroom and school schedules limit physical interactions beyond a student’s classroom and team.
• Floor markings reinforce physical distancing requirements in waiting areas.
• Student seating is arranged to ensure there is at least 3 feet between students.
• Safety signage throughout the building reinforces protocols (hand washing, physical distancing).

• Students and driver are required to wear face coverings on the ride. Drivers will reinforce expectations verbally and involve school administration if there is an issue with compliance.
• Seating charts are used; Students from the same household may sit together.
• Loading and unloading procedures maximize physical distancing to the greatest extent possible; School loading and unloading zone may be reconfigured to accommodate distancing requirements and additional parent drop off/pick up.
• Buses are cleaned and disinfected between routes.
• Windows are open, as weather permits, and ventilation systems maximized to promote air flow throughout the bus.

This summer, Spring Lake Park Schools is serving free grab-and-go meals to all children ages 0-18. Meals can be picked up at Spring Lake Park High School starting Monday, June 14.

• Where: Pick up meals at Spring Lake Park High School (Door #32)
• When: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• What: Grab and go breakfasts and lunches. On Mondays-Wednesdays, families will receive that day's lunch and the next day's breakfast. On Thursdays, families will receive that day's lunch, Friday's breakfast and lunch and Monday's breakfast.

Summer meal menus are available to view online. Find them on the Nutrislice app under Spring Lake Park High School.

Summer School Meals

Free meals will also be available for pick-up while summer school is in session at Centerview Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Park Terrace Elementary, Woodcrest Spanish Immersion and Westwood Intermediate and Middle School.

Families can pick up meals on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-10:30 a.m. at the front entrance of each school. Students will receive two breakfast and two lunch meals on both of those days.

Questions? Please reach out to the Nutrition Services Department at 763-600-5041.

Full-time extended flexible learning (distance learning) was available for students at all grade levels at any time during the school year; families commit to at least one trimester with return to in-person learning dependent on a variety of factors.

All students flex to this model should public health conditions require it.

Ongoing enhancements are made to this model based on student, family and teacher feedback. View our Top Tips for Successful Learning At Home.

Key elements of distance learning include:

• Real-time and on-demand learning formats
• Emphasis on daily, real-time, live instruction and interaction
• Emphasis on small group and one-to-one learning
• A weekly overview of student work and learning experiences
• Daily communication on student work expectations and interactions to strengthen relationships
• Collaborative learning opportunities each week that allow students to interact with each other
• Consistent and meaningful feedback on student work that moves learning forward

See the brief, one-page overview for what students and families can expect for learning experiences, feedback and communication:

• Kindergarten-Grade 6: Extended Flexible Learning (Distance Learning)
• Grades 7-12: Extended Flexible Learning (Distance Learning)

In this model, students have a combination of learning days at school and learning days at home. Learning days at school follow health and safety guidelines, including those for capacity and physical distancing.

• Grades K-1 attend school in-person five days a week.
• Grades 2-12 and Lighthouse attend school in-person 2 days a week and engage in extended flexible learning 3 days a week. The student population is split in half, an A group and a B group.
• Due to space constraints and health and safety guidelines, we are not able to offer additional in-school learning days for grades 2-12.

Note, we work with families who have students in their household with different last names to ensure households have the same schedule.

Kindergarten and Grade 1 students are at school 5 days a week.

• Students are in a class group of up to 15 students.
• The student group is assigned a teacher and remains in primarily the same classroom space throughout the day.
• Teachers work in small teams to support learning and teaching across their small group of classrooms.
• Lunch is eaten in the classroom with precautions taken for allergies.
• Recess is scheduled by classroom group:
  • No more than one classroom on the equipment and limited classrooms on the field/hard surface at one time to ensure physical distancing.
  • Students are expected to wash their hands immediately before going to recess and when they come back inside.
  • Staff are present to assist in maintaining appropriate physical distance. Face masks are not be required outside.

See the brief, one-page overview for what students and families can expect for learning experiences, feedback and communication:

• Kindergarten-Grade 1: Modified Campus Schedule 

2 days of learning at school

• Students with last names A-L are at school on Mondays and Thursdays; last names M-Z are at school on Tuesdays and Fridays (Note: family members with different last names will be grouped together)
• Group sizes in a traditional classroom do not exceed 15 students. Overall, group sizes in physical spaces will not exceed capacity limits.
• Students stay primarily in the same classroom space throughout the day, with the same group of students and their assigned classroom teacher. Students may work with other teachers, who are working together on small teaching teams, to support learning and teaching across their small group of classrooms.
• Lunch is eaten in classrooms or the cafeteria with a student’s designated cohort and following protocols for maximizing physical distance and precautions for allergies.
• Recess is scheduled by classroom group to limit numbers of students. Students are expected to wash their hands immediately before going to recess and when they come inside. Staff will be present to assist in maintaining appropriate physical distance. Face masks will not be required outside.

2 days of interactive learning at home

• There is an emphasis on real-time, live instruction on these days with frequent small group and/or individual check-ins.
• Instruction and interaction may occur with any teacher on the student’s team.

1 day of on-demand (asynchronous) learning at home (Wednesdays)

• Includes independent student work using learning technology resources
• Teachers  are available through "office hours" and scheduled check-ins on this day.

Some students in Grades 2-6 are at school more than 2 days a week to receive specific targeted services and supports as determined by IEP or team.

See the brief, one-page overview for what students and families can expect for learning experiences, feedback and communication:

• Grades 2-6: Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid)

2 days of learning at school

• Students with last names A-L are at school on Mondays and Thursdays; last names M-Z are at school on Tuesdays and Fridays. (Note: family members with different last names are grouped together)
• Students are grouped in cohorts and housed in localized areas within the building for their core courses and lunches to reduce intermingling between groups of students. Students are anchored to the same teacher for their four core courses throughout the year.
• Student schedules:
  • Students work with teachers in their four core courses (English Language Arts, Science, Math, Social Studies) for 4 of the 6 periods of the day. (Upper level high school students may not have four core courses.)
  • Students engage with their electives and receive targeted services and support in the remaining 2 periods of the day within their assigned cohort as possible and meeting health and safety guidelines.
  • Learning spaces are maintained at - or below - capacity limits 5 to ensure physical distancing.
  • Passing times limit hallway traffic and lockers are not be available for student use.

3 days of learning at home

• To support flexibility in the time, place, and pace of learning, all courses are built online, in Schoology, for 24/7 student access to course materials.
• Students engage in flexible learning experiences designed by the same teachers they work with at school.
• Students work independently and flexibly to specifically prepare and equip students for the deeper learning experiences they will engage in during their in-person learning days. 
• Students may also receive "live," specific targeted services and supports as determined by IEP or team.

Some students in Grades 7-12 are at school more than 2 days a week to receive specific targeted services and supports as determined by IEP or team.

See the brief, one-page overview for what students and families can expect for learning experiences, feedback and communication:

• Grades 7-8: Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid)
• Grades 9-12: Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid)

5 days a week in-person at school following health and safety guidelines for in-person learning,

Beginning Monday, June 14, 2021, face masks are no longer required in our school buildings. This includes summer school, camps and clinics, athletics and other summer programming. One exception is that masks are required for Learning Ventures (child care) staff and students until July 1, 2021, or until Minnesota achieves a 70 percent vaccination rate. Minnesota Department of Health continues to recommend masks for unvaccinated people.

SLP Schools Online is Spring Lake Park Schools’ fully online learning option for students in grades K-12. At SLP Schools Online, students experience learning specific to their individual strengths, interests and needs covering the same concepts as their in-school peers but tailored to an online environment.

While the fully online option has been available for grades 9-12 for many years, the expansion to grades K-8 is new for the 2021-2022 school year. Learn more at   SpringLakeParkSchools.org/Online

Yes, childcare is available for school age children through Learning Ventures.

• Learn more and register for childcare

Limited visitors may be allowed during summer programming. Visitors must be cleared with the program coordinator in consultation with the health office to ensure protocols continue to be followed.

Stay home if there are one or more of the more common symptoms (fever greater than 100^o, new cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste/smell) or two or more of the less common symptoms (sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, extreme fatigue, new severe headache, new nasal congestion or runny nose).

• Report symptoms to the school.
• Students will use designated isolation areas to wait for a ride home if symptoms develop during the day.
• Students/Families and staff are to notify the school if they have been directed to self-isolate or quarantine.

View and download a Daily Health Self-Screen for COVID-19 Symptoms document

Vea y descargue un documento de Cheque Diario de Salud para los síntomas de COVID-19

We are asking that students/families and staff self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to school. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, fatigue, ​congestion or loss of taste of smell. Other less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. If COVID-19 symptoms are present, the student/staff member should not come to school and will inform the school.

• The student will be sent to the health office where the school nurse will use the COVID-19 decision-tree and exclusion guidance from Minnesota Department of Health to determine next steps, including if the student needs to be isolated and excluded from school.
• If isolation is required, the student will go to the designated isolation space in each school building and continue to wear their face mask until a guardian is able to pick them up.
• Siblings will also be considered as a part of the screening process and may be subject to any need for self-isolation.
• The school will provide families resources and guidance regarding COVID-19 testing and the length of time the student will need to stay out of school.
• The family will work with the school nurse on any plans for the student to return.

If someone in your household shows symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, you need to inform the school or district health office. School nurses will help you determine next steps.

We partner with Minnesota Department of Health in any situation where someone tests positive for COVID-19, and they guide us on the notification process. Generally speaking, the school or district will communicate with any individuals/families of individuals who had contact with any positive case as recommended and directed by MDH.

Notifications fall into two categories: notification of exposure to positive case without close contact and notification of exposure and need for self-isolation based on the potential of close contact. The notifications would also include recommendations from MDH.

Notifications depend on the breadth of exposure and interaction with others.