Return to Buildings

Masks

All students and staff will be required to wear a mask from the time they enter the bus or the building until the time they leave the bus or building.  Mask breaks will be provided during recesses and while eating.

STUDENT SCREENING

• Parents/Guardians must screen all students prior to dropping them off at school or putting them on a bus. You do not have to complete a form and turn it in, but we are relying on families to review the questions every day in order to minimize exposures and thereby keep students in school in person. PLEASE COMMIT TO CONTACT DEXTER SCHOOLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU KEEP YOUR STUDENT HOME DUE TO COVID EXPOSURE OR POTENTIAL COVID SYMPTOMS. 

Hand washing/Hand sanitizing

• We ask everyone to wash their hands or sanitize prior to arrival at the buildings. Students will wash their hands or sanitize prior to entering their classroom, after using the restroom, before and after recess, before taking out books and supplies, and any time they come into contact with bodily fluids (which is our normal practice!). Any shared supplies will be wiped off between users, except during recess; playground toys such as balls, frisbees, jump ropes, etc. will be sanitized after recess. 
• We will have hand sanitizing stations at all entrances. Hand washing reminder signs are posted at all sinks and in classrooms and cafeterias. 
• Drinking fountains will not be used.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

• Students will be distanced as much as possible in classrooms and will be distanced six feet in the cafeteria. 
• Hallways will have directional signs to ensure traffic flow. Floors will have social distancing stickers or tape at 6 feet intervals to show students where and how to line up. 

Visitors

• Parents and guardians will not be allowed in the buildings at drop-off and pick-up. 
• All visitors must have an appointment to enter the building. Any business that can be conducted remotely, will be. 
• Every person (including staff) who enters a building must complete the building screening form prior to entry, each day. QR codes with links to the signs are on every building entrance. Or, you may complete the screening form by using the link on your building or department page. 

Parents and guardians will not be allowed in the buildings at drop-off or pick-up.

HEALTH & SAFETY

• Students must wear masks in the hallways on their way to class. 
• Doors will be propped open for no contact during arrival and dismissal.
• Students should come to school with washed hands and use hand sanitizer before entering their classroom. 

Entering School

Students may be dropped off between 8:40am and 9:00am. Students will enter buildings at the following points, which will be supervised by paraeducators: 

• Anchor  – front doors
• Beacon – front doors
• Wylie – front doors
• Creekside – south (side) doors 

LEAVING SCHOOL

• Anchor, Beacon, and Wylie students will leave through the same doors they entered.
• Creekside students will exit through the south doors and be picked up in the south parking lot.
• Parent/guardian transport students will begin to leave at 1:50pm. (Bus students will leave at 2:00pm.) 

Please note: Many of our families with children at different schools have their students walk to one school for a single pick-up. We ask that this not be the practice at this point so we can ensure student safety, stick to our cohort protocols, and avoid clustering of students.  We will have a system for your students to be safely released from school when you arrive at the school.  Please stay tuned and know that we are planning for parents with children at multiple schools to be able to safely drop off and pick up their children in a timely manner.  

DRIVELINE

To make pick-up efficient and safe, Dexter Community Schools will be using a school-dismissal application called Driveline.  This application will allow teachers to release students from their classrooms in an orderly, physically distant manner.  

Each family has been assigned a Driveline pick-up number, even if your child will ride the bus, walk or attend After-Care. All Y5-6 students in your family should have the same dismissal number.  As you arrive at your child’s school, school staff will enter your student’s number on a school device and a signal will be sent to your student’s classroom teacher to dismiss your student for pick-up starting at 1:50 pm.

All families, Home Room and Home-Based, are receiving this email and a Driveline number assignment.  Home-Based families, please save this email for future reference if you elect to switch your student to Home Room in the future.

On the first day of school, we ask that you please create a sign to hang in your car window with your family number on it (this was emailed).  We will distribute Driveline number sheets to your student(s) on their first day of school which you may use thereafter.

Food & Nutrition

Lunch

• We will be providing lunch to all students for maximum efficiency and safety. Students who prefer to bring their own, may. Meals are free for all families while the USDA waiver program is in effect. (Currently projected through December). 
• Pre-ordering will reduce the need for daily transactions. (Food will be provided for students whose family did not pre-order but who need food.)
• Students will eat in shifts, at assigned seats. Tables will be disinfected between seatings. 
• Meals will be prepacked for contact minimization; staff will distribute meals to students. 

BREAKFAST

• Breakfast will also be provided free for all students (while the USDA waiver is in effect) and will be delivered to classrooms by paraeducators so it will be there when they arrive. There will be one option only. Here is the link to request breakfast: please complete it once for each of your students. 

ALLERGIES/MEDICAL NEEDS

• As with "regular" school years, students with food allergies or other medical needs that impact their diet must have a signed form on file with the District: request for special dietary needs accommodations.
• Special meals will be packed for those students with special dietary needs. 
• Allergy-aware seating and other processes will still be in place. 

PRE-ORDERING MEALS

Parents/Guardians will go to SendMoneyToSchool.com to pre-order their student's lunch, which they will be able to do up to a week at a time.  If they do not have an account already they will need their child's student ID number to open an account. Students in grades 5/6 and up often know their number, or school secretaries can provide this number if the parent/guardian doesn't already have it. 

Health and Safety protocols ON BUSES

• Proper social distancing is not possible on buses and is not required by Executive Orders. With that in mind, however, we will seat families  and neighbors together and spread out students as much as possible. 
• All students will use hand sanitizer as they board the bus. 
• All students will wear masks on the bus at all times. 
• Windows and vents will be open, so students should dress accordingly in order to be comfortable during the ride. 
• Buses are disinfected with a mist disinfectant at the bus depot after the morning run and afternoon run. 
• Between routes mid-day, buses are sanitized using wipes and spray. 
• Students being shuttled to the bus hub will be riding a freshly-disinfected bus. 

Routes

• During the Y5-Grade 6 only phase of return to buildings, bus routes may look different than those families are accustomed to. 
• If you live in our district boundaries and plan to utilize transportation, please complete the following form no later than Monday, September 28th: https://forms.gle/LhLbh995aKGpqECj9.  We need accurate data to ensure the number of students on each route can safely be supported and to finalize routes.  Currently, we are short 5 bus drivers so your help is greatly appreciated.
• Routes are still being mapped and will be posted the week of October 8th. Thank you in advance for your patience with this complicated and important planning process! 

• BUS ROUTES HAVE BEEN POSTED!

ROUTINES

• Morning Drop-Off: Y5-Grade 6 students will be dropped off at their buildings. Beacon students will be dropped off at the tennis court end of the Beacon lot; Anchor and Wylie students will be dropped off at the bus hub; Creekside students will be dropped off in the loop in front of the Creekside. 
• Afternoon Pick-Up:  At 2pm, students will be released. Anchor students will exit through the Lion and Tiger hall exits and walk to the bus hub. Beacon students will follow behind them and use the Anchor bus hub doors. Wylie students will use two garden doors to walk to the bus hub. Creekside students will exit the front doors and be shuttled to the bus hub in a clean bus and board their buses there. 

DRIVELINE

To make pick-up efficient and safe, Dexter Community Schools will be using a school-dismissal application called Driveline.  This application will allow teachers to release students from their classrooms in an orderly, physically distant manner.  

Each family has been assigned a Driveline pick-up number, even if your child will ride the bus, walk or attend After-Care. All Y5-6 students in your family should have the same dismissal number.  As you arrive at your child’s school, school staff will enter your student’s number on a school device and a signal will be sent to your student’s classroom teacher to dismiss your student for pick-up starting at 1:50 pm.

All families, Home Room and Home-Based, are receiving this email and a Driveline number assignment.  Home-Based families, please save this email for future reference if you elect to switch your student to Home Room in the future.

On the first day of school, we ask that you please create a sign to hang in your car window with your family number on it (this was emailed).  We will distribute Driveline number sheets to your student(s) on their first day of school which you may use thereafter.

ROUTINES

Classrooms will be disinfected daily. Bathrooms will be disinfected several times throughout the day. Buildings will establish cleaning schedules that maximize cleaning of high-contact spaces and surfaces. 

PPE

All Staff will be provided with personal protection equipment (PPE) including N-95 (or equivalent) masks, face shields, gloves, and isolation gowns as appropriate. 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

We will be using CDC-approved sanitizing and disinfecting products. For more specific information, please refer to the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan.