January 19, 2021

As previously announced, following the latest guidance from the Governor, along with information and resources from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, we have determined start dates for all of our elementary grade levels:

• February 1: Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st grade
• February 17: 2nd and 3rd grade
• March 1: 4th and 5th grade

If you haven't visited our Frequently Asked Questions page, you can find it at bethelsd.org/Page/6023.

Students will return in a hybrid A/B model
In the A/B hybrid model, half of our students will meet in person at school on Monday and Thursday (Cohort A) for full days of instruction, with the second half of the students meeting in person on Tuesday and Friday (Cohort B.)

On days when students are not attending in person, they will be engaged in teacher-directed independent learning and Zoom lessons.

The student day for in-person learning will be 4½ hours. This will allow teachers to conduct a Zoom check-in with the cohort of students learning at home that day. The shorter student day will also support students as they learn in an environment very different from what they have previously experienced while in school.

You will find a copy of the Hybrid Elementary Bell Schedule by clicking here. You will be notified the week of January 25th what cohort your student(s) are in.

Health & Safety
Mask wearing and social distancing is mandatory for all students and staff in our schools. To learn more about our building safety protocols, please click on the Health and Safety tab above.

If you have specific questions, or didn’t fill out the recent survey regarding your preference of returning to hybrid or remaining in remote learning, please contact your school office.

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January 8, 2021

It is time to begin the process of getting all students back into classrooms for in-person learning.

Following the latest guidance from the Governor, along with information and resources from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, we have determined start dates for all of our elementary grade levels:

• February 1: Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st grade
• February 17: 2nd and 3rd grade
• March 1: 4th and 5th grade

Because middle and high school environments are very different from those of an elementary school, secondary start dates will be announced later, and will align with the Governor’s updated school guidance for in-person instruction.

Students will return in a hybrid A/B model
In the A/B model, half of our students will meet in person at school on Monday and Thursday (Cohort A) for full days of instruction, with the second half of the students meeting in person on Tuesday and Friday (Cohort B.) On days when students are not attending in person, they will be engaged in teacher-directed independent learning.

We used the elementary parent survey conducted in October for our preliminary planning. We know much has changed since then, so we are asking elementary parents to take the time to redo the survey now, so we have the most up-to-date information about your student’s needs.

Click here to fill out the preschool and elementary survey (DEADLINE: Jan 15)

Elementary FAQ for Parent Selection Process

We are also asking parents of middle and high school students to fill out a survey with their preferences. This survey will help as we plan the hybrid model for middle school and high school. If, as more information is available about the hybrid model, you want to move your middle or high school child from one plan to the other, you will be able to do so by contacting your school by a date that will be publicized.

Click here to fill out the middle and high school survey (DEADLINE: Jan 24)

Special Education Students
We will increase in-person services for students served in K-12 self-contained special education classrooms to four days per week beginning on February 1. Schools and IEP case managers will be in contact with families prior to February 1 with more information.

Health & Safety
Mask wearing and social distancing is mandatory for all students and staff in our schools. To learn more about our building safety protocols, please visit www.bethelsd.org/backtoschool.

Any changes to this proposed schedule will be determined by the Superintendent, in consultation with the Board of Directors, based on guidance and direction from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Governor, and state and local health authorities.

Additional resources
Governor's updated school guidance for in-person instruction
Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery

BSD Health & Safety Protocols

The healthy and safety of our students and staff is our top priority. The District will regularly review guidance from state and county health departments, as well as the state Department of Labor & Industries to update the District’s measures as the guidance evolves. Listed below are the current guidelines for physical distancing, health screening, personal protective equipment (PPE), handwashing, and sanitation/cleaning. For more details on specific building protocols, please refer to the additional resources linked at the conclusion of this document.

Physical Distancing

The District has implemented procedures that will reinforce the physical distancing recommendation of six feet within each group or classroom of students as much as possible to create space between students and reduce the amount of time they are close with one another. Maintaining six feet of distance is most important when students or staff will be engaged in something for more than a few minutes.

Building-specific strategies to increase physical distancing may include:

• Rearranging desks/tables to maximize the space between students
• Keeping students in cohorts/clusters to the maximum extent possible
• Reducing the number of students in hallways at any time
• Mark traffic flow and designate entrances and exits to minimize face to face contact
• Place tape, spots, cones, paint or other markers to signal six feet in areas where students may be waiting in line
• Limiting access to only essential visitors or volunteers
• Reducing congestion in office areas
• Limiting building use outside of school hours to approved District activities

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Health Screening

Health screenings will be conducted by way of digital attestation for all staff, students, and visitors before or upon their arrival to school. Symptoms to screen for:

• Cough.
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
• Fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell.
• Have you been in close contact with anyone with confirmed COVID-19?
• Have you had a positive COVID-19 test for an active virus in the past 10 days?
• Within the past 14 days, has a public health or medical professional told you to self-monitor, self-isolate, or self-quarantine because of concerns about COVID-19 infection

Students

Parents or guardians should screen their child for symptoms prior to sending them to a school building. The district is currently working on a digital attestation using a Synergy Application to attest that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and have not been knowingly exposed to COVID-19.

Staff

Staff entering a District facility will perform health monitoring of symptoms prior to their arrival using a digital attestation application.

Visitors

Visitors entering a District facility will need to attest that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and have not been knowingly exposed to COVID-19.

Additionally,

• All School Sites will have designated isolation areas for possible cases and each school will follow their existing isolation plan when situations arise.
• Visitors need to sign the building log to indicate time in the building and where they will be in the building and indicate the health assessment was done.

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In Person Services

When in-person services are provided for assessment or evaluation purposes during the school closure, Bethel District staff, students, and families must follow all Pierce County Health Department Guidelines which include:

Students and Families:

• Students will wear masks when checking in and the during the entire testing/meeting time
• Family members will wear masks when checking in students
• Students will answer medical screening questions upon check-in
• Parents will indicate who will be picking the student up at check-in
• Students will sanitize hands upon entry to the building
• Students will have temperature taken upon check-in
• Students will bring their Bethel School District iPad
• Students will bring their own Earbuds
• Students will NOT bring food/drink or other materials into the testing room
• Students will remain in assigned seats during test (spread at least 6 feet apart
• Students may bring a book of their own to read during scheduled breaks

Drop off and pick up procedures will ensure physical distancing with designated traffic flow to reduce physical proximity. Staff will adhere to the appropriate health screening and cleaning and disinfection of all spaces and materials used.

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Personal Protective Equipment

Districtwide protocols regarding PPE usage (face coverings or shields, and barriers) designed to comply with the guidance of state and local public health agencies. These protocols may change as public health guidance continues to evolve around COVID-19 Increased levels of face coverings and barriers will be provided based on procedures being performed with students, level of face covering being worn by the student and the amount of time breaking social distancing.

All staff, students age 5 and older, and visitors must wear cloth face coverings or other approved face coverings upon arrival to any district facility.

Children age five years or older must wear cloth face coverings at child care, preschool, or day camp when indoors.

Children age two to four years may wear cloth face coverings.

Cloth face coverings should not be worn by: Children younger than age 2 years.

Exceptions:

• Those with a disability that prevents them from comfortably wearing or removing a face covering.
• Those with certain respiratory conditions or trouble breathing.
• Those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and those who provide instruction to such people, and use facial and mouth movements as part of communication.
• Those advised by a medical, legal, or behavioral health professional that wearing a face-covering may pose a risk to that person.
• Staff not able to wear cloth face coverings will need to contact human resources to get accommodations.

Even when cloth face coverings are worn, continue practicing physical distancing.

Students may remove face coverings to eat and drink and when they go outdoors for recess, physical education, or other outside activities when they can be physically distanced. If students need a “mask break” take them outside or to a large, well-ventilated room where there is sufficient space to ensure more than six feet of physical distance between people.

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Handwashing

Handwashing for hands with soap and water for 20 seconds will be promoted over the use of hand sanitizers because it works better and to prevent students’ exposure to high levels of alcohol in hand sanitizers.

• Hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol will be present in every room that does not have a sink
• Young children will be supervised when using hand sanitizer.
• Hand washing instructions will be provided to students.
• Signs promoting hand washing steps and when to wash hands appropriate to students’ development will be placed in rest rooms and at sinks.
• Teach children and adults not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue in the trash, then clean hands with soap and water or hand gel.

Children and adults should clean hands when

• Before getting on the bus
• Arrival at school,
• before meals or snacks,
• after outside time,
• after going to the bathroom,
• after blowing nose or sneezing,
• before leaving to go home.

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Sanitation, Cleaning, and Disinfection

All schools and district facilities will be provided with disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers that have been approved by the EPA for effectiveness and low toxicity. Ventilation will be set to maximize outside airflow continuously. Filters will be used that provide the maximum filtration recommended for the HVAC equipment of the building and will be changed on a routine basis.

Custodial staff will implement cleaning protocols to ensure that high touch surfaces like light switches, remotes, door handles, phones, countertops, tables, and toys. are cleaned more frequently.

Cleaning and disinfection protocols for a probable case of COVID-19 will comply with CDC recommendations.

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Additional Resources

Local and Regional

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department

Washington State Department of Health

Frequently Asked Questions

Fact Sheet - English: Novel Coronavirus Factsheet

Fact Sheet - Spanish: Nuevo coronavirus

Fact Sheet - Russian: Новый штамм коронавируса

Fall Guidance K-12

National

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

World Health Organization

Bethel is proud to partner with the Right at School to provide before and after care options for your family. 

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Right At School will be offering before and after school care at the following schools beginning February 2, 2021 with the return of K-1 students:  Graham, Evergreen, Nelson, Fredrickson, Clover Creek, Camas Prairie, Naches Trail, and Kapowsin.  Right At School will phase in opening additional schools as students are phased into in-person learning - all locations will be open when 4-5 grade students return.  Remote learning days will continue to be offered at Graham Kapowsin High School and Spanaway High School.  Please visit www.rightatschool.com for further information, including registration and safety protocols! 

RIGHT AT SCHOOL CONTACT INFO

Sarah Gore - Area Manager

Phone: (253) 329-6223