Communication: November 9, 2021

Dear Woodland Park Families and Staff,

Throughout the school year, we have continued to monitor and adapt our response to COVID to balance the safety and welfare of all students and staff with the desire to remain open for in-person learning. As previously communicated, the District had implemented " Scaled COVID-19 Response Mitigation Triggers" as a uniform plan for all schools at the start of the year. We have been pleased with the strategies and the cooperation and understanding of our community.

As we continue to progress through the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the available personal tools for protection and mitigation have increased, including the authorization of COVID vaccines to our students aged 5 - 11. This is a major step in the recovery. As such, we are now confident in the ability of our families and staff to make personal decisions about their own welfare and will no longer be requiring masks.

The District will continue to monitor the health and safety of staff and students in collaboration with Teller County Public Health and Environment. This will include a continued communication to our staff and families when there has been a possible COVID exposure as well as the continued use of the District COVID Dashboard.

As a reminder, families should continue to screen their students for illness before sending them to school. Any students, staff or school visitors experiencing symptoms should not report to school or school activities. Should a student or staff member display symptoms of illness, as always they will be sent home until symptoms are no longer present. Students and staff are welcome to continue wearing masks as desired.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

The Woodland Park COVID Response Team

PREVENTION STRATEGIES:

Mask Guidance

Masks are not currently required within school and district buildings for those that have been vaccinated and are strongly encouraged for those that have not been vaccinated.

On school buses and vans, WPSD requires all students and staff to wear masks in compliance with federal mandates.

Quarantines

Students and staff notified by TCPHE to quarantine will be expected to follow this directive. To learn more about the identification of close contacts and who is required to quarantine, visit the link below.

• Who is a Close Contact?

Quarantined individuals may return after 10 days from the LAST contact with a positive case. Note that a person testing positive is assumed contagious for their entire isolation period (minimum 10 days, improving symptoms, and no fever for 24 hours).

Ill Students and Staff

School health staff will follow the guidelines below if a student or staff reports to school ill:

• Child/Staff Appears/Feels Unwell After Arriving at School

The following flowchart will support the return to work/school for non-covid related illnesses.

• Returning to school after an illness.

Isolation

Students and staff that are positive for COVID-19 will be required per TCPHE to isolate for 10 days, and are considered contagious 48 hours prior to symptom onset and a minimum of 10 days after testing positive or symptom onset.

Handwashing

Students will be encouraged and provided the opportunity to practice periodic handwashing.

Disinfection/Ventilation

Our Facilities, Operations, and Transportation staff will continue to ensure that our schools and buses provide the safest possible environments.

• School ventilation systems have been reprogrammed to the maximum extent possible to increase the fresh air.
• Rooms have been equipped with air purifiers.
• Custodial staff will continue to use a variety of proven techniques and supplies to ensure our schools are clean and sanitized. WPSD custodial cleaning procedures mandate extra cleaning on heavily trafficked areas while students are present. Chemical disinfectants will only be used when students are not present.
• School bus drivers will continue to clean and disinfect buses thoroughly at the end of each shift.
  

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING:

While our students, families, and staff are and will continue to be resilient, we also recognize the pandemic created environments inside and outside our schools that can cause stress, anxiety, depression, or a sense of uncertainty. As we transition back to more normal classroom environments, WPSD will focus on delivering SEL curriculum, adding additional counseling services, monitoring student well-being, and building back school communities. Through partnerships with community agencies, WPSD has added supplemental mental health services for those families that wish to access support. Additionally, staff continue to have access to FREE mental health supports through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Now more than ever, we are committed to developing students' social emotional learning competencies and the wellbeing of our staff in order to create thriving school environments. For more information, please contact our school students support service teams.

Thank you to everyone for the continued support and efforts in reconnecting our school communities.