2021-22 School Year Archive
- Files
- 3/25/22 - Health and Safety Plan Update
- 2/25/2022 - District Masking Update
- 1/4/2022 Updated Guidance
- District Update 1.3.22
- CHOP PolicyLab Update 12.31.21
- 12/12/21 Important Masking Update
- Update on Proposed SSD Health and Safety Plan 12.7.21- 3:30 PM
- Update on School Masking 12.1.21 - 2:00 PM
- Update on School Masking 11.24.21 - 3:00 PM
- Update on School Masking 11.17.21 - 12:50 PM
- Update on School Masking 11.15.21
- Update on School Masking 11.10.21
- 10/10/21 - SSD TEST-TO-STAY
- 9/20/21 - Letter to Families
- 9/7/21 - SSD Year Start Announcement
- 9/2/21 - Governor's Masking Mandate
- 8/21/21 - Proposed Health and Safety Plan for 2021 - 2022
- 8/13/21 - Letter to Families
- Important: Springfield Virtual Academy Update for the 21-22 SY
- 8/5/21 - Letter to Families
- 7/9/21 - UPDATED GUIDANCE: MASKING ON BUSES 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR
Files
3/25/22 - Health and Safety Plan Update
Health and Safety Plan Update
Dear SSD Parent/Guardian,
Last evening, the Springfield Board of School Directors approved a revised Health and Safety Plan. Effective Monday, March 28, the following updated COVID-19 procedures will be in place.
- Masks are optional for all students, staff, and visitors in school and school activities.
- Masks will be recommended, but not required, for any individual with a recent COVID-19 exposure or non-COVID-19 illness.
- Contact tracing and quarantining will be discontinued.
- COVID-19 testing will no longer be offered in schools.
- Any individual positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home. Once recovered, individuals can return to school five days after symptoms begin if their symptoms are resolving, are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and should wear a mask for five additional days.
- Reporting Cases: Aggregated case numbers will be reported weekly to the PA Department of Health and displayed on the District’s COVID Dashboard.
Thank you and have a great weekend.
The SSD Team
2/25/2022 - District Masking Update
Dear families of the Springfield School District,
“Effective February 25, 2022, CDC does not require wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.”
Therefore, masks are encouraged, but no longer required, on SSD vehicles/buses.
Thank you,
Springfield School District
1/4/2022 Updated Guidance
Good afternoon, SSD families.
As we stated in yesterday’s communication, COVID is an ever-changing, ever-challenging landscape. And with changes that seem to emerge daily, we continue to recognize and appreciate the cooperation and support of our parents, students and staff, knowing the different viewpoints that exist in our school community.
With that being said, at the regularly scheduled DE County Superintendents’ meeting today, our medical experts shared their own updated guidance to help school communities manage during periods of widespread community transmission, as the pandemic transitions to an endemic (when the disease is prevalent to such a degree that we are all basically considered close contacts). This information will be posted to the CHOP Policy Lab Blog in the next 24-48 hours.
Therefore, in accordance with the guidance of our medical experts, we will be implementing the following modifications:
- Masking - SSD has been asked directly by our medical experts to require universal masking indoors for all staff and students. Their request arises from the pressure medical personnel are feeling to keep pace with the rising demands placed on hospitals trying to serve patients with high medical needs and with the compounded staffing issues associated with holiday exposures.
- As good community members, we will offer our support to our hospitals by requiring universal masking of all starting Wednesday, January 5, 2022 until January 28, 2022.
- This requirement also addresses the need for potential close contacts to wear a mask, while keeping students in school.
- We understand masking has been politicized; however, we are making this decision with the intention of supporting the very medical staff and health professionals that tend to the health and wellness needs within our community.
- All asymptomatic people that remain negative for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, will be allowed to attend school full time.
- If you are sick, stay home. We will continue to send symptomatic students home.
- Based on the previous two bullets, SSD will shift away from school-based contact tracing, because, according to our medical experts, COVID infection in our area is moving to a phase where it is considered "endemic" rather than a "pandemic". We will continue to comply with all state and local contact tracing requests.
- As a reminder, per new CDC guidance released on 1.3.22, persons who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 5 days. After 5 days from the date symptoms began, or the date of testing -if asymptomatic- the student may return to school. Student return is contingent upon remaining asymptomatic or have resolving symptoms (fever-free for 24-hours).
We will continue to update you as information becomes available. Again, thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
The SSD Team
District Update 1.3.22
Happy New Year! We hope you and your family are happy, healthy, and safe. We will be welcoming back our students tomorrow, January 4, 2022, for in-person learning.
We continue to rely on our guiding principles to plan our course of action accordingly. These principles have not wavered:
· We believe safety matters, and we believe there has to be a focus on our children’s social, emotional, and mental well-being as well.
· We believe in-person learning is key to quality instruction.
· We believe vaccines matter.
So where does this leave us?
· Masking at this time is recommended for grades 7-12 and required for grades K-6. To review all of the district’s mitigation efforts, we encourage you to read our Health and Safety Plan found on our website.
· We are continuing to offer the Test-to-Stay program to maintain in-person learning opportunities.
· We will continue to follow our contact tracing protocols and notify each school community via email with daily positive case counts. For weekly case counts, please see the SSD COVID Tracker webpage.
· We have modified our quarantining and isolating protocols based on newly-revised PA Department of Health/CDC guidance. To review this information, please visit our Reopening Schools webpage.
· If you have any questions, please reach out to your building level administrator.
Should we be unable to offer a safe, in-person learning environment due to staffing or other circumstances, we do have the capability to pivot to virtual learning should the need arise. Your building administration will communicate those details, if necessary.
We recognize and respect that there are different perspectives within our school community and the community at large, as we continue to do our best to navigate this ever-changing, ever-challenging landscape.
Thank you again for your cooperation and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
The SSD Team
CHOP PolicyLab Update 12.31.21
Omicron Data Supports Resuming In-person Education in the New Year: A Statement from PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – December 31, 2021
“Throughout the pandemic, PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has carefully followed the emerging science on COVID-19 infection and offered guidance to schools throughout the region. With rising anxiety about the omicron variant that is swiftly moving across our communities, we affirm that in contrast to last year, when many community members were unvaccinated, this new variant has been milder than earlier COVID-19 strains for most children, and is occurring during a time when all K-12 students and their caregivers have been offered vaccination. The omicron variant is also particularly less virulent for those who have been vaccinated. We advise school leaders to consider this emerging data so that children can resume in-person education in the new year, so long as schools are able to staff their campuses for returning students. In the interim, we encourage staff who have not received boosters to obtain them, and for families who have not yet vaccinated their children to do the same.”
12/12/21 Important Masking Update
SSD Masking Update:
- Starting Monday, December 13, 2021:
- Masking in Grades 7-12 is recommended
- Masking in Grades K-6 is required
- Masking on buses K-12 is required
- Starting Monday, January 17, 2022:
- Masking in Grades K-12 is optional
- Masking on buses K-12 is required
Official Rationale:
On Friday, December 10, 2021, the PA Supreme Court vacated the masking order, affirming the Commonwealth Court’s decision that the Acting Secretary of Health did not have authority under state law to issue the order. The result of the Order being vacated means that decisions around masking revert back to local determination through a school district’s Board of Directors.
As we have stated from the start of the mandate, if the masking mandate was lifted, we would immediately put into effect our year-start Board-Approved (August) Health and Safety Plan (Link). As a reminder, the key points regarding masking that we are now following from the original August Health & Safety Plan are:
- Due to the availability of vaccinations for persons 12 years of age or older, masks will be strongly recommended indoors for both students and staff in grades 7-12 while socially distanced.
- Masks will be mandated for both students and staff while indoors in grades K-6.
- Per Federal Law, masks continue to be mandated while on all public transportation including, but not limited to, school buses and vans.
Regardless and prior to any order, in August, the Board made a decision (based on data and guidance) that vaccines were important. We constructed a Health and Safety Plan, which reflected the position that our 5-11 year olds had not been afforded the opportunity to become fully vaccinated.
The SSD Board of Directors approved a new plan at Thursday’s meeting which takes effect on January 17, 2022 (Link). We believe the January 17th date gives our 5-11 year olds a reasonable amount of time to be fully vaccinated; thus, masking will be optional in all grades K-12 on January 17, 2022. Likewise, in reviewing trend data from the previous year, it is apparent that we do experience a spike in cases about two weeks after holiday gatherings – as witnessed following the Thanksgiving holiday.
We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to support our families as they navigate these ever-changing times. We will continue to do our best to keep you updated as the situation changes.
Thank you.
The SSD Team
Update on Proposed SSD Health and Safety Plan 12.7.21- 3:30 PM
Hello, Springfield School District families.
Please click here to review an update on the Proposed SSD Health and Safety Plan. Changes are highlighted in orange.
Thank you.
Update on School Masking 12.1.21 - 2:00 PM
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of PA reinstated the mask order while it considers the merits of the appeal of the decision (that overturned the mask order). That appeal is not being argued until Dec. 8, and a decision will not be made until after that date. (See Order below.)
[J-86-2021]
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA MIDDLE DISTRICT - JACOB DOYLE CORMAN, III,
INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A PARENT OF : TWO MINOR SCHOOL CHILDREN; JESSE : WILLS TOPPER, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS : A PARENT OF TWO MINOR SCHOOL : CHILDREN; CALVARY ACADEMY; : HILLCREST CHRISTIAN ACADEMY; : JAMES REICH AND MICHELLE REICH, : INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PARENTS OF : THREE MINOR SCHOOL CHILDREN; : ADAM MCCLURE AND CHELSEA : MCCLURE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS : PARENTS OF ONE MINOR SPECIAL : NEEDS SCHOOL CHILD; VICTORIA T. : BAPTISTE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A : PARENT OF TWO SPECIAL NEEDS : SCHOOL CHILDREN; JENNIFER D. : BALDACCI, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A : PARENT OF ONE SCHOOL CHILD; KLINT : NEIMAN AND AMANDA PALMER, : INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PARENTS OF : TWO MINOR SCHOOL CHILDREN; : PENNCREST SCHOOL DISTRICT; : CHESTNUT RIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT :
AND WEST YORK AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT,
Appellees v.
ACTING SECRETARY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,
Appellant
: : : : : : : : : : : : : :
ORDER: No. 83 MAP 2021
PER CURIAM
AND NOW, this 30th day of November, 2021, the emergency application to reinstate automatic supersedeas is GRANTED in part. The order of the Commonwealth Court at No. 294 M.D. 2021 dated November 16, 2021, granting the Application to Terminate Automatic Stay, and lifting automatic supersedeas effective December 4, 2021, is hereby vacated in light of this Court’s order of the same date noting probable jurisdiction, expediting briefing, and scheduling oral argument for December 8, 2021. Supersedeas is reinstated pending further consideration of the Court following oral argument. Nothing in this Order shall be construed as a position regarding the merits of this appeal. Justice Mundy notes her dissent. Justice Saylor did not participate in the consideration or decision of this matter.
Update on School Masking 11.24.21 - 3:00 PM
Health and Safety Plan Update
Come December 4th, you are all aware that if the masking order ends, we will revert to following our Health and Safety Plan:
- Due to the availability of vaccinations for persons 12 years of age or older, masks will be strongly recommended indoors for both students and staff in grades 7-12 while socially distanced.
- Masks will be mandated for both students and staff while indoors in grades K-6.
- Per Federal Law, masks continue to be mandated while on all public transportation including, but not limited to, school buses and vans.
- If the Attorney General’s office files an emergency petition to keep the Pennsylvania school mask order in place, and it is granted, we would assume the date the order would end would be January 17, 2022.
- Regardless and prior to any order, in August, the Board made a decision (based on data and guidance) that vaccines were important. We constructed a Health and Safety Plan, which reflected this position. Currently, our 5-11 year olds have not had the opportunity to become fully vaccinated. Likewise, in reviewing trend data from the previous year, it is apparent that we do experience a spike in cases after holiday gatherings. (The spike is usually around two weeks after the holiday.)
- Our Board will consider all of this information, as well as potential Government mandates/guidance/current trends, when we discuss the next steps for our district.
With much appreciation,
The SSD School Board of Directors
Update on School Masking 11.17.21 - 12:50 PM
Statement on Masking
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind in the mask order litigation. As you may be aware, the Commonwealth Court issued a decision last Wednesday morning, November 11, 2021,in the Corman case which vacated the mask order, and the Assistant Secretary of Health filed an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on the afternoon of November 11, 2021.
By operation of court rules—which are established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court—the appeal of the Commonwealth Court’s decision automatically resulted in what is called a supersedeas – a fancy word for a stay or suspension of the Commonwealth Court’s decision. This means that the masking order remained in effect.
The Commonwealth Court lifted the supersedeas on November 16, 2021 and ordered that the masking order ends on December 4, 2021.
We have received inquiries from members of the community regarding the Corman decision, with several questioning whether the Commonwealth Court’s decision has actually been stayed because there is no order from the Supreme Court specifically stating the decision in Corman has been stayed.
When an automatic supersedeas issues as a matter of court rules, the Supreme Court does not issue a “stay order”. The Commonwealth Court’s November 16, 2021 decision acknowledges that the supersedeas is in place but granted the request of the Petitioners in the Corman case and lifted the supersedeas, effective December 4, 2021. An appeal of this latest Commonwealth Court decision may result in a reimposition of the stay of the voiding of the masking order, and we are monitoring this situation closely.
So where does this leave us?
For as long as the masking order stays in effect, we will continue to follow this order until such time as it either expires or the PA Supreme Court states that school districts do not need to comply with the mask order.
If and when the masking order ends, SSD would then revert back to our Health and Safety Plan, which was approved by the Board in August before the mask order was issued and which was submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Currently, the plan calls for the following:
- Due to the availability of vaccinations for persons 12 years of age or older, masks will be strongly recommended indoors for both students and staff in grades 7-12 while socially distanced.
- Masks will be mandated for both students and staff while indoors in grades K-6.
- Per Federal Law, masks continue to be mandated while on all public transportation including, but not limited to, school buses and vans.
The SSD School Board will be reviewing this plan and will be making some revisions to it in the up-coming weeks based on available data and the fact that our younger students now have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
We want to thank our public for their passionate and sincere thoughts and your anticipated cooperation and support.
Update on School Masking 11.15.21
Statement on Masking
Last week was a whirlwind in the mask order litigation. As you may be aware, the Commonwealth Court issued a decision last Wednesday morning in the Corman case which vacated the mask order, and the Assistant Secretary of Health filed an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon.
By operation of court rules—which are established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court—the appeal of the Commonwealth Court’s decision automatically resulted in what is called a supersedeas – a fancy word for a stay or suspension of the Commonwealth Court’s decision. This means that the masking order remained in effect.
We have received inquiries from members of the community regarding the Corman decision, with several questioning whether the Commonwealth Court’s decision has actually been stayed because there is no order from the Supreme Court specifically stating the decision in Corman has been stayed.
When an automatic supersedeas issues as a matter of court rules, the Supreme Court does not issue a “stay order”. The only way the supersedeas ends (and the Commonwealth Court’s voiding of the mask order goes into effect) is if the Petitioners in the Corman case successfully obtain an order from the PA Supreme Court lifting the supersedeas. While media reports indicate that the Petitioners in the Commonwealth Court case will seek such relief, we are unaware of them doing so to date.
So where does this leave us?
If the masking order stays in effect, we will continue to follow this order until such time as it either expires or the PA Supreme Court states that school districts do not need to comply with the mask order.
If and when the masking order ends, SSD would then revert back to our Health and Safety Plan, which was approved by the Board in August before the mask order was issued and which was submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Currently, the plan calls for the following:
- Due to the availability of vaccinations for persons 12 years of age or older, masks will be strongly recommended indoors for both students and staff in grades 7-12 while socially distanced.
- Masks will be mandated for both students and staff while indoors in grades K-6.
- Per Federal Law, masks continue to be mandated while on all public transportation including, but not limited to, school buses and vans.
The SSD School Board will be reviewing this plan and will be making some revisions to it in the upcoming weeks based on available data and the fact that our younger students now have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
We want to thank our public for your passionate and sincere thoughts and your anticipated cooperation and support.
The SSD Team
Update on School Masking 11.10.21
Hello, SSD families.
The District received an email (3:30 pm) from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that stated:
“Earlier today, the Commonwealth Court issued a ruling voiding Acting Secretary Beam’s school mask order. The state is filing an appeal today, which will trigger a stay of the Court’s ruling and keep the order in effect.
Schools should continue to observe the school masking order throughout the duration of the court’s proceedings.”
Therefore, your students/staff should continue to wear face coverings until further notice.
SSD will continue to monitor any new information and will communicate any changes to our school community.
Thank you.
SSD
10/10/21 - SSD TEST-TO-STAY
The Springfield School District is pleased to announce a partnership with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit to pilot a Test-to-Stay Program within the school district. The Test-To-Stay Program allows students who are identified as close contacts during COVID-19 contact tracing and are asymptomatic to continue to remain in school for learning. Students will not be required to quarantine from school by taking routine COVID-19 rapid antigen BinaxNow tests over the course of ten (10) days.
Highlights of the Program:
- This program will begin on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
- Testing will occur at Sabold Elementary School in the gymnasium every morning between the hours of 6:45 AM – 7:30 AM. No tests will be given after 7:30 AM. All daily testing concludes at 7:30 AM and resumes the next day at 6:45 AM.
- Students remain at school as long as test results are negative.
- Students/Families will wait for test results in a socially distanced manner in the gym after the test is given.
- If a student tests negative, they will be given a pass to attend school for the day of the test and the next school day only (2-days / unless quarantine timelines have been completed). The student must return for subsequent follow- up tests based on the timelines illustrated above in the infographic.
- Students may need to eat lunch in alternate locations during the 10-day quarantine period.
- Students that engage in school organized activities such as sports where masks cannot be worn will be required to test daily during the quarantine period.
- If at any time a student has COVID-19 like symptoms, readmittance to school will occur under our ISOLATION protocols and timelines. The Test-to-Stay Program is ONLY for asymptomatic students on quarantine.
- The Test-to-Stay quarantine program is optional for families and requires a consent form to be properly filled out to take part. We only need the consent form to be filled out 1x prior to the first test being given.
- The program is subject to staffing levels. We are working diligently to safely and adequately staff the Test-To- Stay program; however, due to a state-wide shortage of nurses and adequately trained medical personnel, there may be days that we are unable to administer the program.
Please click here for more details.
Respectfully,
The SSD Admin Team
9/20/21 - Letter to Families
RE: Community Update (09.20.21)
Good Day, SSD Families.
I hope you and your family had a fabulous first full week of school. We are very proud of our children, as they continue to demonstrate great resolve in reestablishing our school routine.
Periodically, I would like to provide you with critical information that impacts our district. The topics encompass an array of issues that are at the forefront of our school community. I hope these updates keep you informed and aware.
- School is Back! – We are so happy to be able to provide in-person instruction for our students. Despite the continued impact of the pandemic, our students and staff are demonstrating great poise and persistence! Classrooms are alive, and students are participating with energetic enthusiasm. We are following our Health and Safety Plans and will continue to support the needs of our students, as they progress through the 2021-2022 school year.
- Welcome our New Teachers – We are so very pleased that SSD is a desirable destination for many professionals, as they begin their instructional journey with us. Please feel free to check out their introductory videos at this link. These folks bring a great deal of expertise, energy, and passion, and, combined with our current exceptional staff, make for an excellent team to work with our students and community.
- PA Department of Health’s Masking Order – We are also being told that PA DoH will review its masking order on/near October 1, 2021. However, I do not anticipate any changes to the order, as several of our contacts believe that the mandate will stay in place until the younger students have had the opportunity to be vaccinated (an update expected sometime around the end of October). Again, as we receive information, we will share it with you in a timely fashion. Please also understand that we (the district entity) are being held liable to enforce the mandate and that failure to enforce this mandate could result in personal liability claims against individuals.
- School Events and Clubs– We are thrilled to be able to offer an array of activities for our students. After school events for our students are a great way to socialize and get involved. We encourage our students to participate in the extracurricular activities offered in each of our buildings. Information can be found in your school’s weekly newsletter or on the website (www.ssdcougars.org).
- Bus Driver Shortage –We wish we had more favorable information to share with you; however, we continue to see a bus driver shortage across the nation and here in SSD. We are doing our very best to recruit and retain drivers, but this national crisis will not be solved quickly. We ask for your patience and understanding when it comes to this topic. If you know anyone who is looking for work, please have them contact us immediately.
- Crossing Guards/Speed Limits – Another area where we are feeling a shortage of employees is with crossing guards. Again, we are working with our local police departments to recruit individuals. I ask that, in knowing this reality, we all take a moment and slow down when we are driving in the vicinity of our schools. The safety of our children and staff must take precedent over arriving at our destination a few moments sooner. Thank you for your cooperation. And if you witness folks not doing right, please call us or the local police department.
- Safety Week – We concluded our School Safety Week activities on Friday. Our students and staff have practiced important routines, which will assist us as we proceed through the school year. Hopefully, we will not have to use any of these drills; however, it is always better to yield on the side of caution. Plus, practice makes perfect.
- Back to School Events – We are so happy to have had such wonderful attendance at our Back to School evenings. I know our staff was very pleased to offer you a glimpse into the theory and themes of subjects they teach. I encourage you to stay involved with your child’s educational journey, and one way to do this is to be an active member of your school’s PTA. We are always looking for motivated, positive folks who are willing to help out to make our students’ experience extraordinary.
- Effective Communication - In wanting you to obtain answers to your inquires in an timely manner, please feel free to follow the flowchart below to contact the right person to assist you. Please know that we are not trying to deflect your concerns, but we wish to point you in the right direction to have your issue addressed promptly.
Inquiry Flowchart
- If it’s a student-related issue, please contact your child’s teacher
- If it’s a classroom- or teacher-related issue, please contact your child’s building principal:
- SLC: Susan.Trella@ssdcougars.org - 610.690.3150
- Sabold: Peter.Brigg@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6550
- Scenic Hills: Madeleine.Odowd@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6650
- ETR: Monica.Conlin@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6350
- SHS: Daniel.Tracy@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6150
• If you have a concern after speaking with the principal or a curriculum-related issue, please reach out to the appropriate contact person below:
- Grades K-5: Cynthia.Mattei@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6242
- Grades 6-8: Jeffrey.Zweiback@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6016
- Grades 9-12: Joseph.Hepp@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6055
- Special Education: Kristin.Nash@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6017
- Technology: Melissa.Butler@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6041
- Transportation: Don.mooney@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6025
• If you still have a concern, please contact me at:
- Dr. Anthony Barber: Anthony.Barber@ssdcougars.org - 610.938.6050
In closing, I hope this update provided you with some important information, as we begin our 2021-2022 school year together.
I hope you have a great week, and stay well and happy. Life is too short not to be...
Sincerely,
Tony and the Team
9/7/21 - SSD Year Start Announcement
Dear SSD Parent/Guardian and Students,
On August 26, 2021, the school board approved a Health and Safety Plan that will be in effect for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
Please see the important Health and Safety Plan highlights below and continue to refer to the District’s SSD Reopening School's Webpage for important information and updates.
MASKING UPDATE
On August 31, 2021, Governor Tom Wolf announced today that the Acting Secretary of PA Department of Health issued an order requiring masks to be worn inside all K-12 school buildings (public and private), as well as childcare facilities, in Pennsylvania beginning Tuesday, September 7, 2021. Our District’s Health & Safety Plan allowed for these types of actions, as needed.
Important Information from the Health and Safety Plan
CONTACT TRACING & QUARANTINE
In the event of a positive case, SSD school administrators and nurses will conduct contact tracing, inform families, and report to the PaDOH any close contacts and resulting quarantines. “Close contact” is defined as being within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more of an individual who is positive for COVID-19.
NOTE: In the K–12 INDOOR classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a presumed positive) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time.
Vaccinated students will not be required to quarantine, if asymptomatic, but will be asked to follow certain precautions in the event of close contact.
A quarantine’s duration must be at least seven days and can be significantly longer depending on the circumstances in accordance with the quarantine requirements.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING
Similar to last school year, students will be physically distanced during the school day as much as possible to limit potential transmission of COVID-19. Assemblies and other large student gatherings indoors are on hold at this time.
SYMPTOM SCREENING & TESTING
Parents should keep children at home when they are exhibiting any symptoms of illness (Student Symptom Tracker). In children, COVID-19 infection can be mistaken for allergies or other viral infections. When any symptoms are present, parents should keep their child at home and call their health care professional and school nurse for guidance.
HYGIENE, HANDWASHING & RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE
Regular hand washing, personal hygiene, and respiratory etiquette will be routinely reinforced with students. Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other personal hygiene products will always be available for students and staff.
CLEANING/SANITIZING
Similar to last year, high-touch surfaces in schools will be regularly cleaned and sanitized. The District’s fogging systems will continue to be utilized to provide safe, hospital-grade sanitization of classrooms and common areas.
VACCINATION CLINICS
The District will continue to communicate information on local COVID-19 vaccination clinics to families and will endeavor to partner with local vaccine providers to offer on-site clinics when vaccines are approved for children under 12 years of age.
SPORTS
School sports will continue and will operate consistent with guidance from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and the PaDOH. Spectators are strongly encouraged to maintain physical distancing while attending sporting events (even while outdoors), and unvaccinated spectators are strongly encouraged to wear masks.
We look forward to a great start to the year!
Respectfully,
Springfield School District Administrative Team
9/2/21 - Governor's Masking Mandate
• State Order Requires Masking in K-12 Schools Starting September 7, 2021
09/02/21
Dear SSD Parents/Guardians and Students,
On August 31, 2021, Governor Tom Wolf announced today that the Acting Secretary of the PA Department of Health issued an order requiring masks to be worn inside all K-12 school buildings (public and private), as well as childcare facilities, in Pennsylvania beginning Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
This order takes effect when students return to school on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
• All individuals upon entering Springfield School District buildings will be required to wear masks while indoors.
• Previously accepted medical exemptions will still apply.
• At this time, the order does not apply to school sports or outdoor activities.
• Exceptions to the masking requirement are explicitly outlined in Section 3 of the order requiring masks.
Our teachers will be sure to provide students with socially distanced mask breaks throughout the day, and we will continue practicing other mitigation measures to limit the transmission of COVID-19. The District recognizes that this announcement brings relief to some and challenges for others. We ask that we join together to help keep our school community safe and our kids in school.
For more information about the PA Department of Health’s order, please visit the Department of Education’s Frequently Asked Questions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Respectfully,
Springfield School District Administrative Team
References:
8/21/21 - Proposed Health and Safety Plan for 2021 - 2022
Good day, SSD Families.
SSD has uploaded its proposed Health and Safety Plan for the 2021-2022 school year to our website. The documents can be located at the top of this page. This proposed plan is set to be voted on by the SSD Board of Directors on Thursday, August 26, 2021 at our regularly scheduled board meeting.
We realize that Health and Safety Plans, and their recommendations or lack thereof, can and do invoke emotion and opinion in people. As regular practice, any Morton/Springfield community member may inquire on this topic (or any topic of interest) by email or phone at any time. Likewise, our community is always welcome to make public comment prior to the official vote during the school board meeting.
As we have witnessed in other districts, some people’s behavior (both by the Board and community members) at recent board meetings have been less than hospitable. Again, we understand the strong emotion that comes with our current situation; yet, we also truly value each person’s dignity and their right to be respectfully heard. In fact, these are two of the core ideals we try to instill in our children each and every day.
If you elect to join our meeting, please know you are welcomed and encouraged to do so. If you choose to make public comment, we welcome your sincere thoughts and feeling. We promise to show you the dignity and respect that every human being deserves from one another.
In closing, we are all SSD, and we will work through this time in our history together.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and support.
Sincerely,
The Entire SSD Team
8/13/21 - Letter to Families
Good day, SSD Families.
SSD School Board and Administration has worked diligently to review the data, the guidance, our summer experience with camps/the YMCA, vaccination levels, surrounding district procedures, etc., and we are preparing a plan that we believe will respond appropriately to this information in terms of safety, feasibility, and reasonableness.
Although the revised Health and Safety Plan will not be published until the week of August 23ʳᵈ, we believe the following bullet points will assist families in their preparation for the opening of school this fall:
- Open for full in-person, five days a week instruction, starting on August 31, 2021.
- Mandate masking for K-12 for all bus transportation.
- Mandate universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors for Grades K-6 (Grade 6 does not share the same class schedule as Grades 7 and 8).
- Strongly recommend universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors for Grades 7-12; mandate masking when inside three feet for a cumulative period of 15 minutes for Grades 7-12.
- Evaluate (continuously) the levels of community transmission to determine possible changes in our plan. (For example, we may mandate masking for Grades 7-12 if we had an outbreak; or, we may move from strongly recommending masking in Grades 7-12 to optional masking if community transmission rates drop, new guidance emerges, etc.).
- Promote the importance of handwashing, proper COVID etiquette, and continue our extensive cleaning and hygiene protocols.
- Use Zoom instruction ONLY if a classroom and/or school must close due to quarantining
- Require all staff and students demonstrating COVID-like symptoms to stay home.
Obviously, this is the overview of our current plan. If circumstances or conditions change, we will adjust our plan accordingly. More information will be forthcoming the week of August 23, 2021.
Thank you.
Tony and the Team
Important: Springfield Virtual Academy Update for the 21-22 SY
Dear Families of the Springfield and Morton Communities,
With the beginning of the 21-22 school year upon us, we wanted to take a moment and let you know the plans for the Springfield Virtual Academy this coming year.
- SVA will be in place and operational for the 21-22 school year.
- Families that have not already notified us through the end of year survey MUST opt in to SVA by contacting their building principals by 3:00 PM August 25, 2021.
- Families that do not opt in by the August 25, 2021 deadline will be delayed in their enrollment and students will not have access to the system when the school year begins.
- Enrollment in SVA will be rolling after the August 25, 2021 deadline and may take up to two-weeks to process and schedule students.
- Transferring out of SVA will only be facilitated at the Trimester/Semester marking periods. Requests to return during a marking period will not be considered.
- Students in grades K-2 will be provided supplemental print materials. These materials may take 4-6 weeks to arrive. We have ordered these materials for any K-2 student that have already notified us of their intent to register in SVA.
- All curricular/academic/instructional programming is provided by Edmentum this year. There are no supplementary SSD teachers to support instruction.
- SSD will provide IEP, 504, GIEP support services. These services may require your child to come on-campus for periods of time.
- SSD will continue to assign a facilitator to help with communication, building community, supporting attendance, etc. These will be assigned by September 15, 2021.
- Mr. Walter Hartshorn ( walter.hartshorn@ssdcougars ) will continue to serve as the SVA principal for the 21-22 school year.
We look forward to a safe and healthy year. Thank you for your continued support as we transition to a new school year. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
With Kind Regards,
The Springfield School District Administrative Team
8/5/21 - Letter to Families
08/05/21
• Update on Fall Opening
o Full in-person, five days a week instruction
o SSD to wait to make any decisions regarding changes to our Health and Safety Plan
Hello, Springfield School District families.
We hope you are enjoying your summer. We wanted to update you regarding the plan for the start of the school year. First, we are pleased to announce that the district is planning for full inperson, five days a week instruction, starting on August 31, 2021.
Next, SSD is keenly aware of the emergence of the Delta variant, and we continue to review the data and discuss the situation with our medical experts. It is important to note the following:
• The Chester County Health Department is no longer SSD’s official health department, and, lacking its own health department, Delaware County looks to the PA Departments of Health and Education, both of which refer to CDC guidelines, which can be found here: CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools.
• Schools across the country and county are reviewing state and local data in light of CDC recommendations regarding masking in schools. Additionally, across the country, some schools have already started classes, and in a few weeks, data will become available which compares transmission rates in schools requiring masks with rates in schools where they are optional.
• The CDC has made numerous updates to their guidance in the past 3-5 weeks, and we will continue to monitor any and all changes in their guidance and recommendations up to the opening of school.
SSD believes that making a decision now regarding mandating masking in school—when school is not set to begin for a number of weeks and the data and recommendations continue to evolve—would be out of step with the “slow-and-steady approach” we have successfully used since the pandemic began.
Therefore, over the next few weeks, SSD will continue to review data, talk with our medical experts, observe the actions of surrounding districts, and use this information to formulate and publish our Fall Health and Safety Plan on August 23 so that folks can review it before it is voted on by our board on August 26, 2021.
Sincerely,
The SSD Team
7/9/21 - UPDATED GUIDANCE: MASKING ON BUSES 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR
Federal Order Still Requires Face Masks on School Buses On July 6, 2021, schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were informed/provided clarification by the Pennsylvania Department of Education on the issue of masking guidelines specifically related to school buses operated by public schools: Pursuant to a federal order issued on January 29, 2021 the CDC requires that, “…passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems, subject to the exclusions and exemptions in the CDC’s Order…A driver does not need to wear a mask if they are the only person on the bus.”
To continue reading, please click the link below:
Federal Order Still Requires Face Masks on School Buses - Email 7/9/21
2020-21 School Year Archive
- Files
- Springfield SD School Reopening Health and Safety Plan (Approved – 6/24/21)
- 5/12/21 Updated Guidance
- 3/31/21 SHS Family Letter
- 3/28/21 Family Letter
- Important Health Update Regarding the Return to 4-day a Week In-Person Learning
- 2/10/21 Testing SIte
- 2/19/21 Important Message
- 01/22/21 Vaccine Letter
- 12/22/20 Family Letter
- 12/15/20 Family Letter
- Update 11/24/20
- Important Health Update 11/20/20
- 11/16/20 Update
- Update: Chester County Health Department Letter
- Update 11/10/20
- Update 11/06/2020
- COVID Update 11/4/2020
- 10/29/20 Family Letter
- 10/14/20 Family Letter
- 9/25/20 Face-covering & Masking Requirements / Notification
- 9/18/20 Hybrid Model Opening
- 8/6/20 SSD Virtual Opening for 2020-21
- 8/4/20 Important Update
- 7/29/20 Important Update
- 7/24/20 Update and Information
- Important update from the Governor’s office and PDE
- 7/15/20 Reopening Plan
- 7/9/20 Family Letter
- 7/6/20 Family Letter
- 6/26/20 Family Letter
Files
Student Daily Symptom Checker
CDC: When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
SSD Plan for Reopening Schools
Springfield SD School Reopening Health and Safety Plan (Approved – 6/24/21)
Activities/Athletics Pandemic Plan - 9/24/20
Return to Sports 2020
Spectator Policy
COUNTYWIDE COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES
- COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic -Yeadon, PA
- COVID-19 Vaccine Event - Shot for Scott 6.9.21
- Homebound COVID-19 Vaccine Program
- Recurring COVID_19 Vaccine Clinic @ 69th St Station
- Updates: CCHD and CDC Quarantine Guidelines / PA Travel Restriction Guidelines
- Updates: International and Airline Travel Restrictions / You are responsible for following the recommended guidelines and contacting your children's schools
- Updated Universal Face Covering Order (June 9, 2021)
- Updated Travel Orders
- Instructions for Individuals with Covid-like Symptoms
- Student Face-Covering Form - June, 2021
Springfield SD School Reopening Health and Safety Plan (Approved – 6/24/21)
5/12/21 Updated Guidance
Re: Updated Guidance from CCHD
- Addresses quarantine/isolation requirements for vaccinated individuals and mask wearing outside
May 12, 2021
Dear Springfield School District Families and Students,
This communication is intended to share updated guidance issued by the Chester County Health Department (CCHD) on May 6, 2021 and the effects of those changes for the Springfield School District’s Health and Safety Plan. The CCHD updated guidance has two main changes that we will be implementing, quarantine/isolation requirements for vaccinated individuals and mask wearing outside. The full CCHD updated guidance can be found at https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/62272/COVID-19-School-Guidance-05-06-2021_Final?bidId=t.
The Use of Face Coverings
The CCHD updated guidance reads, “Any student engaging in high exertion OUTDOOR activities, including but not limited to, athletics, exercise or play activities, is NOT required to wear masks when actively engaged in those activities.”
With the implementation of this newly revised CCHD guidance, as of Wednesday, May 12, 2021:
- Students in grades K-5 will not be required to wear a face covering during outdoor recess when playing or engaged in physical activity (PE Class).
- Students in grades K-12 will not be required to wear a face covering while participating in activities during outdoor physical education classes.
For all grades, the district reserves the right to require students to wear masks where conditions for not wearing a mask under the guidelines are not met, such as when the students are receiving instruction, or are “sidelined”, and are not participating in physical activity during an outdoor physical education class. If a parent/guardian chooses to have their child continue to wear a mask during outdoor recess or physical education class, the school district staff will support that decision. This also applies to our athletes.
Exposure to COVID-19 after Being Vaccinated or Having COVID, or Presence of Antibodies
With the implementation of this newly revised CCHD guidance:
- Certain groups of asymptomatic persons who have been exposed to a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case may have quarantine periods shortened or eliminated.
Fully vaccinated individuals (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine) who are exposed to a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, AND who remain asymptomatic throughout the current exposure, do not have to quarantine.
Individuals who test positive for, and have recovered from, COVID-19 during a 3-month period prior to close contact with a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case AND who remain asymptomatic throughout the current exposure, do not have to quarantine or get tested. Individuals who develop symptoms within 3 months of their previous COVID-19 positive result should be evaluated by a healthcare provider to assess the need for testing if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies do not have to quarantine if the individual:
- Is in a low risk situation (e.g., no contact with persons at high risk of COVID-19 severe illness for 14 days); AND,
- Remain asymptomatic throughout the current exposure; AND,
- Had a known exposure and has had a positive antibody test during the 3 months prior to the exposure; OR,
- Receives a positive antibody test within 7 days following an exposure.
Individuals who receive a positive antibody test result within 3 months of their previous COVID-19 positive result should be evaluated by a healthcare provider to assess the need for testing if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.
Should you have any specific question, kindly contact your school principals for more details.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Barber
3/31/21 SHS Family Letter
Hello SHS Families.
In response to the circumstances from last week regarding approximately 10 students testing positive resulting in nearly 180 students needing to quarantine, the HS will return to its Hybrid Model on April 5, 2021. As we reflect on the recent positive cases that have caused many students to quarantine and isolate and the impact they have had on our academic and extra-curricular endeavors, we feel it important to preserve student in-person learning and student participation in after-school events. While this return to our hybrid schedule is not the experience we had hoped for, we see a return to hybrid as the best way to sustain the essential, meaningful, and rewarding day-to-day experiences for all students. We simply want to avoid being in a position where we would again be forced to exclude students from classrooms, athletics, extra-curricular activities, award ceremonies and celebrations, and even Senior Prom and Commencement.
As we return from Spring Break on Monday, April 5th, students will revert to their Group A and Group B daily attendance assignments. We will be adjusting the daily period schedule to maximize classroom instruction by taking advantage of our familiarity with the building to reduce passing time. Period 1 will now start promptly at 7:45 AM so students should plan to be on campus no later than 7:40 AM. Our revised schedule is below.
Students will return to our Period 5 lunch schedule as they did on the hybrid schedule. Lunches will be provided to students free of charge with limited hot and cold options. Transportation will also revert back to the hybrid model meaning no changes to AM arrivals but PM departure from campus will remain 2:35. DCTS student schedules will revert back to hybrid model instructional and transportation schedules. DCTS students should contact Mrs. Hilary Campbell or Mrs. Conlin with any questions.
For your planning purposes, we anticipate remaining in this model for the remainder of the school year or until such time as the CCHD alters their guidance and protocols for distancing and quarantining.
We appreciate your support and understanding as we work together through these challenging times.
Thank you, enjoy the remainder of Spring Break and we will see you next week.
SHS Administration
3/28/21 Family Letter
Hello, Springfield School District families.
As you all know, we moved SHS to virtual learning on Thursday and Friday of last week. We did this, not because we had an enormous outbreak of COVID cases (8), but because of the quarantining guidance and the work required with it.
Please watch this short video which helps to explain the situation: SHS COVID INFORMATION.
We will continue to monitor the situation and plan for the best educational experience we can while also following the Health and Safety Guidelines.
We hope you have a healthy and happy Spring Break!
Thank you.
The SSD Team
Important Health Update Regarding the Return to 4-day a Week In-Person Learning
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we are about to embark on our first week of 4-day on-campus instruction, we want to take a moment to emphasize a few key aspects of our health & safety mitigation strategies which we are asking every family to consider and follow moving forward. With the hope of vaccinations and the improved weather, we know that families are eager to return to normal as quickly as possible but for us to continue to provide in-school programming, WE NEED YOUR HELP!
To make this work and keep our students, families, and staff safe, we want to continue to emphasize a few key elements of our Health & Safety Plan:
- Continue to emphasize proper hygiene and handwashing/sanitizing at home – we will do the same.
- Reinforce proper usage of face-coverings both inside and outside, throughout the entire school day – we will do this often throughout the day.
- Follow the building start times. Please don’t drop students off too early, before staff arrive, as we cannot group students during arrival and hold them for large dismissals. Student start times are in place to allow students to enter the building in a timely manner and go directly to their first classroom of the day where staff will be present.
- Continue to monitor student symptoms every morning using the district’s “Student Daily Symptom Checker” found on this website https://www.ssdcougars.org/reopening-schools. Our staff do this as well before they come to school every day.
- Contact your building nurse before sending your child into school if your child is experiencing ANY COVID-like symptoms.
- Parents, if you have COVID-like symptoms, or were exposed to a COVID+ individual, or were in contact with an individual that may have COVID-19, please contact the building nurse before sending your children to school. We will need to process the information to determine if your child should quarantine, or not, based on the information.
- Finally, it is critically important to recognize that outside of school activities and social gatherings can and do have an impact on in-school positivity rates. To date, we have had NO linked in-school transmission of COVID-19 in any of our schools; however, outside activities and social gatherings have resulted in the spread of COVID-19 to our students and has impacted the quality of education for them, their siblings, and their peers. We ask that you please consider this as you plan for and engage in non-school events, social gatherings, and activities.
We know that this is a lot, but we need everyone to do their part to keep our children in school. We appreciate your diligence in following these reminders.
Sincerely,
The SSD Administrative Team
2/10/21 Testing SIte
2/19/21 Important Message
RE:
- Changes to the Chester County Health Department’s Guidance
- In-Person Instruction Survey Coming Next Week
Dear Morton and Springfield families,
Throughout this pandemic, our focus has been on the health and safety of our school community. As noted on several occasions, we have followed the Chester County Health Department’s (CCHD) guidance and have worked collaboratively with them every step of the way.
This morning, I (along with the other Superintendents of Delaware County) was able to meet with the Chester County Health Department. CCHD has released their updated guidance today (in a letter to Superintendents – to be posted on their website early next week). We were informed that the updates were based upon data, positive trends, and the advice of medical experts. This fact was really important to all of us, as we do not take these changes lightly, and the safety of the students and staff remains paramount.
The updated guidance from CCHD allows us to bring students back for more in-person instruction. Obviously, we are thrilled with being able to offer more in-person instruction; however, we need our families to understand that this enormous undertaking cannot happen instantaneously, as these changes affect many aspects of our daily operations, including instructional programming, contracts, facilities, transportation, food services, extra-curricular activities, etc.
We will need to follow a process to ensure that we are accounting for all of these variables and gather the data necessary to build accurate school schedules. The first step in this process is to survey our families to ascertain who will elect to return for more in-person instruction. Please look for this survey to come out early next week. (We do realize that families may want to review the CCHD guidance prior to making a decision; therefore, the survey will be open for seven days after it has been published.)
Our hope is to be able to conclude our survey and planning process and to transition back our students who elect to return for more in-person instruction in mid-to-late March, assuming that the County’s infection and positivity rates continue to decrease. More specific information will be forthcoming from your child’s school.
We appreciate your continued efforts to limit the spread of COVID in our school community, and we truly believe that these efforts have assisted us in being able to offer this next phase of our educational journey.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and support.
Sincerely,
The SSD TEAM
01/22/21 Vaccine Letter
12/22/20 Family Letter
12/15/20 Family Letter
Update 11/24/20
Important Health Update 11/20/20
RE: PA Department of Health Issues New Orders
To the Families of Springfield and Morton,
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with new orders from the PA Department of Health regarding travel outside of Pennsylvania and the expanded order relating to the wearing of face-coverings. Effective immediately, SSD will be following these new/updated orders.
Click on the links below - - - >
As a reminder, please keep your child(ren) home if they are:
- Feeling sick (please do not return to school before contacting your child’s school nurse).
- Experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. For a list of symptoms please review the Student Daily Symptom Checker on the right side of this page.
- Awaiting a COVID-19 test result and has not yet been cleared to return to school by a doctor.
- Quarantined due to a recent close contact with an individual with COVID-19.
- Required to quarantine due to out-of-state travel that fits with the Pa Department of Health’s new guidance.
Please contact your child’s school nurse if you have any questions or need to report a child’s absence due to any of the factors listed above.
These practices are a critical part of limiting the spread of this disease in our school community and keeping our schools open. For a list of active, confirmed, positive cases of students attending the SSD brick-and-mortar schools in hybrid, please refer to the SSD (Hybrid) Covid-19 Tracker.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Springfield School District Administration
11/16/20 Update
Good afternoon, SHS families.
We hope you and your family are happy and healthy. We will be taking advantage of the Thanksgiving week’s schedule to allow for extra preparation for the upcoming move into the new Springfield High School.
Therefore, we are adjusting the schedule for all SHS staff and students to work virtually on Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24, 2020. This means that classes will be instructed virtually; students will be home for those two days. More specific details (the schedule) will to come from your building administration later in the week. (Please note K-8 students are already off for parent/teachers conferences.)
Thank you so much for your cooperation and support.
The SSD Team
Update: Chester County Health Department Letter
Update 11/10/20
This is a reminder to all families of the importance of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 within the community by avoiding large gatherings, practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and staying home when sick.
COVID-19 positivity rates have been increasing across the county, and in order to support our current, hybrid instructional model, we are counting on you to support our efforts in keeping schools open.
Please keep your child(ren) home if they are:
- Feeling sick (please do not return to school before contacting your child’s school nurse).
- Experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. For a list of symptoms please review the Student Daily Symptom Checker at the SSD Reopening Schools website.
- Awaiting a COVID-19 test result and has not yet been cleared to return to school by a doctor.
- Quarantined due to a recent close contact with an individual with COVID-19
- Returned from recent travel to an area on Pennsylvania’s Covid-19 Travel Alert webpage.
Please contact your child’s school nurse if you have any questions or need to report a child’s absence due to any of the factors listed above.
These practices are a critical part of limiting the spread of this disease in our school community and keeping our schools open. For a list of active, confirmed, positive cases of students attending the SSD brick-and-mortar schools in hybrid, please refer to the SSD (Hybrid) COVID-19 Tracker.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Springfield School District Administration
Update 11/06/2020
RE: SSD will continue in the hybrid, instructional model
As previously discussed, based on current numbers, our schools have experienced a relatively low positivity rate and no cases of linked transmissions, and we are so proud of the efforts of our students and staff. We continue to follow our Health and Safety Plan, and that has been effective in keeping our COVID numbers low. (See our COVID Tracker).
It is also important to note that district-level data, not just trends in Delaware County data, is a key component that is considered in the decision to move a district from in-person instruction to all virtual instruction. And, our current school data reflects the daily efforts of our students and staff, who are following the Health and Safety Plan and keeping our district COVID numbers low. Therefore, as of 11/06/2020, SSD will continue in our hybrid, instructional model.
Of course, there may come a time when we are directed to return to an all virtual model for some students, classes, schools, or the district. As previously stated, the factors that would be considered in the decision to return to an all virtual format are:
-
Mandated recommendations from DOH, PDE, and CCHD to return to an all virtual environment.
-
If significant, confirmed, and established linked-transmissions within or among schools occurred.
-
If there was a far-reaching spread of the disease throughout the community, which could no longer be effectively contact-traced by the CCHD.
-
If there was a staffing shortage, which would prevent us from following our Health & Safety Plan.
We thank you for your continued work to keep our students and staff safe. Please maintain your mitigation efforts, both in and out of school (masking, social distancing, hand washing, etc.). Your ongoing support is greatly appreciated.
The SSD Team
COVID Update 11/4/2020
- All DE County public school districts were contacted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Pennsylvania’s Department of Education (PDE) on 11/02/20. The purpose was to alert us to the increasing COVID numbers in our county. They suggested there may be a time when they recommend DE County public schools return to an all virtual instructional model.
- All DE County public school districts met with the Chester County Health Department (CCHD) on 11/03/20 to discuss the information shared by the DOH and PDE. A follow-up meeting with the CCHD is scheduled for 11/06/20 to review the data and discuss their guidance. We could receive an update from the DOH or PDE on Friday as well.
- What factors will be considered in deciding to return to a 100% virtual model?
- Recommendations from DOH, PDE, and CCHD to return to an all virtual environment.
- If a confirmed and established linked-transmission(s) within or among schools occurred.
- If there was a far-reaching spread of the disease throughout the community, which could no longer be effectively contact-traced by the CCHD.
- If there was a staffing shortage, which would prevent us from following our Health & Safety Plan.
This is the most recent information we have been given. As soon as more information is available after our meeting on Friday (11/06/20), we will update you.
Thank you for your understanding in this fluid and ever-changing environment.
The SSD Team
10/29/20 Family Letter
Good morning, Morton and Springfield families.
We hope you and your family are happy and healthy and, despite the rain, are enjoying this last week of October. Now that we are a few weeks along, allow me to share some district-level information with you:
COVID Incident Rates – My good friend and colleague, Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent of Garnet Valley School District, captured the essence of the current question:
“If the current incidence rates continue, will we need to go back to virtual learning?”
He wrote:
- This question was addressed on Tuesday in our weekly meeting with the Chester County Health Department and the medical experts from CHOP and Penn. Their answer to this question was a qualified "it depends." All of the health entities believe that districts should focus on "linked transmission" as the most important factor. This means they will look for situations in which individuals within the same building and/or district are spreading the virus.
- They also believe strongly that school protocols are working well, and linked transmissions between student and teacher and/or teacher and student are limited. They reinforced that we should continue to do what we are doing in regard to enforcing health precautions, contact tracing, and quarantining. However, like with everything else during this time, this answer is good for today and will most likely evolve and change in the future.
- For example, as positivity rates increase, the experts are studying the cases and looking for nuances such as connections to specific places like prisons, retirement homes, etc. Conversely, should the incidences become so widespread that the health experts cannot trace them, then this would constitute community spread and would necessitate a discussion about returning to virtual learning.
- The greatest takeaway from this conversation is that our behaviors (adults and children) outside of school are paramount to keeping everyone safe and keeping the schools open. Please continue to mask, social distance, symptom screen, and practice good hygiene by washing your hands often.
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Communicating COVID Cases – In informing our community about active Covid-19 cases, it is our duty to continue to find the balance between our children’s/staff members’ right to privacy with the public’s desire to know information. Please note that:
- There are currently four (.08% of SSD’s total population) confirmed, active, positive cases in our district, and, in accordance with the Chester County Health Department, there have been no close contacts or transmissions (6 feet, 15 minutes) related to within-school activities or connected to these cases.
- The communication and safety protocols outlined in our Health & Safety Plan are in direct alignment with the guidance provided by the Chester County Department of Health.
- Our use of seating charts, contact tracing, masking, distancing, etc. allow us to be targeted in our communications. In an abundance of caution, we have informed specific staff and students/families who were in the same area as the identified individual. We will, of course, continue to inform our public in this highly specific manner on a need-to-know basis.
- We are currently working on a COVID dashboard. Below is a sample. But please understand, no matter the incident number in school, provided that there is not linked transmission (to the degree set forth by the CCHD guidance) during in-school activities, we will remain open in our hybrid model. The decision to close classrooms, schools, or the district will be based on the direction of the Chester County Health Department.
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In closing, I am always encouraged by the resilience of our staff, our teachers, our students, and our families. I have witnessed your efforts, and they truly are amazing!
We realize this is not easy. We understand there are no “correct” answers. We appreciate that everyone has an opinion, and for them, it is passionately right. I ask that we take some time to be empathetic with one another. If you are upset, please take a moment before you make that call or send that email. The folks here care for your children. It’s our life’s mission, and we do what we do with the best of intentions. Do we make mistakes? Of course. But that is one of the connections that make us all human beings.
I believe one of the greatest gifts we can and do possess is the power to hope. Now more than ever, it is up to all of us to come together and do our best to stay optimistic and motivated… for ourselves, our families, our students, and our communities. Hope, and the hard work that goes with it, will win the day if we elect that this path is right for us.
Sincerely,
Tony
10/14/20 Family Letter
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,
We are almost through the first week of Hybrid in-person education in the district. I hope you feel as we do, the tremendous sense of accomplishment and the level of teamwork that was/is needed to get our students back in school and learning. We know that a number of things are different for our students in the buildings and we will continue to work to identify ways to bring a sense of normalcy to our students’ daily lives. It will take work and flexibility on all of our parts to make this the case.
To make this work and keep our students, families, and staff safe, we want to continue to emphasize a few key elements of our Health & Safety Plan:
- Continue to emphasize proper hygiene and handwashing/sanitizing at home – we will do the same here at school.
- Reinforce proper usage of face-coverings both inside and outside, throughout the entire school day – we will do this often throughout the day.
- Follow the building student start times. Please don’t drop students off too early, before staff arrive, as we can no longer assemble large groups of students during arrival due to social distancing regulations. Student start times are in place to allow students to enter the building in a timely manner and go directly to their first classroom of the day where staff will be present.
- Continue to monitor student symptoms every morning using the district’s “Student Daily Symptom Checker” found on this websitehttps://www.ssdcougars.org/reopening-schools. Our staff do this as well before they come to school every day.
- Remember, that traveling out of state may require a 14-day quarantine prior to returning to in-person instruction. Review the PA’s “Covid-19 Information for Travelers” website: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/pages/travelers.aspx for the latest states on the list. Although the PA Department of Health recommends a 14-day quarantine, the district’s approved Health & Safety Plan requires that families that travel to one of the listed states must begin a 14-day quarantine before returning to in-person instruction.
Contact your building principal or nurse if you have any questions.
- Parents, if you have Covid-like symptoms, or were exposed to a Covid+ individual, or were in close contact with an individual that may have Covid, please contact the building nurse before sending your children to school. We will need to process the information to determine if your child should quarantine, or not.
We know that this is a lot, but we need everyone to do their part to keep our children in school. We appreciate your diligence in following these reminders.
9/25/20 Face-covering & Masking Requirements / Notification
Dear Parent/Guardian:
On July 1, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued an Order under the authority of the Disease and Prevention and Control Act requiring that face coverings be worn in any indoor location where members of the public are generally permitted. On August 17, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that this Order is applicable to students, staff and visitors in all Pennsylvania K-12 schools until such time as the Secretary of Health determines the public health risk is sufficiently low as to revisit the Order.
The District’s Health and Safety Plan, which can be found on the District’s website above incorporates the Secretary of Health’s Order and includes more specific information as to what is considered a face covering.
The Secretary of Health’s Order requires that students must wear face coverings at all times in school except when eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart; or when wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task; or when at least 6 feet apart during “face-covering breaks” to last no longer than 10 minutes. It applies to all students two years and older unless they have a documented medical or mental health condition or disability that precludes the wearing of a face covering in school. For those students who provide the required documentation, accommodations will be developed by their IEP/504 teams in partnership with the student’s healthcare provider.
If you believe that your child is unable to wear a face covering in school due to a medical or mental health condition or disability, you must provide to the school nurse at your child’s school building, within ten (10) days after the date of this letter, a signed and dated form from your child’s physician, nurse practitioner, or other appropriate healthcare provider. This form must specify the medical or mental health condition or disability that precludes your child from wearing a face covering in school, as well as suggestions for alternative means for your child for preventing the spread of the virus. The required form can be found on the District’s website in the “Forms” section on the right side of this page.
The health, safety and welfare of our students, staff, and school community are paramount as we navigate the many challenges of reopening schools during this unprecedented health crisis. Your cooperation with this challenging endeavor is greatly appreciated.
With kind regards,
The Administration of the Springfield School District
9/18/20 Hybrid Model Opening
Hello, Morton and Springfield Families,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well and enjoying the first few days of fall. We are excited to announce that we will be returning for in-person instruction in a hybrid model utilizing the following schedule:
October 7: In-service day COVID-19 / On-site technology training for teachers
(There will be no school for students on October 7, 2020.)
October 8 & 9: K-5 students attend in-person at school on the A/B Schedule
October 12 & 13: ETR students attend in-person at school on the A/B Schedule
October 15 & 16: SHS students attend in-person at school on the A/B Schedule
The hybrid model will allow for physical distancing of students during instruction, transition, and transportation, while providing in-person learning for our students. Please note: We have seen the success of the hybrid model with our on-site YMCA and special education programs and with the neighboring non-public schools.
We have adjusted the hybrid model schedule based on feedback from families and to increase in-person instruction for students.
We believe this hybrid model will be more beneficial to our students because it provides four days a week of instruction for both groups. As you can see from the chart below, Group A attends on Monday and Thursday, and Group B attends on Tuesday and Friday.
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Group A In-Person |
Group B In-Person |
Office Hours AM/PM
Asynchronous Learning using the Canvas platform |
Group A In-Person |
Group B In-Person |
Group B Synchronous/ Asynchronous Learning* |
Group A Synchronous/ Asynchronous Learning* |
Group B Synchronous/ Asynchronous Learning* |
Group A Synchronous/ Asynchronous Learning* |
* While delivering direct instruction in the classroom, teachers will be using Zoom to instruct “at-home” students at the same time. Teachers will only use this technology while in the hybrid model. Cameras will not be utilized once we are fully back to an all in-person model.
The table above demonstrates that on Monday, Group A attends school for in-person learning, and Group B watches the live ‘lesson(s) of the day’ via Zoom from home. On Tuesday, Group B is now in-person, and Group A is at-home. This hybrid model provides parents with a concrete schedule and allows teachers to engage with students and provide live instruction four days a week.
On Wednesdays, teachers will offer live office hours for students, and opportunities for asynchronous learning. Canvas will still be used as the primary means by which students access their classes.
Families will receive more details next week from their school principals regarding student schedules, transportation, and safety protocols. The Springfield School District Health and Safety Plan can be accessed anytime at https://www.ssdcougars.org/reopening-schools.
Our Pledge to Each Other
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We could not be more excited to see our students in person. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we move into this next phase of schooling for our students.
Sincerely,
Tony and the Team
8/6/20 SSD Virtual Opening for 2020-21
Good morning, all.
This past Monday and Tuesday, county superintendents, representatives from the Chester County Department of Health, Dr. David Rubin, Director of Policy Lab and Director of Population Health Innovation at CHOP, and Dr. P.J. Brennan, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, Board Certified in Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine, met to discuss the current trends in Delaware County’s COVID data.
As mentioned in my prior communication, “The positive case counts in Delaware County are trending up with 513 new cases in the week ending July 31st compared to 380 new cases the week before. Case counts are the number of people who are testing positive for COVID-19. These counts include children and adults.”
As of today, the trend data would not suggest a significant change by Monday, and knowing this to be the case, I do not want to waste time in giving staff and families the opportunity to plan accordingly.
Therefore, please note that the Springfield School District will be starting the year virtually until at least October 2, 2020.
As stated succinctly by my colleague and friend Dr. Maureen Reusche, Superintendent of the Haverford School District, “It is our hope that depopulating our schools for one month will allow for any potential infections brought into our community from travel to lessen before bringing large groups of students and educators into school. The worst scenario would be opening schools only to close them a few days later because of an outbreak. In the meantime, and in collaboration with health officials and experts, we will continue to review public health and medical recommendations for school reopening.”
I want you all to know that we did everything we could possibly do to ensure an in-person start; however, the numbers simply do not allow us to do so. Our hope would be to witness the trend data decrease, which would allow us to open schools for in-person instruction (utilizing our hybrid model to start).
Please read the attached Press Release 8/6/20 linked below. We believe it captures the general consensus of this decision and also mentions the YMCA’s partnership in providing day camps during our virtual time. (If you have questions about the YMCA camps, you can contact the YMCA directly.)
At this point, I am requesting that principals and staff work collectively to do what they do best… teach our students no matter the platform. Likewise, if you have specific inquiries, please contact your school building. However, as the baton shifts from central office to the schools, please know that we will continue to monitor the situation and provide support for whatever needs to be done to ensure a successful opening.
Have a great weekend, and stay safe and positive. We got this!
Tony
8/4/20 Important Update
RE: COVID Letter to Families- Posted: 08/04/20
Dear Parents & Guardians:
We hope that you are your families are happy, healthy, and safe. As we continue to plan for the reopening of our schools, we want to share with you the most recent input we have received from our medical experts.
Current Data Trends in DE County
- Case counts are rising in Delaware County. Unfortunately, the positive case counts in Delaware County are trending up with 513 new cases in the week ending July 31st compared to 380 new cases the week before. Case counts are the number of people who are testing positive for COVID-19. These counts include children and adults.
- Public Health metrics are multi-faceted. When looking at our public health data it is critical to review both the daily positive case counts, cumulative cases and counts over 7 and 14 days. Other data points are evaluated, including hospitalizations and deaths. Based on this trajectory, we are still experiencing an upward trend both in our county and region. https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Data-Animations.aspx
- We are dealing with a novel virus, with public health and medical responses still in an active phase. Predicting the course of the pandemic is difficult primarily because right now so much depends on personal responsibility in following masking and social distancing guidelines and in obeying travel restrictions to reduce the number of positive cases.
Public Health and Medical Recommendations for School Reopening
We are consistently reviewing public health and medical recommendations for school reopening. Although different public health agencies including the CDC and medical organizations have provided variance in the guidance, most reside near the degree of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s recommendations. Currently, these recommendations include:
- >9% and evidence of increasing 14-day trend of case incidence: Revert to online schooling only; suspend all team/group competition, group sports training and activities, etc.; revert to individual/online training and activities.
- <5% and evidence stable or declining case incidence: Schools may reopen for in-class instruction that have been previously online.
- >3%: Strongly encourage no scrimmages/team competition for higher-contact sports (wrestling, football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, water polo).
- Between 0% and 9%: All sports may do individual level drills and distanced and/or masked group training; lower contact sports or activities with the ability to distance athletes or participants during competition (e.g. baseball, softball, track, swimming, golf, science club competitions, etc.) may continue to scrimmage or pursue team competition under DOH guidelines but would be recommended to keep those events local or isolated with a couple of partner schools or teams in the area; team competition should only be permitted with another team whose local area positivity rates and daily case incidence fall within these guidelines.
Next Steps for SSD
So where does this leave us as of 08/03/20? In reviewing this most recent data, the Springfield School District is going to enact the following measures:
- We will look to make a decision concerning moving from the Hybrid to our fully online program no later than August 10, 2020. This will provide us another week of data, which we believe is critically important to review. Likewise, it will provide families with four full weeks to prepare. If the decision is to move to our all online platform, we would look to review our data on October 2, 2020 (roughly every four weeks). In this fashion, we will be able to secure trend data and have the appropriate time to evaluate it and discuss it with our medical team.
- Registration for Springfield Virtual Academy will be placed on hold until after our August 10th review of the data and decision. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
- We heard our families loud and clear for a more consistent schedule in the hybrid model. If we should start in a hybrid model, we will be providing more constancy (in terms of days of the week) for working families. Therefore, please note your family would have set days of the week for in-person instruction (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday), and we would look to rotate every other Friday. In this approach, we still would attain the same amount of in-person instructional days for our children (over a two week period), and also provide more consistency for family planning. It’s not perfect, but it’s better.
- If we move to a virtual model of instruction, all mandatory extra-curricular activities and sports competitions would be postponed until October 2, 2020. Voluntary activities, work out sessions, and practices among SSD students can still occur utilizing the same screening processes we have been utilizing this summer. Again, all sessions will be voluntary. All scrimmages or team competitions versus other school districts are postponed. (Please note: In an abundance of caution, we are also postponing all low contact, extra-curricular activities and sports, as well.)
Please realize that decisions must be made utilizing the most recent data trends and periods of stability. Rest assured, we will continue to follow the input from our medical experts, as we plan for any type of reopening for our schools.
Have a great rest of the week, and we will be back to you no later than Monday, August 10, 2020.
Sincerely,
The SSD Team
7/29/20 Important Update
Good morning, all.
On Monday evening, the Springfield School Board approved the Health and Safety Plan for the district. On behalf of our entire team, we would like to thank all of our families and staff for their feedback and participation. Obviously, this is a critical topic for all of us, and we appreciate the passion and wealth of knowledge that people shared with us.
In valuing this process, we are going to take some time over the next few days to digest all of the responses we received about the plan. We will be reporting back any updates to our families early next week.
In the meantime, we heard many questions about the district’s virtual programming option. Below is a link to the Springfield Virtual Academy (SVA) Informational Website. Please take some time to review the site and use the question submission form at the bottom of the page if any further questions remain.
We appreciate your patience and support as the process continues.
Sincerely,
The SSD Team
7/24/20 Update and Information
Good afternoon, all.
We hope you and your families are doing well and are happy. We just wanted to provide you with an update on information and our planning.
As you are aware, we will be hosting a special School Board meeting to adopt our Health and Safety Plan on Monday, July 27, starting at 7 pm. Included in our plan are three options for school reopening, which follow the Governor’s phases. These options are based upon his recommendations/orders and input from the medical experts.
Attached, please find our most recent FAQ sheet and the presentation for Monday. (Building specific questions will be answered by principals shortly.) Although these are lengthy documents, we believe it is important to share our answers to many of your questions, along with the actual content for the presentation.
Thank you and stay well.
The SSD Team
Health and Safety Plan 7/27/20
Athletics and Activities
Important update from the Governor’s office and PDE
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7/15/20 Reopening Plan
Hello, all.
We hope the day is going well, and you are enjoying this beautiful sunshine. We wanted to update you on our school reopening plans.
At 3:30 PM today, Governor Wolf held a press conference. The Governor ordered new mitigation strategies to assist us in diminishing the spread of the virus so that families and staff can feel confident returning to school in the fall. During this press conference, Dr. Rubin, one of our medical experts, spoke to the importance of implementing these strategies and focused on our need to be “ahead of the game” in our state’s response. He also stated that he “feels safe at work” because at CHOP, they have confidence in their safety protocols.
As a district, we are committed to having vigilant safety protocols in place that will adhere to the most current medical information and recommendations. In addition, please note that our Health and Safety Plan incorporates this approach.
With that said, we’d like to share a few documents with you. We realize there is a ton of information in this communication, but we believe it is critical for our planning and understanding to see everything in its entirety, as we navigate this unprecedented time together. As we are all well aware, circumstances can and do change often with this topic. Please realize our plans are current as of 07/15/2020, and all are subject to future changes based on Governmental orders.
Please see the linked documents below:
- SSD Guiding Principles - Our belief system chaperones our directed actions. With that being stated, please find the SSD Guiding Principles chart. This chart depicts the various expert, medical testimony that we have gathered from both the Chester County Health Department and our medical team, including CHOP, the University of Pennsylvania, etc. This testimony is the groundwork of our planning.
- SSD Health and Safety Plan Summary – In realizing that the full plan is thirty-six pages in length and very detailed, we wanted folks to be able to have a working summary of the prime components to the plan. The SSD Summary depicts our approach to school as it relates to the various stages of the Governor’s phases. In simple terms, as he goes, we go, as we believe that he has the greatest resources and access to information in our entire state. Therefore, if he is making a decision, not only is it our legal obligation to follow it, but it is also our belief that these decisions are made in the greatest interest of health and safety. If his team believes that it is safe to open schools at 3-6 feet distancing in the green phase, then we do as well. If it had to be 6 feet, the premise is he would mandate it. We realize this thought process is debatable, but as we stated, we need a technical thought process to follow in order to make decisions.
- SSD Health and Safety Plan – The plan is modeled utilizing the Pennsylvania Department of Education's template. Here, one can find details as they relate to “how” we will incorporate our actions to ensure the health and welfare of our students and staff. Obviously, there will be questions and observations that no plan can ever anticipate, and therefore, we realize this is a fluid document. We will continue to modify and adjust our actions as both new information is gathered and/or to adhere to new mandates/orders.
- SSD COVID Protocols chart– One of the most regularly asked questions surrounds protocols we will follow when someone gets sick. The SSD COVID Protocols chart is a quick guide that explains our thinking, which is based upon the Chester County Health Department’s recommendations. Of course, the primary person (aside from the potential individual) is one’s doctor, and this guide captures that thinking.
- SSD 2020-2021 Calendar – One of the changes we are recommending to the School Board is to move the student start day to September 8, 2020. In this fashion, we will have four full days of in-service with our staff (and one teacher prep day) to prepare for our students’ return. And trust me, we will need it with COVID safety protocols, instructional design in this new reality, Canvas, etc. In staying with our slow and steady approach, we are also recommending that we start the first four days of instruction for students will follow an A/B schedule (hybrid instructional model). This will give us time to help our students become trained in this new reality, including COVID-related strategies, hygiene, physical distancing, etc. Hopefully, these changes will be met with acceptance at the board meeting on Monday, July 27th. More information will be forthcoming from your building principal concerning the specifics of the A/B schedule and your child/children.
- Planning Schedule – The plan, and all the documents, will be shared with the public today. They will have time to give feedback and ask questions. On July 27, 2020 (Monday), the School Board will hold a special meeting to adopt all three plans (see summary chart). In this respect, we will be ready to go no matter what happens via the Governor’s phases. But please note, as of today, we are planning to reopen in full capacity for all students, five days a week on Monday, September 14, 2020.
As always, thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
The SSD Team
7/9/20 Family Letter
Good afternoon, Morton and Springfield families. The health and welfare of our students and staff is paramount in everything we do in the Springfield School District. To this end, in planning for our return in the fall, we have been actively consulting with medical experts who provide the most recent guidance when it comes to COVID-19. Below, please find our Guiding Principles, which is a collection of expert, medical testimony as it applies to the areas of screening, hygiene, masking and distancing. We want you to know that these principles are being utilized to inform our actionable steps to assist us in minimizing the risk of a spread. Although we can never be one-hundred percent risk-free, we believe, based upon our conversations with our medical team and the research studies that are available, we are adhering to the most informed approach possible at this time for reopening schools. As you are well aware, circumstances can and do change often with this topic. As the situation evolves, we will continue to consult with medical experts to inform our planning process. As always, if you have questions or comments about the Guiding Principles, please send them to https://www.ssdcougars.org/reopening-schools/feedback. Please look for the draft of our Health and Safety Plan to be published next week. As always, thank you for your continued support and cooperation. The SSD Team
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7/6/20 Family Letter
Good afternoon, Morton and Springfield families.
Last week, the Governor entered a new, expanded order regarding face coverings (https://www.governor.pa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200701-SOH-Universal-Face-Coverings-Order.pdf). Springfield School District’s Health and Safety planning for reopening school must now take this new order into consideration.
We are being told that the Pennsylvania Department of Education is planning to publish new guidance for reopening schools in the upcoming days. Based on this information, SSD will be waiting to receive this new guidance and plan accordingly. Therefore, the Health and Safety Academic Plan will not be available until we receive the new guidance and have had time to review and incorporate it into our planning.
Thank you for your patience during this challenging and ever-changing time.
The SSD Team
6/26/20 Family Letter
Springfield School District families,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying some well-deserved summer relaxation. I wanted to update you regarding our planning for the 2020-2021 school year. The plan for reopening schools centers on in-school learning and social interaction, which are essential for students’ emotional well-being and their academic growth. The plan was developed in conjunction with recommendations from local public health and medical professionals, including those from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Bucks County and Chester County Departments of Health.
This letter has three key sections: 1) Guidelines for Reopening Schools for 2020-2021, 2) Timeline for the Completion of the Health and Safety Plan, and 3) Expert Recommendations for Safely Opening School Buildings. We understand that parents may have questions/concerns about the details of the plan, but please remember that the guidance for school districts continues to evolve, and so, our plans may evolve with it. We will communicate with you any changes to our planning as we move through the summer months.
To continue reading, please click here.