Update to the Paul School Covid Plan January 18, 2022

Exemption From Facial Covering Form

LEA ARP ESSER Plan

November 20, 2021

Good afternoon,

The continuing increase of positive covid cases both with students and staff have made it necessary to examine options that might help us address the problem. 

On Monday and Tuesday of this upcoming week (November 22 and 23), administration is already aware that 1/3 of our homeroom teaching staff will be out; this does not include other teachers and support staff who will be out. Additionally, two of our five buses will not be running.

Although “Blizzard Bag” information was sent home on Friday, the high absentee rate meant that there are many who did not receive it.  To respond to this overwhelming impact from Covid, the school will be closed (no remote instruction – these two days will be made up in June) on Monday and Tuesday. The calendar shows the school closed on Wednesday through Friday for Thanksgiving. This break of nine days from the building and from each other will give our facility staff time to deep clean rooms and hopefully, to stop the spread.

For those who would like food to be delivered on Monday and/or Tuesday, please complete this form:  https://forms.gle/UMTrtkYSMAszHhVr6   NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, 7PM.  Our food service staff will be happy to prepare meals and a bus will deliver to your home.

THERE WILL BE HIGH SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PICK UP BREAKFAST BAGS EARLY ON MONDAY, YOU WILL FIND BAGS LEFT ON A TABLE IN THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL BY 8:30.  

Please be well, enjoy your Thanksgiving and we will return back together on November 29.  

October, 2021

The Paul School and SAU 101 are pleased to be able to provide, free of charge, an at-home COVID test for students (ages 5+) and district employees.   

Any student or staff member who has COVID symptoms, will now have an easy, fast and reliable way to determine their health status (this is a nasal swab, not an “insert 3 inches” swab).  This should dramatically help to accurately determine if isolation is needed and to lighten the burden of the cost of testing.

How will it work?

After reporting to the Nurse’s Office at the school to explain COVID-like symptoms, the student/employee will be sent home with a Binx Box.  The box contains everything you will need for the at-home nasal swab PCR test:  guide, swab, packing envelope, UPS mailing label.  

Once you have picked up your test kit, you must activate it at mybinxhealth.com/activate before completing the nasal swab. The activation process differs for first-time users and those who have previously taken a Binx test. 

First-Time Binx Test User

1. If you are a first-time Binx user, click on the “Activate Box” button in the top-right corner of the Binx website OR simply scan the QR code inside the test kit on the 1,2,3 card with your mobile device.
2. Next, click on the button titled “I have not activated or ordered a binx box before.” 
3. Then, enter your activation code located on the sample identification label included in your kit. 
4. Click the “Activate” button. You will then be asked to create an account and complete questionnaires required by the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services agencies. Please be sure to use your full name when creating an account. Additionally, you may opt in for email and text notifications in order to receive updates on your collected sample.

                View the test activation infographic and instructional video for more information. 

During account creation, use your email address. If you have properly activated your sample collection kit, you will receive an email from ‘Binx notifications’. You must use this account each time you activate a Binx test kit.    

Once the swab has been collected, follow the instructions and drop it at a UPS pickup site (postage is already paid).  This must be done within 120 hours of taking the test (why wait? do it right away! ) 

                  If you do not activate your kit, your test will be rejected by the lab.

Previous Binx Test User

If you have previously taken a binx test, log into your account using your email address and password on the binx website.

Once logged in, click on the “Activate Box” button in the top-right corner of the page, enter your activation code located on the sample identification label included in your kit and click the “Activate” button.

Upon successful activation, you will receive an email from Binx. You must activate every test before completing the nasal swab. 

                If you do not activate your kit, your test will be rejected by the lab. 

For questions related to your Binx self-collection nasal swab test kit contents, setting up your account, activating your kit through the online portal, and using the kits, contact binx customer support seven days a week from 6:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. EST.  Chat via the Binx website or email support@mybinxhealth.com:

• Weekdays 3:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. EST
• Weekends and Holidays 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. EST
• Or call 844.692.4691 (844.MYBINX1)

Binx will report test results to your personal portal within approximately three days (usually within 24-48 hours).     Anyone who tests positive will be notified by Binx.

  YOU MUST CONTACT THE PAUL SCHOOL NURSE WITH A 

COPY OF THE TEST RESULTS, 

 POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE,  

 AS SOON AS THEY ARE RECEIVED.

Anyone, regardless of vaccination status, 

who receives a positive test result, is required to isolate.

As a user of Binx Box, you are required to contact the School Nurse with the results–positive or negative.

With at-home kits difficult to find, this resource will ease the uncertainty of health status and the length of quarantine.  

We wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Pamela Stiles
Superintendent

Good morning,

At last night’s Board meeting, some changes were made to the school’s response to Covid and our transportation.

I apologize for the length of the email, but please do read through all of the information as it is important.

Last night we learned that there were 3 more positive cases at the school – Mr. O’Neill’s room and Ms. Purvis’ room.  The close contacts have been notified.

In response to the increased number of positive cases, the Board has made the following changes and updates in an effort to slow or stop the spread.

1. BEGINNING TOMORROW, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

If your child is showing symptoms of a viral or respiratory infection, they may return to school:

a.  When they receive an approved COVID-19 test that is negative, AND (no longer OR)

b. The person is fever free without the use of fever reducing medication for 24 hours;  AND

c.  Improved symptoms.

If Untested –

1. Must quarantine for 10 days from onset of symptoms  AND

2. Be fever free without the use of fever reducing medication for 24 hours; AND

3. Improved symptoms.

**IF YOUR CHILD TESTS POSITIVE, YOU MUST CALL THE SCHOOL NURSE AT 522-8891.

We are looking at how the school might be able to help reimburse families who find the cost of Covid testing a hardship.  More information will be provided at a later date.

2.  Students and staff who are close contacts of a positive case will be contacted (DHHS does not require this but we feel this is a best practice).

3.  Beginning Thursday (Sept. 16),    Masks will be required to be worn in the building.  However, they may be removed when seated, socially distanced of at least three feet or are eating. Masks are optional outside. This will be in effect through Friday, September 24th at which point masks may return to optional (except on the bus where it is required) pending a decrease in cases by that date within our school.

This means that when a student is in the hallway, entering the building, in the front office, etc., a mask is required. When in a classroom, seated and 3′ from others, or eating, the mask is optional.

This will be in effect until next Friday, September 24th to determine if mask wearing helps to control the number of positive cases that have happened these past few weeks. Informational updates will be made after the 24th.

4.  Finally –  Approximately 2/5ths of the students are getting to school too late to have breakfast that does not interfere with homeroom or instruction.  (This is due to the timing of the high school routes).

To address this issue, the start and end time for school will be moved 10 minutes–officially starting at 8:40 and ending at 3:10.  THIS WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20.

HOWEVER, the bus route pick up times will not change.  Your child will be picked up at the same time as they are currently.  With buses arriving between 8:20 and 8:30, this will give all our students an opportunity to have breakfast and to get ready for the day.  Additionally, families who are dropping off their child(ren) may continue to drop off at 8:15.  Those arriving at that time will report to the gym for 5 minutes (supervised) and will then go to their homeroom at 8:20.    The only timing impact will be in the afternoon when your child may arrive at their stop 10 minutes later.  Pick up will start at 3:10.

We’re trying to make sure that our students can get to school on time and have breakfast without impacting the morning schedule for families.

My apologies for the long email, but these steps should help us to get a handle on Covid and to help our students start the day off right.  Your patience has been, and continues to be, so appreciated!

All the best to all of you,

Pam Stiles, Superintendent

Good evening,

I have been informed that four children who are related and attend Paul School have all tested positive for Covid.  They are in Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Robinson, and Mr. Perkins’s classes.  Because the school has had six cases in the last several days, we are going to be proactive and do a deep clean throughout the building tomorrow.  This will mean that school will be closed on Friday and will open again on Monday.  This will be a “non-school” day, so it will be a great day for getting outside for some fresh air!

I understand the difficulty that this poses to families–the closing is not taken lightly.  While our goal is to stay open five days a week, I’m hoping that by addressing the issue with a short term inconvenience, it will help us in the long run.

We’ll see everyone back on Monday, healthy and ready to start a new week.

Thank you,
Pamela Stiles
Superintendent

Over the course of the last many days, careful attention has been paid to rising Covid cases.  Circumstances are changing rapidly and it is a top priority to do everything possible to keep in-person learning taking place 5 days a week.  To accomplish this goal, we must have both a healthy staff and healthy students.  In an effort to be proactive rather than reactive, the school is going to move to the “Moderate” level of the “Response to Covid Plan”.

This will mean that:

• The six 7th and 8th grade rooms will join grades K-6 classes in remaining in their rooms; teachers will travel.
• Meals will be served in classrooms.
• Only IEP and 504 meetings will be in-person.

What this also means:

• Students will still have recess.  Recess is in cohorts and outside.
• Masks are optional
• 3′ distancing will be maintained
• Students/Staff will wash their hands regularly
• Classrooms will be disinfected nightly.

It is the hope that steps taken now will create an environment that keeps everyone safe and well.

Wishing all of our students a wonderful 1st day of school tomorrow!

Pam Stiles, Superintendent