2021-22 Back to School Plan
Health Hygiene
The district will continue to emphasize healthy hygiene practices for students and employees by providing refresher education in hand and respiratory hygiene, along with providing adequate supplies and time for frequent hand hygiene.
The district will post signs throughout all buildings (e.g., entrances, restrooms, cafeteria, classrooms, administrative offices, auditorium, custodial staff areas, etc.) and regular messaging will be shared with the school community.
Signage will be used to remind individuals to:
- Stay home if they feel sick.
- At times other than meals, cover their nose and mouth with an acceptable face covering when inside a school or district building, or on a school bus. .
- Properly store and, when necessary, discard PPE.
- Adhere to social distancing instructions where applicable.
- Report symptoms of, or exposure to, COVID-19.
- Follow hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection guidelines.
- Follow respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Follow cleaning and disinfection guidelines.
Students and staff must carry out the following hand hygiene practices:
- Wash hands routinely with soap (any kind) and water for at least 20 seconds
- Dry hands completely after washing. Use paper towels to dry hands if available instead of a hand dryer if they are available
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizer should be rubbed on the hands until it is completely absorbed. DO NOT dry hands if sanitizer is used.
Handwashing should occur:
- Before and after eating (e.g., snacks and lunch)
- After going to the restroom or after assisting a student with toileting
- After using a tissue
- Before and after using shared materials
- Before and after putting on or taking off face masks
- After coming in from the outdoors
- Anytime hands are visibly soiled
The COVID-19 virus spreads from person to person via respiratory droplets. Therefore, the district will continue to emphasize the importance of respiratory hygiene.
Students and employees must carry out the following respiratory hygiene practices:
- Face coverings are protective. Wearing a face covering will keep the respiratory droplets and aerosols from being widely dispersed into the air
- Cover a cough or sneeze using a tissue. If a tissue is used, it should be thrown away immediately
- If you don’t have a tissue when sneezing or coughing, sneeze into your elbow
- Wash your hands after sneezing or coughing
For more information about how hygiene information will be communicated to students, families and staff members, visit the Communication/Family and Community Engagement section of this plan.
Respiratory treatments administered by nurses generally result in aerosol of respiratory secretions. These aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) potentially put healthcare personnel and others at an increased risk for pathogen exposure and infection. The district requires the following PPE to be worn during AGPs: gloves, N-95 or KN-95 mask with face shield, eye protection and a gown.
PPE will be used when suctioning, administering nebulizer treatments, and when using peak flow meters with students who have respiratory conditions.
Treatments such as nebulized medication treatments and oral or tracheostomy suctioning will be conducted in a room separate from others with nursing personnel wearing appropriate PPE. For nebulizer treatments, if developmentally appropriate, the nurse will leave the room and return when the nebulizer treatment is finished.
Cleaning of the room will occur between use, and cleaning of the equipment shall be done following manufacturer’s instructions after each use.
The City School District of Albany continues to work in collaboration with our state and local health and education partners and medical professionals to review the latest COVID-19 guidance and recommendations. As new information is provided to us, we will update this document accordingly.
