The Collaborative Planning Team has put forth this proposal, for returning to in-person instruction with the following three goals in mind:

1. To protect the health, safety, and social emotional well-being of our students, faculty, and greater community while aiming to return to as normal of a school experience as possible
2. To offer an exceptional educational program that is in line and enriches the mission and vision of our EL Education school
3. To provide consistency and coherency for families by reducing disruption to student learning as much as possible as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the development of this plan, the team relied on a variety of data, research, guidance, and resources including (but not limited to) the following:

• U.S. CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
• Delta Variant: What we know about the Science
• COVID Data Tracker
• Maine CDC
• Webinar with Dr. Shah
• Maine Department of Education COVID-19 Toolkit
• Standard Operating Procedures (August 12, 2021)
• Maine Department of Education’s Return to In-Person Instruction Framework
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• AAP Masking Recommendations
• Consultation with our school doctor, Dr. Hanna

The CDC recommends a layered approach to mitigation including:

• Promoting vaccination
• Consistent and correct mask use
• Physical distancing
• Screening testing to promptly identify cases, clusters, and outbreaks
• Ventilation
• Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
• Staying home when sick and getting tested
• Contract tracing, in combination with isolation and quarantine
• Cleaning and disinfecting

“CDC recommends universal indoor masking, physical distancing to the extent possible, and additional prevention strategies to protect students, teachers, and staff. Schools should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement; layering multiple prevention strategies is essential when physical distancing of at least 3 feet is not possible at all times (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html#anchor_1625661937509).”

We recognize that no plan can eliminate all risks associated with COVID-19 and in-person instruction carries some inherent risks related to the virus. Our plan seeks to protect the health, safety, and social emotional well-being of our students, faculty, and greater community while aiming to return to as normal of a school experience as possible.

This plan will change as the situation with COVID evolves, and as combinations of mitigations strategies prove to be more or less effective.  The Collaborative Planning Team will meet monthly at a minimum to review data points and discuss the situation with our school doctor.

Questions and feedback are encouraged, and should be sent to Superintendent Emily Thompson at ethompson@westbathschool.org.

Collaborative Planning Team Members

Ida Beal – Classroom Teacher Patrick Bowdish – Technology Director Allison Cosgrove – School Counselor Laura Houghton – PE Teacher Melissa Johnson – RTI Teacher Jennifer Mitchell – School Nurse Stacey Samuelson – School Nurse Robin Taylor – Classroom Teacher Emily Thompson – Principal/Superintendent Kari Tracy – Educational Technician

Ad Hoc Members Sarah Bennett – Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Director Dr. Amina Hanna – School Doctor Keith Hinds – School Board of Directors, Chair/Parent

This plan was approved and adopted by the West Bath School Board of Directors on 8/18/21.

The School Board of Directors discussed health and wellness updates at each of their monthly school board meetings from 8/18/21 through 2/15/23 and made adjustments to the return to school plan as necessary.  The most recent review was 2/15/23.