On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plans (ARP) Act was signed into law. In it, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III Fund). This legislation will award grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for providing local educational agencies (LEAs) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.

Wisconsin will receive $1,540,784,854 in ESSER III funds from the Act, with 90 percent being awarded to school districts with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in summer 2020 from funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The remaining funds will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19.

This plan describes how the LEA or district will provide a safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services for all schools, including those that have already returned to in-person instruction.

A district’s plan must include how it will maintain the health and safety of students, educators,  and other school and LEA staff, and the extent to which it has adopted policies or practices and a description of any such policies or practices on each of the CDC's safety recommendations including the universal and correct wearing of masks; modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (e.g., use of cohorts/podding); hand washing and respiratory etiquette; cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation; contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the state, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments; diagnostic and screening testing; efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff, and students, if eligible; appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies or practices; and coordination with state and local health officials.

Description on maintaining the safety of staff and students 

The School District of Mauston will begin the 2022-23 school year with a five-day per week, face-to-face instructional model and adhere to the following health protocols. Accordingly, the District will:   publish the COVID-19 pre-screening checklist and strongly encourage students and staff members to utilize the checklist before entering a school facility,  encourage staff members and students to stay home or go home if they are showing COVID-19 symptoms or if they have tested positive for COVID-19,  limit visitors and activities for non-essential purposes,  provide sanitizing stations throughout the building.

Description to continue to provide services regardless of the mode of instruction (for example, health and food services if the LEA must pivot to virtual or hybrid instruction)

The School District of Mauston will offer in-person learning five days a week according to the Board adopted 2022-2023 Academic Year Calendar. The school district has also provided families the option to enroll their students in virtual learning. In the event of school closure due to the pandemic, the district purchased Chromebooks and iPads for all students to continue learning in a remote learning model.   Regardless of the mode of instruction, the School District of Mauston will continue to provide meals under the community provision as long as USDA continues the allowance. Meals will be provided for summer school attendees as well as all eligible youth during the school year. If school is closed due to a pandemic, the district will assess its ability to distribute meals utilizing the same process it used during the spring of 2020. The School District of Mauston employs two full-time school nurses who will continue to offer health services in-person or virtually. The school district also partners with Pine Valley Services to provide mental health support for families.

Universal and correct wearing of masks

The Mauston School Board adopted a COVID Mitigation Plan on August 16, 2021.  Face coverings for students, staff and visitors are options, but recommended for those who are not vaccinated. Face coverings are made available in all buildings. The school board may revisit this policy if other mitigation measures taken by the District fail to minimize the spread of COVID.

Modify facilities to allow for physical distancing (for example, the use of cohorts and pods)

When public health determines that there is a need, mitigation measures such as proper signage, the installation of floor decals and water bottle filling stations, and the promotion of social distancing have been implemented at each facility. Staggered meal service and breakfast/lunch in the classroom will be implemented to support social distancing while ensuring adequate time for students to consume their meals. Individual schools will determine the cafeteria service that best suits the needs of their students. Cafeterias and/or classrooms may be used as settings for student meals.  

Students in grades 4K-8 are assigned to cohorts in their classes to minimize spread.  If public health conditions warrant the use of hybrid or distance instructional models these cohorts will be used. Transportation will comply with CDC guidelines regarding capacity that are in effect during the 2022-23 school year.

Handwashing and respiratory etiquette 

Handwashing and respiratory etiquette is taught to students with high emphasis in the primary grade levels. Signage is posted throughout buildings as reminders of handwashing and respiratory etiquette. 

In addition, hand sanitization stations/liquids are available in all classrooms.

Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation

Enhanced sanitation procedures have been implemented and continue at all schools focusing on high-touch surfaces. The District uses cleaning solutions that are rated to kill the SARS virus as part of normal clearing procedures. We will continue to maintain the same level of fresh air intake and filtering through our ventilation systems as we did during the 2021-22 school year.

 

Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the State, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments

Each school will continue to provide current health information to staff, students, and families about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, when they should stay home, and when they can return to school.

Diagnostic and screening testing 

The School District of Mauston recommends students and staff get tested for COVID by their medical provider or a local pharmacy. The turnaround time for results at the Clinic and Walgreens has been reduced to within 48 hours.

Efforts to provide vaccinations to educators, other staff, and students, if eligible

All eligible staff employed in 2022-23 are provided the opportunity to be vaccinated. Students ages 12 and older were provided access to an on-site vaccination clinic in the fall.  New staff will be given access to vaccinations by working with local healthcare partners and County Public Health.

Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies and practices  

When circumstances require specific policies or procedures designed to protect the health and safety of students, 504 and IEP teams will determine if modifications and/or reasonable accommodations are needed for individual students with disability-related issues.

Coordination with state and local health officials

The CDC recommends that all decisions about implementing school-based strategies should be made locally, collaborating with local health officials who can help determine the level of transmission in the community. The School District of Mauston continues to work with County Public Health to implement mitigating strategies for the safety of students and staff.

 

Districts must describe how the LEA will ensure continuity of services, including but not limited to services to address students' academic needs and students' and staff social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include student health and food services.

District response on continuity of services

 The District will provide for continuity of services as follows: 

Student Academic Needs

The School District of Mauston has implemented a summer school program to assist all K-12 students with academic recovery.  The District plans to continue full-time, in-person instruction beginning the fall of 2021, with limited exception. Additional instructional personnel has been added to staffing to implement further academic recovery efforts in core curriculum areas. These specialists will be available during the instructional day and during after-school tutoring programs throughout the year.

Student Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

Additional counseling staff has been added to the mental health staff to address our students’ social and emotional learning needs. 

Other Student Needs (which may include student health and food services)

Food services provided meals under the community provision as long as USDA allowed. Summer meals will be provided for summer school and all children aged 18 Monday - Friday with the exception of July 5, 2023. It is assumed that the USDA will continue community eligibility provision under the new school meal application.

Staff Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

The District has provided staff with opportunities for social and emotional support through post-school hour meetings with the counseling staff and nursing staff. The staff’s social, emotional, and mental health needs may also be addressed through the Employee Assistance Program provided through the District insurance program.

Other Staff Needs

The District will follow national, state, and local governing agencies’ laws and directives concerning staff employment and benefits.

Districts are required to review and, as appropriate, revise their Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan at least every six months through September 30, 2023, including seeking public input and taking such input into account in determining whether to revise the plan and, if revisions are determined necessary, on the revisions it makes to its plan. 

District response on ensuring periodic updates to its plan

Example response:  The School District of Mauston will periodically review and, as needed, revise the plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services. The plan will be reviewed at least every six months, and the school system will seek and take into account public input during the review process. Plan revisions will address updated CDC and County Public Health guidance on safely reopening schools if any are issued.

The ARP Act requires that school districts make their Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan available to the public online and that the plans be in an understandable and uniform format; to the extent practicable, are written in a language that parents can understand or, if not practicable, orally translated; and upon request by a parent who is an individual with a disability, provided in an alternative format accessible to that parent. Before making its plan publicly available, school districts must seek public comment on the plan and develop the plan after taking into account public comment.

District response on public input in the development of its plan

The School District of Mauston has taken the following steps to make its plan available to the public:

• The plan is posted on the school website.
• The plan is available in multiple languages through the use of our web provider powered by Google Translate. The plan is available in more than ten languages.
• The plan was sent to parents, students, and employees via our messaging systems.
• The plan was shared at the School District Board of Education meetings on August 16, 2021. An opportunity for public comment was available during the August 16, 2021 Board meeting.
• Upon request, a parent who is an individual with a disability as defined by the ADA may be provided with the plan in an alternative format accessible by contacting our district office.