COVID-19

https://www.nsd.org/covid19/protocols

Below are our current answers to FAQs:

Our Prime Directive at this time is to "minimize congregation".

Masks

• All staff, students, and guests must wear masks indoors at school (including during PE) and on busses. The mask must fully cover the mouth and nose at all times other than when eating or drinking.
• Except when physically distanced more than six feet, and/or during a passing period, the District will require the use of face coverings outdoors during the school day. Masks shall be required for outdoor PE classes. When teaching outdoor classes, PE teachers will make allowances for students to take socially distanced mask breaks.
• Students will provide a cloth face covering from home.
• See CDC Guidance on face coverings.
• Students may remove masks to eat and drink, and must replace them immediately upon finishing and before leaving the eating area.

Masks should:

• Cover the nose and mouth and stay in place while talking and moving around (look for masks with a nose wire)
• Be thick enough fabric or multi-layered so that light is not visible through the fabric

Masks should not:

• Have exhalation vents
• Be single-layered fabric
• Be gaiter-style mask
• Have gaps around the sides of the face or nose
• Be worn if wet or dirty

Food Safety/Sanitation

• Students will sanitize their hands as they enter the lunchroom or service area.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be set up in each food service serving space.
• Standard sneeze guard/food covering requirements will be in effect.
• Standard cleaning/sanitizing requirements will be followed in the kitchen and lunchroom areas.

Lunch Lines - Physical Distancing/Masks

• Maximize distance between students to the degree possible when masks cannot be worn, such as when eating lunch.
• 3 ft physical distancing will be required in lunch lines, to the degree possible.
• Stickers will be adhered to the floor for appropriate distancing markers.
• Designated walking paths will be marked where necessary.
• Masks are required by staff and students in the lunch line.

Outside Eating Option

• Skyview will have large covered spaces with tables for students to each lunch (in addition to the cafeteria).
• Both outside and inside eating areas will be supervised by school personnel and administrators.

One Way Entrances and Exits

Skyview will have one way entrances and exits in each of our buildings.

Visitors on School Grounds

• Northshore School District Buildings are open to staff, parents as well as essential volunteers & business partners.
• All persons in district buildings must be wearing appropriate masks upon entry and at all required times
• Visitors must sign-in at the main office with phone number/email
• As mandated by Governor Jay Inslee, all K-12 and early learning educators, school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers and others working in school facilities must be fully vaccinated by October 18, 2021.

Contact Tracing

• Staff/students are asked to notify their school/department staff of positive test results so exposure risks to any potential close contacts can be determined.
• Building COVID Supervisors will initiate the Positive Case COVID Response Protocol immediately upon report of any positive COVID test.
• The response procedure includes contact tracing measures in order to identify anyone who had close contact with an infected person while they were contagious (two days prior to the start of symptoms OR the date of positive confirmatory test result).
• Any close contacts are informed of the potential exposure and advised to stay home (quarantine) for 14 calendar days as per recommendations of local health authorities.

Notifying Families of a Positive Test

• In the event of a confirmed case, schools will notify all families and staff via email.
• All notifications, and communications made by the school district will be completed in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including confidentiality requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Schools will communicate close contact cases to only those individuals who came in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
• This communication will be sent via email, text message and phone call.

Drinking Water

• Drinking fountains will continue to be off limits for students.
• Water will be available to students to fill water bottles through such means as classroom faucets, water bottle filling stations or water dispensing stations.

Physical Education

Based on the Washington DOH K-12 COVID-19 requirements for 2021-2022 School Year, Physical Education (PE) classes are considered curricular classes (not sporting activities).

Students and staff must all wear masks indoors during PE classes.

Except when physically distanced more than six feet, and/or during a passing period, the District will require the use of face coverings outdoors during the school day. Masks shall be required for outdoor PE classes. When teaching outdoor classes, PE teachers will make allowances for students to take socially distanced mask breaks.

In support of student and family safety, it is our goal to provide strong communication around safety protocols and procedures. Part of this transparent communication includes notification in the event of a positive COVID test of a person here on campus. You will be notified by text, phone, and email if your student is considered a close contact to someone that has tested positive for COVID-19 at Skyview Middle School.

To best assist us in keeping students safe by contacting Skyview Middle School immediately if your student is identified as a close contact or tests positive for COVID-19.

Please Contact:
Jennifer Celms (Nurse) - jcelms@nsd.org or
Nico Bonder (Assistant Principal/Covid Supervisor) - nbonder@nsd.org

A Close Contact Is defined as a person matching any of the following descriptions:

• Living in the same household as a person with COVID-19
• Caring for a person with COVID-19
• Being within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for a combined total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period*, OR
• Being in direct contact with saliva or other body secretions from a person with COVID-19 (e.g., being coughed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.).

* In a K-12 indoor classroom, the close contact definition excludes students who were at least three feet (3 ft.) away from an infected student when

(a) both students were wearing face coverings/masks and
(b) other prevention strategies were in place. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

The information below describes what parents/guardians should expect to happen if their student(s) is considered a close contact to someone that has tested positive for COVID-19.

My child is unvaccinated and a close contact:

• You will be asked to keep your student home, in “quarantine”, and away from other people until a specified date.

• Watch for COVID-19 symptoms (see list below).

• Your child should not attend school, child care, or participate in other social or community activities during quarantine.

• Your child’s siblings and other household members do not have to quarantine unless your child develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19.

• Inform the SMS attendance line that your student will be in quarantine through (the specified date) at smsattendance@nsd.org.

• Participate in a public health interview. Public Health contact tracers may reach out to you by text or phone call because your child may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. They will share information about what to do and what support is available. They will always keep your information confidential. Contact tracers will never ask for money, bank or credit card information, passwords, or immigration status.

My child is vaccinated and a close contact:

**Students who are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after last vaccination dose) do not need to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure. Vaccinated students will be required to send a copy of their vaccination card to jcelms@nsd.org & nbonder@nsd.org to avoid quarantine. Watch for symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, follow the COVID-19 Return to Work/School Flow Chart.

Should my child be tested for COVID-19 if they are a close contact?

Yes! They should be tested no sooner than day three after exposure and ideally between day 5-7 after exposure. Call your medical provider to be tested or go to a free testing site. Free testing sites can be accessed by following these links:

• https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/testing.aspx
• https://www.snohd.org/549/Additional-Testing-Resources
• ​​​​If your child’s test result shows that they have COVID-19, please notify jcelms@nsd.com as soon as possible.
• If your child’s test is negative, they must still quarantine until (specified date), unless fully vaccinated. A negative test does not necessarily mean your child does not have COVID-19. The test result only means that they did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing.

What are the common symptoms of COVID-19?

Most COVID-19 cases are mild with fever and cough. Adults and children with COVID-19 have reported the following symptoms or combinations of symptoms, which may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:

• Fever of 100.4°F / 38°C or higher
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Muscle pain or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Other signs of new illness that are unrelated to a preexisting condition (such as seasonal allergies)

This list does not include all possible symptoms. Please talk to your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

If your child is placed on quarantine by Snohomish County Department of Health or Skyview Middle School, please notify the Skyview Attendance Office: smsattendance@nsd.org

Close Contact Quarantine Guidelines
As a reminder, the Northshore School District spans two counties and multiple cities. Based on confirmations from health officers in both Public Health - Seattle & King County and the Snohomish County Health District, we will be using this flowchart to guide decisions for close contact quarantines.

Additionally, Public Health Seattle & King County also states that fully vaccinated people (two weeks after last vaccination dose) with no symptoms do not need to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure. Watch for symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, follow the flowchart. You can find more updated quarantine and COVID-19 protocols that align with our health departments here.

Batch Test Quarantine Guidelines
Any fully vaccinated person in a positive batch does not have to quarantine but does need a confirmatory negative test within three days of positive batch notification. Any unvaccinated person in a positive batch does have to quarantine and has to remain in quarantine until they receive a confirmatory negative test.

Students who must quarantine as a result of COVID-19, may receive additional academic support by clicking on the Quarantine Learning Support link that is on your school's website with students and their families. We now have support available for both elementary and secondary students.

To access the materials, students must be logged into their Northshore account: studentID@apps.nsd.org

Our STS Andrea Flemming is available to help families who may need assistance remembering their child's Northshore student ID, or who may need assistance utilizing their student's iPad or Chromebook.

Andrea Flemming - aflemming@nsd.org

On Monday, Sept. 20, the Northshore School District will launch the COVID-19 testing program for all students grades K-12. All students will be tested weekly, unless a parent or guardian completes an opt-out form. As the name “batch” suggests, everyone in a classroom or cohort puts their test samples together in a batch vial with no names or personally identifiable information.

Skyview Middle School COVID-19 "Batch" Testing will take place every Monday during Advisory.

A few key points to emphasize:

• Students in Grades K-12 will test weekly
• Your child will be tested unless you opt out your child by clicking on this link
• The opt out form asks you to enter your student’s ID number. This can be found on each student’s identification card above the barcode, as well as on the student’s report card. You can also view it by logging in to ParentVUE or by contacting the school’s main office.
• If you wish to opt your student out of testing, you must complete the opt-out form no later than 10 a.m. the day before our school’s scheduled test day which is Monday.
• If a student or staff member is opted out of testing, but their cohort has a positive COVID test result, they may still be required to quarantine for 14 days

Your student’s participation will help us keep transmissions in our school buildings low so we can keep school buildings open. Thank you for your consideration.

How can my child attend school?

Unfortunately, Northshore School District is not offering a virtual option at this time. Students who have to quarantine should be checking Schoology daily to retrieve their assignments.

• Parents and students can log into Schoology through Clever by CLICKING HERE

• Teachers will post learning materials for student(s) to access in Schoology.

• Student(s) will access materials in SeeSaw (if used) or Schoology and engage in the activities asynchronously.

• Student(s) will access support from teacher before or after school, or at other mutually agreed times if necessary.

• Student(s) receiving services through Special Education will be supported to the extent possible based on accommodations in their IEP.

When Quarantine Occurs For Any Student:

When a teacher is notified that any student(s) is quarantined, the teacher will place instructional materials in Schoology within two school days following notification of the quarantine.

How to Prepare for Quarantine:

• NSD is now a 1:1 District. Therefore, all students should have received a District Chromebook. Please check with your student and ensure that they have received there NSD assigned Chromebook.
• Ensure you have a hotspot if needed for internet access at home.
• Please contact Andrea Fleming, Skyview STS, if you have any questions.
• afleming@nsd.org

Mobile vaccines will start Monday, Sept. 20 for middle and high school students. Multiple teams from the Shoreline Fire Department will administer the Pfizer vaccine for all students who are 12 years of age and older and would like to be vaccinated. Please know that the COVID-19 vaccination is not mandated by the District. Families who are interested in having their student receive the Pfizer vaccine at one of these clinics, must complete a registration form. In order to plan accordingly, all registrations for Monday’s clinic must be submitted by noon on Sunday, September 19. Registration must be submitted by noon the day before the scheduled date for each clinic. If a clinic isn’t scheduled at a student’s school, families can register them for the vaccine at another school. Students attending the clinic, who are not already learning in-person on the designated campus, need to arrive within the first 30 minutes of the scheduled clinic time to ensure there is enough time to administer the vaccine and have at least a 15-minute waiting period after receiving the dose. More information can be found on our District webpage.

Dates for Skyview Middle School:

9/30/21 - 9-10 A.M.

10/21/21 - 9-10 A.M.