The Jackson Parish School District has been working diligently on plans and procedures for reopening and providing services for our students this fall. The district is working with the Louisiana Department of Education as well as the Louisiana Department of Health to insure overall safety for faculty, staff, and students. We are currently making the appropriate adjustments to student meal services, bus transportation, capacity needs, and classroom assignments and scheduling.
Preparing for a Safe Start
In preparation for arrival of students and staff, maintenance and custodial staff are currently taking precautions with intense cleaning of all campuses within Jackson Parish; which includes incorporating regular cleaning protocols in place for all classrooms and high traffic areas in our facilities. Students are still allowed to bring their own water bottles to campus. Child Nutrition is preparing to serve student meals in modified formats including ‘grab and go’ meals to ensure minimal contact outside of classroom groups. Foodservice protocols may vary by school. According to health officials, the most important safety procedure is frequent hand washing. We will provide students many opportunities to either wash hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day.
Students who don’t feel well will be sent to the nurse’s office to be evaluated. It will be very important for
parents to monitor their child’s health on a daily basis by watching for symptoms of COVID-19. Do not send
students to school if they have a temperature of 99.4 or above or after administering fever reducing
medication.
What Can Parents Do Right Now?
There are certainly some things you can do right now to prepare for the opening of school in August.
1. Get your children face coverings. The state strongly recommends students in grades 3-12 wear face coverings and this will be highly recommended (unless changed by the Governor) in Jackson Parish Schools for grades 3-12 and adults to the greatest extent possible. Face coverings should be school-appropriate, and you will receive additional information from your schools on face coverings.
2. If you have moved, register your student at your new school as soon as possible. This will help us in making plans for classroom and transportation capacity, as well as staffing. Schools are open through the summer by appointment, please call ahead.
3. Be looking for more information coming from your child’s school concerning class schedules, transportation, school supplies, etc. Make sure your school has updated and correct contact information.
Transportation
Busses are allowed to operate at 100% capacity and as required by Presidential Executive Order No. 13999 on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel, all passengers on the school bus must wear a facial covering while using transportation, regardless of capacity. Windows should be kept open when it does not create a safety or health hazard. Seating charts should be created and consistently enforced.
Online Education
We will not be providing our Virtual Learning Academy for the 2021-22 Academic Year, unless you meet requirements for VIP if warranted by COVID-19 phases as noted below. All students will be required to attend classroom instruction face-to-face. There will be exceptions for temporary virtual status related to COVID-19. We continue to be grateful for your support and understanding throughout this year. Without your help and support, we would not have been as successful and overcome the challenges now and ahead. Thank you for allowing us to serve the children of our community.
The guidelines listed below will be used if the Governor or LDH places our state in any of these phases.
Phase 1
Instruction Maximum Group Size: 10 including adults
● All personnel report daily to assigned locations.
● Majority of students participate in virtual learning.
● Students receiving Special Education services will follow their individual IEP.
Transportation: Bus capacity will be 25% including adults.
● Masks are mandated on the school bus.
Meals: Meal distribution will follow Louisiana Department of Education Food Service Guidelines. Virtual learners will pick meals up Monday- Friday from 9:30 a.m.-10:15 p.m. or at a time scheduled by the individual school cafeteria manager. Face-to-face students will collect Grab-and-Go meals in the cafeteria and eat breakfast and lunch
in their designated classrooms. Classrooms will be sanitized and disinfected before and after each meal. Communication Students and parents/guardians are directed to check the Jackson Parish School board webpage https://www.jpsb.us/) as well as individual school webpages for the most updated information. Parents are also encouraged to participate in the J Campus Communication System to receive the most up-to-date information via text
message.
Attendance: Current Louisiana laws and policies relative to compulsory attendance, instructional minutes, and state assessments remain in place. Attendance restrictions are set by the state of Louisiana. Attendance will be recorded daily for all students. This applies to students who will be on campus or at home. Virtual Learners will login through the
Google G Suite and attendance will be taken through Google Classroom.
Safety:
● Schools are closed to non-essential visitors and non-essential personnel in accordance with BESE policy.
● Students and staff are required to wash hands upon arrival, every two hours, before and after eating, before and after using outdoor play equipment, and upon exiting the building.
● Schools will establish an area and protocol for isolating sick students. This area will be cleaned thoroughly after the student has gone home.
● In accordance with BESE guidelines, all adults and students in grades 3rd – 12th will be required to wear a mask or face covering of a solid color or school logo approved by the school principal.
● Upon entering the classroom each student’s symptoms will be assessed, including a temperature check.
Cleaning
● High-touched surfaces will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day, including bathrooms, using EPA-approved materials.
● School employees will be provided adequate access to hygienic supplies, including soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or spray, paper towels, and tissues.
● If a room is used by more than one group in a single day, high-touched surfaces contained in that room will be cleaned before and after use by each group.
Athletics:
Jackson Parish will follow the LHSAA Guidelines for athletics
Phase 2
Instruction
Maximum Group Size: 25 including adults
● All personnel report daily to assigned locations.
Pre-K-Grade 12
● Students remain with their assigned groups (static groups) and report to school Monday through Friday.
● All students will be required to attend face-to-face classroom instruction. There may be expectations for temporary virtual status related to COVID-19.
Transportation
Bus capacity will be 50% including adults.
● Masks are mandated on the school bus.
Meals
Face-to-face students will collect Grab-and-Go meals in the cafeteria and eat breakfast and lunch in their designated classrooms. Classrooms will be sanitized and disinfected before and after each meal. If virtual learning is reinstated, virtual students will pick meals up Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m.- 10:15 a.m. or at a time scheduled by
the individual school cafeteria manager.
Communication: Students and parents/guardians are directed to check the Jackson Parish School board webpage (https://www.jpsb.us/) as well as individual school webpages for the most updated information. Parents are also encouraged to participate in the J Campus Communication System to receive the most up-to-date information via text.
Attendance
Current Louisiana laws and policies relative to compulsory attendance, instructional minutes, and state assessments remain in place. Attendance restrictions are set by the state of Louisiana. Attendance will be recorded daily for all students. This applies to students who will be on campus or at home. Virtual Learners will login through the
Google G Suite and attendance will be taken through Google Classroom.
Safety
● Schools are closed to non-essential visitors and non-essential personnel in accordance with BESE policy.
● Students and staff are required to wash hands upon arrival, every two hours, before and after eating, before and after using outdoor play equipment, and upon exiting the building.
● Schools will establish an area and protocol for isolating sick students. This area will be cleaned thoroughly after the student has gone home.
● In accordance with BESE guidelines, all adults and students in grades 3rd – 12th will be required to wear a mask or face covering of a solid color or school logo approved by the school principal.
● Upon arrival each student’s symptoms will be assessed, including a temperature check.
Cleaning
● High-touched surfaces will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day, including bathrooms, using EPA-approved materials.
● School employees will be provided adequate access to hygienic supplies, including soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or spray, paper towels, and tissues.
● If a room is used by more than one group in a single day, high-touched surfaces contained in that room will be cleaned before and after use by each group.
Athletics:
Jackson Parish will follow the LHSAA Guidelines for athletics.
Phase 3
Instruction
Maximum Group Size: 50 including adults
● All personnel report daily to assigned locations.
● Students report to school Monday through Friday.
● All students will be required to attend face-to-face classroom instruction.
● There may be exceptions for temporary virtual status related to COVID-19.
Transportation
Bus capacity will be 75% including adults.
● Masks are mandated on the school bus.
Meals
Face-to-face students will collect Grab-and-Go meals in the cafeteria and eat breakfast and lunch in their designated classrooms. Classrooms will be sanitized and disinfected before and after each meal. If virtual learning is reinstated, virtual students will pick meals up Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m.- 10:15 a.m. or at a time scheduled by the individual school cafeteria manager.
Communication
Students and parents/guardians are directed to check the Jackson Parish School board webpage (https://www.jpsb.us/) as well as individual school webpages for the most updated information. Parents are also encouraged to participate in the J Campus Communication System to receive the most up-to-date information via text message.
Attendance
Current Louisiana laws and policies relative to compulsory attendance, instructional minutes, and state assessments remain in place. Attendance restrictions are set by the state of Louisiana. Attendance will be recorded daily for all students. This applies to students who will be on campus or at home. Virtual Learners will login through the Google G Suite and attendance will be taken through Google Classroom.
Safety
● Schools are closed to non-essential visitors and non-essential personnel in accordance with BESE policy.
● Students and staff are required to wash hands upon arrival, every two hours, before and after eating, before and after using outdoor play equipment, and upon exiting the building.
● Schools will establish an area and protocol for isolating sick students. This area will be cleaned thoroughly after the student has gone home.
● In accordance with BESE guidelines, all adults and students in grades 3rd -12th will be required to wear a mask or face covering of a solid color or school logo approved by the school principal.
● Upon arrival each student’s symptoms will be assessed, including a temperature check.
Cleaning
● High-touched surfaces will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day, including bathrooms, using EPA-approved materials.
● School employees will be provided adequate access to hygienic supplies, including soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or spray, paper towels, and tissues.
● If a room is used by more than one group in a single day, high-touched surfaces contained in that room will be cleaned before and after use by each group.
Athletics
Jackson Parish will follow the LHSAA Guidelines for athletics.
