SPPS will require masks for all people in a school setting (ages 2 and older), including all teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, unless they have a qualifying exemption. This will include indoor physical education classes and during meal times when not eating or drinking. Masks are also required on school buses. In general, people do not need to wear masks outdoors (e.g. recess).

Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own clean, well-fitting masks to school each day, including extras. Disposable masks are available at all schools and on buses for students who forget theirs.

SPPS will continue to create space for social distancing of 3 feet or more to the greatest extent possible.

SPPS will keep students and staff in small groups that stay together as much as possible throughout the day, and limit mixing between groups as much as possible in common spaces (during lunch, bathroom breaks, arrival and dismissal, free periods, recess).

Families should conduct a health screening every morning before sending their student to school or the bus stop. School staff will also monitor for symptoms throughout the school day. If your child is exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, do not send them to school, even if they are fully vaccinated. Report the absence to your child’s school and submit a report to the COVID-19 Reporting System the same day for next steps.

SPPS Health Screening:

Answer the following questions each morning before sending your child to school:

• Did my child recently test positive for COVID-19?
• Does my child have any of the COVID-19 symptoms listed above?
• Did my child have close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with someone who recently tested positive for COVID-19?

If you answered YES to any of the above:

• Do not send your child to school, report your child’s absence, and contact your child’s healthcare provider.
• Report your child’s symptoms or exposure using the online SPPS COVID-19 Reporting System.

SPPS uses a 10-day quarantine, after the last date of exposure, unless there are extenuating circumstances. A person cannot “test out” of quarantine even if they have a negative test. Quarantine letters will be sent to close contacts when there is a positive COVID-19 case and close contacts have been identified. 

People who are fully vaccinated (14 or more days after their vaccination series) OR have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days and have close contact with someone who has COVID-19 do not need to quarantine if they do not have any symptoms and meet other conditions. New for the 2021-22 school year, students will not be considered a close contact if both the positive student and the student contact were wearing a well-fitting mask, per MDH guidelines. Refer to the SPPS COVID-19 Communications Protocol for more information.

Quarantine is considered an excused absence. Teachers will share resources and materials through Seesaw/Schoology and other means for students who are home due to COVID. Teachers will not give direct instruction to students who are out of school for illness or quarantine. Students will have accommodations for extended deadlines or the option to make up work as needed.

SPPS will continue contact tracing through the 2021-22 school year. Contact tracing helps to slow the spread of COVID-19. Contact tracing means identifying and talking to people who are infected with COVID-19 and then identifying and talking to all the people they may have infected. Assigned seating will be required in all classrooms and lunch periods for all ages to help with this process.

SPPS is required to report confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Minnesota Department of Health. Confirmed cases will also be published to the SPPS COVID-19 Dashboard.

Lunch and breakfast will be free for all students for the 2021-22 school year. Individual schools/programs will determine if meals will be served in cafeterias and/or classrooms. Students and staff are required to wear masks when they are not eating or drinking. Assigned seating will be required during meals.

Breakfast to Go will continue, with pre-packaged meals to be eaten in the classroom. Lunch will be served in reusable containers with lids rather than on traditional lunch trays, and table decals will mark designated seating locations in cafeterias. Staff will monitor safety protocols throughout the lunch period, including lining up and dismissal.

Meal boxes are available for students who must miss in-person instruction due to COVID quarantine. Meal boxes will include five breakfasts and five lunches. Families must pre-register to pick up meal boxes. Click here to register. Pickup will take place each Friday from 10 a.m.-noon at 1930 Como Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108. Children do not need to be present to pick up meals.

Masks
Bus drivers and K-12 students are required to wear masks on the bus. Bus drivers have student masks available if needed.

Health Screening
Families are responsible for checking their student’s symptoms before they go to the bus stop.

Windows
Weather permitting, windows will be open to help increase air circulation.

In-state, day field trips will be allowed. No out-of-state, overnight or international trips are allowed at this time. The Como Planetarium will be available to SPPS students only.

Parents/guardians are welcome inside school buildings (we ask that families limit their visits to 15 minutes when possible). Outside visitors are allowed by appointment only. 

Activities that bring together large groups of people or activities that do not allow for social distancing, including assemblies, open houses and other indoor gatherings, will be limited. Group events, gatherings and meetings should be held online or outside, weather permitting, to the greatest extent possible.

Improved ventilation, daily building sanitation, and safety reminders posted throughout schools are some of the many steps being taken to ensure a safe return to school. SPPS buildings have air handling equipment that provides filtered outside air to occupied spaces such as classrooms, offices, gymnasiums, cafeterias and auditoriums to maintain good indoor air quality and comfort.

Air handling equipment is run at least one hour prior to occupancy each day to further flush out the buildings. During hot weather, the air handlers are also operated at night to help cool the building down. Rooms that do not have windows that can open are being provided with fresh air from the air handling systems and benefit from the changes outlined above. In spaces in which the district’s Indoor AIr Quality program has measured elevated levels of CO2, a standalone HEPA air purifier may be used.

Student Health and Wellness, Environmental Services Group (ESG), Security and Emergency Management, and custodial staff are working closely together to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Using EPA-approved disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2, custodial staff will significantly increase the wiping down and disinfecting of public spaces and high-touch surfaces across our buildings and throughout the school day. We will also provide greater access to cleaning materials for our teachers and staff so that they can clean and disinfect spaces, as needed.

Each evening, our custodial team will conduct a thorough cleaning of our spaces, again disinfecting high-touch surfaces like sinks, drinking fountains, door handles, tables and desks.

Hand hygiene routines will be built into the daily school schedule for all students and staff, including before and after meals, using the bathroom, recess, arrival and dismissal. Access to sinks and bathrooms will be staggered to minimize congregating. Any use of hand sanitizer by students will be supervised and sanitizer will be kept out of reach when not in use.

Water bottles will be provided to all students to minimize water fountain use.

The Minnesota State High School League and Minnesota Department of Education guidelines for athletics and activities continue to be updated regularly. Please refer to the MSHSL sport guidance and information for the most up-to-date information.

For more information, please visit spps.org/sports or contact your school's athletic director.