The information presented here is based upon guidance received from state and national authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Indiana Department of Health, Hamilton County Health Department, and the Indiana Department of Education. Please continue to refer to this page as COVID-19 information has been fluid and guidance continues to change. Due to these circumstances, the contents of this guide are subject to change and may be updated frequently.

• Students will attend school in-person, every school day and schools will be at full capacity, as in a normal school year.
• See information below regarding at-home (virtual) learning for the 2021-22 school year.
• Masks are mandatory in all WWS buildings for staff, students and visitors regardless of vaccination status.
• Masks will be required on buses per federal mandate.
• Visitors will be limited to our building front office areas only. Visitor access to the rest of our school building areas, including classrooms and lunchrooms, will be evaluated as the school year progresses. Masks are mandatory for all visitors regardless of vaccination status.
• School start times will return to normal hours, including the 30-minute delayed start on Wednesdays for professional development.
• For exact start times, click here.
• Physical distancing will be used to the greatest degree possible and areas in our buildings will be maximized for spacing. 
• WWS schools will host in-person back to school events/open houses.
• We will continue athletics and performing arts, with guidance from the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana State School Music Association.
• Students must attend school in person to participate in extracurricular activities.
• Clubs will meet in person
• Field trips will return, where/when possible, depending on venue/location guidelines.
• Water fountains will be open.
• Westfield Washington Schools will provide a link that includes the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 for public access.
• Any absences related to COVID-19 should be reported to buildings using the normal absence reporting procedures. Please report on the absence line if your child has tested positive or is being tested for COVID-19.

• Westfield Washington Schools has partnered with outside organizations for virtual learning options for grades K-12. 
• Indiana Digital Gateway Academy (grades K-6)
• Indiana Online Academy (grades 7-12)
• Options Indiana (grades 7-12)
• Students who choose the at-home (virtual) learning option must unenroll from WWS and will not be able to participate in student activities that are sponsored by Westfield Washington Schools, such as sports, clubs, band and other extracurricular activities.

• Parents who would like to utilize at-home learning MUST complete the At-home (Virtual) Learning Information form to start the process. Only fill out this form if you are choosing the virtual option. If, at any point, families want to switch from in-person to a virtual platform, K-6 families should speak with their building principal and 7-12 students will need to speak with their counselors. If you would like to switch from a virtual option to in-person learning, contact Dr. Stacy McGuire at 317.867.8024 or mcguires@wws.k12.in.us.

• Elementary Lunch Seating
  Elementary school students will have assigned seats at each table aligned with their classroom cohort. Breakfast will still be available. 

• WIS Lunch Seating
  Lunch will go on as normal with assigned seats by the homeroom teacher. Students will be seated with their homerooms. Lunch seating assignments will be adjusted at the end of the quarter. Breakfast will still be available in a variety of locations. Students will eat in their assigned seats in their homerooms.  

• WMS Lunch Seating
  Students will have assigned seats in the cafeteria and will be spaced as far apart as possible. Breakfast will still be available.

• WHS Lunch Seating
  WHS will use all of their lunch spaces this year so that students can spread out and physically distance. There will be many options available where students will be able to eat on their own or with small groups. There will be multiple opportunities to spread out.  Breakfast will still be available.

• All classrooms will be disinfected every evening. During each school day, custodians will be spot disinfecting high touch point areas.
• Prior to the return of students to the classrooms, we will ensure that each classroom contains the following:
  • 10 oz. bottle of hand sanitizer that will be refilled nightly
  • Bottle of spray soap and water to be used on student desks, tabletops, countertops, and any non-electric, high-touch surface which will be refilled nightly.

Keeping hands clean is especially important to help prevent the virus from spreading.

Screening

Parents need to be attentive to the daily health of their children and should ensure their child is symptom free and safe to attend school each day. School staff should also ensure they are symptom free before coming to school/work. 
Parents should screen students each morning before leaving for school for the following: 

• Fever of 100+ degrees
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• Muscles or body aches
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Nasal Congestion/Runny Nose
• Headache - particularly new, severe, especially with fever
• New loss of taste or smell

If a student or staff member exhibits a potential COVID-19 symptom, the parent/guardian \must evaluate whether or not the symptom is typical based on their medical history and use good judgement regarding school attendance. If the symptom is not typical, the student or staff member should be evaluated by a health care provider. If the symptoms are not typical, the student or staff member should be evaluated by a health care provider.  

• The student or staff member can return to school with one of the following:
• A note from the healthcare provider with the date when ok to return to school/work
• A copy of the negative test result if the healthcare provider recommends a COVID test, as long as the student or staff member is fever free for at least 24 hours and symptoms are improving. 

A student or staff member who is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test cannot return to school until results of the test are confirmed to be negative or positive. Siblings and household members should stay home from school until test results are known. If the results are positive, siblings will need to quarantine at home (see close contacts/Quarantines).

In the event of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, students/parents should report the positive case to their school. It will be important for parents to communicate with school immediately if their child tests positive for COVID-19 even if they are not showing symptoms. They will need to remain home according to the Indiana Department of Health for 10 days following the start of symptoms or the positive test date AND fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication AND symptoms improving.

• The school will notify parents if their child is a close contact to a confirmed positive COVID-19 case.
• A close contact is defined as anyone who was within 3 feet for at least 15 minutes of an infected person who receives a positive test result (except for lunch and performing arts (choir, band, etc.)  where a close contact will be within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes of an infected person who receives a positive test result)
• Identified close contact students and staff members who are fully vaccinated (exposure occurred 2 weeks after the second dose of the vaccine) and who do not have any symptoms are not required to quarantine, if they provide proof of vaccination.
• Identified close contact students and staff members who have been COVID-19 positive within the past 90 days are not required to quarantine if they do not have any symptoms. 
• Options for identified close contacts returning to school from quarantine for asymptomatic individuals are as follows:
  • Your child can return on day 11 after a 10-day quarantine as long as remaining asymptomatic.
  • Your child can return on day 8 with a negative PCR or rapid tests results administered day 5, or 6 or, 7 post exposure result administered during days 5-7 post exposure or a rapid test administered on day 8 as long as remaining asymptomatic and provides a copy of the negative test result to school. No at-home COVID-19 tests will be accepted.
• Your child can return immediately if you provide proof of full vaccination or proof of COVID-19 positive in the past 90 daysChildren/siblings of a positive case must stay home, quarantine and monitor for symptoms until quarantine requirements are completed.
• Seating charts will be maintained in all classrooms, cafeterias, and school buses so that contact tracing can be conducted.

Bus Transportation will be provided, with precautions. Per federal order, masks are required on buses for students and drivers. In addition to wearing masks, bus drivers will be assigning seats for every student on every school bus. All siblings and household members will be required to sit together. Students will be prohibited from riding a friend’s bus home and may only ride their assigned bus. Buses will be cleaned and disinfected after AM and PM routes. As always, bus routes will be set and released a few days before the start of school.