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.

Maintaining Health and Safety

Overview

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 Niagara 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.

Students and staff members are encouraged to stay home or go home if they are showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Parents will be notified if their child is showing symptoms while at school. The parents will be asked to pick up their child.
Students and staff members that have tested positive for COVID-19 are required to leave the building.
Students and staff can return to school when they are symptom and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
Sanitizing stations are provided throughout the building.
Continue daily cleaning throughout the building
When traveling to other schools for events, we will follow the host school’s guidelines. Our coaches and advisors will update our students and parents on these procedures before we travel to these sites.

Description to continue to provide services regardless of the mode of instruction

The School District of Niagara will offer in-person learning five days a week, according to the Board adopted 2022-2023 Academic Year Calendar. In the event of school closure due to the pandemic, the district will provide virtual learning opportunities using district purchased electronic devices.

Regardless of the mode of instruction, the School District of Niagara will provide meals under the Community Eligibility Program. 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 Niagara employs one full-time school nurse who will continue to offer health services in-person. The school district also partners with Pathways to Healing Counseling Center, LLC to provide mental health services to students.

Mitigation Measures

Masking will be optional

The School District of Niagara will begin the school year with masking OPTIONAL. As a district, we will continue to monitor the state, CDC, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services requirements.

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID, they will be required to quarantine based on CDC requirements.

Continued teamwork will allow us to keep our district open. We ask that if a student or staff member is showing any symptoms of illness, namely cold or flu-like symptoms, that they remain home and contact their family doctor.

Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (for example, the use of cohorts and podding)

Mitigation measures such as proper signage, water bottle filling stations, and the promotion of social distancing have been implemented throughout the building. Extended and/or staggered meal service will be implemented to support social distancing while ensuring adequate time for students to consume their meals. Additional cafeteria space has been made available to assist with social distances. Classrooms may be used as settings for student meals.

Students will be assigned to cohorts in the Skyward student management system if public health conditions warrant the use of hybrid or distance instructional models.

Handwashing and respiratory etiquette

The school district encourages proper hygiene and frequent handwashing which is taught at the primary grade levels. We also have sanitizer stations for students and staff throughout the building and in the classrooms to use frequently. We do promote our instructors to allow students to have sanitizing breaks. The school district has recently installed bottle fillers for students to stay hydrated and minimize the use of a bubbler.

Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation

Enhanced sanitation procedures have been implemented and continue at all schools focusing on high-touch surfaces.

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

The School District of Niagara will continue transparent reporting to the board of education when needed of COVID-19 cases and staff quarantines within the District. The School District 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 Niagara recommends students and staff get tested for COVID by their medical provider or a local pharmacy.

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

The school district works with our local health care providers to offer staff opportunities to get vaccinated. We also work with our county health officials to make sure that vaccinations are available and appointments can be made for any additional boosters, etc. All eligible staff were provided the opportunity to be vaccinated.

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 continues to work with County Public Health to implement mitigating strategies for the safety of students and staff.

Continuity of Services

Overview

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 Niagara 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, for the 2022-2023 school year. Additional instructional opportunities such as a Middle School and High School math intervention, increased elementary intervention, and the district created a “9th hour” for students in need of credit recovery have been implemented during the 2021-2022 school year. The School District also offers after school tutoring to support students' academic loss. Our district provided Chromebooks to grades 2-12 during the 2021-2022 school year.

Student Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

Additional contracted counseling 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 will continue to provide meals under the Community Eligibility Program. Meals will be provided for summer school attendees as well as all eligible youth during the school year. The school district has also increased the hours of the school nurse to assist with student and staff health issues.

Staff Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

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.

Periodic Review

Overview

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

The School District of Niagara 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.

Public Input

Overview

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 Niagara has taken the following steps to make its plan available to the public:

The plan is posted at www.niagara.k12.wi.us
The plan is available in multiple languages through the use of our web provider powered by Google Translate.
The initial plan was shared at the School District of Niagara Board of Education meetings on January 24th 2022. An opportunity for public comment was available during the January 24, 2022, 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.