The School District of Niagara will begin the 2021-22 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 free.
• Contract tracing will only happen when there is a positive test result. If the close contact is not exhibiting symptoms, they remain at school.
• Sanitizing stations are provided throughout the building.
• Continue daily cleaning throughout the building
• When travelling 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.

The School District of Niagara will offer in-person learning five days a week, according to the Board adopted 2021-2022 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 continue to provide meals under the community provision as long as USDA continues the allowance. 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.

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.

If a student  is considered a close contact, the school district will contact the parents/guardians of the student  to make them aware. As long as the student is asymptomatic, they can continue to attend school, but we do ask that the parents/guardians closely monitor the child's health.

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.

Please remember that masking is OPTIONAL on district grounds and in the district building; however, CDC guidelines/orders all passengers on public conveyances including school buses (e.g., airplanes, ships*, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares) traveling into, within, or out of the United States (including U.S. territories) as well as conveyance operators (e.g., crew, drivers, conductors, and other workers involved in the operation of conveyances), regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth.

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.

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. 

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

The School District of Niagara will continue contact tracing and transparent reporting to the board of education 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. Please contact the school nurse for contact tracing procedures.

The School District of Niagara recommends students and staff get tested for COVID by their medical provider or a local pharmacy.

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.

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.

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.

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, implemented during the 2020-2021 school year, beginning the fall of 2021, with limited exception. 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 provision as long as USDA continues the allowance. 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.

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.

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 plan was sent to parents, students, and employees via our messaging systems.
• The 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.