COVID-19: Gillen Brewer's Response

• All staff have been filling out Health Surveys every Friday since we began working remotely on March 14th, 2020.

• Staff will be screened daily for fever, symptoms, and exposure each morning. Those who do not pass screening will not attend school that day and will follow up with an outside healthcare provider (NP/MD) for further guidance. 

• Students will be screened daily for fever, symptoms, and exposure prior to entry into the building. Those who do not pass screening will not attend school that day and will follow up with an outside healthcare provider (NP/MD) for further guidance. 

• Staff and students with known exposure to a positive COVID-19 case will seek guidance (with help from the nursing department) from the NYC Department of Health regarding recommendations for testing and/or self-isolation depending on the particular situation.

Staying home when sick is one of the most crucial steps of effective re-entry. The Sick Policy will be thoroughly and repeatedly communicated with both staff and families. COVID-19 symptoms may vary in presentation and severity and may include, but are not limited to: fever/chills, shortness of breath, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, headache, fatigue, runny nose/congestion, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. 

• Students who exhibit an onset of a COVID-19 symptom during the day will be given a medical mask to wear. The student will be isolated in the nursing office with plans for caregiver pick up within one hour. Parents will be instructed to consult a healthcare provider to determine the need for the student to be tested. 

• Staff who exhibit an onset of a COVID-19 symptom during the day will leave the building with instructions to receive guidance from a healthcare provider to determine the need for testing. 

In the event of a positive COVID-19 case within our staff or student population, GBS will work with the Department of Health and the New York State Contact Tracing Program to ensure that contact tracing is performed. We will then assist them in notifying and educating those in our community who are required to quarantine or isolate accordingly. We will fully follow these protocols while maintaining the confidentiality of health information for our community members. Our students and staff will be grouped into cohorts with minimal contact between cohorts in order to ensure the highest degree of safety and to make contact tracing easier in the event of a positive case. 

In the event of a positive case, GBS will follow CDC guidelines. All communications will be initiated by the Nursing Department.

• If anyone who has been in the building tests positive: 

  • The Nursing Department will contact the DOH 

  • School will close for two to five days to allow for DOH to contact trace and assess our individual situation 

  • GBS will follow DOH guidelines at minimum, and may choose to take additional precaution

  • Direction from DOH could depend on the number of people in the building, and other variables specific to GBS

  • Possibilities may include:

    • The initial short-term building dismissal for two to five days, may be changed to an extended period of time

      • Transition all students to online learning until further guidance is available 

      • The Nursing Department informs parents in the affected group via email (ex: "there was a positive COVID case in X cohort/classroom"). The email will include the DOH recommendation, and our specific plan 

  • The Nursing Department informs the entire GBS community (all staff, all parents) via email and SchoolReach messenger that there is a positive case, and that the school will close for two to five days and cease all operational activity to allow the DOH to contact trace. The specific cohort affected will be additionally notified

  • Once DOH has made their assessment and given the school guidance, an email update will be sent to the GBS community

In conjunction with DOH guidelines, the Nursing Department has developed COVID-19 protocols and will act as the main contact upon identification of positive COVID-19 symptoms. In order for a staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19 (regardless of if they had symptoms or not) to return to school: 

• They must have documentation of a negative COVID-19 test 

• Ten days must have elapsed since onset of symptoms (if symptomatic) or since positive test (if asymptomatic) 

• They must be cleared from isolation by Department of Health 

In order for a staff member who exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 but tested negative to return to school: 

• They must have documentation of a negative COVID-19 test 

• They must have documentation of evaluation by healthcare provider 

• Symptoms must have resolved 

 If an employee has had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 for a prolonged period of time AND is experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, the employee may return to work upon completing at least 10 days of isolation from the onset of symptoms.

• • The New York State Department of Health considers a close contact to be someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes starting from 48 hours before illness onset until the time the person was isolated. The local health department should be contacted if the extent of contact between an individual and a person suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 is unclear.

• If an employee has had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 for a prolonged period of time AND is not experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, the employee may return to work upon completing 14 days of self-quarantine.

In order for a student who has tested positive for COVID-19 (regardless of if they had symptoms or not) to return to school: 

• They must have documentation of a negative COVID-19 test 

• They must be cleared from isolation by Department of Health 

In order for a student who exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 but tested negative for COVID-19 to return to school: 

• They must have documentation of a negative COVID-19 test 

• They have have documentation of evaluation by healthcare provider 

GBS is committed to providing a safe environment for all staff members. In order to mitigate the risk of spreading and contracting illnesses, including COVID-19, GBS will provide PPE for all staff.

GBS will supply staff with cloth face coverings, clear face shields, gloves, and cleaning supplies. These materials will be made available on a daily basis. PPE will not be shared.

• Cloth face coverings are to be worn throughout the day by staff and students. 

• Medical masks are to be worn by:

  • Any person who begins to exhibit possible COVID-19 symptoms and needs to be isolated, and will take the place of any cloth covering that was worn prior to onset of symptoms

  • Nurse or trained staff who will participate in morning screening 

• Face shields are to be worn by:

  • Nurses when assessing a child at a close distance (e.g., checking a throat)

  • Those assisting in screening (optional) 

  • Those assisting students with toileting (optional) 

• Gloves must be worn by any staff member who is handling or cleaning blood or other bodily fluids, including assisting a student with toileting

• Polycarbonate Wellness Screens are clear dividers that provide a protective barrier between people, and will be used in the classrooms and offices to provide a barrier between people when necessary

• Visitors must abide by the school’s PPE guidelines. Anyone entering the school for maintenance will need to pass the health screening, supply their own PPE and submit an overview of their PPE to the Facilities Manager, who will ensure that it meets city, state and GBS guidelines

Health and Safety Guidelines for Wearing Face Coverings

Due to our limited ability to socially distance, given our student population and the nature of work, all students and staff are required to wear face coverings when inside the building, and during any school related activity outside of the building where achieving or maintaining social distancing is not possible. Face coverings are used to create a barrier to decrease the spread of viruses, including COVID-19. 

GBS will provide face coverings for individuals who need them. Staff and students are also encouraged to wear their own cloth face coverings that they feel comfortable with, as long as they meet CDC guidelines. 

Per CDC, when one is choosing a face covering, consideration should be made that: 

• • The mouth and nose are fully covered

  • The covering fits snugly against the sides of the face so there are no gaps 

  • You do not have any difficulty breathing while wearing the cloth face covering

  • The cloth face covering can be tied or otherwise secured to prevent slipping

Face coverings are required for all students and staff. Face coverings can be removed when students and staff are eating and/ or drinking and they are following social distancing guidelines. Additionally, when students are on the rooftop play terrace and social distancing can be maintained, face coverings can be removed.

How to Properly Handle a Fabric Face Covering:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face covering

2. Inspect the face covering to ensure it is not dirty or damaged

3. Using the ear loops or tie place the face covering on your face

4. The face covering must fully cover your nose, mouth and chin 

5. Adjust the face covering to your face, leaving no gaps around the edges

6. Avoid touching the face covering while wearing it

7. Change the face covering when it gets dirty or wet

8. Prior to removing the face covering clean your hands first

9. Remove the face covering by touching the straps behind the ears, do not touch the front of the face covering

10. As you remove the face covering pull it away from your face

11. Clean your hands after taking off the face covering

12. If you need to reuse your face covering store it in a clean bag or bin

13. Wash fabric face covering in soap or detergent and hot water daily

14. Do not share face covering

Face Covering Storage

When students and staff remove their face coverings they will place the face covering in an open plastic container. The face covering must be removed by the ear loops and placed into the container in a folded position, like a book, so the area that touches the face is not exposed and the outside of the face covering is face down in the plastic container. Every staff member and student will have their own container to hold their individualized face covering. The container must be labeled with the individuals full name, letter link and/or photo for identification purposes. Soiled or used face coverings will be stored in a plastic resealable bag that is waterproof and labeled as “dirty face covering bag.” This bag will remain inside the personalized student “Cubby Bin.” Since we cannot use anything that has been soiled, the soiled face coverings will be sent home daily to be washed by families. It is expected that new face coverings are sent in to replace the soiled face coverings when needed. New clean face coverings will be stored in a resealable plastic bag clearly labeled as the “clean face covering bag.” 

Health and Safety Guidelines for Handwashing

Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Students and staff are expected to wash their hands frequently throughout the school day and this should be part of each student’s daily schedule. All sinks in the classroom (counter sink and bathroom sink) and portable sinks will be available for student handwashing with teacher supervision, when necessary.

Key Times to Wash Hands:

• Before, during, and after preparing or eating food

• Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because that’s how germs enter our bodies

• Before and after treating a cut or wound

• Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea

• After using the toilet

• After changing diapers or assisting someone in the bathroom

• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

• After handling pet food, touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

• After touching garbage

• After you have been in a public place and touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, or electronic cashier registers/screens, etc.

Follow these five steps every time:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Sing the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.

4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean paper towel or air dry them.

Using Hand Sanitizer

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, staff and students will use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. The product label will indicate whether a sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol.

How to use hand sanitizer:

• Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand.

• Rub your hands together.

• Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This should take around 20 seconds.

Health and Safety Guidelines for Student Injuries

To limit hallway traffic and mixing cohorts, minor first aid will be done inside the classroom by the classroom staff. Each classroom will be equipped with a First Aid Kit containing bandaids and disposable ice packs. These will be restocked by the nursing office. Classroom staff will care for minor cuts, scrapes, or bruises. Once a student is treated in the classroom with a bandaid or ice pack, the teacher must notify the nurse via email or phone call within one hour of the injury. The Nursing Office will be reserved for students who need to be assessed for illness or have an injury that needs further medical assessment and intervention (e.g., a bump to the head, a cut with blood). Any child who bumps their head must be seen by a nurse immediately, no matter how minor it may seem. Students are not allowed to sleep in the classroom since sleeping children are not allowed to wear face coverings. When a child is tired and expresses the need to rest, the teaching staff should contact the nursing staff for guidance.

Health and Safety Guidelines for Dispensing Student Medication 

Students who receive daily medication, as prescribed by their doctor, will continue to receive it during the school day. When available, the nurse will deliver the medication to each child in the hallway in front of the classroom door. When a nurse is not available to leave the office, they will administer the medication in the hallway in front of her office. Timing for medication will be arranged between the nursing and classroom staff based on the doctor’s orders and the school schedule.

GBS is a dynamic institution and the staff are always engaging in vigorous discussions about the needs of each student both in regards to their classroom functioning and within their family constellation. Reflection upon what works and what needs to be improved in order to enhance development in all domains is ongoing, as we strive to help students develop lacking or lagging skills. Partnering with its families is a cornerstone of the GBS philosophy and mission and parents/caregivers are considered members of the therapeutic team. This partnership is essential for better understanding the whole child and family systems and for building generalization of newly learned skills.  Staff and families are used to being challenged to think outside the box and to be flexible, so the GBS leadership and staff were well-situated to face and think through how to best meet the unprecedented challenges being presented by the current global pandemic, civic unrest resulting from systemic racial injustice, and the economic downturn within its community. 

GBS has always made social-emotional well-being a top priority. It knows children cannot be available for learning if they are not in a space that makes them feel safe mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. GBS knows families require support to deal with the myriad of issues that arise as a result of having a child with special needs. It also knows the stress this work can have on staff, and thus pays attention to the social and emotional well-being of its staff. Therefore, in addition to what GBS does on a daily basis, they have been able to further support the psychological well-being of its students, families, and staff during this COVID- 19 pandemic in a variety of ways, as the shift was made to remote learning. Conversation has been ongoing and plans are being made on how to further support all constituencies for the possibility of school physically reopening.

The school’s robust counseling department includes five psychologists; four of the psychologists work directly with the students to provide ongoing individual and group therapy, as well as work in an integrated fashion with the rest of the classroom therapeutic team to infuse social-emotional learning and mental health support into all aspects of the program. The fifth psychologist directs the school’s Family Program, providing direct support to parents and caregivers through ongoing support groups; organizing workshops on child development, behavior management, and pertinent mental health issues; sharing relevant articles; and raising awareness of the support services and training offered by other organizations in New York City. 

GBS utilizes the school-wide behavior management system of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Having a shared approach, language, and visuals promotes consistency in expectations and responses from class to class. This is a three-tiered system and the majority of its students fall in the primary group. The psychologists work closely with the therapeutic team to develop more individualized strategies for those students who fall in the secondary group and on behavior intervention and support plans for those few who fall within the tertiary group. 

Our Crisis Behavior Response Team is a group of psychologists and some administrative staff who are trained to respond to crisis behaviors. Crisis behaviors are defined as extremely disruptive or dangerous behaviors. All Crisis Response Team members are trained in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, a method of crisis de-escalation produced by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)  in Milwaukee, WI. The school’s relationship with CPI keeps the school abreast of ongoing research and best practices in the field. While the training is focused on helping students regain control and calm down, a portion of the training addresses how to use physical control positions to keep children safe in the event that they become physically dangerous to themselves or others. In short, these control positions may only be used as a last resort to prevent injury, and both the teams and the training program emphasize deescalation at all times. Given the nature of this work and the close physical proximity involved with working with students in crisis, the Crisis Behavior Response Team will recertify all of its members prior to reopening the building utilizing COVID-specific guidance from CPI in order to ensure that the school’s practices in this domain are safe.

Tremendous consideration will be given to adapting current procedures for responding to behavior and crises that endanger the safety of the community with regard to COVID-19. The school will ensure that staff and families understand the higher COVID-19-related risks associated with managing and supporting behaviors and will provide resources and protocols to mitigate these risks as much as possible. The crisis team will be consulting the COVID-19 guidance for Nonviolent Crisis Intervention to ensure that responses consider the increased risks for staff and students associated with COVID-19. Conversations will be had with families prior to returning to school regarding any changes in the responses to behavior and crises. 

Break areas, which support PBIS, continue to be an important part of the classrooms at GBS. Each classroom will continue to have a break area. The location of this area will be dependent on the room configuration and will be decided with consultation from the nursing staff and program administrators. All materials in the break area must be washable. Between student visits to the break area, classroom staff will wipe down materials (e.g., figits, laminated strategy cards, desks, chairs) with disinfectant before another student can use the area. If needed, students that frequent the area can have their own personalized bin of strategies.

Developing emotional understanding of self and others, managing one’s affective experiences, demonstrating empathy for others, solving problems in a collaborative way, establishing and maintaining positive interactions, and acting responsibly and in expected ways are all essential for being able to successfully navigate the social world. The development of all of these skills is addressed at GBS daily, throughout the day, in deliberate and explicit ways through evidence-based methodologies and psychotherapeutic techniques both in counseling sessions and within the classroom under the guidance of the psychologists. The Social Thinking* and Zones of Regulation* programs are administered by the psychologists in collaboration with a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist and classroom teachers to help develop the skills highlighted above; this instruction is provided through whole group lessons, when deemed appropriate, as well as individual and dyadic therapy sessions. In addition, there is an emphasis on the development of play skills at GBS. Play is the language of children and it is through play that children develop understanding of and mastery over life experiences, whether they be typical everyday occurrences or traumatic experiences. Many of the students at GBS have poorly developed play skills and limited language skills, which makes processing life experiences more challenging. Specific play scenarios will be developed to help students try to make sense of what they have experienced thus far in relation to the pandemic and current civic unrest and for what they will continue to experience during this unsettling time. 

Staff at GBS had begun to actively explore racism and diversity issues prior to the recent racial upheaval. A committee was formed to look at all aspects of its program, such as but not limited to policies, language, books in its library and classrooms, and curriculum, through the lens of racial equality. Senior Leadership have interviewed trainers for professional development with the staff this fall and some staff attended a training provided by Pollyanna, Inc.,which provides a racial literacy curriculum for students in grades K-8. In more recent months, groups of staff have engaged in examining their own racial biases through talk and book club discussions. Such discussions will be ongoing, as will be the examination of and implementation of its curriculum to ensure it is promoting racial equity.

Given that students have experienced major upheaval in their lives over the course of the pandemic, it is expected that the return to school could bring up strong feelings they may have difficulty communicating adaptively at times. Teaching Collaborative Problem Solving skills (CPS) has been integral to the overall program at GBS for the last 15 years. Staff is trained every year on understanding the elements of CPS and how to teach and implement collaborative problem solving. Through this lens, staff is trained to understand behavioral challenges as a form of communication and the result of lagging or lacking skills; thus, the school’s response to challenging behavior is to better understand what the student is trying to communicate and support them in responding more adaptively by teaching coping and problem-solving skills.

The focus of the first 30 days of school at GBS is always on building a classroom community. Numerous activities support students acclimating to a new classroom environment, students building trusting relationships with the therapeutic team, and the team building a strong collaborative working relationship. Transitioning back from summer break always poses a challenge for some of our students. Now, after having been out of school and learning remotely, the expectation is that many more students will have challenges as they transition back. Given the population of students the school serves, GBS staff is highly experienced in preparing the students for upcoming changes in their routines. The staff regularly write social stories, create schedules, break down activities into smaller, understandable parts, and provide specific expectations when teaching new skills and routines. The following supports will be put in place to address the specific changes and concerns that will come over the next several months. 

• In order to help students adjust to wearing a face covering, classroom teams have been introducing face covering wearing into lessons, activities, and therapy sessions over the summer in a developmentally-appropriate way.

• To support the transition from one classroom to another, videos will be made of what each new classroom will look like, and if possible, will be delivered by the student’s current teacher to help support a smooth transition. 

• Transitional objects help ease separation from home. If deemed safe, students will be allowed to bring a transitional object from home and will keep it in their backpacks for the duration of the school day. If deemed unsafe, parents will take a photo of their child’s favorite stuffed animal or toy. Students will then create some crafted version of a favorite object from home in the classroom during the first few days of school.

• Staff will support students’ understanding of how and why in-person greetings and physical contact must change at this time (e.g., no hugs or high fives) by creating materials to explain the changes in developmentally appropriate ways (e.g., videos and social stories).

• Classroom discussions about expectations will include games and activities that allow for the practice of social distancing and the proper use of face coverings.

• Staff will make efforts to mitigate the challenges associated with not seeing people’s faces due to face coverings. Staff will explore such options as using face coverings with a clear window and/or wearing a picture of themselves on their shirt to remind students of what they look like.

• Time will be spent talking about why and how certain rooms look different and why we cannot transition like we used to throughout the building. Staff will explain how students will continue to only see their art and music teachers digitally and that they will not walk to their gym facility. 

• When developmentally appropriate, conversations about varying experiences during the remote learning time will be facilitated by the therapeutic team.  Students are returning to school with a variety of different experiences (e.g., did they stay in the city or travel, have access to going outdoors or stay inside…), different beliefs about what has transpired, varying levels of understanding about the pandemic, and differing amounts of exposure to other people. Ample time must be devoted to helping students share their experiences and try to make sense of what has happened. Accurate information about the pandemic, what we do and do not know about COVID-19, and what the class can do as a community to help keep each other as safe as possible (e.g., wear face coverings, social distance…) will be included in these discussions. Time for these conversations need to be woven into the fabric of the day/week and will be ongoing.

As noted above, partnering with families is a cornerstone of the GBS philosophy and mission and parents/caregivers are considered important members of the therapeutic team. This partnership is essential for better understanding the whole child and family systems and for building generalization of newly learned skills. The GBS Family Program provides direct support to parents and caregivers through ongoing support groups; organizing workshops on child development, behavior management, and pertinent mental health issues; sharing relevant articles; and raising awareness of the support services and training offered by other organizations in New York City. In order to support parents and caregivers further during these unprecedented times, support groups have been increased from being offered bi-weekly to being offered several times per week. In the fall, support groups will be considered for each class in order to build community within the groupings. Parents have been surveyed frequently throughout the pandemic and this will continue so that ongoing needs and concerns can be assessed and addressed.

Disinfecting the Workplace

The school will be cleaned and disinfected to meet the highest standards for sanitization and disinfection as part of reopening. GBS has developed a comprehensive cleaning specification for daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning. GBS has contracted with a new cleaning and sanitizing vendor. 

• Comprehensive cleaning of all spaces will take place daily

• The expectations for cleaning inside the classroom during the day is outlined in Classroom Protocols

• Every evening, and immediately in the instance of a positive COVID-19 case in the school community, the cleaning service will perform an electrostatic spray cleaning of the entire school or classroom including (disinfect the floors, desks, chairs, bathrooms, sinks, horizontal surfaces etc)

Workplace Protocols 

Protocol changes for in-person interactions and physical contact: 

• Crowd control policies will be implemented to structure arrival and dismissal, including but not limited to: controlling access to the lobby, structuring student drop-off and pick-up, staggering arrival and dismissal times, andmanaging school bus logistics 

• All meetings with three or more attendees will be via video until further notice

• Staff should avoid sharing workstations and/or equipment whenever possible and disinfect after each use

• All outside staff development is to be conducted virtually until further notice, except CPR training, which requires an in-person component 

Social Distancing Guidelines

Social distance means keeping a safe distance between you and other people. To practice social distance, stay 6 feet (or two arm lengths) away from other people when inside and outside. Social distancing should be practiced in conjunction with other preventative measures. At GBS, all rooms have been measured to determine what is possible when social distancing measures are applied, based on the square footage in each specific room. 

GBS staff and students are encouraged to maintain proper social distance at all times. However, when working with young children, there are times when achieving or maintaining social distancing may not be possible. Therefore, social distancing practices will be evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure practices of achieving and maintaining social distancing are possible while ensuring the safety of the students. 

All staff will be expected to practice social distancing guidelines in and outside of work in accordance with public health advisories, including but not limited to:

• Stay 6 feet away from others when working or on breaks. 

• Avoid job tasks that require face-to-face work with others, when possible. 

• Avoid physical contact with others whenever possible (e.g., handshakes, hugs).

• Avoid touching surfaces that may have been touched by others when possible.

• Distance themselves from anyone who appears to be sick.

• Avoid gathering when entering and exiting the facility. 

• Follow all posted signage regarding COVID-19 social distancing practices.

• Disinfect their workspace often.

• Avoid touching their face.

• Avoid nonessential gatherings.

• Where social distancing is not possible, face coverings are essential.

Each classroom will  be reinvisioned to address the schools’ Health and Safety protocols. All materials that are porous will need to be removed from the classroom or stored in bins for teacher use. This includes all rugs, carpet circles, bean bag chairs, wooden toys/ blocks, stuffed animals, dress-up clothing, puppets, touch tables, and books. Books will be stored in teacher cabinets for class activities. Classroom materials will no longer be shared throughout the day. We will not have toys and materials open for students to access freely, including books.  All materials will be placed in specific bins for each child and upon completion of the activity will follow an isolation, cleaning, and disinfecting protocol before another student is allowed to use the material. Bins will be provided by the school.

Health and Safety Guidelines for Student Meal Times

Each classroom will provide two designated eating times for the students. They will have a morning snack time for 15 minutes and a mid-day lunch period for 30 minutes.

Containers: All students will be asked to bring as little to school as possible to reduce the number of “touchpoints.” The school is recommending that students use BentoBox style lunch containers that the student can independently operate, and will substitute the need for plates and increase independence with opening containers. Students will bring their own water bottles and utensils. When students require assistance to open and close their lunch containers, staff will use gloves. Gloves should be changed between each child. 

Procedure:

• Students wash their hands before and after lunch or snack time (see Health and Safety Guidelines for Handwashing for more information)

• Students seated six-feet apart for proper social distancing

• Students gather their meal materials independently, when possible, and are reminded not to share food and beverages per existing school policy 

• Students open their own containers, when able

• Students remove their own face covering and place in a sealed plastic bag or designated container

• Students eat their meal

• Students replace their face covering independently, when appropriate

• Students place their materials back in their Cubby Bin

• Teachers disinfect the Cubby Bins and eating space with the green disinfectant cleaner (see Disinfecting the Workplace for more information on cleaning protocols)

Health and Safety Guidelines for Toileting

The students at GBSrange in age and levels of independence. As part of our job in supporting them to become confident and independent learners, students may need assistance in the bathroom. Potty training will continue to be part of our program when it is determined to be developmentally appropriate in consultation and collaboration with the caregivers.

PPE in the bathroom: As part of the daily requirement all staff will have cloth face coverings. When working with students in the bathroom, staff will be expected to wear gloves and can use a clear face shield in addition to the face covering, if desired. 

Classroom Bathrooms: Six out of our ten classrooms have their own bathrooms within the room. These bathrooms will only be used by the students assigned to that classroom. Only one student is allowed in the bathroom at a time. The next student must wait for the bathroom to be empty before entering. 

Hallway Bathrooms: We have two hallway bathrooms for the five older classrooms. Bathrooms have an increased ventilation system already in place. Classes will be assigned to one hall bathroom which is the only bathroom the students can use during the school day. The day porter will clean the hallway bathrooms throughout the day. The classes are assigned to specific bathrooms. A teacher from the classroom will stand at the doorway of the classroom when students are using the bathroom to help the student maintain proper social distancing. Floor markers will be placed outside student and staff bathrooms to help those waiting maintain distance.Upon reentering the classroom, students will be expected to wash their hands again at the classroom sink. The two bathrooms will be used as assigned. However, in the case of an emergency, a staff member can give a student permission to use an unoccupied bathroom, as needed.

Bathroom Cleaning Protocols: During the school day the classroom bathrooms will be wiped down as needed by classroom staff (e.g., If the student washed their hands and paint was left on the sink). The bathrooms do not need to be cleaned and sanitized between uses. In the event that there is an accident, the day porter will be paged to the classroom or hall bathroom to clean. The porter will be in appropriate PPE including cloth face covering and gloves, and any additional gear required by the cleaning company. 

All students will need to be taught bathroom hygiene and it will need to be reinforced consistently. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Face coverings must be worn in the bathroom 

• Prior to flushing the toilet, the toilet seat cover must be down

• Proper handwashing procedures (before and after using the toilet or getting a diaper change)

• Proper disposal of paper towels in trash bins

• Students will leave bathroom doors open when unoccupied to increase ventilation between users and give visual indication that the bathroom is available for use

Changes to classrooms, workstations and overall floor plans: 

• Space planning is to assure that proper distances are set between students, teachers, and staff. Classroom layouts have been modified to establish proper social distancing of 6’ between occupants of classroom space. Space considerations have been discussed to allow more opportunities for students who cannot maintain social distancing.  

• Polycarbonate wellness screens will be deployed in certain locations to establish proper separation where it is critical that students and teachers are less than 6’ apart for discrete therapies and teaching modes.

• GBS will limit occupancy of all common spaces and focus on keeping individuals compartmentalized in cohorts within the classroom or office space.  Depending on the number of students and adults in the classroom, Art, Music and Science for example could be taught remotely into the classroom in order to maintain social distancing. Personnel wellness screens will be used in certain locations to establish a safe boundary when 6’ of social distancing is not possible.

• GBS will leverage technology to remove as many high-touch point interactions as possible. Where this is not possible, such as copiers and laminators, GBS will provide disinfectant wipes for the surfaces. Technology is in place for a hybrid learning model for students who are unable or unwilling to attend in person sessions.  

• Signage will be deployed throughout the building, including signs at the site entrances (doors and sidewalk), reception, bathrooms, kitchens, sinks, sanitizing stations, etc. 

• Packages will be placed outside the school and picked up to be brought in. The person who carries the packages inside will wash their hands after doing so. 

• Workplace visitors will complete the same morning screening as staff do, and temperature will be taken upon arrival at the building. 

• Staff will use a virtual clock in/out system.

• Daily temperature screenings  and health surveys for staff  from home prior to commuting to work. This information will be submitted to the Nursing Staff for review.  

• All temperatures and screenings will be fully completed at the door prior to entering the building at tables that sit under the GBS logo. 

• Infrared activated valves for faucets and water-closets will be installed at all sinks and water-closets. 

• HVAC air-filtering will be increased from a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating of 8 to 13. This removes particles in the supply air down to 0.3 microns and is the ASHRAE recommended minimum for COVID-19 response.

• HVAC outdoor air intakes will be set to a maximum setting while reducing the recirculation to increase the flow of outdoor air into all occupied spaces.

• Mobile, room sized Ionized air purification units will be deployed in every occupied classroom, office, and therapy space. These will be CASPR units that provide continuous air and surface pathogen reduction by ionizing the room air with molecular levels of hydrogen peroxide that will kill the COVID-19 virus and remove it from the air.

New York State Education Law § 807 requires that GBS conduct 8 evacuation and 4 lockdown drills each school year. When planning drills, consideration will be given to modifying drill procedures to minimize risk of spreading infection. Regardless of the modifications used when conducting a drill, students and staff will be instructed that if the situation were an actual emergency that required evacuation or lockdown, the most imminent concern is to get to safety; maintaining social distancing in an actual emergency that requires evacuation or lockdown may not be possible and should not be the first priority.

Modifications to evacuation drill protocols will include conducting drills on a staggered schedule by cohort, where classrooms evacuate separately with their cohort rather than all at once, and appropriate distance is kept between students to the evacuation site. All students and staff will be required to wear face coverings during evacuation drills.

Lockdown drills will be conducted on a full building basis and announced ahead of time to ensure cohorts are together, limiting the chance of cohort members locking down with non cohort members.  All procedures of the lockdown drill will be conducted as documented in the emergency management plan with the exception of huddling together in the “safe area” of a room or office.  Before lockdown drills are conducted, all staff will be instructed the proper procedure for a lockdown drill.  Staff will be instructed that in a real lockdown situation, returning to your cohort is not an option nor is social distancing. Staff and students will lockdown in the closest available location which might be occupied by non-cohort members.  When performing the modified lockdown drill, students will remain in their socially distanced desks instead of huddling in a safe area.  All other procedures of the drill will be performed as normal.

Expanded Technology Action Plan 

• As remote teaching and learning will be used in all scenarios of reopening, the GBS has assessed the technology required to virtually deliver our program at a high quality, from both school and home. We have already implemented or are in the process of the following:

• Network Infrastructure 

  • GBS has tripled the bandwidth at school to deliver multiple streams of high quality synchronous lessons. 

  • GBS has upgraded and increased wireless access points for high speed, full building coverage using 15 of the Ruckus R610 access points. 

• Virtual Learning Studios  

  • GBS is repurposing office space and common areas of the school into virtual learning studios for teachers and therapists to deliver synchronous lessons and sessions. The technology of these studios will consist of:

    • Logitech Meetup- An all in one conferencecam with a 4K camera, motorized pan/tilt lens, beamforming microphone array and a full range speaker.

    • Dual 24” displays to assist teachers and therapists in presenting materials while viewing meeting participants.

    • NUC Intel mini PC with a high CPU benchmark and enough RAM to deliver high quality video and audio, hardwired network connection for a faster and more consistent network connection, multi display outputs and Windows 10 OS.  Using the NUC with Windows 10 allows program staff to choose either Google Meet or Zoom.

    • Wireless keyboards and mice.

  • Along with the proper technology for remote teaching, the virtual learning studios will also have all the necessary program supplies for teachers and therapists including but not limited to: office supplies such as white boards and dry erase markers; manipulatives; Occupational Therapy materials; reading and instructional materials 

  • Materials must be assigned by pod to decrease sharing and risk of transmission

• Student Hardware 

  • GBS has been supplying Chromebooks to students at home from current class sets, overstock, and purchased online. Individual Chromebooks will travel with the student from school to home on a daily basis.

    • Chromebooks should be purchased for classes without a current class set and where appropriate.

    • Chromebooks sent home or purchased during remote learning should return to school when the building reopens.

• At Home Hardware 

  • All teachers and therapists are receiving Dell Latitude 3510 PC’s to work alongside their Chromebooks at home.  These PCs will eliminate the need for teachers and therapists to use a personal device to effectively deliver the program. The PC hardware is also more robust than the Chromebook, making for higher quality and more reliable virtual lessons and sessions.  Using the PCs will allow the more advanced features of Zoom to be used as well.

  • We continue to support our families by providing Chromebooks for the AHLP to any family that needs one, as well as peripherals like mice, headphones, etc.

  • GBS is investigating data plans with cellular providers to offer staff and families hotspot hardware in case of WiFi outage or poor WiFi range.

  • Provide cables and training to families and staff on setting up hardwired network connections where possible for a faster more reliable internet connection.

    • At Home Non Hardware: we also want to support families in creating positive learning environments in the students’ homes by providing backgrounds and supplies such as putty, scissors, pencils grips, fidgets, math manipulatives, and anything that is in a student’s strategy folder.

    • In the event of continued remote learning, we will provide families with a class-specific list of recommended materials for at-home learning.

• Software (All Scenarios)

  • Google Meet and Zoom: Although Google Meet continues to be our primary means of synchronous lessons and therapy sessions, all teachers and therapists have EDU licensed Zoom accounts. We are creating student Zoom accounts as well. Having both platforms available gives flexibility for families and staff to use what works best at delivering the program virtually.

  • Investigating more interactive software.

  • Google Classroom will now be integrated into onsite curriculum.