COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for Melrose Area Public Schools
Melrose Area Public Schools is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our workers, students, parents, and visitors to our schools. To ensure we have a safe and healthy workplace, Melrose Area Public Schools has developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Administration and workers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and communities, and that requires full cooperation among our workers and management. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of all persons in our workplaces.
The COVID-19 Preparedness Plan is administered by Gregory A. Winter, Superintendent, who maintains the overall authority and responsibility for the plan. However, management and workers are equally responsible for supporting, implementing, complying with and providing recommendations to further improve all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Melrose Area Public Schools Principals and Admin Team have our full support in enforcing the provisions of this plan.
Our workers are our most important assets. Melrose Area Public Schools are serious about the safety, health, and protecting our workers. Worker involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Our workers have been involved in training throughout the year and have provided feedback through our Health and Safety Committee.
Melrose Area Public Schools COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows the COVID-19 Universal Guidance for All Businesses and Entities (PDF) (staysafe.mn.gov/assets/covid-19-universal-guidance-for-all-businesses-and-entities_tcm1152-480317.pdf) developed by the state of Minnesota, available at the Stay Safe Minnesota website (https://staysafe.mn.gov), which is based upon Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines for COVID-19, Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) statutes, rules and standards, and Minnesota’s relevant and current executive orders. The following requirements must be addressed, but each business is encouraged to consider additional recommendations and adopt additional requirements that appropriately address COVID-19 mitigation strategies the business deems necessary.
Health Screening, isolation, and quarantine.
Hand hygiene practices
Cleaning and disinfecting
Indoor facilities, utilities, and ventilation
Health screening, isolation, and quarantine
Workers have been informed of and encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following policies and procedures are being implemented to assess worker, customer, and other visitor health status prior to entering the business and for workers to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms. Melrose Area Public Schools has also developed a plan to advise customers and other visitors to leave the facility if their responses to health screening indicate they have tested positive for COVID-19, are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or have been identified as a close contact. Workers have been informed that if they are sick they are to stay home and get tested if symptoms continue.
Melrose Area Public Schools has implemented measures to ensure that sick or COVID-19 positive workers isolate until they are no longer infectious, according to applicable MDH guidance. Visit If You Are Sick: COVID-19 (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/sick.html). Throughout this past year, workers have been trained on how to identify symptoms of COVID-19 and when to stay home and get tested.
Melrose Area Public Schools has also implemented a policy consistent with MDH guidance for identifying and communicating with workers who may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 at their workplace and requiring them to quarantine for the required amount of time. See Close Contacts and Tracing: COVID-19 (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/close.html) and Quarantine Guidance for COVID-19 (PDF) (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/quarguide.pdf). Melrose Area Public Schools continues to follow quarantining recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health and Stearns County Public Health.
Hand hygiene practices
Melrose Public Schools has implemented a policy to provide instruction, signage, facilities, and supplies to encourage regular hand washing and sanitizing. This policy is consistent with MDH: Hand Hygiene (www.health.state.mn.us/people/handhygiene/index.html). These guidelines are consistent with the guidelines that were implemented during the regular 2020-21 school year.
Cleaning and disinfecting
Melrose Area Public Schools has implemented a regular schedule and checklist for cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces (workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, doorknobs, etc.), shared items, shared equipment, and high traffic areas. Melrose Area Public Schools will continue to perform other routine environmental cleaning according to established schedules and procedures. Appropriate and effective cleaning and disinfecting supplies have been purchased and are available for use in accordance with product labels, safety data sheets, and manufacturer specifications, and are being used with required personal protective equipment for the product. This policy is consistent with CDC: Cleaning Your Facility (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfectingbuilding-facility.html) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) List N for products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2. See EPA’s List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-coronavirus-covid- 19). Our summer custodial staff will continue to clean those high traffic areas that coincide with our heavy summer program usage.
Indoor facilities, utilities, and ventilation
Melrose Area Public Schools has evaluated the operational capacity of indoor ventilation systems and developed a plan to increase and maintain ventilation provided throughout indoor spaces. Steps will be taken to increase the intake percentage of outside air to increase dilution of contaminants, and minimize recirculation, whenever possible while maintaining indoor air conditions. In the absence of effective mechanical ventilation, steps will be taken to increase natural ventilation as much as possible, including opening windows when possible and safe. This plan is consistent with applicable Stay Safe Industry guidance, and Melrose Area Public Schools has consulted the resources in applicable industry guidance and others, as necessary, in developing this plan. Melrose Area Public Schools continues to follow practices and schedules of changing filters as recommended by our HVAC consultant, JCI.
Additional COVID-19 Mitigation Practices (optional—as needed)
Address additional COVID-19 mitigation practices as needed. Businesses are strongly encouraged to consider the recommendations in Stay Safe industry guidance, as well as other relevant guidance from the CDC, MDH, OSHA, and other relevant federal, state, and local authorities. All guidance and recommendations will continue to be followed under the Stay Safe program that was implemented in the fall of 2021.
If you have any questions or comments on this plan please contact me at: gwinter@isd740.org
Certified by:
Gregory A. Winter
Superintendent
6/4/21