Mount Vernon City School District Shares PPE Readiness Plan

Press release from Mount Vernon City School District:

Nov. 1, 2020

As the Mount Vernon City School District prepares to welcome students back into the classroom as part of a phased reopening beginning on Nov. 16, members of the district administration shared information on its health and safety measures at the Oct. 20. school board meeting. Superintendent for Buildings and Grounds Michael Pelliccio presented the district’s multi-faceted approach to its reentry preparedness at the recent meeting.

“Strategically putting systems in place is a collaborative effort, and it stretches across all departments in the district. I’ve been working closely with the district medical, security, building administration, special education, and, of course, our custodial staff,” said Pelliccio. “We are committed to excellence in the areas of facilities cleaning, maintenance, personal protective equipment, food service, and transportation. Following all guidelines will help keep us healthy, and will move the needle toward the day when all of our students can safely return to our classrooms.”

For the 2020-2021 school year, the district is focused on adhering to enhanced health protocols such as clear floor and hallway markings; limiting non-essential visitors and activities; and proper cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces. Additionally, the district will be enforcing practices such as the 6-foot social distancing recommendation, systematic handwashing, and the adherence to appropriate face coverings.

The district is following a pyramid, or three levels, in a hierarchy of controls:

• Engineering controls,
• Administrative controls, and
• The last line of defense, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Engineering controls work to identify the best methods for isolating people from the hazards, should a carrier -- whether symptomatic or asymptomatic -- be present in a school building. In the event of something like this, the district has identified an isolation room at each of its school buildings where anyone who develops symptoms while on school premises, will be sent until a parent or guardian can pick them up.

Administrative controls, however, focus on changing the way our students and staff work. Practices such as social distancing, handwashing, and signage are examples of administrative control.

PPE used throughout the district includes 2,000 three-sided desk partitions for students who are unable to wear a mask at all times due to accommodations or medical issues outlined in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) that prohibits them from wearing a mask. These students will also be required to use a face shield. Additionally, each of the district’s 670 classrooms, 240 offices, and every common space has been equipped with a dedicated sanitizing station that includes hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, paper towels, rubber gloves, face masks, and more along with appropriate signage.

This year’s school supply list, which is distributed to each student in the district, includes traditional school supplies along with PPE including: face masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, and reusable water bottles.

During his Oct. 20 presentation, Pelliccio also walked through the three-phased cleaning approach the district is following.

Phase I includes cleaning throughout the day by the district’s custodian staff of all surfaces in classrooms, offices, bathrooms, stairwells, auditoriums, and gymnasiums.

Phase II takes place at the end of each and includes an additional cleaning of all surfaces included in Phase I with clean water and rags, removing any residue left on surfaces from the initial cleaning phase and preparing these surfaces for the final phase of cleaning.

Phase III will begin after all students and staff have exited the building. It includes the disinfection using an electrostatic sprayer of all classrooms, offices, bathrooms, and stairwells, as well as auditoriums and gymnasiums that had been in use that day. The district uses an EPA-registered sanitizing solution, which is more powerful than bleach in protecting against bacteria, fungi, mold, and viruses, but non-toxic and safe for humans.

“The most prevalent benefit is that it is completely safe. It has no harsh chemicals,” said Pelliccio. “It’s totally a green product; it’s safe for all the applications that human beings will come in contact with. It is also safe for the environment; it has the Green Seal. And it is very cost effective.”

Each classroom, office, and common space throughout the district has been equipped with a COVID-10 Cleaning and Disinfection Log template that is used as part of the cleaning regimen. Staff have been instructed to use it to monitor the type of cleaning conducted in each room used by staff and students.

The district also requires daily self-assessments from both students and staff and temperature scanning at each building upon entry.

The district’s phased reopening will welcome back students whose families have opted to receive in-person instructed. Students in Pre-K through Grade 3 will constitute the first phase, and will return on Nov. 16. The second phase will bring back students in grades 4-8 on Nov. 30, and the final phase will include students in Grades 9-12 on Dec. 14.

This press release was produced by Mount Vernon City School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.