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Covid Mitigation Plan for the 2021-22 School Year
Mill Valley School District’s COVID Mitigation Plan focuses on the health and safety of all staff and students. Our strategies were developed in partnership with School Guidelines: Public Health Guided Site-Based Classroom Instruction to support a full return to in-person instruction for all students.
The information on this page will remain fluid and responsive to new information from local, regional, state, and federal agencies. This information is intended to offer each community member a central location to access information during this continually evolving experience. As new decisions are made and as content is developed, it will be added to this page.
As a community, we need to focus on three main mitigation strategies recommended by Marin County Public Health: Good Hand Hygiene, Getting Vaccinated and Staying Home when sick. The mitigation strategies we follow at school will depend upon where we are on the Marin County Schools Mitigation Strategies Continuum.
Marin County Schools Mitigation Strategies Continuum 2021-22 School Year
The ABCs of Mitigation Strategies: *Good Hand Hygiene *Get Vaccinated *Stay Home When Sick
A = No Mitigation Strategies required
B = Universal Masking Indoors
C = Universal masking Indoors and Outdoors
D = Universal Masking Indoors and outdoors and Stable Grouping
Site Specific Safety Plans (SSSPP)
Each school will continue to operate under Mill Valley School District’s Site Specific Protection Plans (SSSPP). Specific information regarding your child’s school campus can be found in these documents which were originally developed by the SSSPP Task Forces (teachers, administrators, parents, staff) at each school and have been approved by the Marin County Office of Education. These have been updated to meet new guidelines for the 2021 - 2022 school year.
We will continue to follow guidance from our public health partners to ensure that our schools are safe for our students and staff. Frequent hand hygiene is one of the most important preventative practices to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and will be encouraged at school. Time for hand hygiene is scheduled throughout the day including before eating and before returning to the classrooms after out of class activities.
COVID Dashboard
School Site Edna MVMS Old Mill Park Strawberry Point Tam Valley Positive Cases On Site To Date 2 3 0 0 2 1 Confirmed School Based Transmission 0 0 0 0 0 0 Our dashboard is updated upon notification of a positive case.
Marin County Public Health COVID Dashboard
Illness and Quaratine - Decision Trees
Students and staff who are ill are expected to stay home. Students who exhibit any symptoms of illness will need to be picked up from school.
We use the two Marin County COVID-19 Decision Trees to determine when quarantine is required and when to return to school after quarantine. Families may refer to these for guidance regarding how long to stay home from school when ill, and what to do if a household member is exposed to someone with, or contracts, COVID-19. One applies to individuals who are fully vaccinated and the other to individuals who are either partially or unvaccinated. This year if families are asked to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to return to school the test may be either a PCR molecular test or a rapid antigen test such as the Binax test.
Travel Guidelines
Current travel guidance from the CDC recommends but does not mandate quarantine after domestic (out of state) and international travel. As this is a recommendation at this time, it is not required that you quarantine if you return from an international or out-of-state trip. For the health and safety of our staff and students, we do ask that you consider the guidelines when making your travel plans.
Face Coverings
Face coverings are required by the Marin Department of Public health based on our placement on the Mitigation Strategy Continuum, which is currently at Level C. Staff, students, and any school visitors will adhere to the appropriate guidelines.
- When masks are required, disposable masks are available for students if needed.
- Face coverings are not required for students or staff if there is a medical or behavioral reason for not wearing a face covering. This should be verified in writing from a medical professional, member of the school IEP team, or the school counselor.
Safety Protocols
We continue to implement our Safety Protocols that were in place during the 2020-2021 school year, including cleaning and disinfecting practices. Staff will continue to have access to cleaning supplies and essential protective equipment.
Shared Materials and Student Interaction
Student’s will return to school this year with the ability to share classroom materials, supplies and playground equipment. While in positions A, B and C on the continuum, students may play together on the playground and interact with students from other classrooms freely at recess. If we are in position D we would need to return to keeping our students in stable groups.
Social Distancing
There is no longer a specific distancing requirement for students in classroom settings, however, we are required to keep accurate seating charts and attendance records for students when they are inside of our classrooms. These records will allow us to work with our public health partners for contact tracing if there is a person who tests positive for COVID-19 at school.
Covid Testing
We are working with the California Department of Public Health to provide options for onsite testing for unvaccinated staff, exposure response testing, and testing for modified quarantine. School based surveillance testing for students is no longer recommended by the MDPH. Information on our testing program is forthcoming and will be updated here when available.
Vaccinations
MVSD will comply with the Public Health Order dated August 11 regarding Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools. Marin County Public Health requires that vaccination percentages of each educational center must be posted on center websites no later than October 1st, 2021 and must be updated at least once a month. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested weekly. The status of individual staff and students will not be published.
In the event of a COVID-19 case in a classroom, knowing vaccination status helps Marin Public Health contact investigators move more quickly to assess risk of transmission and provide appropriate quarantine guidance to those who may have been considered close contacts to the confirmed case. More information about staff working in school districts may be found here from CDPH.
Staff members should submit vaccination cards here.
- Submissions must be received by Friday, September 3.
- Staff that have not submitted proof of vaccination will be scheduled for on site, weekly testing beginning on September 14.
Resource Documents:
- September 10, 2021 CDPH COVID-19 Interim Guidance for K-12 School and Youth Performing Arts, Sports andExtracurricular Activities in Marin County
- August 6, 2021 CDPH K-12 Schools Guidance 2021-22 FAQ
- July 12, 2021 CDPH COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2021-22 School Year
- July 12, 2021 CDPH K-12 school-based COVID-19 testing strategies for school year 2021-22
- July 9, 2021 CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
- July 20, 2021 What Parents Should Know About the Updated COVID-19 School Guidance
- June 22, 2021 Safely reopening California
- July 27, 2021 CDC Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
- July 29, 2021 California Department of Public Health Vaccine Record Guidelines & Standards
- CDC K-12 Guidance on Disabilities or Other Health Care needs
- State of California Safe Schools For All Hub
- July 28, 2021 CDPH - Guidance of the the Use of Face Coverings
- June 15, 2021 CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting your Facility
- CDPH Indoor Air Quality
- June 30, 2021 CDPH Travel Guidance
- May 25, 2021 Marin County School Air Quality Activity Recommendations
- June 21, 20201 Cal/OSHA Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards - What Employers Need to Know About the June 18 Standards
- June 11, 2021 CDPH State Public Health Orders
- June 11, 2021 CDC How to Wear Masks
- CDC Symptoms of COVID-19
- California K-12 School Antigen Testing Program Playbook
- Marin County Schools Mitigation Strategies Continuum 2021-22 School Year
- Public Health References for Rethinking Schools Bibliography
