Warren County Middle School

WCMS Reopening Plans for Fall 2020

Teachers, students and WCMS Community,
With the start of school quickly approaching, we want to provide you with many of our school reopening plans and guidelines that will hopefully answer many of your questions and make everyone feel a little more comfortable as we prepare to begin the 2020-21 school year.

Although we have put numerous hours into our planning process, there will undoubtedly be more to prepare for as things will occur that we have never experienced prior to the COVID-19 era.  Please feel free to email your thoughts, questions or concerns to principal, Gerald Tidwell, (tidwellg@warrenschools.com) and together we will do what is best for all of our WCMS students, staff and families.  

Morning Bus Rooms:
In previous years we have had only 2 morning bus rooms; 1 in the cafeteria for 8th graders and another in the gym for 6th and 7th graders.  In order to adequately spread out our students when they arrive to school between 7:00-7:35 a.m., we will move to add a 3rd morning bus room.  The locations are as follows:
Cafeteria – 8th graders will continue to report to the cafeteria and will sit every other seat at each of the available cafeteria tables.  Each of these seats will be marked with an “X” indicating X marks the spot to sit.  Discoverer students will be assigned to tables on the east side of the cafeteria and Bear students will be assigned tables on the west side.  All students will remain seated in bus rooms until dismissed by a WCMS staff member.

Gym – 7th graders will continue to report to the gym with one small change.  Pathfinders will continue to sit in the upper gym but Rockets will now sit in the lower gym.  Each sitting location will be marked with an “X” indicating X marks the spot to sit.  All students will remain seated in bus rooms until dismissed by a WCMS staff member.

Auditorium – 6th graders will now report to the auditorium for their morning bus room location.  Students will follow the “1 X 1” seating rule anytime they are in the auditorium which means there will be 1 seat between each student and 1 row of seats between each row of students.  When facing the stage, Prospectors will sit on the left side of the auditorium, Navigators will sit in the middle section and the Trailblazers will sit on the right side.  All students will remain seated in bus rooms until dismissed by a WCMS staff member.

Morning Arrival to WCMS:
Students are assigned drop off locations by their grade level.  Once students arrive to campus, they are to report directly to their assigned bus room if they arrive prior to 7:37 a.m.  If they arrive after 7:37 a.m., they will report directly to their homeroom class.  Below is a brief explanation of where students will enter our building:

6th grade
6th grade car riders should be dropped off in the circle parking lot in front of the auditorium and enter the front auditorium doors.
6th grade bus riders will enter the side gym door and will be directed to go down the right side of the Navigator hallway to the auditorium.
6th grade students, who ride special transportation, will be directed to enter the school through the Navigator double doors and proceed down the right side of the hallway to the auditorium or report directly to Mrs. Payne’s or Mrs. Wallace’s classroom.
6th grade students who are dropped off with a 7th or 8th grade sibling, may be dropped off in the 7th/8th grade parking lot.  They will then enter the corner door and proceed down the right side of the Prospector hallway to the auditorium.  Only 6th graders with older siblings may be dropped off in the 7th/8th grade parking lot.

7th grade
7th grade car riders should be dropped off in the 7th/8th grade parking lot (located between the cafeteria and auditorium) and enter the building through the corner door.  7th grade students will then proceed down the right side of the Navigator hallway to the gym.  
7th grade bus riders will enter the side gym door.  Rocket students will sit in the lower gym and Pathfinder students will sit in the upper gym.
7th grade students, who ride special transportation, will be directed to enter the school through the Navigator double doors and proceed down the right side of the hallway to the upper (Pathfinders) or lower (Rockets) gym or report directly to Mrs. Payne’s or Mrs. Wallace’s classroom.

8th grade
8th grade car riders should be dropped off in the 7th/8th grade parking lot and enter the cafeteria through the side door.  Discoverer students will sit on the east side of the cafeteria and Bear students will sit on the west side.
8th grade bus riders will enter the cafeteria through the opposite side door and sit on the east (Discoverers) or west (Bears) side of the cafeteria.
8th grade students, who ride special transportation, will be directed to enter the school through the Navigator double doors and proceed down the right side of the hallway to the cafeteria and sit on the east side (Discoverers) or west side (Bears) or report directly to Mrs. Payne’s or Mrs. Wallace’s classroom.

Morning Student Temperature Checks:
Each morning, all students that enter the school will have their temperature checked with a touchless forehead digital thermometer.  Students that have a temperature of 100.4 or higher, or exhibit symptoms consistent with COVID-19, will immediately receive a mask (if they aren’t already wearing one) and will be taken to the nurse’s office.  The student’s temperature will then be taken again, orally, and if it continues to be 100.4 or higher, the student will be required to return home.  If the student temperature is less than 100.4, when taken orally, that student will be allowed to attend class at the 7:35 a.m. bell.  The school nurse will decide on how to proceed with any COVID-19 symptoms the student has.  When students are sent home due to having a temperature of 100.4 or higher, they should not return to school until they have consulted with their health care provider.
A WCMS staff member will be monitoring each entrance door and will take student temperatures immediately when the student enters the building.

Illness Guidelines:
ANY STUDENT WITH A FEVER OF 100.4 OR HIGHER, OR WHO REPORTS SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19, SHOULD STAY HOME AND NOT BE PRESENT AT SCHOOL.

Common Symptoms of COVID-19:
Fever of 100.4 or higher
Cough
Shortness of breath
Other possible signs & symptoms include:
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
General feeling of discomfort, illness or uneasiness
Fatigue 
Rash
Loss of taste or smell

Dismissal from Morning Bus Rooms:
6th grade
Trailblazer students will be dismissed from the auditorium at 7:30 a.m. to go to their team hallway.  There will be no other students reporting to their team hallway at this time.
Navigator students will be dismissed from the auditorium at 7:32 a.m. to go to their team hallway.  There will be no other students reporting to their team hallway at this time.
Prospector students will be dismissed from the auditorium at the 7:35 a.m. bell to go to their team hallway. There will be no other students in the Prospector team hallway at this time.

7th grade
Pathfinder students will be dismissed from the upper gym at the 7:35 a.m. bell to travel down the Rocket hallway to their team hallway.  There will be no other students in the Rocket or Pathfinder hallways at this time.
Rocket students will be dismissed from the lower gym at 7:37 a.m. and will travel up the gym lobby stairwell to enter their team hallway.  There will be no other students in the Rocket hallway at this time.

8th grade
Bear students will be dismissed from the cafeteria at the 7:35 a.m. bell to go to their team hallway in the Related Arts building.  Students will exit the main building from the front office lobby and proceed outside and down the walkway to the R.A. building.  There will be no other students in the Bear hallway, or in their path of travel, at this time.
Discoverer students will be dismissed from the cafeteria at 7:37 a.m. to report to their team hallway.  They will travel up the main intersection stairwell to their team hallway and there will be no other students in the Discoverer hallway at this time.

Morning “Grab & Go” Breakfast:
Students will continue to have the opportunity to receive a “grab & go” breakfast as they dismiss from their bus rooms and travel to their team hallways.  There will be Kiosk breakfast stations located in each team hallway (Navigators and Prospectors will utilize the same kiosk at different times).  Hot and Cold breakfast meal options will be served. Students will take their breakfast items immediately into their homeroom classrooms to eat.  Students may bring their own breakfast items into the school to eat but may not eat it in the gym or auditorium.  All trash and empty containers must be properly disposed of.  

Hallway Travel Procedures:
It has been a school rule that students travel on the right side of the hallway.  For this upcoming school year, we will mark each hallway with floor tape to assist with student travel.  We want to eliminate students from crossing over the center line in their travels and from congregating in the middle of the hallway between class changes.  Students will be allowed to cross the center line only when changing the direction of their travel.  We will emphasize social distancing as much as possible with our students.  Students will not use student lockers between class periods and should travel directly to their next class or location.

Student Locker Use:
Students will be assigned an individual locker to use to store their belongings but they will not be allowed to use the lockers between class periods.  The reason is that we do not want students congregating at student lockers that are in close proximity to one another.  Instead, each grade level team will implement their own student locker usage plan to allow students to maintain social distancing at their lockers.  Student lockers will be used for storage during the day so that students to not have to carry around heavy backpacks during the day.  The locker plan will include sending students to their lockers during homeroom each morning by alternating homerooms and students that go to their lockers.  Students will only be able to visit their locker during the school day with teacher permission.  At the end of the day, homerooms and students will again rotate to their lockers by homeroom to gather their belongings for school dismissal.

Student Restroom Use:
Similar to the student locker plan, students will use the restroom facilities on a rotation basis.  Students will not be denied a restroom break when they indicate they need to visit the restroom immediately but, as much as possible, we want our classrooms to rotate to the restrooms after a class change.  Team leaders will orchestrate a plan within their team that keeps the number of students in the restroom at one time to a minimum.

Student Grouping:
In order to eliminate all of our students mingling together during the day, we are going to keep our students grouped with their homeroom students as much as possible.  This means the same core group of students will be in classes together, sit in bus room together and eat lunch together.  This will not be the case the entire day, in all circumstances, but we will do all that we can to maintain a good social distancing plan.

7 Period Rotating Schedule:
Our normal bell schedule is a 6-period day that rotates first period start dates daily.  We have always had students assigned to 7 classes but they only met in 6 of those classes per day.  This year, due to the multiple changes caused by the coronavirus, we are going back to our 7-period bell schedule so that teachers can meet with all of their students every day.  We will stay with the rotating bell schedule so students will continue to start with a different class each day.

Classroom Cleaning Procedures:
Student desks and tables will be disinfected, with disinfectant spray or wipes, at the end of each class period.  Classroom teachers will disinfect any items or materials that students may need to share such as white board markers, pencil sharpeners, highlighters, etc.  Our goal will be for students not to share materials.  Students will have their own school assigned chrome book, textbook and calculator and they should not be sharing these items unless given teacher permission to do so.  If an item is shared, the item should also be disinfected immediately after it is returned. Teachers will also disinfect classroom door knobs after each class period.

Disinfectant Dispenser Usage:
Students will be given time at the end of each class period to use the classroom disinfectant dispenser to disinfect their hands.  Students will also be encouraged to use the disinfectant dispensers located throughout the building during the day.

Bathroom and Hallway Cleaning Procedures:
Our custodial staff will thoroughly clean all student restrooms a minimum of 2 times each day; once in the morning and again after the lunch hour.  Our custodians will also spot clean toilet handles, urinal handles, stall handles & locks, and sink facets between each class period.  Also, throughout the school day, our custodians will clean and disinfect high traffic and high touch areas throughout the school such as exterior door handles/push bars, railings in stairwells, water machines/dispensers, and student locker handles.  Special attention will also be given to help keep the nurses office disinfected throughout the school day.

Student Lunchroom Procedures:
Because our school building used to be a high school, we have ample space to spread our students out for lunch without having to make students eat lunch in the classroom.  At WCMS, we have 3 lunch periods or times; early (7th grades), middle (8th grades) and late (6th grades).  During the first 2 ½ weeks of school we will only have half of our students at school on any given day.  Our cafeteria seating capacity is approximately 425 so we feel we can properly have our students social distanced with all students eating lunch in the cafeteria.  There will be no more than 150 students in the cafeteria at one time during the first 2 ½ weeks.  

Once we resume the traditional school schedule and all students report to school daily, we will move to our new lunchroom plan which involves utilizing both the cafeteria and library for student lunches.  Both 7th and 8th grades have two teams each (Bears/Discoverers & Rockets/Pathfinders) that have approx. 125-150 students in each team.  Team leaders of each team will work out a rotation where 1 team eats lunch in the cafeteria and 1 team eats lunch at the library tables.  This will likely be a daily or weekly rotation.  By utilizing this lunch room plan, we can continue to keep students properly social distanced without having to eat lunches in the classrooms.  Our 6th grade has three teams (Prospectors, Navigators & Trailblazers).  Prospectors has the largest team of students (approx. 100) and they have agreed to use the library daily during their lunch period.  Trailblazers and Navigators have smaller team numbers (approx. 75-80 students) and will be able to both utilize the cafeteria at the same time.   

School Dismissal Procedures:
We have adjusted our school dismissal plan to allow for more social distancing among our students.  We will be dismissing late bus riders in 2 groups (A & B) and utilize the gym to hold the students who are designated late A bus riders.  We are also making an adjustment to our rain route schedule.  Anytime 7th/8th grade car riders are forced into the cafeteria to wait for their pick-up, they will be the only group of students in the cafeteria.  All late bus riders will move to the gym with the late A bus riders in the lower gym and the late B bus riders in the upper gym.  Below is a summary of our school dismissal schedule:

6th grade P.M. dismissal:
All car riders will go directly from their classrooms to the auditorium at 2:40
All walkers will report directly to Prospector doors to meet Officer Pennington on the 2:45 bell
Express bus riders will report directly to the bus ramp and load their buses on the 2:45 bell
Late bus A bus riders will report directly to the gym and sit in the bleachers on the 2:50 bell
Late bus B bus riders will report directly to the cafeteria and sit at the tables on the 2:55 bell

7th grade P.M. dismissal:
All walkers will report directly to Prospector doors to meet Officer Pennington on the 2:45 bell
Express bus riders will report directly to the bus ramp and load their buses on the 2:45 bell
All car riders will report to the 7th/8th grade parking lot on the 2:50 bell
Students will stand in their grade level/team assigned locations which will be marked with white field paint.
Late bus A bus riders will report directly to the gym and sit in the bleachers on the 2:50 bell
Late bus B bus riders will report directly to the cafeteria and sit at the tables on the 2:55 bell

8th grade P.M. Dismissal:
All walkers will report directly to Prospector doors to meet Officer Pennington on the 2:45 bell
Express bus riders will report directly to the bus ramp and load their buses on the 2:45 bell
All car riders will report to the 7th/8th grade parking lot on the 2:50 bell
Students will stand in their grade level/team assigned locations which will be marked with white field paint.
Late bus A bus riders will report directly to the gym and sit in the bleachers on the 2:50 bell
Late bus B bus riders will report directly to the cafeteria and sit at the tables on the 2:55 bell

Rain Route:
6th grade car riders will be in auditorium
7th/8th car riders to the cafeteria
7th/8th late A & B bus riders to the gym (A in lower gym, B in the upper gym)

Bus Numbers and Groups:
Express Bus #’s: (report directly to bus at 2:45 pm bell)
0539, 0645, 0751, 0855, 0544, 1927, 0649, 0840 & 0438
Late A Bus #’s: (report to lower gym at 2:50 pm bell)
1019, 1122, 1635 & 1532
Late B Bus #’s: (report to the cafeteria at 2:55 pm bell)
1124, 1412, 1636, 0437 & 0854

What happens when a student has symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19?
Any student with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or who has tested positive for COVID-19:
must stay home for 10 days from the onset of the symptoms or the date of the COVID-19 test (if asymptomatic) AND
be fever free (without medication) AND have improvement in symptoms for at least 24 hours.  School personnel will determine any CLOSE CONTACTS the ill student may have had prior to onset of symptoms until the student has left the school premises.

CLOSE CONTACTS:
living in the same household as the sick person with COVID-19 
caring for a sick person with COVID-19
Being within 6 feet, with the sick person with COVID-19, for 10 minutes or longer
Being in direct contact with secretions from a sick person with COVID-19
Coughing on
Sneezing on
Kissing
Sharing utensils, ETC.
The school will notify staff and students that have been in close contact with COVID-19

Asymptomatic Definition:  A person having an illness or medical condition but showing no symptoms or evidence of illness.

What happens when a student has been in close contact with a person with COVID-19?
Any student who has been in close contact (within 6 feet for more than 10 minutes) of a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 must quarantine at home for a period of 14 days from their last exposure to the individual.  Students may return to school when the following condition is met:
The student quarantined for 14 days and has remained asymptomatic.

When can a student return that has been ill with COVID-19 symptoms?
The student can return to school when the following conditions are met:
The student provides written documentation from their medical provider confirming their illness was not due to COVID-19 AND
The student has been without fever for 24 hours (without fever reducing medications) AND
The student’s symptoms have improved in the last 24 hours
**Students without an accepted alternative diagnosis from a medical provided are treated as    an infected COVID-19 student and must adhere to those guidelines for returning to school.

When can a student return that has been ill with COVID-19 symptoms but provides a negative COVID-19 test result after the onset of their symptoms?
The student can return to school when the following conditions are met:
The student has been without fever for 72 hours (without fever reducing medications) AND
The student’s symptoms have improved for at least 72 hours

When can a student return that has had the COVID-19 symptoms but was never tested during the illness and has no confirmed alternative diagnosis?
The student can return to school when the following conditions are met:
The student has completed isolation for a minimum of 10 days AND
The student has been without fever for 24 hours (without fever reducing medications) AND
The student’s symptoms have improved in the last 24 hours

What is procedure for notifying families of an infected classroom?  
WCMS staff will make every effort to notify families when their child may have been in close contact with a student with COVID-19 symptoms or a student that has tested positive for COVID-19.  If it is difficult to determine which students may have been in close contact with a student with COVID-19 symptoms or a student that tested positive for COVID-19, every effort will made to notify families of the entire class.  It is possible for a entire class or group of students to be quarantined based on the guidelines provided by the school district.  

Wearing Facemasks at School Procedures:
The school board voted to mandate the use of masks for students and staff when present at school.  Students and staff will be required to wear a mask as soon as they step on the WCMS campus.  This will not apply to CDC students or any student who cannot remove the mask by themselves.  Students will be able to remove the mask when outside, when eating/drinking or when teacher is able to allow students to take off mask due to being able to maintain 6 feet social distancing rule in classroom   Student facemasks will be provided by the school system if a student does not have one.  Students are encouraged to bring their own facemasks from home if they have one.  Students are also encouraged to carry small containers of their own personal hand sanitizer if that is an option.

Disinfecting Classrooms That Have Been Infected:
Anytime we have a known case of COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms in a classroom, or any area of the building, we will have as part of our protocol to disinfect the area(s) with a mist disinfectant fogger.  This machine is used to disinfect an entire room and will reach places a human cannot get to to clean.  Our school has purchased several gallons of a disinfectant that is used by hospitals to kill the COVID-19 virus.  Our nurse’s office will be disinfected daily with this machine as well.

Visitor Procedures:
Visitors are welcome to come to our school and are encouraged to do so as needed and/or as requested during the school day.  We will be limiting the number of visitors allowed past our front desk and we will be limiting the number of visitors in the front lobby to 6 at one time.  Any visitor that enters the front door must be wearing a mask and any visitor allowed past the front desk will have their temperature taken.  A visitor with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will not be allowed to report past the front desk and will be asked to leave the building immediately.  Conversation with school personnel can take place electronically or over the phone until the visitor is able to return and enter the building.  

Registration Requirements Prior to School Starting:
Families that are new to the district are encouraged to register online ASAP if they have not already done so.   The website to complete student registration is www.warrenschools.com 

Staff members at WCMS will be available to assist parents/guardians with new student registration on these dates and times:
August 3rd-7th, Mon-Fri (8-3p)  This only applies to students that did not attend WCMS at the end of last school year or did not attend one of the feeder elementary schools (Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary, Hickory Creek Elementary, West Elementary). 

Other Registration Notes:
If the student is transferring within the district they only have to complete an in-county transfer form and yellow card so it will not take a lot of time. 
Late registration is Monday, August 10th from 7:30-11:30 a.m. in the WCMS cafeteria
In order to register you must bring proof of address in order to verify residence is in the WCMS zone. MUST be a current utility bill (water, gas, electric) or a rent agreement, or rental receipt). Please also bring immunization records and birth certificate. 

If you have any questions please call (931) 473-6557 and speak with or leave a message with the attendance office and someone will return your call.