Fall 2020 Reopening Plan
Saturday, July 18th, 2020
As-Salamu Alaikum Salam School Families.
After extensive research, diligent deliberation, conferring with medical authorities and careful listening to multiple parents and students and based on the limited physical and staffing capacities of the school buildings, the Salam School Advisory Committee (SSAC) in conjunction with the Salam School Administration have come up with the three-phase plan below.
The phases described below will be adopted based on the trends of the COVID-19 infection rate as announced by the State of Wisconsin, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Health Department (MHD), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), etc. As the infection rate continues to climb, MHD has mandated that schools shall provide virtual learning for the first 30—45 days (subject to extension) of the school year 2020-2021. Subsequently, SSAC has directed the school administration to adopt phase (1) in its reopening.
Should the infection rate subside to the point where the MHD announces that it is safe to move to phase (2) and hopefully phase (3), the school administration will inform you in advance (evaluation of the plan in reference to new circumstances and infection rates occurs on a weekly basis). Conversely, should the infection rate increase while the school is operating in either phase (2) or phase (3), the MHD may decide to scale back into phase (2) or phase (1), and you will be thus notified. These are difficult times that require a higher level of tolerance for uncertainty and fast response to a continuously changing landscape.
Phase One: 100% Virtual Learning
A well developed and extensive online learning experience that mimics a traditional classroom setting.
Students shall attend their classes online where their attendance shall be tracked by their instructors and reported to the school administration.
Students shall be afforded electronic devices to facilitate their distance learning.
Students shall use these electronic devices responsibly and for educational purposes only. Should a student lose or damage his/her electronic device, he/she will be subject to restitution.
Students receiving electronic devices shall sign individual contracts with the school that include the school’s expectations of its students as they use said devices.
Phase Two: Hybrid
Utilizing both online learning and in-person classes to accommodate everyone.
Salam School students will be organized in two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A will attend school on Mondays and Wednesdays, whereas Group B will attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Friday is an in-person day off only for students—staff must attend.
Students will continue with their virtual learning, through Google Classrooms, on the days they will not attend school (i.e., each group will have two days of in-person learning and three days of virtual learning).
Students with health issues that cause them to be at risk due to COVID-19 will be afforded full access to online learning five days a week. Additionally, the school administration will place all siblings in the same group to relieve some burden from the parents.
Phase Three: On Campus
Students shall attend school five days a week according to regular school schedule.
Health Safeguards (Phases 2 and 3)
Salam School students are a trust shared between their parents and their school. As result, the health precautions both at home and at school must reflect the same standards of care, albeit with different applications that fit each environment. Following are two sets of health precautions to which Salam School students MUST adhere at school and at home.
At School:
Students’ and staff’s body temperature shall be taken every morning they report to school. Students with high body temperature shall be sent home
Students and staff shall wear masks (face shields)
Students and staff shall maintain regulated physical distance and avoid unnecessary physical contact
Students and staff shall adopt the highest levels of personal hygiene (regularly washing their hands and avoiding touching their faces)
All building facilities, classrooms and surfaces shall be disinfected regularly and on a daily basis
Shared materials and supplies shall be restricted
Water fountains shall be turned off
At Home:
Students need to adopt the highest possible level of personal hygiene (see above).
Students who develop high body temperature, coughing, sneezing, runny noses, etc. MUST NOT report to school, before they are cleared by a physician.
School’s Daily Program:
Students shall enter the school buildings through many access points to reduce physical contact.
Morning assembly shall be held in the classrooms via the public announcement system (NOT IN THE GYMNASIUMS) in the rooms where the first class periods are held (per schedule).
Students shall be dismissed from classrooms in a staggered fashion, so that traffic is reduced in the hallways as students move from one classroom to another.
Elementary school students shall be served lunch in the cafetorium and in their classrooms to further spread out the students.
Middle and high school students shall be served lunch both at the center hall and at the gymnasium. A third lunch period may be developed to further spread out the students.
Students shall be served lunch (NO SELF-SERVING).
Middle and high school students shall pray both in the masjid and in the gymnasium.
Co Curricular Activities:
All cocurricular activities, school clubs and competitions, excluding the induction to the National Honor Society (NHS), shall be put on hold.
Field trips shall be limited (only administratively approved educational field trip shall be permitted).
Social/Emotional Wellbeing:
The Salam School Advisory Committee and Administration in conjunction with the school Guidance and Assistive Services Departments shall do their best to provide Salam School students and their families with support, resources and experiences during these challenging times. Please feel free to contact us with any question and/or request you may have. We are in this together.
We thank you for the opportunity to serve you and our children.
As-Salamu Alaikum
Wanis H. Shalaby Salam School of Milwaukee
Head of School
