Due to the COVD-19 Pandemic, Bellevue School District and Cherry Crest students received remote and virtual instruction for the 1st semester of the 2020-2021 school year.  As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the school district and the teachers association (BEA), each school has established a Safety and Health Conditions Review Team (SHCRT).  This team meets weekly to review individual school and safety health data and make recommendations for expansion of additional in person services.

The Cherry Crest SHCRT is made up of staff members representing groups of educators currently/imminently serving in person at school including the school nurse, lead custodian and school principal.   The team meets each Wednesday to review all relevant data  including but not limited to: safety protocol reports, school infection and contact tracing data, and King County DOH COVID-19 dashboard data for our attendance area.  On the Wednesday prior to each announced phase of expansion for in-person services, the SHCRT decides based on the data for their school whether or not to move
forward with expansion of in person learning or delay. The school or district then communicates the team decision to all impacted families by 5 pm on Thursday.

Examples of relevant data that our team considers include:

Summary Notes/Concerns from recent Safety and Health Conditions Review Team Meetings

6.9.21

Data review:

  • King County data: 1 new COVID cases/100,000 people in the past 14 days

75% of eligible vaccine recipients have at least one dose

65 % of eligible vaccine recipients are fully vaccinated

  • BSD data: 4 students in the district tested positive in the past 14 days
  • Cherry Crest data: 2 students are quarantined due to travel

1 student is out of school for close contact in the community

1 student is at home with symptoms, test results pending

1 student sent to CARES room this week with high temperature, which was re-checked and student sent back to class

  • Review of padlet (concerns, questions submitted by staff this week)
  • Nurse Amy has double masks available for staff
  • Reminder to teachers: If parents email teachers with information about COVID symptoms or test results or symptom resolution, please forward that information to Nurse Amy and Denise (for attendance purposes)

Looking to fall, 2021:

  • Consider the student’s overall health history when looking at symptoms and exclusion from school
  • Ask BEA for expectations of SHCRT in the fall – will it continue? Will it change?
  • Tentative mitigating measures that will continue in the fall: face coverings, hand hygiene, physical distancing, response to cases/suspected cases, cleaning and disinfecting, ventilation protocol will remain
  • Building planning for: lunch room, outside time (recess), disinfecting, possible co-horting of students, water fountain usage, distancing of desks, # students/classroom, visitor vs. volunteer (what is the difference?  Who would be allowed in the school?), building use beyond school-related activities (sports? clubs?  churches?)
  • Health screening will be based on CDC guidelines

In-person activity proposals for review

  • Orchestra concert happened last Thursday, successfully. 2 guests/family allowed.  Interim Superintendent attended.   Families are thankful.

6.2.21

  • King County data:
    • 1/100,000 new cases of COVID in past 14 days
    • 3/100,000 new hospitalizations/7 days
  • BSD data:
    • 2 students confirmed positive in past 14 days
    • Both secondary students (middle/high school)
  • Cherry Crest data:
    • One student sent home Tuesday with symptoms, took COVID test which was negative. Will return to school.
  • Protocol for travel out of state remains the same as it has been: Unvaccinated people stay home for 7 days of quarantine post-out-of-state travel.  IF a COVID test is taken 3 – 5 days after travel, the student could return to school on day 8, with a negative test result.  If no COVID test is done, the student may return after 10 days.

Vaccinated people do not need to quarantine post-travel.

  • Should teachers wait in the office with any student who is late being picked up at 10:30/2:30? It is ok to wait, but not necessary.  Office staff will handle.
  • Review of building activity proposals for band/orchestra concerts. The events were approved by the committee, as they are following DOH guidelines, BSD recommendations and additional protocols put forth by the committee.  Other school in the district are holding similar events.

5.26.21

  • King Co. data: New COVID cases = 156.8/100,000 in past 14 days

New hospitalizations = 3.7/100,000 in past 7 days

72% of people have at least one dose of vaccine

  • BSD data: No new COVID cases reported
  • Cherry Crest notes: (1) 3 students are quarantined due to close contact in their community, (2) our CARES rooms saw one student with one symptom who was sent home and had negative test, (3) BBGC had one student sent home with single symptom, test is pending, (4) no new comments have been entered on the Padlet of comments/concerns where staff report
  • Nurse Amy reminds all that regular hallway pass works for non-CARES related issues when we send a student to the office/health room. Use the heart shaped sticky note for CARES room referrals.
  • The following building activity proposals were approved: (1) Student teacher can be observed by her supervisor for one hour. (2) G4/5 split classroom will have a meet and greet activity for students and families outdoors.  (3)  G5 promotion in person event for Wed, June 16.  All health and safety protocols will be followed.  The committee made recommendations to tighten up procedures and ensure safety.

5.19.21

  • King County COVID data:
    • 9 new cases/100,000 in past 14 days
    • Numbers are dropping
    • Hospitalization rate = 4.5/100,000
    • 8 fully vaccinated people in Bellevue have tested positive for COVID
    • Some J&J vaccine recipients have not yet tested positive for antibodies
  • BSD COVID data:
    • No new cases at Cherry Crest in past 14 days
    • No close contacts from within the school warranted any quarantining
    • 2 students are quarantined due to community contact
    • CARES room at Cherry Crest: one student send home with nausea.  That cleared up. No additional symptoms.
    • Bellevue High School has cases, attributed to social circles, not in-school transmission
    • Sherwood Forest and Stevenson have cases, attributed to living situations, not in-school transmission
  • Quarantining for travel: families will be reminded of WA state travel protocol, with Memorial Day coming up
    • Asynch learning and virtual learning (specialist instruction) is provided to students. There is no expectation for concurrent instruction to be provided to students who are home due to quarantine.
  • Congestion and headache could be symptoms of COVID
  • Reminders for students to stand on dots while outside the school prior to entry. No mingling.  Keep social distance. We need more masks.  They will be provided.
  • June 16 there will be a G-5 promotion activity outdoors here at CC. A proposal for that activity is forthcoming.
  • Masks are still required in schools (there was some confusion with new CDC guidelines.)

5/12/21

  • King Co. data: 4 new COVID cases/100,000 people in 14 days. We remain in Phase 3.  Numbers look to be dropping somewhat.
  • King Co. vaccinations:      9% received at least one dose

50.7% are fully vaccinated

  • 16-year-olds and older can get vaccinated via BSD beginning this weekend. It will open up to 12 – 15-year-olds if CDC approves it (possible approval today). It was approved, and this weekend the BSD and Safeway partners are giving 1500 vaccines to students ages 12 and up at Sammamish HS. Due to overwhelming response, a second clinic is scheduled for: Odle MS on 5/19/21, from 2:30pm to 6:30pm
    • We will have 400 doses of Pfizer available, plus up to 200 J&J shots
  • Cherry Crest data: no positive cases in past 14 days.
  • Elsewhere in BSD: Sherwood Forest has 4 cases, Bellevue High School has 5
  • Is there anything BSD is/should do about family travel, perhaps family members coming from outside of the country? We can remind families to follow procedures and we should all remain vigilant.  Quarantining should be happening following travel.  Memorial Day is coming up – it could impact attendance due to quarantining if families travel
  • Acknowledgement of India’s devastating COVID numbers and that many CC families have connections there.
  • Comment padlet reviewed and items discussed:
    • Flex space distancing – 3 feet apart is OK – sanitize before and after use. No testing in the hallway without wearing a mask.
    • Student mask wearing: one student has needed a lot of reminders
    • BBGC (Bellevue Boys and Girls Club) protocol is the same as ours. Erin Stedman is working with the leaders there
    • FAB (Fresh Air Break) bathroom use: The bathrooms in the gym will remain closed due to storage issues.  Students should be reminded to use the bathroom before they go outside.  If necessary, students on FAB may use the bathrooms by the office
    • FAB is meant to be 15 minutes total: staff are reminded to pick their students up at exactly the end of their 15 minutes, no later (as it overlaps with other classrooms coming out)
    • One student refusing to come in- the GSAs will help with that. Classroom teacher should proceed inside with her other students.
  • Proposals for on-site, after-school-hours gardening club and first-grade-auction event were reviewed and approved

May 5

  • Data and messaging (CDC, state, county) can be incongruent and confusing.
  • We are getting vaccinated and opening up, BUT we cannot rest.  We must remain strict with our protocols and procedures
  • King County granted a “grace period” for 2 weeks, to remain in Phase 3
  • Small towns in the state are experiencing cases that hadn’t before
  • Confusion among parents at times, with regard to what happens if a child exhibits symptoms
  • Guidelines/recommendation change frequently
  • There is NO need to quarantine after traveling within the state
  • Families are being asked to consider risk factors when they travel within the state or make choices such as attending large-group events or destinations such as Great Wolf Lodge
  • Protocol questions should be directed to Nurse Amy and/or Dusty
  • Data review: Cherry Crest has had no new cases in the last 14 days

Sherwood Forest reported 3 new cases in the last 14 days

Our CARES room had 2 referrals (one elevated temp/one sore

throat)

  • Upticks in sore throats being seen, possibly due to seasonal allergies
  • 500 COVID vaccines are available for BSD students 16 years and older on Saturday, May 15. Vaccines may be made available to students ages 12 – 16 soon
  • All staff are encouraged to raise concerns either: on the available padlet, the reporting sheet or in-person to Dusty, Erin or Patricia.
  • This committee’s role moving forward = continue to meet weekly through June (as per MOU in district)
  • We will not be returning any classrooms to full-day instruction
  • There may be in-person clubs starting: gardening, art and SOAR are being discussed as possibilities
  • Norms for shared spaces reviewed and will be shared with all staff (hand sanitize before and after, wipe down tables, use 6 ft. distancing)

April 28

  • King County data:
    • new cases of COVID = 236/100,000. Cases are rising
    • Hospitalizations = 5.7/100,000
  • Bellevue data from 3/27 to 4/10
    • New cases of COVID = 167.3/100,000
    • Bellevue central area = 332.4/100,000
  • School data:
    • Cherry Crest had one confirmed case prior to break and 23 quarantined students from class/bus – whom have all completed quarantine with no other positive cases from group
    • Total COVID cases in Cherry Crest community since Sept 2020 = 2 students
    • Quarantine, contact tracing and isolation measures have been followed
  • Possibility that King County will go back to Phase 2, but there would be no change to school schedule
  • CARES room data is kept current (why a student is sent there and what follow-up is)
  • Safety/health comments, suggestions, concerns for CC are kept on a padlet (new way of sharing among staff)
  • Hand sanitizer refills and extra masks are available to all classrooms and staff
  • Discussion: safe distancing in common areas.  Should remain as 6 feet social distancing.  Wipe down area after use.  Hand sanitize before and after use.
  • All common areas have hand sanitizer dispensers on the wall
  • Discussion: extra activities at Cherry Crest (beyond regular in-classroom learning)
    • Current programs are running club, orchestra, ELPA testing (in gym), daily interventions for students identified as needing extra support (students with IEPs)
    • Possible additional programs forthcoming, depending on health and safety issues
    • Phase 2 rules = ok to do low/moderate risk sports/no tournaments. Phase 3 = competition with other groups ok
  • Some schools are looking at expanding in-person learning to primary grades between now and the end of school in June. Factors to consider = lunch, transportation, snacks, specialist schedule, special education schedule and overall health and safety protocols.  We need to decide this as grade levels or as primary as a whole, not classroom-by-classroom
  • What is this committee’s long-term role? Through June certainly.  Possibly into the fall.

April 7

  • King County COVID data: Phase 3 target is below 200 cases/100 K people. Currently, there are 177.3 cases/100 K.
    • If we go up to 200 people/100 K, we roll back to Phase 2. That would impact school sports, restaurants, community events, but no change to current school in-person set up at this time
    • In the news, young people playing sports is a place where virus is being transmitted
    • Be mindful of opportunities to lower risk factors – wearing mask, handwashing, avoid travel. Use mitigating efforts!
  • BSD data: Stevenson has had 1 student confirmed case positive from community contact.  Close contacts were quarantined.
  • Cherry Crest data: No cases
  • Custodial report: Desks are cleared when students leave, so spraying down is happening within that hour between House A and House B.  No issues.
    • Hand sanitizer supply and replenishing procedures discussed
    • Shared areas should be wiped down after use (hallway tables)
  • 2 students were sent to the CARES room this week. Protocol was reviewed for when to send a child to the CARES room.  Nurse Amy is here T, Th to assess students with any symptoms. Without a nurse here M, W, F, students will probably be sent home.  One of our strongest mitigating efforts is education of stay-at-home-when-sick protocols for parents/families.
  • Office staffing discussion: possibility of adding GSA time to office staff
  • This committee was asked to share protocol with their grade-level team
  • Office safety: mask-wearing, traffic flow, private vs. semi-private space
  • CDC says fully vaccinated people can interact with other fully vaccinated people
  • March 31
    • COVID case data reviewed for King County
      • cases on the rise with 137/100,000 people now
      • One source of the uptick was a King County jail. Also, college-aged and high-school aged kids.
      • Strong mitigating measures must continue
    • COVID case data reviewed for BSD
      • Spiritridge Elementary had 1 case and 13 students were identified as close contacts.
      • Cherry Crest had one student quarantined due to close contact in the community. Student was not in the building when close contact status was determined.
      • No cases reported at Cherry Crest
    • Quarantine procedures discussed
      • If a class must quarantine (including the teacher) for 2 weeks, learning would happen virtually
      • If a student quarantines alone (due to community contact, for example), only asynchronous work is provided (by mandate)
      • “Close contact” was discussed
    • Attestations for staff and students entering the building are changing due to King County Public Health guidelines changing.
    • Building protocol reviewed and discussed:
      • Late arrivals procedure
      • Staff mask-wearing in semi-public spaces
      • Boys and Girls Club traffic patterns within the hallways (student arrival and departure)
      • Dusty coordinates procedures with Boys and Girls Club
      • Individual teachers enter information/concerns about protocol onto school-wide spread sheet, for tracking purposes
      • Students are being checked at the door for masks and being given hand sanitizer. One student was reported to have no mask upon arriving at classroom door.  Procedures were discussed with staff monitoring for this.
    • 4th grade returns to in-person learning 4/1/21
    • Pivot-to-hybrid meetings are still occurring
    • Returning teachers receive health and safety supplies upon return to building
    • All BSD students will have a week of virtual learning April 19 – 23. Specialist schedule remains on the newly-revised and implemented April schedule.
    • Another COVID vaccine clinic for BSD staff is being added
    • Custodial staff report that they are able to clean classrooms and bathrooms between the AM and PM students readily at this time

    March 24

    • King Co. COVID data reviewed. Slight uptick in cases noted (104 cases/100,00 people).   Possible cause is reopening of restaurants and other places of business.  Also, people are traveling more.
    • Bellevue School District COVID data reviewed. Confirmed COVID cases over the last 14 days = 1 student in the district, 0 staff in the district.
    • Students at Cherry Crest exhibiting or reporting possible symptoms of illness continue to be sent to our Cares room for evaluation and to follow safety and health practices for remaining/returning to school safely.
    • Parents have been keeping children home if they show any sort of symptoms. Nursing staff follow up when that occurs.
    • Cherry Crest building protocol for usage of common spaces such as the book room was reviewed. Custodians are notified of room usage for their cleaning purposes.
    • Community note: The Bellevue Fire Department has applied for a permit to provide door-to-door vaccines in the community, for those unable to travel to a vaccination site.
    • Return-to-school scheduling, including asynchronous days for 4th and 5th grades was discussed. The return for the 4/5 split class was discussed.
    • On asynchronous days, specialists and the resource room still meet with students (except March 25 and 26).
    • The vote was taken and passed: Return to in-person learning for 4th grade will be Thursday April 1 and Friday April 2.  The week of April 5 they will be in school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  5th grade will return to in-person learning on Monday, April 5 and will continue on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday that week.
    • The week following spring break remains virtual for everyone.
    • The week of April 26, all grades K through 5 will be in school 4 days/week.
  • March 17
    • County, Neighborhood and School data reviewed. New data information shared which includes COVID impact broken down by race.
    • Moving around building still presents greatest social distancing challenges. Hallway traffic patterns discussed: signage, arrows on the floor, use of stairwells and doors to the outside.
    • Team agreed to rollout order of 3rd grade, followed by 4th and then 5th grade.
    • Given Governor’s emergency proclamation, the team is now working on the premise that all students K-5 will be offered in person learning by April 5.
    • This committee continues to meet each week and follow process outlined in the Memo of Understanding between the BEA and BSD “to expand or delay” in-person learning, with focus on safety
    • Third grade will introduce an additional 90 students in person split between AM/PM sessions.
    • Return schedule for 3rd grade is:
      • Classroom Prep Days March 22 and 23 (asynchronous learning provided for students)
      • Return to school on Thursday & Friday March 25 & 26.
      • 3rd grade attends 4 days/week (M,T,Th,F) beginning March 29
  • March 3 & 10
    • K-2 student expansion underway.  130 students in building split between AM & PM
    • K-2 Dismissal: students not always observing physical distancing in building and upon exit. Not all adults following procedures, few students using the bus, drive through takes a long time.
    • Recess dismissal procedures (students too close, using same exit).
    • Recess equipment cleaning/sharing among students.
    • Concern with bringing grades 3-5 back, how to fit up to 15 students in a classroom – children and class sizes are larger than grades K, 1, and 2.
    • Social distancing is tricky for Ks, and in hallway for children and adults. Health attestation completion – same families need consistent reminders from office.
    • Proper mask wearing – adults and students.  Masks get lost/broken. Extra masks available in classroom and clinic. Community use of field during the day challenges designed cohorting. Signage in place and messaging to school/community shared.
The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.