Spring '21 Reopening FAQs

Elementary students will learn from home on Monday, March 22, 2021, and Friday March 26, 2021.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021, through Thursday, March 25, 2021, they will attend school in-person from 9:00 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

After Spring Break, they will have in-person instruction five days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

• AM Kindergarten will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
• PM Kindergarten will be held from 12:45 to 3:35 p.m.

Middle School students will attend school Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. Fridays will be asynchronous.

High School students will attend school Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. Fridays will be asynchronous.

• Screening: As outlined in the LMSD Health and Safety Plan, all students and staff will be expected to use the Daily Screening Tool every morning. Anyone exhibiting any of the identified symptoms should stay home. Anyone in school exhibiting symptoms will be isolated immediately. Parents/guardians of symptomatic students will have to pick up their children from school and keep them home until they are cleared to return to school in compliance with the requirements of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH). Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, has a household member who is positive or is a close contact of a positive individual must report the positive case to the LMSD COVID Healthline at 610-645-1973. Nurses from the LMSD COVID Team will advise regarding quarantine, isolation and testing and begin contact-tracing in school if warranted.
• Masks: Masks (surgical or cloth) must be worn properly at all times. Gaiters and valved masks are not permitted. Masks may only be removed while eating or drinking and while maintaining physical distance from others.
• Cleaning: Proper hygiene techniques (handwashing and sanitizing) will be emphasized with students and staff throughout the day and especially before eating. High-touch surfaces in schools will be sanitized multiple times daily and all school will undergo rigorous cleaning nightly. All teachers are provided with 3M #5 solution and cleaning clothes to use on classrooms surfaces. Students will not share items such as manipulatives, art supplies, computers, etc.
• Ventilation: The existing ventilation systems throughout LMSD’s buildings already met or exceeded ventilation standards, prior to the pandemic. However, the District is increasing the levels of ventilation and filtration of the HVAC equipment – subject to capacity limits on the systems. This includes the installation of MERV 13 filters throughout the schools and installation of bipolar ionization in large group spaces, such as gyms and auditoriums. Higher levels of ventilation become more challenging in a fully populated school and become more feasible if the school population is decreased. While staff can opt to open classroom windows on temperate days, air coming in through open classroom windows is not treated to prevent allergens from entering the room. Additionally, on days that are very hot and/or humid or very cold, HVAC systems will not be able to maintain a comfortable classroom temperature if windows are open.
• Distancing: Physical distancing will be maintained to the extent possible. Staff will maintain six-foot distancing from students and other staff members (unless their job function necessitates closer contact). Students may, at times, need to be closer than six feet, but will be at least three feet from other students in classrooms, cafeterias and other spaces. Students will maintain six-foot distancing during meals. Incidental passing in hallways or approaching a teacher to hand in an assignment (while masked) is not considered a close contact, so there may be brief moments such as these where distance is not maintained. Distancing will be maintained on buses to the extent possible, but LMSD cannot guarantee distancing on buses. Any students who are able to walk, ride bikes or get rides to school with members of their own household are encouraged to do so. Carpooling with people outside of one’s own household is strongly discouraged.
• Testing: All LMSD staff have access to weekly COVID-19 testing through the ACE-IT program and are encouraged to participate in the testing program to protect themselves, their families, colleagues and students. Some students (including athletes engaged in activities where distancing is not possible) are also tested at least weekly to limit the spread of COVID-19 by asymptomatic carriers to those with whom they may come into contact. If resources permit, the ACE-IT assurance testing may be extended to students.

LMSD has worked with state and county public health officials to provide vaccination opportunities to our staff who want to be vaccinated. Indications are that a majority of LMSD will be vaccinated prior to the March 22, 2021, return to more in-person instruction. An individual’s vaccination status is confidential; therefore, no staff member is obligated to reveal their vaccination status to anyone in the District and LMSD is not requiring staff to be vaccinated.

At all lunches, children will be encouraged to finish in a timely manner and put their masks back on as soon as they are done. Students will be asked to minimize conversations while unmasked.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bus stops and times may change when the full return is implemented. Look for emails from the Transportation Department and check the PowerSchool Parent Portal the weekend of March 20-21, to confirm bus stops and times.

• For K-5: In some cases, students whose families choose not to return them to in-person school may be placed in LMSD@Home classes, if there is room. If there are enough students in a particular grade who are opting out of in-person instruction, LMSD may create an additional LMSD@Home class and reassign new students from across the District into that class with a new teacher.
• For 6-8: Students will be able to choose the “Middle School Spring Remote” option to continue to follow their schedules using technology, as has been the case during Winter Flex. 
• For 9-12: Students will be able to continue to follow their schedules using technology, as has been the case throughout the year.