Return to Campus

Marshall has developed a consistent schedule to use during this school year.  The schedule below will be used in all scenarios. The schedule allows great flexibility to nimbly move between working with all students on campus to other scenarios with a reduced number of students on campus at the same time.

We have planned to maintain the highest standards of our academic programming regardless of the scenario we are teaching in. In all cases, we will leverage the important relationship between students and teachers while developing instructional strategies that will be effective in-person and online.  Our approach will be to build systems in each classroom that are based on flexibility, sustainability & simplicity.

While our plan is to spend as much time using in-person instruction as possible, classrooms are equipped with technology that will allow for conferencing between in-person students and those who need to be in remote locations.  The Marshall faculty is participating in extensive preparation this summer to design and adapt curriculum for potential blended instruction.  The upper school will be implementing a number of planned hybrid courses for juniors and seniors.

We plan to schedule carefully to minimize wing density and intermingling between different groups of students. Students in the middle school will have limited contact with students in the upper school, and vice versa.  Students will be grouped together by grade level and division as much as possible.  Arrival and dismissal from classrooms will be planned and staggered, and there will be no large group assemblies.

We are preparing multiple outdoor spaces for classes to meet, and will utilize them as much is practicable.

The social distancing required for the safety of our student and staff community will require many adjustments to different parts of the school day.  Some of the most noticeable changes will be in the following areas.

• Lunch.  Restrictions related to the lunch program, as well as seating and space considerations, will result in a changed lunch program.  We will start the year with only grab-and-go lunches, and (depending on the scenario) students may eat in their classrooms. If conditions allow, a hot lunch option may be added.  Students are allowed to bring their own lunches, but microwaves will not be available.  No outside food delivery will be allowed to campus this year.

• Breaks and recess.  Breaks between classes will be shortened and movement will be monitored to ensure social distancing.  Individual classes may take breaks together.

• Before and after school.  Students should not plan on arriving on campus until after 7:00 a.m.

  • Students who arrive before 8:00 will enter at the main entrance and report to the cafeteria for screening.
  • Beginning at 8:00, all students will be screened as they enter the building, upper school students will enter through the auditorium doors and middle school students will enter through the main entrance. 
  • After 3:15 p.m., students will be restricted to areas in the front of the building. 
     

• Health services.  Marshall nurses will staff the Health Center during the school day.  The Health Center has been reconfigured to provide an area for students who may be symptomatic to isolate.  

• Technology and Library.  The library will remain available for student use and to check-out books, but the level of access will change depending on the scenario. In the event of online learning, materials will still be available for check-out using a drop-off and pick-up system.  This year, there will not be computer chargers available for check-out, but additional charging stations will be set-up in the middle and upper school commons.  Access to student printing to the library will also be limited.

• Marshall House.  The Marshall House staff have developed a comprehensive plan for their students.

Marshall School is committed to providing safe and healthy athletics activities for student-athletes, coaches and other school personnel. To help ensure this, we have developed a comprehensive COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for Athletics. The Athletic Director, coaching staff and other school personnel are responsible for implementing and complying with the plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential transmission of COVID-19 at the school. Only through a cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of our student-athletes, coaches, fans and other school personnel.

The plan has been developed by reviewing the latest health information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Federation of State High School Associations (of which the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and Marshall School are members), the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, the latest Executive Orders issued by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines and federal OSHA standards related to COVID-19.

The athletics plan follows the COVID-19 guidance of Governor Walz and the health and safety organizations listed above. However, Marshall School reserves the right to enact safety guidelines that are more stringent than what is recommended. 

Social distancing will be observed. Marshall is committed to six-foot physical distancing among students, faculty, and staff.

Masks must be worn at all times. It is recommended that families find the appropriately sized masks for their children, have several masks available, and wash them frequently according to MN Department of Health guidelines. 

• Face masks are especially important when in hallways or bathrooms or in proximity to students from other classes.

• Training will be provided for students/families and staff on how to wear and care for masks, including daily washing and rotation and proper placement, among other topics. 

Faculty/Staff health screening will be completed by all employees prior to entering campus.

Student health screening will be done both before leaving home and upon arrival at school, including taking temperatures.

Frequent hand washing and sanitizing will be practiced. There will be scheduled and structured opportunities for students and staff to wash or sanitize their hands throughout the day.

• Students and employees will be encouraged to frequently wash or sanitize their hands.

• Hand sanitizing stations have been installed throughout the building.  

Training: Training will be provided for students and employees related to new procedure for hygiene. 

Campus will be closed to visitors. There will be enhanced screening procedures for essential one-time visitors who have an appointment on campus.

There will be enhanced facility cleaning and sanitizing.  This will include sanitation for shared supplies between use, daily cleaning of all spaces, including high-touch items such as doorknobs, light switches, and other common use items.

We will maximize room ventilation and will be utilizing outdoor classroom spaces, open doors and windows as often as possible and weather permitting.

Controlled traffic in the hallways. With the use of signage, floor stickers, and employee oversight, students and staff will maintain altered and staggered traffic patterns in the hallways and other shared spaces. Each division’s students will only have access to certain parts of the building and the use of common areas will be restricted.

Revised use of social spaces.  Shared campus spaces may be converted to accommodate large classes’ physical distancing requirements, for storage, and to ensure proper cleaning protocol can be implemented every day.

Large groups and gatherings. Assemblies and community meetings will take place in alternative formats until it is safe to gather in large groups.

Home Screening

Screening should be done every morning before arriving at school and every evening. Take your child’s temperature. If it is higher than 100.4 degrees, keep them home from school. If they have other symptoms, follow these Minnesota Department of Health guidelines:

• Symptoms of COVID-19 include: new onset cough or shortness of breath by themselves OR at least 2 of the following: fever (100.4ºF or higher), chills, muscle pain, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste, and gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea.
• If a person has a new symptom (for example, new loss of smell only) with no other diagnosis to explain it, they should stay home and talk to their health care provider about testing for COVID-19, even if it is the only symptom they are experiencing. 

Begin your screening routine at least 14 days prior to August 25 and continue screening during breaks and temporary closures.

Marshall will be using a form generated by CrisisGo to monitor and track screening by families. You will receive a text or e-mail message every morning with a link to the form. This procedure will enable Marshall to effectively monitor and track screening as a preventative measure and will make the home screening and reporting process as easy as possible for families. 

Travel Considerations

Marshall will follow CDC recommendations and State of Minnesota requirements for travel. Marshall encourages/asks all families to review the CDC Policy on Travel prior to making travel decisions. Noncompliance with the CDC guidelines puts the community at higher risk for an outbreak of COVID-19, directly impacting learning and our ability to remain together  .  

CDC Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Provide Masks

Since masks will be required, families should arrange to have multiple masks for each of their students.

• Masks should fit snugly to cover the nose bridge, mouth, and chin and should not gap at the sides.
• Types of face coverings can include a paper or disposable mask, a cloth mask, a neck gaiter, a scarf, or a bandana.
• Ensure the mask fits around the ears, but isn’t too tight.
• Masks should be washed daily. Multiple masks are recommended, and students should arrive to school with two masks each day: wearing one and an extra on hand.
• Adult-sized or standard sized masks may be too big for 4th and 5th grade students, or smaller faces of older students. We recommend trying different types and sizes made for your child’s age and size. Many masks you might buy online for adults may not fit our younger students. 

One of the challenging aspects of the presenting symptoms of COVID-19 is that they often present with other types of illness, allergies, or health conditions. After consultation with medical experts, Marshall has developed the following symptom response, reporting, and testing strategy for the upcoming school year.

All students must complete a self-screening every day before school.  Students with possible COVID-19 symptoms should not come to school. Individuals with COVID-19 have a wide-range of symptoms from mild to severe.  The current symptoms list includes: 

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

Stay up-to-date on new symptoms from the CDC here.

We will follow the Minnesota Department of Health Decision Tree for determining when individuals with confirmed cases, symptoms, or close exposure to COVID-19 may not be at school, and when they can return.

• Individuals who have received a laboratory test for COVID-19
  • Positive test result: Stay home at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared AND until no fever for at least 3 days without medication AND improvement of other symptoms. Siblings and household members also stay home for 14 days
  • Negative test result but symptoms with no other diagnosis: Stay home at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared AND until no fever for at least 3 days without medication AND improvement of other symptoms. Siblings and household members also stay home for 14 days.
• For people with a COVID-19 diagnosis without a lab test OR people with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 without a medical evaluation (e.g., monitoring symptoms at home)
  • Stay home at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared AND until no fever for at least 3 days without medication AND improvement of other symptoms. Siblings and household members also stay home for 14 days.
• For people with other diagnoses (e.g., norovirus, strep throat) that explain the symptoms, or when a health care provider says symptoms are connected to a pre-existing condition
  • Stay home until symptoms have improved. Follow specific return guidance from the health care provider. If symptoms related to a pre-existing condition change or worsen, talk to a health care provider to determine next steps. Siblings and household members do not need to stay home.

Quarantine: An individual is asked to quarantine when they have been identified as a “close contact” of a confirmed case of COVID-19. A close contact is defined as any person who was within six feet for longer than 15 minutes (regardless of whether masks were worn) of someone with a positive or presumptive positive COVID-19 test or had direct contact with infectious secretions of a person diagnosed with COVID-19.

Isolation: If a community member has a positive COVID-19 test, documentation of the minimum of 14 days of home isolation is required prior to returning to campus.  All Marshall families and staff must report a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in their immediate family within 24 hours and as quickly as possible.

Response to Confirmed Cases: If a case of COVID-19 has been confirmed within the Marshall community and the community member has been on campus, Marshall will coordinate the appropriate response and contact tracing with state and local health officials from the Minnesota Department of Health and the St. Louis County Department of Health.

• Marshall will notify community members who had close contact with the confirmed positive individual. The positive case individual’s identifying information will not be provided to those close contacts. All close contacts of a confirmed case will be required to quarantine.

• Additional notices may be required to the community for campus cleaning or changes in educational scenario. The positive case individual’s information will be kept confidential in any of these additional notices.

Privacy and Confidentiality: All personal or identifying information related to Marshall's response to COVID-19, including screening, protocol, contact tracing, and community notifications will be kept confidential. Marshall community members have a right to privacy, and certain data points outlined above must be collected for the health and safety of the entire community. Screening data will not be shared with outside third parties. Contact tracing procedures will take into consideration the necessary information to be shared with public health officials should an outbreak occur. Marshall has identified specific steps during the screening, symptom identification, and contact tracing process to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of community members during this pandemic.

• August 28th update for families