Reopening Letter to Students & Families

Monday evening, the LCCTC’s Joint Operating Committee approved the Health and Safety Plan for Reopening for this school year.  The following letter will be mailed to home addresses with important information regarding the reopening.  In an effort to get the information out as widely and quickly as possible, a link to this letter will emailed to all incoming secondary students and families.

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To the Lancaster County CTC students, families, staff, and community,

The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center’s administration has worked for months on plans to reopen school in the fall.  We have revisited the plan countless times to revise and revamp action steps in response to ever-changing government requirements.  We also serve 16 school districts, each with their own unique plans to reopen in the fall.  We strived to build a plan that takes all of this into consideration.  As additional guidance is available or as situations change, we may need to rework our plan to meet current pandemic response requirements.

The Joint Operating Committee approved the LCCTC Health and Safety Plan during a special session on August 3.  You can view the plan at this link – https://lancasterctc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/200727-Reformatted-Reopening-Plan-rev201130.pdf (LINK UPDATED TO CURRENT PLAN)

We recognize that no plan can answer every question that you may have about school operations.  If you have questions specific to your situation, please visit our Reopening Information webpage at www.lancasterctc.edu/reopening-info. You can submit a feedback form there with your questions.

As of the date of publication of this letter, the LCCTC has set the following plans in place for reopening our campuses.

Full-week, In-Person Reopening for Classes

• Please know that we are making plans in the event that conditions deteriorate or officials instruct us to move to an online-only or hybrid form of instruction.
• The Lancaster County CTC plans to open for in-person classroom instruction with all feasible social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols in place. Details on those protocols and plans can be reviewed in our Health and Safety Plan.  The plan is available on our Reopening Info webpage at www.lancasterctc.edu/reopening-info.
• LCCTC’s reopening plan is a living document for both secondary and post-secondary instruction, adapting as necessary to provide updated information specific to the current status of the pandemic in Pennsylvania.
• LCCTC is a hands-on learning environment, so the potential for COVID-19 transmission exists. However, LCCTC will strive to reduce the possibility of transmission through the use of PPE, social distancing and more stringent cleaning protocols.  LCCTC’s health and safety plan also relies upon all stakeholders (high school students, adults, staff, parents and community) working together by following basic health and safety protocols and self-reporting any COVID-19 symptoms, exposures or diagnoses. Compliance with these measures will help ensure that school operations can continue to the greatest extent possible.
• Our Student Services department sent program information – including info on books, uniforms, tools and supplies, and more – to students in May. The same information was sent to new students as they enrolled at the LCCTC.

Cleaning and Sanitization

• Daily routine cleaning and sanitizing procedures have been developed. The LCCTC will follow the CDC’s Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Schools.   You can view the CDC’s guidelines at the following link:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/reopen-guidance.html
• Additional Cleaning and Sanitization Protocols include:
  • Increased use of PPE required (masks, gloves, face-shields)
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects within the school at least daily, including door handles, faucets and drinking fountains.
  • Classroom teachers will have supplies to clean areas as needed between student groups and/or after possible contamination.
• Use of communal drinking fountains will be restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic and safe alternatives for drinking water will be made available. Students should bring in reusable water bottles.
• Hand sanitizers will be available in all building classrooms and common areas.
• HVAC systems will be active for additional hours during the pandemic in an effort to continue the cycle of and filtering of air. Additionally, the exchange with outside air will be increased.

Daily Health Screenings

• It takes all of us to combat the pandemic. All students and staff will be required to conduct a daily self-screening before they enter one of our campus buildings.  The self-screening flyer can be found here – https://lancasterctc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200729-Daily-Health-Affirmation-flyer.pdf
• Parents, students, and LCCTC staff must agree to stay home when sick or suspect having any infection and seek medical care. Those students or staff with temperatures over 100.4 degrees cannot come to school.
• Please contact the LCCTC immediately if you or your student is confirmed with COVID-19 and begin to self-quarantine. If someone in a student’s household is confirmed with COVID-19, that student must also quarantine.
• The LCCTC will conform to guidelines form the Centers for Disease Control to determine when an isolated or quarantined staff, student, or visitor may return to school.

Face Masks/Shields

• In accordance with the state requirements on mask wearing and appropriate social distancing, masks and/or face shields must be worn while on LCCTC campuses, during LCCTC activities, and on buses to and from the LCCTC (when six-foot social distancing cannot be maintained).
  • Children two years and older are required to wear a face covering unless they have a medical or mental health condition or disability, documented in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or IDEA, that precludes the wearing of a face covering in school. Accommodations for such students should be made in partnership with the student’s health care provider, school nurse/first aid nurse, and IEP/504 team. Section 504 and IDEA permit school officials to ask for medical documentation to demonstrate a student’s need for an exemption from any face covering requirement.
• At the start of the school year, students will be issued a cloth mask to use both on the bus and in our buildings. It will be up to the student to wash and maintain the mask. We will make a good-faith effort to put protections into practice. However, we cannot guarantee that riding buses or attending school will be completely without risk.

Social Distancing

• Lunches will continue to be served in cafeterias at the LCCTC, but in pre-packaged containers. The LCCTC plan is to use the cafeterias, but as circumstances warrant we may have to use alternative spaces.
• To comply with social distancing measures, additional lunch periods will be added and reduced seating capacity will be enforced so that students are able to keep a reasonable distance from each other.
• Classes will come down at staggered times to reduce numbers in lunch lines. Students are encouraged to stay seated once they get their meals, and if they need to get up from their seat, they are required to wear a mask. Once students are finished eating, masks must be worn.
• Labs and classrooms will be arranged to offer appropriate social distancing wherever possible.
• Physical partitions will be used in campus offices and common spaces wherever possible.

Transportation

• In light of the COVID situation and the challenges faced on ensuring social distancing on buses, the LCCTC strongly recommends students and families provide their own transportation if they are able.
• In order to encourage students to use their own transportation, the LCCTC has adjusted its policy on parking on campus to include juniors for the 20-21 school year. An online form to apply for a parking pass can be found on this webpage – https://lancasterctc.edu/student-services/forms-documents/.  Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance, display a parking permit, and adhere to all LCCTC student driver rules.
• Student should immediately enter the building after exiting their vehicles, and avoid congregating or socializing in the parking lot.
• In partnership with your school district, the LCCTC will continue to provide bus transportation to and from your student’s high school. To comply with social distancing measures to the best extent possible, students will be required to wear a face mask or face shield on all bus rides to and from the LCCTC, as social distancing options will be limited on the buses.

Campus Visitation

• Only students, school personnel, and essential visitors will be permitted inside campus buildings.
• All visitors will need approval of building administration prior to entering the building.
• Any visitor approved to enter the building will need to follow all health/safety procedures established by the LCCTC including the requirement to wear a face covering/mask.
• Designated drop-off areas for items will be provided for parents/guardians.

Every LCCTC staff member is working to provide the safest environment possible for our students during the coming school year.  We understand your concerns and we share them.  The Lancaster County Career & Technology center is an option for high school and adult students to pursue their education, but we must remember that our programming is, indeed, an elective.  It is the choice of the parent and student whether they choose to attend the LCCTC under the current re-opening plan. If a family chooses not to send a student while the LCCTC is holding some form of in-person classes, we will work with the student to ensure a smooth transition back to their sending district.

We hope to see all our students this fall in person and busy cooking, repairing, constructing, excavating, coding, and everything that makes a career and technical education great!  We are excited about the upcoming school year and the LCCTC will work its hardest to make sure that it is a year to remember.  We look forward to seeing you soon!