Seward Public Schools

SPS Spring Newsletter

Click on the link below to access the newsletter.

https://www.smore.com/60j9c-sps-spring-newsletter

2022-2023 School Calendar

The Board of Education has set the calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. To aid in your planning, click on the link below to view the calendar.

2022-2023 School Calendar

Below you will find more information about ESSER III funds provided to school districts across the nation. The list below is the allowable expenditure categories. The categories highlighted below are the areas that Seward Public Schools intend on using the funds allotted. Seward Public Schools has been allocated $860,890 and has until fall of 2024 to expend these funds. The goal of these funds is to help support students without having recurring costs to the district after the ESSER III funds are gone. If you have any suggestions regarding the use of these funds, please contact Dr. Josh Fields, Superintendent, at Josh.Fields@sewardschools.org

ESSER, passed as Section 18003 of the CARES Act in March 2020; ESSER II, passed as Section 313 of the CRRSA Act in December 2020; and ARP ESSER (ESSER III), included in Section 2001 of the American Rescue Plan Act, H.R. 1319, provides billions in funding for state and local educational agencies to spend on allowable activities to respond to COVID-19. ESSER is its own, separate, flexible program intended to assist with the COVID-19 response. ESSER I, II, & III funds must be tracked separately.

The ESSER III funding has the same allowable activities as the ESSER I and ESSER II funds; however an LEA must reserve not less than 20 percent of its total ARP ESSER allocation to address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or an extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups.

LEAs may use their ARP ESSER funding on the following allowable activities under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act:

Administration – 10% administrative cap, includes indirect cost rate charged against direct costs. Reference.
Any activity authorized by the ESEA of 1965, IDEA, AEFLA, and Perkins. Note: McKinney-Vento was not included as an allowable use under ESSER III ARP Act.
Coordination of preparedness and response efforts.
Providing principals and other school leaders with resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools. Note: Not included in ESSER III/ARP Act.
Activities to address the unique needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities.
Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.
Training and professional development for LEA staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a LEA, including buildings operated by such agencies.
Planning, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures.
Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and children with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
Providing mental health services and supports.
Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs.
New ESSER II Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care, of the local educational agency, including: 1. Administering and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic needs, including differentiating instruction.
1. Implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students.
2. Providing information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively support students, including in a distance learning environment.
3. Tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.
New ESSER II School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce the risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.
New ESSER II Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities.
New ESSER III Development of strategies and implementation of public health protocols that align with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on reopening and operating school facilities to maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff. CDC Guidance can be found at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools
Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation and continuity of services in LEAs and continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA. Any entity that receives funds under the Education Stabilization Fund shall, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees and contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures related to COVID-19.

Updated at the February 14, 2022 BOE meeting on the plan and the use of funds as a discussion item. Feedback was provided on adding more money to our Mental Health Supports along with changes to the dollar amount per NDE of $870 to the total budget.

Reopening Plan for 2021-2022 School Year

Posted: July 15

Updated July 27

Seward Public Schools will again be open in the fall of 2021 for in-person teaching and learning. We will continue to work closely with the Four Corners Health Department and state officials if an outbreak of COVID-19 occurs within our schools. We will utilize only if needed the protocols that were put into place from our 2020-2021 reopening plan. Our goal is to have as much as a normal school year as possible, but we will communicate any changes that may need to be made throughout the school year. Thank you for your continued support of Seward Public Schools as we look forward to a great 2021-2022 school year.

COVID-19 Vaccination:

Seward Public Schools is an active community partner with the Four Corners Health Department and other state and local public health leaders to promote COVID-19 vaccination. The summary below represents the strategies Seward Public School District will continue to use to support the overall public health message and strategy to vaccinate individuals against COVID-19.

Regular parent, staff, and student email updates which include factual information regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. This will include sharing public health recommendations to mitigate COVID-19 spread for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Regular coordination with the Four Corners Health Department and Seward County Memorial Health Care Systems to assist with planning, coordinating, and communicating information related to community COVID-19 vaccine clinics.
Provide flexibility to staff and students who need to miss work/school to gain access to a COVID-19 vaccine or in response to its short-term side effects.

2021-22 Core Protocols:

Seward Public Schools Covid-19 Mitigation Protocols

Continue to request that students and staff self screen daily for COVID-19 symptoms using the self-screening protocol.
Encourage and enable students and staff to frequently wash and sanitize hands.
Promote appropriate coughing and sneezing etiquette.
Utilize targeted enhanced cleaning protocols on high touch surfaces throughout each school and in school transportation vehicles.
Continue to ensure students and staff who are sick stay home from school.
Require anyone testing positive for COVID-19 to isolate for (10) days since onset of symptoms and symptoms have improved and the individual is fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Continue to assist local health department officials with contact tracing as necessary for COVID-19 exposures that occur on campus and at school activities or events.
Follow directives from the local health department for someone who has been exposed to COVID-19 (e.g., potential quarantine, self-monitor, etc.).
Strongly recommend anyone unvaccinated to wear a face mask while indoors in settings where physical distancing is not possible.
Communicate information about the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage students and staff to be vaccinated and where they can be vaccinated in Seward County.
Increase fresh air mixture into HVAC systems throughout all schools.
Students with special needs will have access to all safety protocols discussed above as well as safety measures agreed to in the IEP.
Continuity of services will be provided for academic, mental health, health, and food services as outlined in the 2020-21 Safety Protocol Document should the district find itself in the high risk category for Covidspread.
Promote social distancing by students and staff and provide physical social distancing measures as needed through local guidance.

If needed Enhanced Protocols with Mitigation Protocols

Will work with local health departments and ESU 6 during the summer months.
In the event that SPS needs to use our COVID 19 Protocols they can be found on the 20-21 Reopening plan here: 2020-2021 Reopening Plan