
Johnson County Department of Health and Environment vaccine totals* | |
---|---|
Doses received | 16,250 (of that, 5,000 are for 2nd dose) |
Doses administered | 7,020 |
*As of 3 p.m. on January 15, 2021. More detail is available in the table below. These only account for JCDHE’s doses. |
JCDHE is providing recommendations only. For details on your school's reopening plan, contact your school or district.
NEW Download: October 27, 2020 - Public Health Recommendations for winter indoor sports and activities - PDF
The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) will update school gating criteria based on emerging information and community input. Since JCDHE released recommendations in August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Mid-America Regional Council all released guidance. Many schools in Johnson County have also gone back to learning in some form and are implementing public health strategies to prevent transmission of COVID-19.
These public health recommendations are intended to help families and school districts make decisions about the safest learning mode for students and staff in a novel pandemic. The recommendations are based on currently available information, data and science, and expert analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Children’s Mercy Hospital. As new evidence emerges, recommendations may change. JCDHE and school districts are working closely together to monitor community and school conditions and make amendments if necessary.
JCDHE wants all schools to conduct in-person learning safely and recognizes that there are differences between the school districts and that decisions made on learning modes may differ. JCDHE will provide public health data and guidance. However, decisions on appropriate learning modes will continue to be made by school districts. School districts, working with parents, teachers, administrators, staff and other stakeholders, will choose the paths that best work for their districts.
School districts should understand that the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases along the continuum of virtual learning to hybrid and then to in-person learning. Athletics, because of excessive exhalation, close physical contact, and a lack of masks, present an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. Similar risks exist with band and choir rehearsals/performances in when mitigation measures are not followed.
Decisions on the mode of learning must include considerations of the educational benefits of in-person learning for students, as well as the emotional, behavioral and mental health benefits of being in school. The concerns of teachers, administrators, staff, parents and the community about Covid-19 must also be taken into consideration.
Based on the level of transmission in the community, JCDHE will provide public health recommendations and guidance that will minimize the impacts of COVID-19 on our students, teachers and staff. In general, the risk of exposure is lower when community transmission is low. However, JCDHE recognizes that while measures of the level of transmission are very critical criteria, they are not the only measure that should be taken into consideration.
A measure that should be included is how well the school district is prepared to implement mitigation measures and reduce widespread transmission.
School districts must be diligent in implementing the recommended mitigation techniques in order to return students to school buildings. These measures must include steps to minimize introductions of infections into school buildings. JCDHE acknowledges that our school districts have worked very hard to put rigorous measures in place to support safe opening principles. JCDHE will continue to work with school districts to implement safety measures to prevent transmission and respond to infections to protect health.
Listed below are three keys areas for our school districts to focus on. More information on specific steps to take is available on https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html.
Mitigation techniques work. Masking, physical distancing, hand washing and staying home when ill are effective. If properly adopted by students and staff, the risk of contracting COVID-19 in schools can be reduced. JCDHE and school districts are collaborating to conduct case investigations and contact trace when infected individuals expose others during the school day or during school-related activities. Isolating infected individuals and quarantining people who had high-risk exposures is a critical mitigation measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
The differences in the recommended learning modes for elementary and middle/high school students are based on existing evidence showing that older students transmit COVID-19 like adults.
Here are some specific facts to keep in mind about transmission and risks in younger people:
Green |
Yellow |
Orange High Risk |
Red |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gating Criteria1 | Incidence Rate (# new cases/100K over prior two weeks) |
0-50 | 51-150 | 151-250 | 251 or more |
Percent Positive (% positive tests / individuals tested over prior two weeks) |
≤5% positive |
5.1-10% positive | 10.1 – 15% positive | >15% positive | |
Recommended Learning Mode | Elementary School | In person following safeopening principles2 |
In person following safe-opening principles |
In person following safeopening principles |
Remote only |
Middle/High School | In person following safeopening principles |
Hybrid3 | Remote or Hybrid4 |
Remote only |
1Johnson County COVID-19 Dashboard https://public.tableau.com/shared/W42WD7K94?:toolbar=n&:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
2See Appendix A, Safe Opening Principles
3Hybrid operations should limit number of people in the building/in all spaces to allow for stable (unchanging) groups and social distancing; reduce crowding of any kind with staggered arrival/dismissal/class rotations. Hours inside the building may be reduced and supplemented with remote learning.
Hybrid should only be considered if/when Modifying Variables can be implemented to manage risks. See Section 2 Modifying Variables
2. Modifying Variables
These are additional factors to consider as districts make decisions on the mode of reopening using the template above.
JCDHE recognizes the desire to allow extracurricular activities in schools and that decisions have been made to allow these activities in most cases. High-risk athletics, because of excessive exhalation, close physical contact, and a lack of masks, presents an increased risk of exposure. Similar risks exist with band and choir rehearsals/performances when mitigation measures are not followed.
Therefore, if schools must allow these, they should ensure they take adequate safety precautions to minimize risks. The risk management steps include:
Schools districts should determine this qualitatively – High, Medium and Low. When the ability in this measure is Low, the district should be very cautious with the mode of opening.
Public Health Capacity (% of total cases contacted within 24 hours over past two weeks) This is a measure of JCDHE’s ability to assist school districts to conduct case investigations and mitigation activities. The demand on public health resources is higher when community spread is high. JCDHE will provide indications of this on the "Gating Criteria" tab of the coronavirus dashboard (www.jocogov.org/coronavirus).
All district plans should keep the following safe reopening principles in mind:
updated 10/1/2020
The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) is releasing the following public health recommendations for K-12 schools to help families and school districts make decisions about the fall. The recommendations are based on currently available information, data and science, and expert analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Children’s Mercy Hospital. As new evidence emerges, requirements may change. JCDHE and school districts will work closely together to monitor community and school conditions and make amendments if necessary.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, which is predominantly contracted through the droplets of an infected person. These droplets are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, speaks, etc. The guidelines are intended to mitigate the risk of exposure to these droplets during the school day.
Mitigation techniques work. Masking, physical distancing, hand washing and staying home when ill are effective. If properly adopted by students and staff, the risk of contracting COVID19 in schools can be reduced. Families can help prepare their children for a different type of school environment by modeling these effective behaviors at home. It is also important to talk with children about their feelings and the changes they might experience at school.
The differences in learning modes for elementary and middle/high school students are based on existing evidence showing that older students transmit COVID-19 like adults. Young children appear to not be major drivers of COVID-19 transmission and are at a lower risk to develop serious illness.
COVID-19 is caused by a new virus that poses a serious health threat for some individuals. There is inherent risk in any sort of in-person activity, even with safe opening principles in place. Each family will need to weigh the risks and benefits based on their circumstances. Families should approach high-risk activities with additional consideration.
All of us — public health professionals, educators, pediatricians, and parents — want what is best for our kids. These recommendations represent an opportunity for the community to come together to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 so that schools can safely open. Schools are so much more than a place to learn, they are community spaces that are integral to a neighborhood’s wellbeing now and into the future.
Green |
Yellow |
Red |
Remote Only |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Gating Criteria1 |
Previous 14 days show ≤5% positive tests and steady or decreasing new cases |
Previous 14 days show ≤10% positive tests and steady or decreasing new cases |
Previous 14 days show ≤15% percent positive tests and steady or decreasing new cases |
Increasing cases and more than 15% positive |
Elementary School |
In person following safe-opening principles2 |
In person following safe-opening principles |
In person following safe-opening principles |
Remote only |
Elementary extra and cocurricular activities |
In person following safe-opening principles |
No all-school activities. Limited to activities that accommodate masking and social distancing. Groups should be stable with limited numbers. |
Remote only |
Remote only |
Spectator/audience should be distanced by household groups; masked if indoors. Facilities should limit capacity to allow for 6’ social distancing at ALL school-related events. |
||||
Middle/High School |
In person following safe-opening principles |
Hybrid3 |
Remote only |
Remote only |
Middle/High extra and cocurricular activities |
In person following safe-opening principles |
No high-risk activities4 |
Remote only |
Remote only |
Spectator/audience should be distanced by household groups; masked if indoors. Facilities should limit capacity to allow for 6’ social distancing at ALL school-related events. |
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1 Johnson County COVID-19 Dashboard
https://public.tableau.com/shared/W42WD7K94?:toolbar=n&:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
2 See Appendix A, Safe Opening Principles
3 Hybrid operations should limit number of people in the building/in all spaces to allow for stable (unchanging) groups and social distancing; reduce crowding of any kind with staggered arrival/dismissal/class rotations. Hours inside the building may be reduced and supplemented with remote learning.
4 High-risk activities, as defined by the National Federation of State High School Associations include “sports that involve close, sustained contact between participants, lack of significant protective barriers, and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants.” Non-sport, high risk activities include band (limited to woodwind and brass instruments) and choir (or other performing arts that include unmasked singing or shouting). No practices/performances that do not allow for mitigation techniques in Yellow phase. No group travel by bus or other collective means that does not allow for mitigation techniques and contributes to mixing among groups (e.g., teams from other parts of the state) in Yellow phase
All district plans should keep the following safe reopening principles in mind: