Covid 19 School Reopening
Policies and Procedures

Effective July 1, 2020, notwithstanding any prior actions taken by State agencies to the contrary, all private trade schools, career schools, and other post-secondary facilities that offer or maintain a course of instruction or instructional program utilized to prepare individuals for future education or the workplace but are not
subject to oversight by the Secretary.

Training schools shall be permitted to resume in-person instruction, including laboratory or clinical components, provided that the training school complies with all applicable Executive Orders and has in place a restart plan that includes, at minimum, policies and procedures that provide for the following:

a. Training for students regarding COVID-19 sanitization and social distancing practices and protocols as a condition for resuming in-person instruction;

b. Training for faculty and staff on appropriate sanitization and social distancing practices and protocols, as well as institutional policies and procedures developed to limit the spread of COVID-19;

c. Use of face coverings for faculty, staff, students, and visitors, except when doing so would inhibit the individual’s health;

d. Frequent cleaning and sanitization of classrooms, restrooms, high-touch areas and equipment and shared surfaces;

e. Maintenance of adequate supplies, such as personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies;

f. Installation of hand sanitizing stations with 60 percent or more alcohol content at all building entry points and throughout the school;

g. The option of remote instruction for faculty and students who are unable to participate in in-person instruction;

h. Performance of health screenings for faculty, staff, students and visitors, and education regarding self-monitoring for symptoms;

i. Social distancing in classrooms, workstations, laboratories, clinical settings, and student seating areas throughout the training school and a plan for providing smaller class sizes if feasible;

j. Plan for staggering start, break, and end times of class periods, or alternating scheduled class days to reduce crowding at the training school and classroom entryways;

k. Commitment to working with local and State officials, including the local health department and local office of emergency management, to share the components of the restart plan and revise same as may be necessary; and

l. Establishment of COVID-19 testing guidance and contact tracing protocols developed in consultation with local health officials and in line with existing State and federal health privacy statutes and regulations. At a minimum, such protocols should include a mechanism to maintain a log of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to facilitate contact tracing, and the reporting of any instances of COVID-19 to local health officials.