• The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, enacted on March 11, 2021, provides a total of nearly $122 billion to states and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students.

    USD 230 Timeline

    On August 10, 2020, the Spring Hill USD 230 BOE adopted a District Plan for Safe Return with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) Gating Criteria. The District Plan for Safe Return was set to expire on May 26, 2021.

    On November 9, 2020, the Spring Hill USD 230 BOE voted to remove the JCDHE Gating Criteria and to replace it with the Spring Hill Gating Criteria. The District Plan for Safe Return was kept in place.

    On January 25, 2021, the Spring Hill USD 230 BOE voted to remove the Spring Hill Gating Criteria, but to keep the District Plan for Safe Return in place until May 26, 2021.

    On May 27, 2021, the Spring Hill USD 230 District Plan for Safe Return expired.

    On June 10, 2021, the CDC made amendments to its previous order requiring masks on conveyance and transportation hubs; In effect, passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems.

    On June 26, 2021, the Spring Hill USD 230 BOE accepted the 2021-2022 District Plan for Safe Return presented by the Superintendent.

    On August 5, 2021, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners issued Health Order No. 001-21 requiring masks for all school buildings where any students through and including 6th grade attend class (effective 8/9/2021).

    On January 5, 2022, the District Plan for Safe Return was updated in accordance with the School Guidance 2022 from Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (issued 1/4/2022).

    On February 17, 2022, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners rescinded Health Order No. 001-21, which previously required masks for all school buildings where any students through and including 6th grade attend class.

    On February 25, 2022, the CDC made amendments to its previous order requiring masks on conveyance and transportation hubs. In effect, the CDC no longer requires the wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems.

    On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the Spring Hill Schools District Leadership Team reviewed the District Plan for Safe Return and made adjustments to better address the current state of COVID-19. 

    District Plan for Safe Return 2022-2023 (Updated 12/13/2022)

    1. Health and Safety of Students, Educators, and Other Staff
      1. Personal Health Assessments
        • Students and staff will conduct a personal health assessment prior to entering any district facility or participating in any district sponsored activity or event. Individuals that suspect they are ill (i.e. fever, chills, cough, etc.) should stay home.
      2. Optional Wearing of Masks
        • Masks or other face coverings are optional for all faculty, staff, and visitors while inside a USD 230 school and while riding USD 230 transportation. No individual shall be treated unfairly or uncivilly based on their masking choices.
      3. Hand-washing and Respiratory Etiquette
        • Individuals are encouraged to wash hands or use hand sanitizer frequently. Covering coughs and sneezes is recommended.
      4. Cleaning and Maintaining Healthy Facilities
        • In spaces that are regularly occupied, enhanced cleaning and maintenance protocols will be used. Teachers may choose to do additional cleaning. Managing and monitoring air quality through HVAC systems will be used as a mitigation strategy.
      5. Contact Tracing, Isolation, and Quarantine
        1. Contact Tracing
          • Effective January 4, 2022, JCDHE is no longer contact tracing. Effective with the 2022-2023 school year, Spring Hill Schools is no longer contact tracing or maintaining the public COVID-19 Dashboard.
        2. Isolation & Quarantine
          • Any person, including student, faculty or staff member, diagnosed with COVID-19 infection must be excluded from school and school activities for the appropriate period of isolation. Per K.S.A. 65-122, school principals and other persons in charge have a duty to exclude persons affected with a disease suspected of being infectious or contagious.

            Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 should follow the isolation/quarantine guidance from the Johnson County Isolation and Quarantine Calculator. 
      6. Diagnostic and Screening Testing
        • Students, staff, and community members can access COVID-19 diagnostic or screening tests through a variety of community partners. School nurses and health support staff will continue to monitor for symptoms, trends, and clusters, and request that students and staff seek medical services as appropriate.
      7. Vaccinations
        • Spring Hill School District will not be collecting COVID-19 vaccination information for students as part of the school enrollment process. COVID-19 vaccination is not a requirement for school attendance. Vaccination information is utilized by JCDHE when making quarantine decisions. As appropriate, the district will inform parents/guardians of COVID-19 vaccination opportunities for eligible students. Requests for vaccination status would only occur in cooperation with Johnson County Health and Environment.
      8. Efforts to Provide Vaccinations
        • USD 230 is encouraging students and staff who want to be vaccinated to visit with one of the following: Johnson County Department of Health & Environment, Miami County Department of Health, healthcare systems, clinics, and pharmacies.
      9. Appropriate Accommodations for Children with Disabilities with Respect to Health and Safety Policies
        • USD 230 will provide accommodations to its policies for students with disabilities as determined appropriate based upon the individual student needs and in accordance with an individual accommodation plan or individualized education plan. Students requiring accommodations should contact the building administrator to request information on plans for students with disabilities. Specific student health needs are addressed through a student health plan.
      10. COVID-19 Outbreak
        • Because there is the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak within our school community, we must all be prepared to adapt to any number of actions to increase preventive measures in response to changing circumstances throughout the school year. Guidance from local, state, or national agencies influence these measures and could result in revisions to this plan. The Spring Hill School District will comply with any local, state, and federal mandates associated with COVID-19. If there is a conflict in laws, we’ll consult our school district attorney.
      11. Coordination with State and Local Health Officials
        • USD 230 staff meet regularly with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.
    2. Continuity of Services
      1. Student Academic Needs
        • USD 230 has added Math and English Language Arts interventionists to each of our school buildings beginning with the 2021-22 school year.
      2. Student and Staff Social, Emotional, and Mental Health
        • USD 230 has incorporated social emotional learning and interventions as part of our Multi-Tiered System of Support. With the adoption of FastBridge, we offer a social emotional screening component to assist our students. We implement Habitudes and Leader In Me as social emotional curriculum.

          USD 230 Department of Human Resources has a district paid employee assistance program and extended provisions through our insurance provider allowing easier access to mental health supports.
      3. Student Health and Food Services
        • The district increased the availability of nurses to accommodate student health needs.

          Prior to the 2022-23 school year, Congress did not extend school meal waivers and school meals will no longer be available to ALL students free of charge.  Households may complete an Application for Free or Reduced Price School Meals during the enrollment process, at any school office, or at www.usd230.org.