Face Masks

All students and adults will be required to wear a face mask indoors that covers the mouth and nose regardless of age or vaccination status. Masks are optional when outside. Staff will remind students to wear their masks properly, but if students are not complying with staff directives, then school administration will be contacted to respond to the situation. We take the health and safety of all students and staff very seriously. The purpose of our health and safety precautions is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our schools and keep our students and staff. Wearing a mask is a non-negotiable.

Morning Drop-Off

The building will open to students at 8:05 a.m. There is no supervision inside or outside of the building prior to 8:05 am. Therefore, students should not be on campus or congregate in front of entrances prior to this time. All entrances to the building will be locked until 8:05 am. The Main Entrance, Student Services Entrance, and Cafeteria Entrance will be unlocked each day at 8:05 am. 

Upon arriving at school, students should use their designated entrance (see below) and immediately report to the Cafeteria for breakfast, their locker (as needed), or their first hour class. Students must go to class as soon as they are finished eating breakfast. Students are expected to visit these places quickly and report to class as soon as possible. There will be no lingering or roaming the building.  

We will use three entrances into the building - Main Entrance (in front of Library), the Student Service Entrance (back of building in circle drive), and the Cafeteria Entrance (back of building in circle drive). All other entrances to the building will be locked.

• Main Entrance – walkers from any attendance area and car riders who live in the Bristol, Clark, Givens, and Hudson attendance areas
• Cafeteria Entrance/Student Services – walkers from any attendance area, all bike riders, bus riders + car riders who live in the Avery and Edgar Road attendance areas

Map for arrival with entrances

To minimize crowding at entrances in the morning, we have made adjustments to our arrival and dismissal procedures. The maps below provide a visual representation of arrival and dismissal procedures. Please note, Google Maps has not updated the map of Hixson Middle School to show the new additions to the building. However, the traffic flow is the same.

Arrival

 
Dismissal


Breakfast
Breakfast will be available in the Cafeteria. Students who are eating breakfast will be spaced 3ft - 6ft apart from other students eating breakfast. Food items should not leave the cafeteria. Upon entering the building, students who need to eat breakfast should go straight to the Cafeteria first, as soon as they arrive, BEFORE going to their locker and first hour class. Once there, students will not be allowed to leave their grade level hallway/first hour class to go to breakfast or anywhere else. When students are finished eating, they should put their mask back on, sanitize their hands, and report to their locker (if needed) and first hour class.

Visitors
Essential visitors will be allowed to enter the building by appointment only. All essential visitors who are authorized to enter the building must wear a face covering. Raptor guest check in procedures will continue to be a part of the essential visitor check in process.

Student Late Arrival and Early Pick Up Procedures
For students who arrive at school late and for those who are being picked up early, we will use the following procedures. Non-essential visitors will not be allowed to enter the building. 

Late Arrival Procedure

• Parents should not enter the building to sign their student in.
• Park in front of the Main Entrance near the Library. 
• Your student should enter the Main Office lobby to sign in with Ms. Hicks. She will write your student a pass to class.
• Students should make sure they are wearing a mask upon entering the building.

Early Pick Up Procedure

• Parents should not enter the building to sign their student out.
• Park in front of the Main Entrance near the Library. 
• Call the school office at 314-963-6450 and follow the prompts to be transferred to Ms. Finn, Hixson’s receptionist, who handles early dismissal.
• Mrs. Finn will call your student to the Main Office to sign out. 
• Your student will exit the Main Office.

Lockers
Every student will be assigned a locker to use throughout the school year. Students will be assigned different times to go to their locker throughout the day to minimize crowding as much as possible. 

Dismissal Procedures
To ensure the safety of all Hixson students during dismissal, we will utilize a specific dismissal process that is subject to change if needed. Bus riders will be dismissed first from the Main Entrance of the building. Car riders, bike riders and walkers will be dismissed second, and should utilize the entrance that best fits their path for going home. Students are allowed to stop at their lockers on their way out of the building, but they must move quickly to avoid delays in the dismissal process. 

Health and Safety Procedures for Bus Riders
The district’s health and safety guidelines for bus transportation are listed below. These guidelines can be found on page 6 of the WGSD Return to School Planning Guide.

We will ensure our school buses provide a safe transportation option for all users. 

• We will ensure that buses are routinely disinfected.
• We will communicate and coordinate with our partnering transportation providers regarding safety guidelines.
• All bus riders will be required to wear a face covering when on the bus.
• We will equip all buses with disinfectant wipes or spray.
• We will assign students to seats that will maximize the distance between students to accommodate social distancing as much as possible. Seating charts will be maintained and shared with designated personnel.
• We will provide transportation only to the students registered for each bus route.
• We will partner with families to ensure social distancing guidelines are observed at bus stops. 
• We will enforce all established WGSD guidelines for safe transportation jointly with public health guidelines. 
• We will communicate expectations of students and families to promote safe transportation.
• We will partner with Special School District to ensure that we meet the needs of students with disabilities and the expectations of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 

Supplies
In addition to the items on our school supply list, we recommend that students have their own self care items such as lotion, lip balm, feminine products, and other items to minimize visits to the nurse’s office. We also recommend that students carry an extra face mask and water bottle with them at all times. There are several fillable water bottle stations throughout the building for students to use to refill their water bottles. 

Restroom Procedures
Students should wear a mask while walking in the hallway to the restroom, while in the restroom, and while standing in line for the restroom (if applicable). Students should wash their hands prior to leaving the restroom with soap and water. As an extra precaution, students should use hand sanitizer after returning to class from the restroom. Signs for proper hand washing and social distancing will be posted in each restroom.

Hand Washing/Sanitizing
Students should wash/sanitize their hands as much as possible throughout the day. We strongly encourage students to consider washing/sanitizing their hands upon entering the building, entering/leaving a classroom, before and after eating, after restroom usage, before and after sharing supplies, and before boarding a bus. Students will be granted permission to use the restroom and should wash/sanitize their hands afterwards. 

Social Distancing & Health/Safety Protocols in Classrooms
Teachers will configure their spaces so that students are three feet apart, when possible. Please note, three feet of social distancing is not required. Hand sanitizer will be provided in classrooms for students to use. Students and staff will be required to wear their mask and ensure it is covering their mouth and nose at all times.

Building Cleaning Protocols
The custodial staff will complete their regular cleaning in every classroom and restroom each night. High touch surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day. All areas utilized for lunch will be sanitized after each lunch shift. Students will be expected to clean up after themselves once they are finished eating. Teachers and staff will practice hand hygiene when using shared high touch surfaces and provide students with the supplies needed for good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Restrooms will be cleaned with increased frequency. 

Lunch
Lunch will be organized by grade level and will take place in the cafeteria. For contact tracing purposes, every student will be given an assigned seat for lunch. Students may have some input into their assigned seats. Students will be required to put their masks back on immediately after they eat. Hand sanitizer will be available in our eating spaces. Indoor and outdoor spaces will be utilized for lunch so that we can spread out as much as possible. After eating, students are permitted to play on the black top. 

Field trips and After School Activities
Decisions regarding school-sponsored extracurricular activities, field trips, and travel opportunities for all grade levels will be made by the school in conjunction with public health guidelines. Students who are on a modified quarantine are not able to participate in after school activities until their quarantine is over.

Quarantines
St. Louis County Department of Public Health guidelines on quarantine will be applied in the event a student or staff member is a close contact of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. Students and staff who are vaccinated, and can provide proof of vaccination, are exempt from quarantine as long as they are not exhibiting symptoms. Students who are quarantined will be able to Zoom into their classes to access live instruction. Students should check Canvas pages and email teachers if they need assistance. Teachers will clearly explain what the expectations are for students who are quarantined. Parents and students are encouraged to reach out if they have questions. 

Nurse’s Office
We will designate a precaution room in the nurse’s office to care for symptomatic students until they are picked up from school. Students who are feeling ill while in the nurse’s office must wear a face covering while in the outer clinic space and/or precaution room. 

Who to Contact
Please feel free to reach out to school administration if you have any questions about this plan. Please know that we are doing everything we can to provide the safest environment possible for our students and staff. We have included links to additional information regarding our return to school below. We are very excited to see you on August 23, 2021!

WGSD Health and Safety FAQ

Family Support