MHS enacts safety measures for in-person learning

MHS has reopened for in-person learning (IPL) for interested students. While there has been in-person learning for students with special needs since September 2020 as well as learning labs for some students at the San Jose Community College extension, MHS expanded the IPL program on April 2, 2021, Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchison said in an email interview. 

MHS administrators put numerous precautions in place around the campus such as COVID-19 testing for staff and students and training on safety protocols, Hutchison said. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, face shields, gloves, and cleaning equipment are available in classrooms and offices, she added. 

“I am vaccinated,” teacher Brett Webber said in a Zoom interview. “I am tested twice a month, my students are expected to be tested twice a month. Teachers have to be tested.”

Additionally, every desk in his classroom has plexiglass shields around them, Webber said. He added that he arranged them to be six feet apart from each other. 

“I teach behind my screen,” he said. “The nearest student is at least six feet away. My biggest class, which is eight students, I have them [seated] all the way around the perimeter… in a big amphitheatre. All of my students have their own desk. They are the only students who use that desk, ever, throughout the entire day.”

Furthermore, other precautions include markings around campus to direct where to stand and walk, ventilation systems, and a Daily Health Survey that all individuals on campus complete, Hutchison said. There are two Health Offices, one that oversees injuries and another for illness-related issues, she added.

“On StudentSquare … there is a screening. It asks a series of questions, things like ‘How do you feel today?,’ ‘Do you have a headache?,’ ‘Do you have a fever?’” Webber said. “And, the students show me that they have submitted that. There’s a green check mark and today’s date. Every period that they walk into, they’re supposed to show their teacher.” 

To come up with the precautions, MHS administrators adhered to the guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) required, Hutchison said. Most procedures are district-wide, and there is a District Safety Team and site representatives, she added. 

We have to follow national, state, and county guidelines,” Hutchison said. “As a district, we worked with all the stakeholders to come to agreements on many details. We also have used good common sense and sought out answers when we weren’t sure. We feel very good about what has been set up.”

In case an individual on campus contracts the virus, they are immediately isolated and monitored in a special health office, Hutchison said. An infected student has the option to be in an isolation pod that can fit the student and a desk in it, she added. 

They must leave campus as soon as possible,” Hutchison said. “Any areas the individual has been in are swiftly sanitized. We begin contract tracing right away. Any individual who has been less than six feet away from the [infected] individual for 15 minutes or more are considered a close contact, and [their family] will be notified by phone and must begin a ten-day quarantine. Any individual who may have been close, but not considered a close contact, will be notified via email about the possible exposure but are not quarantined. Confidentiality is always maintained for everyone.”

School custodians have gone to work every day since the pandemic started aside from the first two weeks of lockdown, MHS Lead Custodian Rodel Hedron said in a phone interview. Custodians constantly wash and sanitize their hands, keep their distance, wear masks, and avoid sharing their cleaning supplies with other custodians, he added.

We use a lot of equipment: the vacuum, custodial supplies…” Hedron said in an interview translated from Tagalog. “Each building has one assigned custodian. All of us have our own equipment. If one can’t handle the work, he or she will call me. We have teamwork. We work as a team.”

Additionally, their PPEs include N95 masks, face shields, gloves, and full-body disposable coveralls which are all provided by the school district, Hedron said. He added that the coveralls are used when they clean a building that isn’t up to standard. “We only wear [protective clothing] when, for example, in one room or building, someone tests positive,” he added. 

As for their daily routine, they sanitize all classrooms and common areas students use and ensure that the school is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected throughout the day, Hedron said. They follow guidelines from the school district, as all custodians underwent training when the pandemic first hit to help avoid spreading the virus, he added. 

“Your safety is your personal responsibility, right?” Hedron said. “As long as you follow the correct procedures, we can say you’re safe. So, always be alert, take responsibility. Clean up if you make a mess.” 

 According to Hutchison, MHS adminators consider safety as the number one priority, and she hopes students and staff who enter the campus follow all protocols.

We are so happy to have people back on campus,” Hutchison said. “The energy, sounds, and general vibe have been very healing for those of us who have been on campus when it is quiet and empty and for those who have been lonely and isolated.  We all look forward to the day we are all back together again.”

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