Welcome back!
Update 6/24/23:
Dear AHA families,
We want to provide you with important updates regarding COVID-19 that will take effect in June, 023. We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt our strategies as necessary.
Starting June, 2023, AHA will make the following changes to our COVID-19 protocols:
Similar to flu and other infectious or communicable diseases, isolation of individuals with COVID-19 will be recommended rather than required.
Masks will continue to be optional. Students, staff and family members are welcome to wear a mask if they choose to do so.
Families should manage any illness based on general guidance and use available resources.
Parents/guardians should still report absences due to illness to the school and follow general guidance. Students should stay home if they are running a fever and/or are too ill to participate in learning.
AHA will continue to offer COVID-19 test kits while supplies last.
These COVID-19 protocols are being updated for the following reasons:
Decreases in reported cases: The number of reported COVID-19 cases in our schools and Dakota County has been steadily decreasing over the past several months. This positive trend indicates that our collective efforts to follow safety measures and vaccinations have been effective in reducing the spread of the virus.
Vaccination opportunities: Individuals have had ample opportunities to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, if they choose to do so. Vaccination remains a vital tool in preventing severe illness and protecting ourselves, our families and our community.
Emergency order expiration: Effective May 11, the federal emergency order related to COVID-19 was lifted.
COVID-19 Community Levels: These levels are no longer being tracked by the CDC.
Shifting resources and strategies: As we transition to a post-pandemic phase, our focus will shift toward addressing the evolving needs of our community. We are committed to re-establishing routines, implementing new strategies, and addressing the socioeconomic and health losses that have affected student success.
2022-23 School Year
Safe Learning Plan (Updated 8/19/22)
Learning will take place in person for the 22-23 school year, while prioritizing staff and student safety. This is stage 4 of our learning model (see link below).
CURRENT LEARNING MODEL: Safe Learning Plan STAGE 4
ISOLATION/QUARANTINE SCHOOL CLOSURE PROTOCOLS: Updates from the 21-22 plan are currently in place. Any updates to the safe learning plan for 22-23 will be added below.
2021-22 School Year Important Updates
Learning will take place in person for the 21-22 school year, while prioritizing staff and student safety. This is stage 4 of our learning model (see link below).
2021-22 CURRENT LEARNING MODEL: STAGE 4
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/plan.html
UPDATED 3/17/22 ISOLATION/QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released new COVID-19 guidelines/recommendations for schools. With these recommendations, a few changes have been made to Academic Arts’ isolation and quarantine time lengths.
MDH website; The COVID-19 Decision Tree for Schools and Child Care has been retired and is replaced by the isolation and quarantine guides below. These guides reflect current CDC recommendations regarding when to isolate and quarantine and for how long depending on a person's ability to wear a mask consistently.
The specific changes (taken from the MDH website) for Academic Arts are as follows;
Isolation Guidelines
If you have COVID-19 symptoms
Stay home.
COVID-19 testing is strongly encouraged, especially if you are at high risk for severe disease, if symptoms continue or worsen, if you develop additional symptoms, if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or if COVID-19 transmission is elevated in your area.
If you do not get tested, follow instructions below as if you had tested positive for COVID-19.
What to do if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status or symptoms)
If COVID-19 testing is done and the result is POSITIVE:
Stay home for a minimum of five full days from the date symptoms started or the date you took the test if you don’t have symptoms.
If COVID-19 testing is done and the result is NEGATIVE:
Stay home until your symptoms improve and you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) before returning.
**Stay away from others, including household members, as much as possible and wear a well-fitting mask.**
After five days of isolation at home:
Have your symptoms improved and have you been fever-free for 24 hours (without using fever-reducing medication)?
Yes
Return to school or program.
Continue to wear a mask when around others, including those in your household, for another five days.
No
Continue to stay home and away from others until symptoms improve and you are fever-free for 24 hours (without using fever reducing medication).
Once both are true, return to school or program and continue to wear a mask when around others, including those in your household, until 10 days have passed since your isolation began.
“Improved symptoms” means that a person no longer feels ill; they can do their daily routine just as they did before they were ill, and any remaining symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose, are very mild, or infrequent.
Quarantine Guide
What to do if you had close contact with a person with COVID-19.
You do NOT need to quarantine if you are up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations OR if you had COVID-19 within the last 90 days. You should still:
Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days after your last exposure to a person with COVID-19.
Get tested five days after your exposure, even if you don’t have any symptoms. You should quarantine.
If you are NOT up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations or you are NOT vaccinated:
Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days whenever you are around other people, even at home.
Get tested five days after your exposure, even if you don’t have any symptoms.
Stay home for at least five days after your last exposure to a person with COVID-19.
“Up to date” means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible.
**Household close contacts who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations should follow the quarantine guidance above if someone in their household tests positive for COVID-19. The quarantine period begins when household close contacts separate from the person who tests positive. If they cannot separate, then the quarantine period begins when the person with COVID-19 ends isolation. This timeline may be extended if additional household members test positive.
For example, if the family is unable to separate, the quarantine period for the close contact includes the positive person’s isolation period (minimum five days) and then an additional five or 10 days depending on the ability of the close contact to wear a well-fitting mask.**
Masks
AAHS will continue to monitor Dakota County COVID19 levels from the CDC website (found here). If the county level should change, you will receive an update regarding masks at that time.
Covid-19 Testing
AAHS has take-home rapid COVID-19 tests, available upon request. For community testing, visit here.
Changes to virtual learning protocol
In the event of a Covid-19 breakout at AAHS the following updated protocol will be put in place.
If the Covid Committee has known positive cases of 5 or more students and/or 5% of its population, Academic Arts High school will move to virtual learning for quarantine.
This also will take effect if the combination of positive cases and number of students in need of quarantining meets 12.
The school will be closed for no less than 5 days.
Staff and students who are not vaccinated, should test for Covid-19 and receive a negative test prior to the return date.
Staff and students who are vaccinated will need to send proof of full vaccination as well as watch closely for symptoms during quarantine. If a symptom(s) emerges, that staff or student will test immediately and notify Sam Kvilhaug at sam.kvilhaug@academicarts.org
Due to the size of Academic Arts High School and lack of Substitute Teachers, in the event that a General Education Teacher needs to stay home for 5 or more days for a Covid related reason OR multiple staff members are out, Academic Arts High School will initiate virtual learning. All students will be required to participate in virtual learning during this time. AAHS staff will notify students and families with a more detailed plan if a closure should occur.
Thank you!
CovidComm
COVID-19 School Safety Protocols
Mask Policy: To align with the Center for Disease Control’s revised face covering guidance that was released last Friday and following the surrounding school districts, face coverings will no longer be required at Academic Arts High School, effective Monday, 3/7/22. We do recommend unvaccinated students and staff to continue wearing their masks. Students and staff who are not ready for this shift, we want to encourage you to continue wearing your mask until you are comfortable. The CDC says counties can calculate whether the risk to their residents is low, medium or high and only areas of high risk should require everyone to wear a mask. With each of those data points dramatically decreasing over the last month, Dakota County falls within the low risk factors allowing for Academic Arts to shift to face coverings being optional. We will continue to monitor the data points and follow the state and federal guidance.
COVID-19 - Click here to report a case
COVID-19 Support & resources
SAFE LEARNING PLAN STAGES
A Message to Current and Prospective Students and Families,
It goes without saying that this will be a year unlike any other. Our teacher powered school administration (TPS) has been working with consultants and listening to feedback from our families and students to create a 'learning road map' for the school year. This includes four different stages varying from Virtual Learning to In Person Learning which we will pivot between throughout the year as the COVID -19 cases in our communities ebb and flow. At the midpoint of each quarter, our Covid-19 team analyzes the Covid-19 case data for the counties and individual cities we serve. They’ll also consult with our MN Dept. of Health representative and contracted School Nurse to help us decide what stage to be in for the following quarter. Announcements are made to students and parents two weeks before the next quarter begins.
Testing:
NWEA was given online at the end of October 2020. AAHS had 3 NWEA trained staff members proctoring each test. The NWEA will again be administered in the spring of 2021.
MCA testing is expected to take place during the 2020-21 school year. MCA and NWEA testing will take place during the 21-22 school year.
In classes, teachers utilize various functionality within Google Classroom to administer formative and summative assessments. Teachers and the Curriculum Committee review data from assessments and classwork to adjust instruction to better meet student needs.
PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEARS
ARCHIVED PLANS
2020-21 School Year
Take a look at our COVID Learning Roadmap
20-21 COVID-19 Learning Roadmap (English)
Full Year Virtual Learning Option for 2020-21
What if you would like your child to learn virtually for the entire year? Regardless of the school learning models, all students and families will have the option to choose virtual learning for either: quarters 1 and 2, quarters 1, 2, and 3, or the entire the school year. With this option, the student can attend the entire 20-21 school year without having to enter the school building.
We are Still Here and Ready to Help
Teachers have been working hard to make a robust Virtual Learning program with Personalized Growth Plans so that our students may flourish despite not being able to learn in-person. These are unprecedented times and we are so very proud to serve such a supportive and unique community!
Staff are doing their part to stay at home and practice social distancing. We are busy working from our homes. When we need to visit the school building for access to materials, we are following distancing guidelines from the MN Dept of Health (MDH).
Questions? Please reach out to school staff. We are happy to help.
We thank you for your patience during this challenging and ever-changing time. We have a strong school community of students, families, and staff and we will work together to provide students with the high quality education they deserve!
School policies, including our Technology Acceptable Use and Bullying Prohibition policies, can be found here