Student Services Health and Safety Plan

Driver Education Health and Safety Plan

CDC: Coronavirus Disease

CDC: What to do if You are Sick with Coronavirus

COVID-19 Information for Chester County

Flu Near You

FluVIEW Interactive

Independence Blue Cross: COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Fact vs. Fiction

PA Dept of Health: Influenza Season Data

World Health Organization: Coronavirus

World Health Organization: Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

LiveScience.com: Ongoing Updates: Live Updates on COVID-19

National Association of School Psychologists: Health Crisis Resources

Medical News Today: Coronavirus Latest

Medical News Today: Coronavirus Myths Explored

Medical News Today: Novel Coronavirus-Your Questions Answered

Operating schools during COVID-19: CDC's Considerations

Pandemic Checklist For Schools and Daycares

PASA: Resource Page

WHYY and PBS: Bring the World to Your Classroom

What Photos Should I Share on Social Media this School Year?

Yes – this is legal.

No – not a violation of any law or constitutional provision.  If it makes a student or parent uncomfortable, they can be encouraged to set the video conference up so that only the student is visible, sitting in front of a wall.

We recommended that videoconferences not be recorded.  Recordings raise potential FERPA access questions and potential labor concerns.

This is similar to saying that teachers shouldn’t talk to students at all, for fear they will disclose child abuse. While mandatory reporting obligations continue into online education, it is unlikely that most teachers will encounter this type of scenario. If it makes teachers uncomfortable that they may see something in the background, teachers can encourage students to sit in front of a wall so that nothing is in the background. 

No – no student records are being disclosed. This is similar to a Parent walking through a school building and seeing students engaged in learning with a special education teacher. This does not violate FERPA. 

It depends. If the District is providing optional online learning opportunities and resources to ensure continuity of education, you do not necessarily need to provide devices and internet connections. However, not doing so increases the disparity between the haves and the have-nots because those who need continuity of education the most will not have access to the District’s online learning resources.  On the other hand, if you are moving to online learning entirely, as a mandatory way to continue education for all students in the District, you must ensure that every student has access to a device and internet to provide equal access. Note that ensuring that each family has a device is not sufficient if you’re expecting multiple students from the same household to be educated online at the same time. Each student needs to have a device with an internet connection (can be a shared internet connection) where instruction in mandatory during certain hours.

No – this is not required.

No, not unless the internet connection is provided through E-rate funds. CIPA only requires that E-rate funded connections be filtered.  You certainly may choose to filter the connection, but it is not required unless funded by E-rate. If you provide an unfiltered internet connection to a student, it is recommended that you advise parents that they are responsible for supervising the use of that unfiltered connection in the home, and that the District’s AUP still applies requiring the appropriate use of all District technology. 

Yes – if you are providing an online learning environment through either optional learning resources OR through mandatory online learning, you must ensure that all of the resources provided are accessible to students with disabilities. Deaf and blind students, students with seizure disorders, and other related disabilities have the same right as other students to access online learning content.  Documents that are provided along with videoconferencing lessons must also be accessible.

In an educational video conference that is only open to students/parents in their homes for educational purposes, it is permissible to use and share screens of copyrighted material without violated the copyrights to those materials.

This is not a violation of any law or privacy right except in the rare instance where a Parent has opted the student out of sharing FERPA directory information. However, since nearly all school districts use a media release form to let parents decide when students may appear in photos online, those releases govern photos of online learning also.  Teachers should ensure that any students who have opted out are not depicted in photos posted publicly.

This is not a violation of any law or privacy right. This is similar to a Parent taking photographs in the classroom during a birthday celebration and posting to social media, or when a Parent takes a video at a school concern and posts to social media. The District does not have an affirmative obligation to prevent parents from taking photographs of students in the classroom – whether the classroom is virtual or not.

Student discipline is handled the same way in an online environment as it is in school, even if the activities are optional. If a student’s behavior is inappropriate, it should be brought to the attention of the administrator. Wherever possible, schools should refrain from kicking students out of the online classroom just as they would in a physical classroom. But if the student is overly disrupting the learning process, the student can be removed and referred to administration, just as they would in the physical classroom.

Yes – you should set expectations both for students’ attire and for students’ conduct for video conferences.

Not necessarily. Zoom has drafted their terms to avoid having to secure explicit parent consent as required by the COPPA law. But so long as students are using Zoom along with their parents/guardians’ assistance, we don’t recommend that school districts avoid Zoom for this reason alone. Zoom does not collect any personal information from students who are merely invited to a video conference and students do not have to create an account in order to use the service.  The District Is not breaking any law or regulation by using Zoom with students. If strict compliance with the terms of use is a concern, this can be remedied by providing the following language along with the instructions for joining the video conference: “Students and parents/guardians should work together to set up access to the videoconference.”

The CCIU and all of its buildings/schools are open by appointment only, unless you are either a CCIU employee or student. Please reach out to your CCIU contact or call the CCIU Educational Services Center at 484-237-5000 to arrange an appointment.

If you have any concerns about yourself or a household member being exposed to COVID-19, please contact your primary healthcare provider. Additionally, the Chester County Health Department has a self-reporting online tool available on its webpage.

HMS/Health Advocate, an employee assistance program (EAP), offers free and confidential counseling and referral services to help employees and their eligible dependents successfully manage life's problems. If either you or someone in your household is struggling with anxiety and stress due to the current health crisis, please seek support. The phone number for HMS is 877-240-6863 or you can visit the HMS website. 

Also, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published a guide for talking with children about this situation. Times of crisis can elicit a wide range of emotions and behaviors in children and ourselves. It is important that we take care of our physical and mental health while caring for others. If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, a 24-hour crisis text line is available by texting “start” to 741741. If an individual needs urgent mental health services, Valley Creek Crisis is available 24 hours a day at 610-918-2100. As with any other emergency, you can also call 911.