Administrative Procedure 162 -Appendix A

Northwest School Division Administrative Procedures Manual

COVID-19 Background The Northwest School Division is committed to ensuring, the health and safety of all its students and employees. On June 9, 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that in-classroom learning will resume for the 2020-21 school year. To help Northwest School Division staff prepare for the return of students and staff, provincial guidelines have been put in place. The Division’s response to these provincial guidelines are found in Northwest School Division Fall 2020 Reopen Plan. These procedures have been created to ensure a safe return to the workplace for all staff. These protocols will continue to be adjusted as necessary following the direction of the Chief Medical Health Officer of Saskatchewan. Procedures A. General Guidelines

i. The health and safety of students and staff is paramount and will not be compromised.

ii. Any student or staff member who has Covid-19 symptoms that are unexplained new or worsening will be asked to remain at home.

iii. When practical, physical distancing between individuals should be maintained.

iv. Proper hand hygiene is expected of all students and employees. Practices include using soap and water when hands are soiled and hand sanitizer when visibly clean. Cough and sneeze into your elbow and avoid touching your face, mouth, nose and eyes.

v. Plans will include provisions to adapt, where necessary, to changes in directives from the province to minimize disruption to teaching and learning.

vi. Employees are expected to keep desks and workspaces clean, sanitized and free from clutter.

vii. Employees shall not enter private residences or provide personal transportation to students.

viii. Employees shall avoid all unnecessary work related travel.

ix. For all staff and students grades 4-12 masks will be required when physical distancing is not possible. For students pre-K to grade 3 masks will be highly recommended.

B. Guidelines for Employee Illness i. All employees are expected to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms that are

unexplained new or worsening. At the beginning of each work week, employees will complete a Covid-19 self-assessment declaration form. The following are symptoms of Covid-19.

ii. If an employee has symptoms that are unexplained or worsening of COVID-19 illness they are to stay home and call Healthline 811. The employee shall follow the recommendations and directions provided.

i. The employee must request their absence using the normal process established at the school level and division level.

ii. If the Healthline 811 consultant directs the employee to remain at home, then the employee is eligible for quarantine leave as outlined in section C. The employee needs to contact human resources to request quarantine leave and provide the required documentation in a format outlined in section C, ii below. Upon verification, human resources will change the leave selection to quarantine leave.

iii. If an employee has an existing or underlying medical condition, or the employee is

the primary caregiver for a family member that has an existing or underlying medical condition, and feels they are unable to perform their duties without an accommodation, the employee is to contact their principal/supervisor and the Superintendent of Human Resources. Additional information regarding the duty to accommodate process can be found in the STF Duty to Accommodate Guidelines. Employees may also contact their STF or union representative for guidance in the accommodation process.

• Fever • Cough • Headache • Muscle and/or joint aches

and pains • Sore throat • Chills • Runny nose • Nasal congestion • Conjunctivitis

• Dizziness • Fatigue • Nausea/vomiting • Diarrhea • Loss of appetite • Loss of sense of taste

or smell • Shortness of breath • Difficulty breathing

C. Public Health Order

i. All employees will follow the directives outlined in the most recent Public Health Order available at www.saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus. A medical health officer refers to a public health officer designated as such under The Public Health Act, 1994. Family doctors and other medical personnel are not medical health officers and do not have the authority and cannot order mandatory self-isolation.

ii. Any documentation required to be provided to the division by the employee may be

provided by:

i. Paper copy; ii. Electronic copy; iii. Screen shot of information or message; iv. Copy of an email; v. Written details of phone call including date, time, Public Health official spoken

to, and details of information provide.

If the documentation provided by the employee is not clear or if the division has reasonable doubts or concerns about any of the documentation provided by the employee, the division may require further details or confirmation of the documentation.

iii. The following employees will be eligible to access quarantine leave: i. Employees who have a diagnosis of COVID-19 from Public Health.

i. The employee must not return to work until such time as a Medical Health Officer determines that the employee no longer poses a public health threat.

ii. The employee must provide the division with the following

documentation: i. Request for quarantine leave; ii. Evidence of diagnosis; and iii. Evidence of a decision that the employee no longer poses a

public health threat. ii. Employees who are identified by Public Health as a close contact of a person

with COVID-19. i. The employee must not return to work for 14 days from the date of last

having been exposed to COVID-19. ii. The employee must provide the division with the following

documentation: i. request for quarantine leave; ii. evidence of direction from Public Health identifying the

employee as a close contact with a person from COVID-19; and

iii. date of last contact with the person who has COVID-19.

iii. Employees who are household members or contacts of a person with COVID-19 and who become symptomatic.

i. The employee must not return to work for 14 days after becoming symptomatic.

ii. The employee must provide the division with the following documentation:

i. request for quarantine leave; ii. date of becoming symptomatic; and iii. evidence that the employee has contacted HealthLine

811.

iii. Until further notice, staff who have out-of-Canada travel scheduled should cancel travel plans. In the event that the staff member considers travel to be essential, contact with the Superintendent of Human Resources is required prior to travel. Employees who have traveled internationally and are subject to the mandatory 14 days self-isolation period upon their return to Canada will not have access to quarantine leave during that self-isolation period.

i. Employees may apply in advance for any other leaves for which they may be eligible in order to cover the 14 days self-isolation period. If an employee does not make arrangements, in advance of travel, for leave to cover the 14 days self-isolation period, the employee may be considered on an unauthorized absence.

ii. The employee must not return to work during the 14 day mandatory self-isolation period.

iii. The employee must provide the division with the following

documentation:

i. request for leave in advance of travel; and ii. the date of return to Canada.

D. Guidelines for Work Refusal Due to COVID-19

i. Section 3-8(a) of the Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA) states that employers

must “ensure, insofar as reasonably practical, the health, safety, and welfare at work of all the employer’s workers.” Section 3-8(f) provides that the employer must also ensure that all employees are properly trained in all matters that are necessary to

protect their health, safety and welfare and the employer must ensure there is enough and competent supervision.

ii. To meet these duties and keep employees safe during COVID, employers must put in place safety measures that address the requirements set out in the Public Health Order and the Primary and Secondary Educational Institution Guidelines. The school division should take steps to assure employees that measures have been taken in accordance with OH&S requirements and all other recommendations of the Province.

iii. Supervisors must also ensure that the health and safety at work of all workers who

work under the supervisor’s direct supervision and direction. Section 3-9 also requires the supervisor to ensure that employees under their direct supervision and direction comply with the SEA. This provision would apply to Superintendents and to in-school administrators.

iv. Section 3-10 of the SEA states that employees must take reasonable care to protect

their health and safety and the health and safety of other workers. Employees must also comply with legislation and regulations regarding OH&S matters.

E. Guidelines for Student Illness

Testing is available and recommended if someone has unexplained new or worsening symptoms (even mild symptoms) that may include one or more of the following:

i. If, while at school, a staff member identifies a student exhibiting one or more of the symptoms of Covid-19 a staff member shall:

o Immediately remove the student from the classroom to a designated isolation area:

In a respectful manner that protects the privacy of the student; and, In a manner that is safe as possible for the staff members and other

students and staff. o Notify the principal or designate.

• Fever • Cough • Headache • Muscle and/or joint aches

and pains • Sore throat • Chills • Runny nose • Nasal congestion • Conjunctivitis

• Dizziness • Fatigue • Nausea/vomiting • Diarrhea • Loss of appetite • Loss of sense of taste

or smell • Shortness of breath • Difficulty breathing

ii. In all interactions with the student, staff members shall:

o Maintain physical distancing from the student as much as possible; o Wear a medical mask and face shield, if a face shield is available; o Avoid contact with the student’s respiratory secretions; o Provide the student with a face shield (if available) and request the

student to wear it; o Provide the student with a face mask, if the student is not wearing one,

and request the student to wear it provided the student is not in respiratory distress;

o Wash their hands adequately with soap and water or use hand sanitizer before and after attending to the student; and,

o Dispose of disposable PPE and arrange for non-disposable (i.e., face shield) to be cleaned and disinfected.

iii. The principal or designate shall, as soon as reasonably possible: o Call parents or caregivers to pick up and remove their child from the

school to a location where the child may self-isolate, and instruct them to call 811 as soon as possible;

o Arrange for the cleaning and disinfection of the isolation room as soon as reasonably possible, the student’s classroom and, in particular, the student’s desk and surrounding desks and any other common touch items in the classroom and/or other school facility (i.e., washroom) to which the student would have had access that school-day by custodial staff; and,

o Advise the Director or designate.

iv. If a case of Covid-19 is confirmed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the Director or designate will arrange for any other steps that may be required by SHA Public Health.

v. Any and all communications regarding the student or further action that might need to be taken by the staff, students or school must be done only by or with the approval of the Director or designate in consultation with Public Health.

vi. In consultation with the Superintendent, each school shall: o Set up a designated isolation room in the school; o Ensure that appropriately sized medical face masks, face shields and

hand sanitizer are readily available in all classrooms in the school; o Keep accurate and up-to-date records of attendance and seating

arrangements to support public health investigation and contact tracing; o Establish standardized procedures for cleaning and disinfecting

classrooms and high touch surfaces and student work stations, including designating the employees who shall be responsible for these tasks, noting that all requirements associated with the increased sanitization and disinfection of facilities including common areas will be completed by custodial staff throughout the day; and,

o Establish standardized procedures for the disposal of PPE equipment. F. Additional Health Supports

i. Healthline 811 (All Staff) ii. Member and Family Assistance Program (STF members) 1-833-485-4245

Reference: Re-Open Saskatchewan: A plan to re-open the provincial economy updated June 16, 2020

Primary and Secondary Educational Institution Guidelines June 18, 2020 The Saskatchewan Employment Act AP 160 Health and Safety of Student and Staff AP 161 Dangerous and Communicable Diseases AP 162 Dangerous Infectious Diseases

Approved: September 4, 2020