• Social distancing floor/seating markings will be provided in common areas throughout the schools  
• Plexiglass will be installed on reception desk counters
• Provide frequent reminders for students and staff to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another when feasible
• Strive to create as much space between people as possible during the day, recognizing that it is not always feasible to have 6 feet of social distancing (3 feet recommended at the elementary level; 3 feet required at the secondary level) during primary instructional time in the classroom
• Arranging classroom seating so that students are separated from one another by 3 feet (recommended at the elementary level; required at the secondary level). If it is not possible to arrange seating this way, consider turning all desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other)
• Develop and keep students and staff in small cohort groups that stay together as much as possible throughout the day and from day to day
• Limit mixing between cohort groups as much as possible (e.g., during lunch, in the cafeteria, bathroom breaks, arrival and dismissal, free periods, recess, etc.)
• Keeping detailed records when groups are exposed to each other during the day to facilitate contact tracing (if needed).

• Wear a cloth face covering (required); more information is available here: Minnetonka Public Schools Face Covering Policy
• Wash hands often throughout the day with soap and water.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and/or shared items and limit shared items.
• Students who are ill should stay home.
• Staff who are ill should stay home.
• Anyone who has interacted with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should stay home and contact their health care provider
• Anyone who has COVID-like symptoms and is awaiting test results should stay home, along with all household members.
• Stay home if fever (100ºF or higher) or other symptoms of COVID-19 are present
  • Additional symptoms of COVID-19 include:
    • New onset cough or a cough that gets worse
    • Difficulty/hard time breathing
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • OR at least 2 of the following:
      • chills
      • muscle pain
      • sore throat
      • extreme fatigue/feeling very tired
      • new severe/very bad headache
      • new nasal congestion/stuffy or runny nose
      • gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea

• Cover coughs and sneezes

• Temperatures of all students will be checked upon arrival at school and anyone with a fever of 100ºF will be excluded/isolated.
  • Appropriate social distancing will be maintained (to the extent possible) while students are waiting to have their temperature checked.
• We will work to minimize interaction of students between drop-off and entrance to school facilities, promoting 6 feet of social distancing as much as possible.
• We will create “one-way routes” in hallways, where possible.
• We will encourage social distancing in hallways and common areas.
• Students will be encouraged to wash hands when entering the classroom (if a sink is available in the room) or on the way to the classroom.  

• All students, staff, and other people present in school buildings and district offices or riding on school transportation vehicles are required to wear a face covering.  (See Face Covering Policy for details on types of acceptable face coverings and other details).
• We will provide appropriate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (such as soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, tissues) 
• We will discourage sharing of items that are difficult to clean or disinfect.
• We will work to separate student’s belongings from others’ (in individually labeled containers, cubbies, lockers, etc.)
• We will provide adequate supplies to minimize sharing of high touch materials to the extent possible (e.g., assigning each student their own art supplies, equipment) or limit use of supplies and equipment by one group of students at a time and clean and disinfect between use.
• If equipment must be shared, we will clean and disinfect between each use.
• We will ask students to avoid sharing high touch items, such as electronic devices.
• Students should not share food or beverages. Each student must bring their own water bottle. Water-filling stations are available.  
• We will reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or the safe use of hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol by staff and older students.
• We will reinforce hand washing during key times, such as:
  •  arrival and dismissal
  • before, during, and after preparing or eating food
  • after using the bathroom
  • after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing
  •  after touching objects with bare hands that have been handled by other people

Minnetonka Public Schools does not monitor students, families or staff for travel. The following guidelines are taken from state and national health agencies and are provided to help our community make safe, informed decisions. Following these precautions can help keep our students and staff safe by preventing the spread of COVID-19. 

Current MDH guidelines:

• MDH discourages out-of-state travel.
• MDH recommends a 14-day quarantine upon return to the state.
• MDH recommends being tested 3-5 days after return to the state. (Here is a link to order a COVID-19 Test at Home)
• CDC requires all airline passengers, including U.S. citizens, arriving in the U.S. from a foreign country to be tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs. Travelers must provide proof of a negative test result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 before boarding the flight.

When students, families or staff decide to travel, they should carefully consider whether their activities align with MDH guidelines or if they may pose a risk to the community by returning to school without quarantining first. The District encourages students and staff to act responsibly and strongly consider if quarantining before a return to in-person would be the best decision.

 When returning from travel, ask yourself the following (based on MDH/CDC recommendations):

• Was I closer than 6 feet to anyone for more than 15 minutes (indoors or outdoors)?
• Did I wear a mask when in public spaces or closer than 6 feet to anyone I don’t live with?
• Did anyone I interacted with fail to wear a mask?
• Did I frequently wash my hands and/or use hand sanitizer?
• Did I meet anyone who had symptoms of COVID-19 or was quarantining?

When should I quarantine?

• You are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
• You have had close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.
• In either case, please contact your school’s Health Office for guidance before returning.

• Minnetonka Public Schools will use the Minnesota Department of Health’s exclusion decision tree for students with COVID 19 students, which can be found here.
• The nurse on site in each building will be the identified point of contact (COVID-19 Program Coordinator) in the school building for COVID concerns.
• Staff and students should be encouraged to self-monitor symptoms throughout the day and immediately report any symptoms to the Health Office staff. 
• If a student becomes injured or ill during the day, staff will notify the Health Office.
  •  Health office staff may come to the classroom to assist the child and/or determine if they need to go home.
  • Students who are ill will be kept isolated from well students in a designated isolation space/area until a parent can pick them up.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends that all students participating in in-person learning and those participating in youth sports & extracurricular activities be tested on a regular basis (every two weeks).  This is in addition to anyone with symptoms or anyone who was exposed to someone who tested positive.  Active testing by students will protect our progress and mitigate the spread of the virus.

Minnesota has an extensive statewide testing operation. Residents have several ways in which they can access no-barrier testing, including more than 20 community testing sites, a mail-order at-home test program, and clinics and hospitals across the state. Tests remain no-cost to the individual but you might be asked to provide your insurance information so the state can seek reimbursement from insurance companies.

To find a no-barrier community testing site, click here.

To find testing sites based on specific search criteria, click  here.

To order a test kit to use at home, click here.  

• If you are notified of a positive COVID case during the regular school year, the following process should occur:
• • If any staff (building or district) are made aware of a lab confirmed COVID positive case, they will notify the school nurse at their site immediately.
    • If they are not at a building, they will notify Annie Lumbar Bendson (Health Services Coordinator) at 952.401.5992 or annie.lumbarbendson@minnetonkaschools.org (preferred)
  • The school nurse will conduct contact tracing to determine close contacts and will notify parents of the student’s need to quarantine.
  • The school nurse will determine if notification notices need to be sent out and if so, to whom.  The administrative team will help to determine and support the notifications being sent out.
  • The school nurse will notify Annie Lumbar Bendson (Health Services Coordinator) of the positive case.
  • Annie will then notify district administration of the positive case.
  • The positive case(s) will be added to the centralized documentation/tracking form for necessary follow up.
• If you are notified of a positive COVID case outside of the regular school year, the following process should occur:
  • If a supervisor, coach, coordinator, Principal, Athletic Director, etc. is made aware of a lab confirmed COVID positive case, they will notify Annie Lumbar Bendson (Health Services Coordinator) immediately at 952.401.5992 or annie.lumbarbendson@minnetonkaschools.org (preferred)
  • Annie will then work with the district contact, the family and MDH to confirm the case and determine/execute next steps.
  • Annie will then notify district administration of the positive case.
  • The positive case(s) will be added to the centralized documentation/tracking form for necessary follow up.
• Active COVID positive cases, recovered COVID positive cases, and the number of students and staff quarantining or excluded due to MDH exclusion guidelines will be added to the district dashboard, which is updated weekly on Wednesdays by 11am, and can be found here.

 

There are certain circumstances where students and staff may be exempt from quarantine. 

If someone has completed COVID-19 vaccination (two doses in a two-dose series or one dose in a one-dose series) and is exposed, they do not need to quarantine if ALL of the following are true: 

• The COVID-19 exposure was at least 14 days after their vaccination series was fully completed. 
• They do not currently have any symptoms of COVID-19. 
• They have provided documentation of their vaccination series to the school health office and/or Health Services Coordinator that clearly indicates their name, date(s) of vaccination, and vaccine brand.

If a student or staff member does not want to provide their vaccine information, then they would be subject to the quarantine.

If someone has previously been infected with COVID-19 and is subsequently identified as a close contact, they do not need to quarantine if ALL of the following are true: 

• Their COVID-19 illness was laboratory confirmed and exposure was within 90 days of their positive test. 
• They do not currently have any symptoms of COVID-19. 
• They have provided documentation of their COVID positive results to the school health office and/or Health Services Coordinator that clearly indicates their name, source of testing, date of testing, and positive test results.

If a student or staff member does not want to provide documentation around their positive test results, then they would be subject to the quarantine.

Additionally, it is up to the health office staff and/or Health Services Coordinator to determine if ALL of the criteria were met for exemption from quarantine with the final determination made by the school district using the guidelines outlined above.

Update on High School Athletics and Activities

SPECTATORSHIP ALLOWANCES BY SPORT

• Basketball – Boys and Girls: Varsity, JV, B teams – home or away 2 (two) spectators per player; Freshman teams – home: 2 (two) spectators per player; away: no spectators (Lake Conference)
• Wrestling: 1 (one) spectator per player
• Hockey – Boys & Girls, Varsity and JV: 2 (two) spectators per player
• Competition Dance – Varsity and JV: Typically 2 (two) spectators per player (depending on gym size)
• Boys Swimming and Diving: No spectators
• Gymnastics: No spectators
• Alpine Skiing: No spectators
• Nordic Skiing: Depends on location (consult coach)

TICKETING

Minnetonka and all Lake Conference schools use Vanco, an online ticketing platform. Ticket information to be communicated directly to participating families from the Activities Director.

• Purchase your ticket online.
• Show your email ticket and QR code on your phone or printed copy.
• Select Non-Conference games may require registering those attending and purchasing ticket at the site with cash.
• Attendance at all games must be cataloged to comply with contract tracing guidelines. 
• No tickets are available to the general public.

---

ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES

• Face coverings must be worn at all times.
• All sports venues will be using a "dot" seating system.
  - Dots are placed 6 feet apart on bleachers, chairs, etc.
  - One dot represents two family units/members.
  - You may only sit or stand where dots designate 6 feet of separation.
• In effort to keep communities separate, HOME and VISITOR team seating will be designated with signage. Spectators must sit only in their assigned section.
• Spectators must practice social distancing of 6 feet at all times.
• Spectators must maintain at least 12 feet from the playable surface AND team benches.
• Spectators must leave the event immediately following the event. You may not visit with any participants. Families must leave the building and meet outside.
• No noise makers or signs are allowed.
• Spectators may only leave the bleachers to use the restrooms.
• Doors will be marked with "ENTER" and "EXIT." Please use the appropriate door.
• Spectators may arrive no more than 10 minutes prior to the event and must leave immediately following. No pre- or post-game loitering will be allowed inside the building. 
• Temperature checks will occur upon arrival. Hand sanitizer will be available as well.
• All spectators practice self check prior to attending. If you have symptoms or think you have been exposed, please stay home.

---

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION

All home and away game streaming links will be posted as available to the activities calendar lakeconference.org. Please exercise patience with this evolving medium.

Basketball – Boys and Girls – V/JV/B: NFHS Network (fee); Freshman: Youtube – Skippers Activities Channel (link to come)
Hockey: https://www.mnhockey.tv/minnetonka (fee)
Wrestling: YouTube Skippers Activities Channel - link to come
Competitive Dance: Mostly NFHS network (fee) 
Gymnastics: YouTube
Boys Swimming and Diving: Minnetonka Aquatics YouTube channel

---

OTHER REMINDERS

Symptoms and Self Check – Before sending students to practice/games, please do a self-check. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and notify the coach immediately. Coaches will let Mr. Schultz know, and he will work with the school nurse to follow up on your symptoms. A reminder of common COVID-19 symptoms can be found here.

MSHSL COVID-19 Return to Participation Protocol – Families are encouraged to review here.

Face Coverings – Face coverings must be worn by all persons at all times. This includes both practices and games, with only a few exceptions. Removing face-coverings during activities that involve a high level of exertion is not permitted. The exceptions to the cloth face-covering rule include:

• Gymnastics and Cheerleading: Student-athletes may temporarily remove their cloth face-covering during activities such as tumbling/stunting/flying or on certain apparatuses to avoid impairing vision, risk of choking or getting caught on the apparatuses. Student-athletes must wear face-coverings for all other practices and routines.
• Swimming and Diving: Student-athletes should not wear a cloth face covering while they are in the water.
• Wrestling: Student-athletes may remove their cloth face-covering when they have wrestling contact with another student-athlete.

For more information on Mask/Face Covering guidance from the Minnesota State High School League, visit this site.

General COVID-19 related information and updates can be found here.

---

ONLINE ACTIVITIES REGISTRATION AND REFUNDS

Minnetonka High School will continue to offer full refunds if your son/daughter does not make a team. This applies to programs that conduct tryouts. No refunds will be given after one week of student participation. In addition, any cancellation and/or stoppage of play, due to COVID-19, will not be grounds for reimbursement.

Thank you for your continued support, patience and flexibility. Please know we are committed to working to provide our students and entire school district community with the best possible experience under these circumstances. Again, we appreciate your support and look forward to working together to provide all our students with a safe, positive, and educational experience during the 2021 winter season.

---

MHS Athletics Return to Participation Policy

The MHS Athletics Return to Participation policy contains important information for participants and spectators.

Explorers is Minnetonka Schools child care program. For the 2020-21 School Year, Explorers will meet current safety and social distancing requirements from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Because the school year will begin in a hybrid model, changes have been made to how our program will be offered.

Minnetonka Schools has nullified all previous School Year 2020-2021 school-age child care (K-5) contracts and ask that all families who would like to utilize Explorers please go online to request care by Monday, August 24 at 11:59 pm. Requests will be approved on a space available basis. Priority approvals will first go to Tier I Critical Workers, per state guidelines, then to customers who held a previously approved School Year 2020-2021 contract and then to new Explorers families.

Here are instructions on how to register, if you are new to the process.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Jenny Bodurk at jenny.bodurka@minnetonkaschools.org.

Explorers Options

The following school-age care options are available through Explorers when the District is in the Hybrid Model, as it is currently:

Kindergarten – Grade 3:
Before and after school care will be available Monday – Friday, a three-day minimum registration is required.

Deephaven Elementary and Excelsior Elementary
Before School: 6:30 – 8:00 a.m. $11.10/day
After School: 2:30 – 6:00 p.m. $15.90/day
Before and After School: $27.00/day

Clear Springs Elementary, Groveland Elementary, Minnewashta Elementary and Scenic Heights Elementary
Before School: 6:30 – 8:40 a.m. $12.80/day
After School: 3:15 – 6:00 p.m. $14.20/day
Before and After School: $27.00/day

Grade 4 & Grade 5:
Before and after school care will be available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. A three-day minimum registration is required. Full day care is also available on Wednesdays and will take place at Minnetonka Middle School East. Registration for every Wednesday is required.

Site - Minnetonka High School
Before School: 6:30 – 8:00 a.m. $11.10/day
After School: 2:30 – 6:00 p.m. $15.90/day
Before and After School: $27.00/day

Site - Minnetonka Middle School East
Wednesday full day care*: 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  $52.50/day (registration for all Wednesdays is required and done separately from before and after school care registration)

*4th and 5th grade children of Tier I Critical Sector workers will be cared for at no cost during the normal school hours. Please see more information below about both free and fee-based care for Tier I workers.

Please note that the school day will be modified on September 8, September 10 and September 11 with 4th and 5th graders being released from school mid-day. We will offer before school care on these dates. We are still determining the feasibility of offering afternoon care on these dates. We will communicate directly with families about this care when we know if it is possible.

Classroom Cleaning Protocols

• Empty all trash and recycling container
• Fill paper towel and soap dispensers
• Sweep and vacuum the floors and rugs
• Clean and disinfect sink area with EPA rated disinfectant/cleaner.
• Mop floor with EPA rated disinfectant/cleaner.
• Disinfect tables and desktops and chairs with EPA registered disinfectant/cleaner.
• Disinfect all light switches, pencil sharpeners, door handles and other identifiable high        touch areas with EPA rated disinfectant/cleaner.

 Common Area Cleaning Protocols

•  Sweep and scrub all hallways
• Empty trash and recycling containers
• Clean and disinfect all entryway doors
• Disinfect all stair railings, door handles, and other identifiable high touch areas
• Clean and disinfect all drinking fountains and water bottle refilling stations with EPA rated disinfectant.

 Restroom Cleaning Protocols

• Empty trash receptacles
• Fill all tissue and towel and soap dispensers
• Clean and disinfect all fixtures, partitions, and sinks with EPA rated disinfectant
• Clean mirrors
• Disinfect restroom door handles with EPA rated disinfectant.

Media Center and Office Area Cleaning Protocols

• Sweep and scrub all hallways
• Vacuum carpets
• Empty trash and recycling containers
• Clean and disinfect all entryway doors
• Disinfect all stair railings, door handles, and other identifiable high touch areas
• Clean and disinfect all drinking fountains and water bottle refilling stations with EPA rated disinfectant.

In-Classroom Lunch Cleaning Protocols

• Empty trash and recycling containers
• Clean and disinfect all surfaces used for lunch
• Disinfect door handles, and other identifiable high touch areas 

*Staff shift times will be adjusted to provide additional custodial support during lunch times as needed

Minnetonka Nutrition Services will continue to be provided to all students free of charge. 

Specific school meal details are: 

Elementary: 

• School meals will be provided free of charge for those students that are attending school or e-Learning from home. To order meals for pickup, please click here.
• E-learning meals will be available for school days, non-school days, holidays and weekends will be included in meal pickup orders
• Students will continue to eat lunch in their classrooms. 
• Students will be allowed to purchase milk for home lunches brought to school.
• Bottled water purchases have been discontinued for the time being. If preferred, please send a water bottle with your student to school. There are water bottle filling stations available throughout the building.
• Nutrition Services will accommodate the needs of students with specific food allergies.

Middle School:

• School meals will be provided free of charge for those students that are attending school or e-Learning from home. To order meals for pickup, please click here.
• E-learning meals will be available for school days, non-school days, holidays and weekends will be included in meal pickup orders
• Students will pick up meals in the cafeteria and proceed to their assigned eating areas.  
• Snack Cart options and second entrée purchases will be available for purchase during lunch.
• Nutrition Services will accommodate the needs of students with specific food allergies.

High School:

• School meals will be provided free of charge for those students that are attending school or e-Learning from home. To order meals for pickup, please click here.
• E-learning meals will be available for school days, non-school days, holidays and weekends will be included in meal pickup orders
• Students will pick up meals in the cafeteria and proceed to their assigned eating areas.  
• The Cove and Lighthouse a la carte lines will be available during lunch hours with limited offerings.
• Nutrition Services will accommodate the needs of students with specific food allergies.

Please note: Menus, procedures, and protocol may change due to updated guidance from the MN Department of Health, the MN Department of Education, and manufacturers’ product availability.
 

School Meal FAQ

Will students still be able to receive free lunches when students return back to school every day?

Yes, whether the learning plan is hybrid or full time, free school meals will continue to the last day of school.  For students in the secondary schools, there will be limited a la carte choices to add to a school or home lunch. All a la carte food items will continue to be charged to the student’s lunch account.

Can I still pick up meal kits for my child, if I choose to remain in the long distance learning program?

Yes, as long as there is interest, meal kits will still be available for pick-up at the high school.  Please continue to order your meal kits online here.

Meal kits contained meals for the weekend too. Can I still order meal kits for use over the weekend if my student returns to school full time?

Yes, you may still order meal kits for weekend use, distance learning days, and for any days that school is not in session, for example, Spring Break or a Teacher Planning Day.  Please continue to sign up using the online form here.

Currently Lunch Menus are only posted weekly, why aren’t school menus posted monthly?

For our vendors, this pandemic is constantly evolving and brings new challenges daily with little to no advanced warning because vendor supply chains are sporadic as well.  Often, we have to change our food orders to what our food vendors have available.

• Due to the Pandemic, food manufacturers are mandated to keep employees socially distanced and have barriers in place in the manufacturing plants.
  • When employees are quarantined either by exposure or infected with the virus they are unable to work from home to produce food -- this causes a trickle effect as suppliers are shorted ingredients they need to make their products
• Abnormally cold weather in the Northern States as well as in the South has affected transportation and freight companies.  There are not enough refrigerated trucks to keep food from freezing.  As a result, freight is being delayed.
• Our main food vendor is experiencing very large last minute shortages.
• Suppliers have all distributors on allocation for many products, so our vendor is not receiving all the food they have ordered.

Unfortunately, the situation may become more complicated as more districts attempt to come back to in-person learning and the demand for school food products increase. Here is a brief recap on how the pandemic is still affecting our school food supply. 

Our ultimate goal is to do the best we can with what is available.  This is only a temporary situation due to the pandemic. We know we can feed all our students, but it might not be all of their favorite meals.  We post our menus after we have verified that the food items ordered have arrived in the school kitchens. This allows us to change the menu, at the last minute, if we get food substitutions.

 

Transportation will be provided, as needed, to those students participating in the K-8 childcare during the e-learning day. If your student needs transportation, please contact the Transportation Department at 952-401-5023. 

For more information about transportation for the 2020-21 school year, visit the Transportation Department webpage.

Questions? Please contact the Transportation Department at transportation@minnetonkaschools.org or 952-401-5023.