School Safety Measures

The School District of Janesville will allow the experts to be the experts, and therefore uses guidance from the CDC, Wisconsin Departments of Health Services and Public Instruction, and the Rock County Public Health Department. The School District of Janesville has provided options for parents to consider regarding instruction for their children in grades K-12: 

• Full-time face-to-face in school instruction;
• Full-time virtual learning from home as provided through ARISE Virtual Academy; and
• For secondary students, a Hybrid instructional model where students take some classes virtually from home, and some classes in face-to-face instruction at school.
  • For students who receive special education services and support, the Department of Public Instruction released programming options for IEP teams to consider in addition to the options listed above. Please see the Back to School Website and the Students with Special Needs FAQ.  

NOTE: P4J can participate in face-to-face instruction or at-home learning provided through the P4J program.

Health Screening

All students and staff will be asked to do a daily health assessment (check temperature, check for signs of illness such as congestion, sneezing, coughing, etc.) at home in the morning prior to coming to school. Anyone with signs of illness should stay home. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4° F (38° C), or greater, must stay at home.

Parents and guardians will be expected to screen their child(ren) at home before school to ensure no COVID-19 symptoms are present. Staff are also expected to screen themselves before reporting to work. Parents and staff should consult the ‘Daily Health Checklist’ (en español) for the daily health symptoms check.  The District is following the Rock County Public Health Department’s School Guidance on Exposures, Symptoms, and Positive Events for students and staff.

Each school will have a Health Isolation Room -- a designated self-contained space where those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms can be observed/cared for until they can safely leave the building. Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is supplied for this area. In all buildings, the Health Isolation Room is separate and distinct from the traditional school nurse/health room.

Approximately ⅓ of School District of Janesville families have opted for the full-time virtual instruction model, which means there will be noticeably fewer students in the classrooms. This will help our schools with maintaining appropriate physical distancing measures as suggested by local health officials.

Class sizes will be smaller and social distancing of 6 feet or more is the guidance for all classrooms. 

Staff will reconfigure room arrangements, workspaces, and teaching spaces to allow for social distancing to the greatest extent possible. School District of Janesville already removed non-traditional furniture and non-commercial grade materials from classrooms -- to facilitate physical distancing, and to facilitate cleaning and disinfecting procedures. 

At the elementary level, as much as possible, there will be cohorts of students in classrooms, with limited transitions during the school day, including music and art instruction. Physical education classes and recess will be outside as much as possible. This will vary by school and grade level based upon building size and layout, with specific information to be provided by the respective school buildings. This also pertains to how physical distancing will be implemented at their sites.  

Each school will provide plans/procedures for families/students to follow for entering/exiting schools as well as student drop-off/pick-up procedures. Schools will provide site-specific information to their families.

Social distancing signs are placed on the floors in high traffic areas as reminders to socially distance.  Additional signage and/or adult directive will be provided regarding traffic flow patterns and expectations.

Safety signage posted at entrances and around the buildings, including: 

• COVID-19 symptoms reminder
• Hand washing reminder
• Social Distancing reminder
• Face covering reminder 

Additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been placed throughout all schools. Staff and students are asked to use them frequently. More than 900 additional wall mounted hand sanitizer dispensers were installed in our school buildings since March 2020.

To help promote physical distancing, Middle School and High School students have limited use of lockers.  Students will use backpacks instead. 

Elementary students may have access to cubbies or lockers (depending on school), teachers and staff will limit the number of trips needed to visit them. More information will be provided by the student’s respective school. 

Beginning Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the School District of Janesville (SDJ) will offer free meals to all students through December 31, 2020 at every school.

Students attending ARISE Virtual Academy may take advantage of the free meals through three pick-up locations in Janesville. These free meals are available for all children age 18 years old and under, between the hours of 11 AM – 1 PM weekdays (Monday-Friday) when school is in session. The meals offered (which include a lunch and a breakfast for the next day) may be picked up at the following locations:

• Edison Middle School, 1649 S. Chatham St. - Janesville, WI 53546;
• Franklin Middle School, 450 N. Crosby Ave. - Janesville, WI 53548; and
• Marshall Middle School, 25 S. Pontiac Dr. - Janesville, WI 53545.

The ventilation rate in each School District of Janesville building meets state recommendations for air exchange. Six to eight exchanges occur per hour in both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buildings. See Administrative Rule from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.

The School District of Janesville has a facilities services guide.  Please reference: School District of Janesville Facility Services -- Maintenance & Custodial Operations COVID – 19 Response Protocols

Each student will be assigned either an iPad (K-5) or Chromebook (6-12 and ARISE). These devices are not to be shared among students. Students are expected to keep their assigned mobile device clean and in good working order. If a device is broken or damaged, it should be reported to the school where it will be exchanged for a working unit. The School District of Janesville IT team will provide cleaning strategies for specific devices for families to use.

Routines for students will be established throughout the day, and signage is displayed to teach and reinforce effective handwashing practices. Hand sanitizer locations have been increased throughout district buildings. More than 900 additional wall mounted hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed since March 2020.

Office and sick room protocols are modified to reduce traffic in hallways and school common areas. Basic first-aid supplies, such as band-aids, will be provided to the classroom teachers to prevent crowding in the office and sick room.

Face masks/coverings are required of anyone 5 years old and older at all School District of Janesville facilities. This applies to students, staff, parents, and vendors.  Face mask/covering requirements align with The Executive Order from Governor Tony Evers and The State of Wisconsin Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Mask Mandate.  Additional protective equipment are provided to staff who need to work in close proximity to students. The school’s normal progressive disciplinary procedures apply with respect to non-compliance on this matter.

• Visitors are limited to mail deliveries & scheduled vendors. Face coverings are required to enter the building.
• If a parent needs access past the office, an appointment is necessary. An attempt to communicate by telephone, email, or virtually via Google Meet should be exercised first.
• Parents/guardians picking up their student during the day should call the main office to make arrangements to avoid coming into the office.

More details can be found in the Back to School FAQ

To minimize the potential transmission of COVID-19, the District is temporarily suspending outside volunteers from entering District buildings. 

For the safety of students and staff, field trips that are not a virtual experience will not take place. Additionally, assemblies, including pep rallies, will not be held until further notice.

Annually, the district transports about 650 students, and roughly ⅓ of district students have opted for virtual learning, thus reducing the number of students who need to ride a bus, facilitating the implementation of appropriate social distancing on school buses. The district is working closely with our student transportation company to monitor bus ridership and is ready to add a route if a particular route is overcrowded. All buses will be disinfected on a daily basis. Students will adhere to the transportation system rules, policies, and procedures regarding masks and other expectations regarding COVID-19.