High school sports can start competition Saturday

Vermont Business Magazine Education Secretary Dan French announced today that when providing in-person instruction, all Vermont schools will operate at Step III effective September 26, 2020. This change in step level does not change the decision-making authority of a school district to offer in-person instruction or not, but if a district decides to do so, it must operate in-person instruction at Step III. This also means that this Saturday, fall school sports may resume competition.

The Strong and Healthy Start guidance describes mitigation step levels that schools must follow to ensure safe operations for in-person instruction. These step levels are determined by the Agency of Education and the Department of Health and apply to all Vermont schools unless otherwise specified.

Vermont schools, except for transportation operations, opened at Step II, and it was expected there would be a transition to Step III by the end of September if conditions remained positive.

Step III allows for more flexibility in how students can gather. But all safety and health protocols remain in place.

French added that guidance for winter sports will be determined probably in October. This will give state officials an opportunity to evaluate how the Step III process worked and what the health date looked like.

Future Changes in Step Levels
Future changes in step levels will be made by the Agency of Education and the Department of Health after evaluating the health conditions for the virus.

The Agency of Education (AOE) has received numerous questions regarding how driver education instructors may comply with driver education instructional requirements, including providing in-vehicle instruction, within the current health and safety guidelines governing schools. This guidance addresses both questions. It will be updated as needed when information changes.

This guidance pertains to AOE-licensed, public school driver education teachers. Private driver education instructors should consult guidance from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.

Guidance for Driver Education
Education statute 16 V.S.A. § 1045 and State Board of Education rules Section 2350 require that 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction be provided to all driver education students. However, they do not require that driver education instructors provide that instruction via an in-person, face-to-face model and neither the statute nor the rules specify that this instruction must be provided concurrently.

However, as districts and schools work on how to best provide Driver Education to their students, the Agency of Education would like to remind schools that providing classroom and in-vehicle instruction in an integrated and concurrent manner remains best practice. Doing so enables students to put into practice in the vehicle what they have learned in the classroom within two to three weeks of a lesson, before the information is forgotten. It also prevents backlogs from developing when classroom instruction is provided to more students than can be provided in-vehicle instruction.

Driver education instructors should continue to direct questions to their administrators regarding how to best conduct remote instruction in their individual situations.

In-Vehicle Instruction Driver Education teachers should follow the below health and safety guidance when providing in-vehicle instruction.

• Under Work Safe Guidance issued by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the current maximum occupancy of a vehicle for work purposes is three people.
• In-vehicle instruction sessions should be kept to the minimum possible duration given instructional needs.
• Student drivers and the Driver Education teacher should wash hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds before in-vehicle instruction. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• All staff and students are required to wear facial coverings while in the car. Staff and students who have a medical or behavioral reason for not wearing a facial covering should not be required to wear one. These decisions should be made in partnership with the health care provider and school nurse.
• Vehicle windows should be open where possible.
• Students should use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when switching student drivers in the car.
• Frequently touched surfaces in the car should be disinfected between groups for in-vehicle instruction, including the steering wheel, gear shift, windshield wiper controls, seat belt buckles and the inside and outside door handles.
• When in-vehicle instruction is conducted before the school day or on a weekend, teachers and students should receive a health screening as described on page 8 of A Strong and Healthy Start: Safety and Health Guidance for Reopening Schools, Fall 2020 before entering either the school building or the instruction vehicle, whichever is first point of contact.

Source: DFR