REMINDER: please take time to review the information below daily:
Montgomery County COVID Testing Sites
Montgomery County COVID testing sites are now open form 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at several locations and have appointments each day. Appointments must be may each morning for same day testing. Test results are being received within 48 hours.
The Montgomery County COVID-19 testing sites are by appointment only and are self-administered tests. These sites are outdoors and are subject to closure on short notice due to bad weather. Only same day appointments are available. Please refer to their website for FAQs and other important information.
Comcast Extends COVID Internet Support
Comcast announced that it will extend its commitments to help people connect to the Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comcast Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program that provides high-speed Internet service to low-income families and has connected more than four million low-income students since its inception. New customers who sign up before June 30, 2021, will receive 60 days of complimentary service. Comcast will also continue to waive the requirement that customers not have back debt due so more families can apply. For more information, visit www.internetessentials.com.
Transportation Update
Custers Garage, our transportation provider, may experience a bus driver shortage during the upcoming weeks. In the event of a driver shortage, available drivers will be asked to do “double runs.” Because of this, it is possible that some students may see a delay in bus pick up and/or drop off times.
Notification of Delays: Parents and students with cell phones should download the Bus Status App. The app will be updated each morning with all delays.
You can click here to check the overall status of all buses online.
Daily Bus Riding Procedure
- All students will be required to sit in assigned seats for contact tracing.
- Siblings will be required to sit together.
- Masks will be required at all times.
- In October, Spring-Ford approved the purchase of the Transmit Automated Bus Disinfecting System for school buses. The system disinfects the buses automatically. Buses will be cleaned before morning and afternoon runs and will be disinfected each night.
Click here to learn more about the Bus Status app.
Updated COVID Dashboard
The Spring-Ford COVID Dashboard is updated daily to include confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 reported to SFASD by individuals who attend school or work in Spring-Ford. Please click here to view the COVID Dashboard.
BUILDING BASED 14-DAY ROLLING COUNT: Following Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH) guidance, the Rolling 14-Day positive count is one metric used to determine school closures. Together, SFASD and the MCOPH will monitor data as reported. All decisions will be made in coordination with the MCOPH. In addition to the data below, our mitigation strategies, timely case investigations and close contact notifications, linked transmission, municipality rates, and our cleaning procedures are all factors that are considered when considering a push to virtual and for how long.
Each building count will be updated daily. If a school closes due to an increase in confirmed cases, the Rolling Start Date would reset to zero. After a school reopens, the Rolling Positive Count will reset to zero, and a new Rolling Start Date will not be recorded until there is a positive case.
Example:
- December 8 – Building A closes for two days
- December 10 – Building A reopens to in-person learning
- December 14 – a new positive case is reported, reopening the 14-day rolling
SFASD will monitor the daily Rolling Count at each school and will update the Dashboard daily. In an effort to prevent an unexpected closure an early warning notice will be sent if a building looks to be in jeopardy of closing. Should a school close for a period of time due to an increase in confirmed cases or due to a “functional shutdown,” a temporary transition to remote learning will be necessary.
Parents are encouraged to have a back-up plan in place should schools close due to a Rolling Shutdown. Much like Snow Days, there may be short notice, though families will receive email and phone notices as early as possible. Likewise, going forward both email and phone notices will be sent when schools reopen. Again, these notifications will be sent as early as possible.
As a reminder, our schools are thoroughly cleaned each evening. SFASD utilizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved disinfectants against COVID-19.
- All frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned, sanitized & disinfected at least 1x/day 5 days per week per CDC Guidance.
- All classrooms will be cleaned, sanitized & disinfected at least 1x/day 5 days per week per CDC Guidance.
- All bathrooms and locker rooms will be cleaned, sanitized & disinfected at least 1x/day 5 days per week per CDC Guidance.
- Day custodians will sanitize high touch areas at least once during the school day.
- Disinfecting wipes will be provided to all occupied areas in each building.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be installed in every classroom, building primary entrances and office areas.
- All drinking fountains will shut off. Bottle fillers will be in use where applicable.
- HVAC operation will follow ASHRAE Reopening of Schools recommendations 2020 where attainable
Please click here to familiarize yourself with the Spring-Ford Reopening Plan.
COVID Information from the CDC: People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. The CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19. Click here for more information about COVID symptoms.
Click here for information about preventing the spread of COVID.
Montgomery and Chester County COVID Dashboard Trends: Montgomery and Chester County officials are committed to the health and safety of all of the county residents. The Counties has compiled data pertaining to COVID-19 into easy to use dashboards. On these dashboards, you can explore a collection of maps, data and charts that show the number of cases related to COVID-19. There is also information on age, gender and race. The information only pertains to those individuals that have been verified as county residents and received a positive test.
Click here to view the full Montgomery County dashboard.
Click here to view the full Chester County dashboard.