LPS releases the 2021-22 LPS Safe Return to School Plan

The community can now find the full 2021-22 LPS Safe Return to School Plan on the LPS website: lps.org/safereturn.

After meeting with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) and reviewing the feedback gathered, it was determined there would be no major revisions to the protocols and requirements that were proposed on July 1.

“While we are highly concerned about the recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases in our community, our plan follows the recent guidelines released by the CDC while addressing the current risk of spread and test positivity rate in our community,” said LPS Superintendent Steve Joel. “If the risk of spread and test positivity rate in our community continues to increase prior to school starting, we will collaborate with the LLCHD to adjust our protocols and requirements to mitigate the risk of transmission in our schools.”

Those adjustments could include changing the face covering protocols for the entire school district, or a specific school building, program, classroom or learning environment. 

Joel added, “We agree with the CDC that students belong back in school and we will take the necessary measures to ensure we can safely continue with in-person learning.” 

Staff, students, families and the community had an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed 2021-22 LPS Safe Return to Schools Plan until July 9. LPS received 1,036 submissions during the response period. An analysis of the feedback was conducted by staff from Education Service Unit #18 and they identified 965 relevant responses that were coded into three categories: agreement with the plan, requests for more restrictive safety measures, and requests for less restrictive safety measures. Below is a breakdown of the responses:

Category	Responses
Agreement with the plan	116
Requests for more restrictive safety measures	438
Requests for less restrictive safety measures	411
Total Relevant Responses	965

“As you can see, the feedback we received was pretty close to being evenly divided between those who thought we were too strict and those who thought we were not strict enough,” Joel said. “We will continue to collect feedback on any changes as the school year progresses.”

Lincoln Public Schools will continuously review and update the 2021-22 Safe Return to School Plan throughout the school year. This work will be ongoing as new research emerges and more guidance is provided to the school district from the LLCHD, the CDC, the Nebraska Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.

Any changes to the plan, protocols and requirements will be communicated ahead of time through the LPS website, email and social media. 

Below are the minor revisions and a few of the small additions and clarifications included in the website update:

Volunteers, Visitors and Families at School

During regular school hours, volunteers, visitors and families are welcome in our school buildings as long as they either wear a face covering at all times or provide proof that they are fully vaccinated.

For volunteers, visitors and families who are fully vaccinated face coverings are OPTIONAL. For volunteers and visitors who are not fully vaccinated face coverings are REQUIRED. 

At events that take place outside of the normal school day, vaccination status is based on a self-identified system. For volunteers, visitors and families who are fully vaccinated face coverings are OPTIONAL. For volunteers, visitors and families who are not fully vaccinated face coverings are REQUIRED. 

All guests must perform the self-screening for symptoms prior to entering a building and adhere to the face covering protocols.

Vaccinations

The COVID-19 vaccine is not required, but strongly recommended for anyone over the age of 12.

The 2021-22 LPS Safe Return to School Plan will go into effect on Monday, August 2, 2021. Until then, LPS will continue with the summer protocols announced on May 21.

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