Colorado Charter School Institute
1600 N Broadway, Ste. 1250, Denver, CO 80202
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COVID-19: Updates & Guidance |
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January 8, 2021
Dear School Leaders,
We will be continuing School Leader Calls through January and February. The next call will take place on Monday, January 11 at 1:00pm. Call-in information will remain the same as it has been. Dates for these calls are below:
- Monday, January 11 at 1:00pm
- Monday, January 25 at 1:00pm
- Monday, February 8 at 1:00pm
- Monday, February 22 at 1:00pm
We will also continue sending Friday update emails through January and February.
This newsletter includes information on:
- Healthy Families and Workplaces Act and Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act
- Vaccine Updates
- At-Home COVID Testing
- Resources on Capitol Violence
- School Safety Trainings
- and more!
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Healthy Families and Workplaces Act and Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act |
Colorado’s Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) requires Colorado employers to provide three types of paid leave to its employees: 1) COVID-19-related paid leave; 2) paid sick leave; and 3) public health emergency-related paid leave. The paid sick leave requirements of the Act take effect January 2, 2021, for employers with 16 or more employees and January 1, 2022, for all employers.
Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA) prohibits employers from paying different wages to employees who perform “substantially similar” work on the basis of sex or sex plus another protected status. The law covers all private and public sector employers who employ a person in Colorado and becomes effective January 1, 2021.
Employers Council offers helpful resources on HFWA and EPEWA including summary information, sample policies and templates. Keep in mind that all CSI school leaders have access to expert counsel through Employers Council HR Consulting. To access this service, call the Employers Council main line at 303-839-5177 and ask the operator to be routed to Human Resources. The HR Representative will ask you to mention that you are under the Colorado Charter School Institute Membership and will verify that your name is under the membership.
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This week the Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) adjusted Colorado’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution schedule. This is an update from plans released by CDPHE at the end of December 2020. We have reached out to CDPHE and received the following clarifications regarding the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to teachers and other frontline school staff:
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The state has set the priorities for vaccine distribution, which include school nurses and "health techs" as part of 1B "above the dotted line" populations (healthcare workers with less direct contact with COVID-19 patients) and other school staff as part of 1B "below the dotted line" populations (frontline essential workers in education). “Above the dotted line” and “below the dotted line” refer to the dotted line found in the “1B” section of Phase 1 in Colorado’s Vaccine Distribution Timeline. Below-the-line populations are to be vaccinated once everyone above the line has had an opportunity to get vaccinated.
- Vaccine distribution is primarily coordinated by local public health agencies, and different counties may move through the phases at different rates.
- Schools are urged to contact their local public health agency to inquire about coordinating vaccine distribution for their staff.
Additional updates about Colorado’s distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine can be expected, and your school can stay up-to-date on these announcements through the following resources:
We will continue to share updates as we receive them. Please reach out to Michael McManus if your school has questions or needs additional information.
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You may have received an update from CDE with details on new at-home COVID-19 testing program for teachers, staff and selected students. Colorado has contracted with digital health provider eMed to provide BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card test kits for use at home via a virtually guided telehealth session. BinaxNOW tests can be used for symptomatic individuals, those exposed to COVID, and for screening. The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization of the BinaxNOW test, with telehealth guidance, for self-collection in individuals age 15 and older and for adult collection in children age 4 and older.
Teachers, staff, and selected students and their parents or guardians may use a web portal to order tests, which will be shipped directly to their home in packs of six, essentially providing one month of testing supplies. Testing will be conducted via a telehealth remote proctor session and the proctor will report the results to local public health and CDPHE. Additionally, CDPHE will make kits available for school distribution.
CDPHE is working to make home BinaxNOW tests available to schools who opt in through June 2021. The first month will be covered by the State for schools that opt in. For schools continuing to opt in after the first month, there may be a cost associated with the testing, which the State is currently working to confirm.
CSI schools interested in accessing the at-home COVID-19 testing should complete the survey here as soon as possible. Please note that CSI will not be filling out the survey on behalf of CSI schools – CSI schools will need to fill out the survey individually to opt in.
Note: In an update shared today, it is noted that CDPHE should receive only one survey per charter organization. Single site charters should ensure only one staff member fills out the survey. Multi-site or network charters should only fill out one survey as well. The survey will soon be updated to include multi-site charter information, but if options are unavailable, mention "multi-site charter" in the "Organization Name" field.
Schools that adopt this testing strategy should continue to layer mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among their school community.
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Resources on Capitol Violence |
Wednesday’s violence at the U.S. Capitol has added another challenging event for our students to process, and in turn for teachers and staff to help students navigate.
The following resources may help to you and your school community provide a safe space for students to talk about the images and conversations they are witnessing on social media, in the news, and in their homes and at school.
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Upcoming School Safety Trainings |
CSI would like to partner with the REMS TA Center to host one or more of the following virtual training opportunities for CSI schools:
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Conducting K-12 Site Assessments With SITE ASSESS: A 2.5-hour-long training that will assist school districts and schools in conducting site assessments and using SITE ASSESS, the REMS TA Center’s free and secure mobile application (app) that allows personnel to walk around a building and grounds and examine their safety, security, accessibility, and emergency preparedness.
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Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101 Train-the-Educator: A 2-hour-long training summarizing the recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, as outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide), which provides an overview of Federal guidance on school emergency management planning.
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Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101 Train-the-Trainer: A 2.5-hour-long training for potential master trainers that summarizes the recommended six-step planning process to create a high-quality school EOP, as outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide), which provides an overview of Federal guidance on school emergency management planning.
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School Behavioral Threat Assessments: An Introduction: A 3-hour-long training designed to familiarize schools and school districts with school behavioral threat assessments in preventing and reducing targeted violence at K-12 schools.
Please complete this survey by January 15 to help us determine which session (or sessions) to offer. Thank you in advance for your input!
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Update Calls for School Leaders |
The next call for school leaders will take place on Monday, January 11. School leaders have been emailed the call-in information for the School Leader Calls - the information is the same as it has been for the last month or so. Please email Amanda Oberg with any questions.
Materials referenced on the call will be posted in the "Weekly Update Call Materials" section of the Coronavirus Updates Google Doc.
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CSI School Support Contacts |
Every CSI school has been assigned a CSI Support Contact. As we approach the start of a new semester please communicate to your Support Contact your school’s learning plan for the Spring Semester. Additionally, please notify your support contact if you have a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, quarantine a cohort, or have a school closure. Click here for a list of support contacts including mobile phone numbers.
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Prior to purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to promote the health and safety of your school community fill out the survey here or contact Amanda Karger, CSI's Director of Finance, to inquire about purchasing PPE for your school through Colorado's PPE purchasing cooperative. Purchasing through this cooperative may save your school money.
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Cotton Face Coverings Available for Schools |
CSI has the opportunity to offer your school community, parents, and students 100% cotton, one-size-fits-all face covering with ear loops. Please send an email with your request to rachelaustin@csi.state.co.us and we can order and ship these to you once we receive them.
Alternatively, as it looks like masks will continue to be a requirement on into the New Year, please let us know if your school would like to opt out of receiving the KN95 sent to us by the Governor’s office. Email rachelaustin@csi.state.co.us to opt out.
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Mental Health Support Resources |
Expanded mental health resources to support school staff and the greater school community can now be found on CSI’s Mental Health Resource webpage. Resources provide supports for the following areas: Mental Health During COVID-19, Resources for School Staff, and Resources for Students and Families. Spanish-language support resources are available through this site.
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See what's happening on our social sites |
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