View the updates to the return to school plan below.

Updated 8-23-21

For more information about face-covering exemptions visit, https://www.nppsd.org/page/face-covering-exemption-information.

8-9-21 Updated Return To School Plan

During the Board of Education meeting, held on August 9, 2021, Dr. Hanson, Superintendent, shared the updated North Platte Public Schools Return To School Plan for the 2021-2022 school year.  During the meeting, Dr. Hanson stated, “The North Platte Public School Return to School Plan is a flexible, adaptable, responsive plan designed to keep our students and staff safe and our schools open for the 2021-22 school year.”

The plan was updated based on; the current Center of Disease Control (CDC), Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), West Central District Health Department (WCDHD), and local health professional’s guidance, as well as the results of the NPPS Return to School Survey.

The updated plan is in effect beginning Tuesday, August 10, 2021, until further notice.  To review the updated Return to School Plan visit, https://www.nppsd.org/page/covid-19-resources.

Update Highlights include:

1.      Self-screening is recommended

2.      NPPS COVID Vaccination Self Reporting Registry for Staff - https://forms.gle/MzEDFknwjEorjXu4A

3.      Face-coverings are required for volunteers, visitors, families, and all NPPS staff visiting buildings other than their primary area of employment.

4.      Quarantine and monitoring information for positive cases or those exposed to a positive case.

5.      Reminder: The NPPS Return to School Plan is a flexible, adaptable, responsive plan designed to keep our students and staff safe and our schools open - we will adjust as needed!

Vaccination Clinic: 

If you or someone you know needs to receive the COVID – 19 vaccine West Central District Health Department will host a COVID vaccination clinic open to anyone 12 years or older as follows,

Dates: August 12, 2021, First Dose, and September 2, 2021, Second Dose

Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location: Adams Middle School, Room 702

Who: NPPS students, staff, and families ages 12 and older

 School-aged families, please download and complete the Parental Consent Form at https://5il.co/wtmj.

Anyone wishing to be vaccinated on these dates, register Online at https://vaccinate.ne.gov/en-US/.

We thank you for your work in keeping our schools open to in-person learning while being mindful of the safety and security of the students, staff, and families we serve.

Dr. Ron Hanson

North Platte Public Schools, Superintendent

7-30-2021

Good Afternoon, NPPS Families, Staff, and Supporters,

North Platte Public Schools believes that the best way for children to learn is in person. The Return to School Plan is designed to create the safest environment for our students and staff and keep our schools open to in-person learning.  We believe this plan supports the needs of our students, staff, and families while acknowledging the current risk to the health and safety concerns within the community and the schools. Additionally, this plan meets all requirements of the Americans Rescue Plan.

Your input is essential; we encourage you to complete a short survey after viewing the current draft of the 2021-2022 Return to school plan.  The survey is open now through Friday, August 6, 2021. Scroll down or click here to complete the survey.

North Platte Public Schools will continuously review and update the 2021-22 NPPS Return to School Plan throughout the school year as the risk of COVID-19 spreads in our community and school changes. This work will be ongoing as new research emerges and more guidance is provided to the school district from the

West Central District Health Department (WCDHD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and the U.S. Department of Education.

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

Please note: North Platte Public Schools will adjust protocols (including face-covering requirements) as necessary to address changing conditions. During the 2021-2022 school year, protocols and requirements may change for a specific school building, program, classroom, transportation, or a setting based on the number of positive cases, contact tracing, community test positivity rate, community conditions, and risk of spread.

Each school will monitor its internal factors (student & staff contact tracing data) and community factors to determine what safety measures need to be implemented. 

A COVID Response Team (Cabinet, principal, school nurse) will monitor each school’s status and determine what safety measures will be implemented based on the data collected.  Appropriate measures will be communicated to students, staff, and parents in a timely manner.  

Safety measures considerations are face-covering requirements, discontinuing certain activities,  classroom closures, school closures, and other precautionary measures determined by the COVID Response Team.  

The NPPS 2021-22 Return to School Plan was last revised July 30, 2021, and last reviewed July 30, 2021.

Dr. Ron Hanson

North Platte Public Schools

Superintendent

6-15-21

COVID-19 and learning for the 2021-2022 school year.

Due to the continuous drop in COVID-19 cases in our area, the district is planning for the following;

1. To keep up with our return to school plan and any updates, please visit https://www.nppsd.org/page/covid-19-resources.

2. We encourage all staff and eligible students to get vaccinated if they have not already done so. Please, connect with WCDHD to find a time that best works for you https://wcdhd.org/.

3. If the community risk dial is in green or yellow, face-coverings will be optional.

4. North Platte Schools will no longer offer the option of remote learning for students. We encourage students to return to the classroom for in-person learning next fall.

5. The Return to School plan will be adjusted as new, current information is received.

We will continue to work with state and local health officials as we move through the summer and adapt our plans as we need to err on the side of caution for those we serve.

5-10-21

After careful consideration, North Platte Public Schools has decided to lift restrictions on face-coverings from required to highly recommended for all students and staff effective Wednesday, May 12th for the remainder of this school year.  We encourage students, staff, and families to continue wearing face-coverings if you have any uncertainties or you have underlying health conditions, participate in ongoing spring sports, or are uncomfortable sending your student/s to school without them. Moving forward, we will continue to follow strict hygiene requirements for all students and staff.

As of this Wednesday, we have five school days remaining. We are excited to lift the face-covering restriction from required to highly recommended allowing our students and staff a sense of normality for the balance of this school year.  This being said, we will support your decision to do what is best for your student/s regarding face-covering as we complete in-person learning for all students and staff.

We will continue to network with our health care advisors regarding COVID-19 and the variant of the virus as we develop our plans for the upcoming school year.  Over the summer, district leadership will evaluate the spread of the virus and its variants before launching new recommendations for the 2021-2022 school year.

Finally, as vaccines become available for younger age groups, we want to encourage you to consider having your student/s vaccinated before starting the new school year.

Updated - 5-3-21

In a continued effort to complete the 2020-2021 school year with in-person learning, North Platte Public schools will finish this school year with masks, hygiene, and social distancing requirements in place.  This decision has not been made lightly and has been with the continued consideration of community risk factors, including the spread of the COVID variant in our area.  Internal factors also play a decisive role as we have seen a slight increase in positive cases in our student population.  It has and will continue to be our goal to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students, staff, and families.  Thank you for your continued support.

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Updated - 4-12-21

This update includes the decision to complete our school year by requiring masks for all students and staff. This decision is due to the increase in our community risk-dial and the spread of the COVID-19 variant. As stated throughout the pandemic, our goal is to safely provide in-person learning for the students, staff, and families we serve.  As we conclude this school year, we hope to allow our students to participate in field days, academic award ceremonies, in-person graduation, and end-of-the-year celebrations.  With these items in mind, we will conclude our school year by asking our students to stay the course with masking, hygiene, and social distancing when possible.

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Hello Staff, Students, And Families,

In partnership with the Nebraska Department of Education and West Central District Public Health, North Platte Public Schools has developed guidance to support the district and community in determining their plans and strategies for reopening schools and facilities.  NPPS' Return-to-School Plan provides straightforward, actionable steps that are advisable for the remainder of the school year and summer.

We are nearing the end of the school year.  We will proceed with caution as the community and district risk dial changes.   Many details still need to be considered, and we will announce more detailed information as we get closer to April, May, June, and July.  Below is some information to help you understand the district's steps to slow the virus's spread and adjust various safety protocols.

We share our plan to conclude this school year with in-person learning while providing a healthy and safe learning environment for our students, staff, and community.

*Please note, as has been the case with all NPPSD pandemic plans, this plan is subject to change at any time.

April 1-30

1.       We will evaluate all processes and guidelines as needed.  We will determine if we can make more liberal adjustments for this school year and summer balance during this evaluation.  Areas of consideration:

a.       Community Risk-Dial - external factors

b.       Number of cases and spread in schools - internal factors

c.       The number of consecutive weeks the risk dial remains in yellow or if/when it changes

d.       If the virus variant is affecting our community and schools

2.       We will continue to work with our public health officials and NDE to adjust pandemic planning.

3.       We will allow media in our schools that have gained approval as follows:

a.       Contact the Director of Communications, Tina Smith

b.       Tina will connect with the school administration and those involved in the interview

c.       Anyone involved in interviews will wear face-covering, social distance, and practice good hygiene and handwashing.

4.       We will allow TeamMate Volunteers in our schools as follows:

a.       All volunteers are required to wear face-covering, social distance, and practice good hygiene and handwashing.

d.       Final approval of volunteers in buildings is granted to building administration.

5.       Field Trips Are Allowed at principal's discretion - Scheduled between 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

a.       Anyone involved in field trips will wear face-covering, social distance, and practice good hygiene and handwashing.

6.       Students and Staff Are Allowed to visit other NPPS buildings at the discretion of both the hosting and home principal.  

a.       Permissions must be gained in advance and in writing from both principals before each visit occurs.

b.       Anyone involved in cross-campus visits will wear face-covering, social distance, and practice good hygiene and handwashing.

7.       April 24 – NPHS Prom

a.       Guidelines to be shared by NPHS staff to students and families as we get closer to the date and following current health district recommendations

May 1-19

1.       We will evaluate all processes and guidelines as needed.  We will determine if we can make more liberal adjustments for this school year and summer balance during this evaluation.  Areas of consideration:

a.       Community Risk-Dial - external factors

b.       Number of cases and spread in schools - internal factors

c.       The number of consecutive weeks the risk dial remains in yellow or if/when it changes

d.       If the virus variant is affecting our community and schools

2.       We will continue to work with our public health officials and NDE to adjust pandemic planning.

May 9 – NPHS In-Person Graduation

a.       Guidelines to be shared by NPHS staff to students and families as we get closer to the date and following current health district recommendations.

3.     Open Houses - principal discretion - appropriate safety measures

 Goals for Summer  May 20 - August 10

(Staff Return from Summer Break: New Staff - August 5, 6, & 9; All Staff - August 10)

*Decisions for May and the Summer may change based on the school district and community risk dial at the given time.

1.       We will continue to work with our public health officials and NDE to adjust pandemic planning.

2.       We will allow media in our schools that have gained approval as follows:

a.       Contact the Director of Communications, Tina Smith

b.       Tina will connect with the school administration and those involved in the interview

c.       Anyone involved in interviews will wear face-covering, social distance, and practice good hygiene and handwashing.

3.       Kids Klub, Summer School, Summer Camps, Curriculum Writing, and Professional Development, Staff Training will operate as scheduled and with the guidance of the directed health measures at the time of events.

 Again, we are so proud of you, and your dedication to keeping our students, staff, and community healthy and our schools open to in-person learning.  We will continue to err on the side of caution as we complete this academic year.  If you have any questions, please contact your direct supervisor.

Best Regards,

Dr. Ron Hanson

Superintendent, NPPS

PDF Of The April 12 Update

PDF Of The March 24th Update

View The COVID-19 Resources Here