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Lunch Health and Safety Information (Updated for Winter Weather)
APS is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our staff and students throughout the entire school day. This includes during lunch, when students will not be able to wear masks while actively eating or drinking. We have developed a plan to protect student health and safety during meals, in accordance with CDC and VDH guidelines for schools.

Lunchtime Health and Safety Procedures
Every school will consistently implement the following health and safety measures during lunch:

• Masks are required in the cafeteria or other designated dining space when students are not actively eating or drinking.
• Masks must be worn, regardless of vaccination status, during arrival to the lunch area, as well as in the serving line and when finished eating or when departing or traveling within the dining space.
• Cafeteria or other dining spaces and frequently touched surfaces will be regularly and thoroughly cleaned by custodial staff between mealtimes.
• Students will be required to wash their hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer before and after eating. Time will be provided for handwashing and sanitizer will be readily available for student use.
• Mealtime will be monitored to ensure adherence to the safety measures in place and to enforce distancing to the extent possible.

DHMS Dining Protocols
At Dorothy Hamm Middle School, we are committed to providing both indoor and outdoor spaces for students to eat lunch, and to distance as much as possible while eating. APS has worked with the County to obtain additional structures such as tables, benches, and umbrellas to support year-round outdoor lunch, weather permitting. Dorothy Hamm Middle School is pleased to have upgraded our outdoor dining area with new tables to make sure our students are as comfortable outside as possible. Our dining protocols.

• PARTIAL OUTSIDE LUNCH PLAN: Our school will make use of multiple spaces for eating – indoors and outdoors – to ensure student health and safety.
  • Students can eat outside if temperatures are above freezing or 32 degrees Fahrenheit, exercising caution related to wind chill, precipitation or other factors. There are several factors that require consideration before a decision is made as to whether students are allowed to dine outside. These factors include but are not limited to: temperature, wind chill, frozen ground, sunshine, heat index, humidity, how prepared the children are (coats, hats, gloves/mittens) to maintain a comfortable and safe body temperature.
    • All students are encouraged to have warm coats, gloves, and hats in preparation for outside lunch in colder weather.
    • Students are encouraged to us a DHMS Seat Cushion to sit on during lunch.
    • Students will wash hands before and after meals and will distance while eating.
    • Student meals will be monitored by staff to ensure adherence to health and safety protocols.
  • Students choosing to eat indoors will be in the cafeteria or one of our gyms, allowing us to maintain a lower student capacity in each space.
    • Students will always wear masks except when eating or drinking.
    • Our cafeteria and gym spaces have higher filtration levels than classrooms and have dedicated HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) systems that allow maximum outside air ventilation.
    • Students will wash hands before and after meals and will distance while eating.
    • Student meals will be monitored by staff to ensure adherence to health and safety protocols.
  • FULL INSIDE LUNCH PLAN:
    • In the event of extreme weather, we will open additional gym space to be able to spread students out.
      • Students will always wear masks except when eating or drinking.
      • Our cafeteria and gym spaces have higher filtration levels than classrooms and have dedicated HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) systems that allow maximum outside air ventilation.
      • Students will wash hands before and after meals and will distance while eating.
      • Student meals will be monitored by staff to ensure adherence to health and safety protocols.