Northern Lights Academy

Northern Lights Academy Cooperative ISD 6096

Northern Lights Academy Cooperative’s COVID-19 Plan 2022-2023
Updated: 8-24-2022 

The following plan is put into place with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Operational Guide for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning. 

Strategies for Everyday Operations 
Northern Lights Academy (NLA) will balance the risk of COVID-19 with educational, social, and mental health outcomes when deciding which prevention strategies to put in place. NLA uses multiple layers of mitigation to reduce infectious diseases, including the virus that causes COVID-19. 

Staying Up To Date on Vaccinations 
Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is essential to prevent illness from many different infections. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to help develop immunity to disease. Like all public schools in Minnesota, NLA follows the School Immunization Law in Minnesota. Specific to COVID-19, the school staff at NLA will share COVID-19 vaccine information with students and parents/guardians upon request. 

Staying Home When Sick 
Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading infectious diseases, including the virus that causes COVID-19. Northern Lights Academy encourages sick staff to stay home without fear of retaliation, loss of employment or other negative impacts. NLA provides excused absences for students who are sick. 

Ventilation Systems 
Schools can optimize ventilation and improve indoor air quality to reduce the risk of germs and contaminants spreading through the air. The buildings which house the classrooms for Northern Lights Academy have addressed the air exchange rate with all ventilation systems throughout the day. Air filters are regularly changed in all air handling units and scheduled preventative maintenance tasks are completed on these systems throughout the year. 

Hand Hygiene and Respiratory Etiquette 
Washing hands can prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Northern Lights Academy will teach and reinforce covering coughs and sneezes to help staff and students from getting and spreading infectious diseases, including COVID-19. 

Cleaning and Disinfection 
At each site housing NLA classrooms, custodial and building maintenance staff will utilize disinfectants and cleaners with a strong COVID kill claim on a daily basis to reduce the risk of germs spreading throughout the buildings. 

Masking 
Wearing a well-fitting mask consistently and correctly reduces the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Although masking is not required, any staff or student who chooses to wear a mask will be supported in their decision to do so. 

Testing 
Northern Lights Academy will take advantage of the free testing option provided by the Minnesota Department of Health. Staff and students will have access to at-home covid tests as supply allows. In addition to providing free at-home covid tests, NLA will share information about other options to receive free covid tests and free community testing sites. 

Isolation and Quarantine 
Isolation is a strategy used to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have symptoms of covid, or have tested positive for covid, apart from others while they are likely contagious with covid. Northern Lights Academy will not require a specific amount of time of isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, however we will require that staff and students stay home when feeling sick. 

General return to school guidelines will be followed when sick which are the following: 
 -Consider returning to school after being fever-free for at least 24 hours, without using fever-reducing medication.
 -Symptoms have improved.
 -Follow any other specific guidelines you receive from your physician. 

Although a specific amount of time is not required to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19, if staff or students choose to isolate for 5 days, they will be supported in their decision to do so. 

Quarantine is a strategy used to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 apart from others. Quarantine will not be required at Northern Lights Academy. Absences related to quarantine may not be excused. 

Reporting cases of COVID-19 
Schools in Minnesota are required to report positive cases of COVID-19 to the MInnesota Department of Health. If staff or students test positive for COVID-19, please contact the NLA office.


December 2023
NLA Paraprofessional Job Posting


COVID-19 Information:

Right arrow NLA COVID-19 Plan as of August 24, 2022
Right arrow Past Communication from NLA Administration during COVID-19


Location
302 14th Street
Cloquet, MN 55720
218-878-3060
fax: 218-878-3061

Contacts
Barb Mackey x8000, Direct 218-878-3064  Assistant Special Education Director ([email protected])
Raeanne Bergren x8001, Administrative Assistant ([email protected])
Lisa Dalbec x8002, Social Worker ([email protected])
Stephanie Roeper x8004, Special Education Teacher ([email protected])
Morgan Sailsbury x8005, Special Education Teacher ([email protected])
Amiliya Calverley x8006,  Special Education Teacher ([email protected])
Jeremy Scholer x8008, Special Education Teacher  ([email protected])
Carlton Office x8013

Nate Knutson x8014, Special Education Teacher ([email protected])

Emily Brown x8015, Special Education Teacher ([email protected])



Mission Statement

The Northern Lights Academy (NLA) mission is to support children and youth with significant emotional and behavioral needs, as well as those with low incidence disabilities. We provide academic, social and functional skill development, and mental health services to students from the member school districts of The Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative.

Our goal is to foster learning, promote independence, cultivate social and behavior skills, work in partnerships with families, and support students to become successful learners in their least restrictive environment, as well as active, productive members of our communities.


2022-23 School Year Information

For the 2022-23 school year, the NLA will offer Setting 4 Special Education programs for up to 54 students in grades K-12, who need an alternative educational placement. Contact your school's principal for more information.

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