DPSCD Covid-19 Safety Commitment Compliance Contract: Mid-Year Report

In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Authority Health compliance officers began audits of the schools and district offices of the Detroit Public Schools Community on September 22, 2020. The audit process was designed to survey each facility at least once per month to ensure that schools maintained fidelity to the District’s Covid-19 Safety Commitments. Generally, the audits reviewed two general areas of concern: the cleanliness and sanitization of classrooms, lunchrooms, restrooms, physical activity sites, and offices; and the appropriateness and effectiveness of the safety behavioral component, communicated through signage and modeling.

At the beginning of the year, Authority Health hired 3 compliance officers who worked closely with the DPSCD Operations team to learn about the District’s Safety Commitments, become familiar with school structure and processes, and begin collecting data daily.

Data collection moved to an electronic format after 2 weeks of auditing, ensuring instant data access for the DPSCD leadership team. Weekly meetings with the Operations team began immediately and the Authority Health and DPSCD teams worked collaboratively to address any safety issues that were found. In addition to daily reporting, DPSCD is provided weekly, monthly and semi-annual progress reports.

A continuous quality improvement process has been implemented to inform best practices as the year progressed. For example, there were challenges in understanding the cleaning process at various schools. Compliance officers worked with the DPSCD Operations team to identify where improvements could be made. Schools evolved from an incomplete scope of expectations for cleanliness to a very detailed approach examining what is cleaned and how well it is cleaned. At this juncture, the schools have a fine-tuned perspective as to the expectations for cleanliness and sanitation.

A highlight in this area was the creation of a cleaning checklist developed by the two custodial companies. It provided all custodians a clear understanding of what should be cleaned, the details of the cleaning.

Due to the hard work of DPSCD and the compliance officers this school year, Detroit schools are ready to accept children face-to-face in a safe environment. The District has demonstrated they are far better prepared than other school districts, primarily due to careful planning, the auditing process, and close follow-up to findings. For full report, click on the link. DPS Compliance