Health and Safety Protocol Guidelines - Fontbonne Hall ...

2021 - 2022 HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES

Health and Safety Protocol Guidelines
During the 2021-2022 school year, it is our hope that these guidelines will allow us to ensure the
safety of our students, faculty and staff, as we maximize the in-person learning experience. The
guidelines are based on the New York State Education Department Health and Safety Guide for
the 2021-2022 School Year and on The CDC’s Guidance for COVID Prevention in K-12 Schools.

The CDC guidance identifies multiple prevention strategies in a layered approach. These
strategies include but are not limited to:

    •   Promoting vaccination
    •   Consistent and correct use of masks
    •   Physical distancing
    •   Screening tests to quickly identify cases
    •   Improved ventilation
    •   Proper hand washing and respiratory etiquette
    •   Staying home when sick and getting tested
    •   Contact tracing in combination with quarantine/isolation
    •   Routine cleaning and disinfection

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1. COVID-19 VACCINATION
    The CDC states that, “vaccination is the leading public health
    prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting
    vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning
    as well as extracurricular activities and sports.” In alignment
    with the CDC, Fontbonne will be maintaining documentation
    of students’ and workers’ COVID-19 vaccination status and
    will use this information, consistent with applicable laws
    and regulations, to inform prevention strategies, testing
    requirements, contact tracing efforts, and quarantine and
    isolation practices.

    2. MASKS
    Due to the emerging evidence that demonstrates that the Delta
    variant of COVID-19, currently the predominant strain in
    the United States, is more infectious and has led to increased
    transmissibility when compared to other variants, the CDC
    has recently updated its guidance on mask wearing even in
    vaccinated individuals.

    Fontbonne will align with the recommendations of the CDC
    and the American Academy of Pediatrics and require universal
    indoor masking for all students, teachers, staff and visitors,
    regardless of vaccination status or community transmission.

    Additionally, passengers and school bus drivers must wear
    masks on school buses, and all individuals attending indoor
    school events and athletic events must wear masks.

    3. PHYSICAL DISTANCING
    The CDC recommends that schools maintain 3 feet of physical
    distance between students in classrooms. A distance of 6 feet is
    recommended between students and teachers/staff, and between
    teachers/staff who are not fully vaccinated.

    The CDC states that permitting large groups of students to eat
    in the cafeteria should be based on community transmission
    rates. Schools should maximize physical distance between
    students as much as possible when students are moving through
    the food service line and while eating. We will be using outdoor
    seating to facilitate distancing during lunch for as long as the
    weather permits.

    Physical distancing is not required on school buses.

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4. SPORTS & EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
The CDC states the following:
• Due to increased exhalation that occurs during physical activity, some sports can put
  students and coaches at increased risk.
• Close contact sports and indoor sports are particularly risky.
• Similar risks might exist for other extracurricular activities such as band, choir, theater, and
  school clubs that meet indoors.
• At a minimum, students and adults should follow the same school-day policies and procedures
  during athletic and extracurricular activities.
• High risk sports and extracurricular activities should be virtual or canceled in areas of high
  community transmission unless all participants are fully vaccinated.
• Schools are strongly encouraged to require COVID-19 screening tests for student athletes,
  students participating in extracurricular activities or other activities with elevated risk,
  and adults who are not fully vaccinated. A final decision on this policy will be made after
  consultation with the BQCHSAA.

5. HANDWASHING/RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE/STAYING HOME
   WHEN FEELING SICK
The CDC provides the following guidelines with respect to handwashing, respiratory etiquette
and steps to take when feeling sick:
• Covering coughs and sneezes can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious
   diseases
• Hands should be washed frequently, with soap and water, and for at least 20 seconds
• When hand washing is not available, using hand sanitizer, which will be available throughout
   the campus, should be used
• Students and school personnel should stay home if they are showing signs and symptoms of
   infectious illness, including COVID-19, and get tested
• Parents and guardians are encouraged to screen for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 before
   sending their child to school each day
• Everyone in the school community is encouraged to get tested when symptoms are compatible
   with COVID-19

6. ISOLATION & QUARANTINE
The CDC recommends that school leaders should, to the extent allowable by applicable privacy
laws, report new diagnoses of COVID-19 to their local health department as soon as they are
informed. School leaders also should, to the extent allowable, notify the teachers, staff, and
families of students who were close contacts as soon as possible after they are notified that
someone in the school has tested positive (within the same day if possible).

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The CDC defines a “close contact” in the following manner:
Someone who was within 6 ft of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more
over a 24-hour period.
• Exception: In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes
   students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student if both the infected student and
   the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time.
   This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor setting.

After close contact with an infected individual,
Fully vaccinated individuals do NOT need to quarantine unless they have symptoms. However,
they should get tested 3 to 5 days after exposure, even if they do not have symptoms, and wear a
mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

Unvaccinated individuals MUST quarantine for 10 days without testing or for 7 days if a
negative COVID test is received on Day 5 or later.

7. FACILITIES
We will continue to take the following steps to keep our facilities as safe as possible:
    •   Improve ventilation by keeping windows open, whenever possible, and using the portable air filtration
        machines located in each classroom
    •   Encouraging our bus company to keep windows on buses open during transport
    •   Thorough cleaning of the campus at least once a day with EPA approved disinfectants
    •   In the event of a positive case, a thorough and deep cleaning within 24 hours of the event

8. REMOTE INSTRUCTION
Our goal is to remain open for in-person instruction throughout this school year. However,
please be assured that in the event of a national declared public health emergency, a state or city
health emergency, or a high number of positive cases within our school community, our faculty
will be prepared to immediately pivot to a fully-remote learning model.

Please note: These guidelines will be monitored and are subject to change based on rates of
transmission, and as city and state guidance continues to evolve.

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