Return to Campus Plan

COVID-19 has a wide range of symptoms including: fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, chills, headache, recent loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. All families, faculty and staff will be required to complete a daily screening at home on our new Visitu app. This assessment is designed to identify potential illness. If an individual answers “yes” to any question, they must stay home and contact their primary care physician. Screening includes whether anyone in home is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19. If screening has not been completed, an employee or student may not enter campus. Contact-less, infrared thermometers will be used, when temperatures are taken at school; while wearing the appropriate PPE: face mask, face shield, and disposable gloves. Students or employees with any identified COVID-19 symptoms and/or a temperature of at least 100.4°F or higher will be isolated and sent home immediately until testing and/or medical evaluation has been conducted. Families and visitors will be required to have an appointment prior to coming on campus and will have a temperature check upon entry.

Face coverings are a critical safety measure to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Students, faculty, and staff are required to wear a face covering while on campus except when eating, drinking, or excessive exertion with exercise outside, provided able to maintain 6 feet away from others. Exemptions will be based on medical documentation from the student’s primary medical provider. Face coverings will be required for anyone entering the campus, including, but not limited to families, visitors, and vendors. Every classroom will have a supply of extra face coverings. Additionally, the front office, the guard gate, and the temperature check area will have extra face coverings for anyone who comes to campus without them. Face shields may be worn during instructional time, as needed. Students, faculty, and staff are instructed to wash face coverings daily.

 

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can be spread through the air. It may be transmitted when a person touches a contaminated object and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. An infectious person may have no symptoms. Thus, all students and employees will be expected to keep six feet of distance between them whenever possible. Particles containing the virus can travel more than six feet, especially indoors, so physical distancing must be combined with both face coverings and hand hygiene. In classrooms desks are separated by a minimum of 4.5 feet and have three-panel transparent shields. Classrooms also have a protective shield at the teacher’s desk and a designated teaching zone that students may not enter. Classrooms and school offices are equipped with HVAC filtration systems and doors and windows will be propped open wherever possible.

The School’s cleaning crew will sanitize school spaces three times per day and a fourth time after school hours. The cleaning sweeps will begin at 6:30am, 9:00am, 12:30pm and after 4:00pm. These sweeps will include restrooms, break rooms, front office, counseling center, chapel and fieldhouse. Classrooms will be cleaned and disinfected every day after hours and disinfectant wipes will be available in every classroom to allow for the sanitizing of desks and other surfaces between each class. Students will be required to wipe down their desks with provided sanitized wipes at the beginning and end of each class. The school owns and utilizes a high-powered disinfectant mister / fogger that will be used every Wednesday throughout the school for a deeper cleaning and other times as necessitated by circumstances. Each classroom will be stocked with EPA-approved disinfectant wipes and the school will maintain an adequate supply of PPE, soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, towels, tissues, etc.

 

DROP-OFF: Families will be required to complete a health screening on the Visitu app. before coming on campus. During drop-off, students will have their Visitu screening checked and their temperatures taken prior to getting out of the car. They will need to go directly to their classroom or designated / supervised waiting area. Students can be dropped off as early as 7:30 am. 

PICK-UP: Students who remain on campus after school ends will need to either attend their scheduled tutoring or be in designated / supervised waiting areas. All students must be picked up by 3:00 p.m. unless they have a supervised practice or activity that extends beyond this time.

Classroom E9 has been reconfigured for use as an infirmary / isolation room. The room is equipped with an HVAC filtration system. Any student who exhibits symptoms will be directed to E9 and will await pick up from parents. N95 masks are provided for any employees who assist students in the isolation room. There is a building exit immediately adjacent to E9 that students will utilize to avoid travel through the building upon their departure.

All students, faculty and staff must stay home if exhibiting any signs of illness. Any student, faculty or staff must stay home if they test positive with COVID-19 for minimum of 10 days. Any student, faculty or staff who lives with someone with COVID-19 must stay home and quarantine for 14 days. Any student, faculty or staff member who is in quarantine or isolation must remain at home and has the option to participate in distance learning if they are well enough. If symptoms arise during the school day, the individual will be sent to the Isolation room (Classroom E9) and sent home promptly. Students, faculty and staff may return to school following a fever or any COVID-19 symptoms if they are fever-free without fever reducing medications for 24 hours AND symptoms have improved AND 10 days since symptoms began.

Any person who is not employed by the school or enrolled in the school will be considered a visitor. All visitors must have an appointment to enter campus (with the exception of picking up and dropping off students when the visitor does not exit the car). Parents are encouraged to conduct any necessary meetings with teachers and/or administrators via zoom. In the event that it is necessary for a visitor to enter campus they must make an appointment with the person whom they intend to visit. The host will notify the main office where a visitor’s log will be kept. All visitors must check in at the main office and must wear appropriate face coverings and be temperature checked upon entry. The host will meet the visitor in the main office and escort them to an appropriate meeting space. Visitors must exit campus immediately following their scheduled meeting.

In the event that there are necessary changes to school schedule or cancellation of school due to a COVID outbreak or related occurrence, the community will be notified by phone and email via the Blackboard alert system. The information will also be posted as a pop-up alert on the homepage of Bishop Alemany’s website.

Any family that is more comfortable with remaining in the distance learning format will have the option to do so. Teachers will continue to stream their classes and tutoring sessions via Zoom each day to provide equal access to learning for in-person and remote students. Students and families who are high risk, sick or diagnosed with COVID-19 will be accommodated without discrimination, and students will not be penalized for missing class or work. We encourage families and students to reach out to our Counseling Office should they have specific needs or accommodations.