Social and Physical Distancing: Social and physical distancing is a practice recommended by public health officials to slow down the spread of the virus. It requires the intentional creation of physical space between individuals as we teach students “personal space”: we practice this as much as possible and to the best of our ability. Specifically, our school will adhere to the following distancing guidelines: (6- 15- 48 standard)
- Children will remain in class groups and will mingle with other classes occasionally (i.e. recess times)
- Keep the same children and teacher within the same group throughout the day
- Extend the indoor environment to outdoors, and bring the class outside, weather permitting as frequently as possible
- Doors will be opened to ventilate facilities before and after children arrive. (A/C on to circulate air in the classroom)
- Rearrange furniture and play spaces to maintain personal space separation (or as much distance as possible in each class)
- Staff and children can follow (voluntarily) the Cloth Face Coverings Guidelines of California Department of Public Health. This is recommended for children over the age of 2 (due to safety, choking, suffocation) and not recommended for children with breathing issues. Cloth face coverings are not a substitute for physical distancing and washing hands and staying home when ill, but they may be helpful when combined with these primary interventions.
Screening & Exclusions: Our school will exclude from our facility any child, parent, caregiver, or staff member showing symptoms of COVID-19. All SFSCS staff and administrators have been specifically trained in how to screen for daily entry to the facility - Daily Screening Prior to Entry at Staff Arrival and Child Drop Off . Our school will implement screening procedures for all staff and students that include:
- Each day prior to entry to the facility, our school administration will ask staff members and parents to reveal if they or their child have experienced any symptoms (primarily fever, cough, difficulty breathing or other signs of illness within the last 24 hours) or if someone in their home might have any of these symptoms within the last 24 hours or has administered any fever reducing medications in the prior 24 hours.
- Each day prior to entry to the facility, administration will take the temperature of each staff member as a daily best practice.
- Each day prior to entry to the facility, staff will take the temperature of each child as a daily best practice. The office staff will maintain a log to document and track all reported symptoms and/or temperatures before a student or staff are sent home for illness.
If any individual presents with symptoms of illness: isolation, dismissal from campus and cleaning procedures will be implemented as set forth by directives of the Centers for Disease Control and the LA County Dept of Health for schools and child care centers. We will adhere to the recommended 6-15-48 rule: If the person tested positive for Covid-19, have they been within 6ft of the person for more than 15 min within the last 48 hrs? – this is the standard protocol for infection control.
As a precaution, staff and children will be monitored throughout the day for any signs of possible illness.
- If anyone has a temperature of 100.4°F/38°C or higher they must be excluded from the facility.
- If staff exhibit signs of illness, they will be directed to go home or to a medical facility by administration
- If a child exhibits signs of illness, that child will be isolated in a room separate from other individuals and the adult designated for pick up will be immediately contacted and directed to pick up the child within 30 min.
Social Distancing & Cleaning: In keeping with standard health and safety policies set forth and implemented by the administration and staff, as directed by the LA County Dept of Health and social distancing guidelines, our school will maintain a clean and safe environment to every extent possible:
- Continue to implement and enforce strict handwashing guidelines for all staff and children.
- Posted signs in restrooms and near sinks that convey proper handwashing techniques.
- Review and share with staff and parents important guidance related to prevention and social and physical distancing.
- Implement strategies to model and reinforce social and physical distancing. Specifically staff will: create children’s stories around social distancing, handwashing, healthy etiquette for sneezes, coughs, etc.
Healthy Hygiene: Staff will continue to best ensure the development of healthy hygiene:
- Teach, model, and reinforce healthy habits and social skills.
- Explain to children why it’s not healthy to share drinks or food, particularly when sick.
- Practice frequent handwashing by singing the happy birthday song or counting to 20 (handwashing should last 20 seconds).
- Teach children to use tissue to wipe their nose and to cough into their arm crease at the elbow.
- Model and practice handwashing before and after coughing or sneezing, after playing outside, and after using the restroom.
Drop off & Pick Up Procedures:
Drop off: in the morning will occur at the parking lot (in front of school office) on Otto St and students will enter through the daycare door after temperature is taken by a staff member.
Pick up: at the end of the day: Parent will drive up to the parking spots adjacent to the classroom and remain in their car until directed by a staff member to allow their child to enter the car (essentially rainy day pickup). Interactions with the teacher are to be as brief as possible to keep the line moving).
The Environment: Our staff will continue to adhere to best practice procedures for maintaining a clean and healthy environment for children including, but not limited to:
- Daily wiping down of all touched surfaces, including desks, pencil boxes, games, electronic devices with cleaning wipes and products specified by the CDC guidelines.
- Continue to provide opportunities for individual play and solo activities, such as fine motor skill lessons/games (i.e., drawing, coloring, cutting, puzzles, and other manipulatives).
- Provide play activities that do not require close physical contact between children.
- Designate a tub for recess toys that will be cleaned and wiped after use regularly.
Meal Times: Our staff will adjust the procedures for snack and meal time to accommodate personal space policies. Specifically, staff will:
- Utilize more tables to spread children out at lunch time
- Continue to ensure the practice of proper handwashing before and after eating.
- Immediately clean and disinfect tables after each lunch meal (students to pick up their own trash and throw away).
Bathroom Hygiene: In addition to our hygiene practices and regular surface wipe down practices, all facilities including bathrooms are cleaned daily: done by staff w/commercial grade disinfectant– restrooms and high touch surfaces on campus. In addition to these practices, staff will:
- Heighten vigilance of healthy bathroom habits during this time as an opportunity to reinforce hygiene and monitor proper handwashing.
- Staff will sanitize the sink and toilet handles multiple times during the week
- Teach children to use a tissue when using the handle to flush the toilet.
- Ensure children wash hands for 20 seconds and use paper towels to dry hands thoroughly.
Junior High Specific Protocols:
6th8th grade students will enter and exit the Jr. High building using the front staircase located in front of the Fellowship Hall.
All students will stay in their homerooms for each class period. The teachers will be rotating to each of the classes for the specific class subjects.
Students will have a bathroom period between classes with only one student at a time using a bathroom pass. Drinking fountains are available with touch free water bottle filling. Students will store lunches and jackets in lockers or in the classroom. Backpacks, books and notebooks will be stored on or under the student’s desks.
Desks will be cleaned and disinfected each day. High touch surfaces will be cleaned during that time as well. The bathrooms will be cleaned on a regular basis.
6th-8th grade is considered a class pod and can mingle throughout the day including lunch and PE times, with the homeroom teacher escorting them to designated areas, line up while social distancing (personal space) and will walk to any designated areas the same way.
After school pick up will be as follows: Students that are in daycare will remain in their homerooms until 3:15pm. 6th - 8th grade students that are picked up at normal dismissal will wait upstairs at the north end (Fellowship Hall) for pick up.