Perelman Ready 2020-21

List of 6 items.

• Guiding Principles

  
  The health and safety of Perelman students, faculty, staff and their families will be the first consideration in all decisions.

   

  Safety protocols will be implemented based on credible data, as well as guidance from public health agencies and our medical advisors.

   

  Perelman students, faculty, staff and their families will abide by the protocols implemented to safeguard community-wide health and safety.

   

  Decisions will support our mission: We cultivate character, inspire minds and nurture souls, as students learn, explore, achieve and dream - all in a dual-language environment.

   

  We will remain prepared, ready and flexible in continuing to offer an outstanding Perelman education.

   

  We will support and sustain our community of students, faculty, staff, parents and friends. Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Bazeh—“The whole community is responsible for one another.” (Talmud, Shevuot 39a)

• Back-to-School Partnership

  
  

  There are several ways to prepare your child/ren for learning in school this fall:

   

  Encourage them to wear masks for extended periods at home to develop stamina. As masks are critically important for the safety of our school community, helping your children adjust to wearing a mask for a prolonged period enables everyone to have a successful start to the school year.

   

  Limit all nonessential travel and follow pertinent state and local recommendations to mitigate your risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. Students, faculty or staff members who have traveled internationally or to a state from which Pennsylvania mandates a quarantine must notify the school; you will be required to quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus.

   

  Talk with your children about the ways in which school will be different this year. They can expect that school will feel more structured and there will be more rules in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. Faculty and staff will help students adjust to the new reality.

   

  Abide by accepted mitigation protocols outside of school to safeguard community-wide health and safety (physical distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, etc.).
  
  We ask that you refrain from hosting indoor parties, sleepovers, unmasked playdates and other social gatherings.  In addition, if children riding in your carpool are not members of your immediate family, all children and adults in the car should wear masks.
  

• Medical Protocol

   

  Daily Medical Screening Before Coming to Campus

   

  Students: Parents/guardians are required to screen their children for symptoms each morning to determine whether they can attend school. A parent/guardian is required to complete a brief health survey on the Parent Locker app no later than 7:30 AM each morning. Any child for whom a response via the app has not been submitted will not be permitted in the school building that day. The nurse will review the data; following up as necessary. More information about Parent Locker will be sent separately. Faculty and staff will be required to follow the same protocol.

   

  Keep your child at home if s/he has any of the following symptoms:

  High temperature (100 degrees or more)

  Cough

  Sore throat

  Chills

  Muscle pain

  Headache

  New loss of taste or smell

  Shortness of breath

  Diarrhea

  Vomiting

   

  If your child has any of the above symptoms of COVID-19, keep your child home until:

  Your child has tested negative for COVID-19 and is otherwise well enough to go back to school OR

   

  A healthcare provider has seen your child and documented a reason for the symptoms other than COVID-19 OR

   

  All the following are true: 1) at least 14 days have passed since the start of symptoms, 2) your child is fever free and off fever-reducing medicines for at least 3 days and 3) symptoms are improving.

   

  If your child is diagnosed with COVID-19, please keep your child home until:

  It has been at least 14 days since your child first exhibited symptoms AND

   

  Your child has had no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicines, ex: Tylenol, Ibuprofen) for at least 3 days AND

   

  Your child’s symptoms are improving.

   

  If someone in your household is diagnosed with COVID-19 or your child is exposed to COVID-19, notify the school immediately.
  
  A child who has had exposure to a COVID-19 positive family member must quarantine for 14 days from their last exposure to that family member during their infections period.  Since the family member is presumed infectious for 10 days following onset of symptoms, this would be a total 24 day quarantine from the onset of the family member's symptoms.
  
  If the child was present in school within 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms of the COVID-19 positive family member (or if the family member was asymptomatic, in the 48 hours prior to the positive test), that child is strongly urged to be tested at day 5-7 if asymptomatic or immediately at the onset of symptoms.  If the test is negative, this does not influence the duration of the quarantine above.
  

  
  

  Response to Illness During School Day

  If a staff member or child becomes sick while at school and cannot immediately leave the premises, that person will remain in the campus isolation room. For the safety of our faculty, staff and students, sick children must be picked up immediately after parents are notified. The isolation room will be thoroughly sanitized after any use.

   

  Return to School Following Illness

  Before returning to school, any individual who has been quarantined must:

  Test negative for COVID-19 OR

   

  Provide a doctor’s note stating a reason for the symptoms other than COVID-19 OR

   

  All the following are true: 1) at least 14 days have passed since the start of symptoms, 2) the individual is fever free and off fever-reducing medicines for at least 3 days, and 3) symptoms are improving.

   

  Response to COVID-19 Diagnosis

  If a staff member or student receives a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, the school must be notified immediately. School administrators will contact the Montgomery County Department of Public Health for further instructions and assistance with contact tracing.

   

  Faculty and students in the same cohort and/or anyone who has come into close contact (defined as greater than 10 minutes of interaction less than 6 feet away) with someone with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis will be notified and must quarantine at home for 14 days. Anyone who develops symptoms during that time should contact their healthcare provider to request testing and notify the school.

   

  Quarantined Individuals must remain home until ALL the following are true:

  At least 14 days have passed since the onset of symptoms, AND

   

  Fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications for at least 3 days, AND

   

  Symptom-free

   

  CHOP and CHOP Urgent Care facilities offer COVID-19 testing for children.
  
  Rapid antigen test results are not accepted as they are considered highly inaccurate.  If a child is tested for COVID-19, a PCR test is required.
  

   

  Immunization

  All students need to be fully immunized in accordance with state law and the schedule recommended by the CDC. A flu vaccine is mandatory for all 2020-21 students, faculty and staff and must be obtained no later than November 1, 2020.

• Mitigation

   

  Cleaning and Disinfection

  An enhanced facilities team has been hired to regularly clean and sanitize (throughout the day and after school) touched surfaces and objects within the school buildings and outside spaces (including play equipment). This includes door and sink handles, water dispensers, desktops, railings, etc.
  
  Touchless toilets and sinks are being installed in all restrooms.
  

   

  Water fountains will be disabled and water bottle filling stations will be installed in the schools. There will also be sanitizing stations throughout the school buildings.
  
  

  Products used for cleaning will be CDC and FDA approved.

   

  Hygiene and Safety

  The following procedures will be practiced by faculty/staff, students:

   

  Proper handwashing, reinforced and required on a regular basis. Hands will be washed upon arriving at school and during regular intervals, including before snack and lunch and after bathroom visits.

   

  Physical contact will be minimized and avoided as possible (i.e., no handshaking or high fives).

   

  Signs will be posted throughout the school building, reminding students and staff to maintain proper hygiene.

   

  Surfaces including door knobs, tables, desks and handrails will be sanitized throughout the day.

   

  For health and safety reasons, a hot lunch program will not be offered during the 2020-21 school year. Students must bring a dairy or pareve lunch and snack each day. Refrigeration will not be available.

   

  In order for faculty/staff to comply with physical distancing, we recommend:

   

  Lunch and snack items include those that are easy for children to open themselves.

   

  Velcro (or easy-close) shoes/sneakers for students unable to tie their own shoes.

   

  Masks and Face Coverings

  Students, faculty and staff will wear face masks while inside and outdoors. Masks protect the health and safety of our entire community by preventing the spread of COVID-19.

   

  Students will have “mask-breaks” when outdoors with appropriate physical distancing. They may also remove masks for eating, drinking and napping when appropriately distanced.

   

  Face masks must cover the nose and mouth securely and stay in place with normal movement. Masks should be secured to the head with ties, straps or with loops over the ears. They should fit snugly and comfortably against the face.

   

  Ideally, masks will have 2 layers of breathable material and space for a filter. Masks must be washed daily after use. Under no circumstances should face masks be shared.

   

  Bandanas and scarves and "gaiters" are NOT acceptable. Facial shields may be worn in addition to masks, but not as an alternative. Masks with valves are NOT acceptable, as they are designed to protect the wearer but not those around them.

   

  Physical Distancing

   

  Learning

  Students will learn outside, weather permitting. Additional security measures and protocols will be in place on our campuses.

   

  Tents without walls will be set up on the fields of both campuses in order to provide cover and shade. Children and teachers should dress appropriately for outdoor classes and play.

   

  Students and their classroom teachers will operate as a cohort (class group) throughout the day and will not interact physically with other classes to the extent possible. Specials teachers will visit each cohort rather than students moving to a specials classroom. Interactions between larger groups of students will be online via Zoom.

   

  Students will have assigned seats within their classroom cohorts, where they will remain throughout the school day.

   

  Students will be spaced 6 feet apart as feasible.

   

  There will be no communal gatherings, such as tefillot (services), assemblies, or ceremonies.

   

  Physical Education classes (games and activities that do not require physical contact) will be held outdoors, weather permitting.

   

  Recess periods will be staggered to reduce density on the playground.

   

  Facilities

  Stairwells and entryways will be designated for specific grade levels.

   

  Bathrooms are assigned by grade level to limit student movement throughout the buildings.

   

  Technology, Classroom Materials, and Equipment

  Students will be assigned individual laptops or iPads.

   

  Students will have individual bins in which they keep school supplies, toys, manipulatives and other materials regularly used in the classroom.

   

  Sets of balls and other materials for PE and recess will be assigned to each individual class.

   

  Sandboxes will be covered or removed.

   

  Games and activities requiring close contact will be prohibited at recess and PE.

   

  Travel Policy

  Perelman follows the guidelines established by local, state and federal agencies regarding travel to high risk areas. Students, faculty and staff members returning from areas both within the United States and abroad where there have been travel alerts issued related to infectious disease, including but not limited to COVID-19, will be required to self-quarantine to monitor for symptoms of illness for 14 days.

   

  Visitor Policy

  Visitors, parents or volunteers will not be permitted in school buildings, with the exception of essential vendors or contractors, who will enter by appointment only. They will be required to comply with all school procedures, including health screenings, prior to entering the school.

• Busing and Early/Late Care

   

  The School District of Philadelphia has alerted us that they will provide busing for our students. They also indicated that students will have assigned seats and be required to wear masks. Families will be notified as soon as we receive information from suburban school districts. Detailed arrival and dismissal procedures will also be provided shortly.

   

  If you are able to drive your child to school, please consider doing so. Parents are encouraged to drive their own children to school rather than carpooling.

   

  Information regarding early/late care will be sent separately by center.

• Remote Learning Option

   

  We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus in August, with the knowledge that some families may prefer a remote option. Adult guidance and oversight will be necessary to support the child/school/parent partnership for those choosing this option. Access to a printer is required; materials to support remote learning will be provided.

   

  Students learning remotely will join their classes at school as active participants with the help of Swivl technology. A Swivl is a small robot that holds an iPad using Bluetooth. The Swivl rotates to follow a teacher who wears a tracker (which also captures audio), relaying a teacher’s lesson and classroom interactions via Zoom.

   

  Remote learning is available to students absent from school for an extended period due to illness or quarantine.