Pandemic Coordinator: Avi Baran Munro, Ed.M., Head of School

Pandemic Team: 

• Campus Re-Opening Task Force - Jordan Hoover, Director of Technology and Strategic Initiatives (co-chair); Bari Weinberger, CFO (co-chair); Josh Albright, Director of Maintenance; Susie Kerr, Certified School Nurse; Nate Muscato, Director of Security; Jennifer Bails, Director of Marketing and Communications; Jackie Goldblum, Middle School Hebrew and Jewish Studies; Leslie Frischman, Middle School Math Teacher; Jill Braasch, Education Team Associate; Ellen Goldhagen, Administrative Support Associate; and Dr. Micah Jacobs, Infectious Disease Specialist (consultant)
   
• Academic Continuity and Social-Emotional Well-Being Task Force - Mark Minkus, Head of Intermediate School and Middle School (co-chair); Andrea Erven-Victoria, Head of Early Childhood and Lower School (co-chair); Aaron Walker, Head of Jewish Life and Learning; Kelly Binning, Head of Academic and Emotional Services; Casey Briglia, School Based Counselor; Cara Shuckett, Middle School Language Arts Teacher and Literacy Coach; Kara McGoey, Ph.D., Duquesne University (consultant); Emily Cappello, School Librarian; Charlotte Rakaczky, Intermediate School Language Arts and Social Studies; Tekla Hilton, Intermediate School Math; Rachel Makary, Early Childhood Educator; Liz Halfhill, Reading Specialist; Elke Cedarholm, 3rd Grade Teacher; Tal Perel, Lower School Hebrew Teacher; Nancy Glick, Lower School Hebrew Teacher; Ronit Pasternak, Middle School Hebrew Teacher; and Vicki Pritko, Middle School Math Teacher
   
• Financial and Business Strategies Task Force - Sarah DeWitt, Director of Enrollment Management (co-chair); Jenny Jones, Director of Institutional Advancement (co-chair); Bari Weinberger, CFO; Kevin Bouchard, Controller; Carol Beth Yoffee, Communications and Outreach Associate; Allan Dalfen, Middle School Jewish Studies Teacher; and Derek Smith, Board Chair
   

Roles and tasks have been assigned and coordinated by the Community Day School senior administration and managed through team meetings.

Community Day School has partnered with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to survey families prior to school opening.

The school Campus Reopening plan will be posted on the CDS Campus Reopening website page at comday.org/kadimah. In modern Hebrew, Kadimah or קדימה (pronounced Kah-dee-mah) means “forward” or “Let’s go!” 

The CDS Marketing and Communications Director and Director of Technology and Strategic Initiatives will provide regular updates to the website and information to families via email, video, social media accounts, and telephone and SMS messages (in emergency situations only). 

The School Nurse will regularly disseminate information on COVID-19 prevention habits to CDS families. In addition, Community Day School will regularly send educational reminders home including CDC information and reminders to parents to keep children at home if sick with any illness (see: Should I Stay Home From School? Decision Tree and “Illness Response” in this document) and to follow proper face covering and social distancing protocols in out-of-school settings. Reminders will also be shared about gathering and travel precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. 

In order to provide effective instruction to all of our families during the 2020-2021 school year, we will provide developmentally appropriate remote learning via the CDS Virtual Learning program as an option for students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 with health or family concerns. Students can move flexibly between on-campus and virtual learning throughout the year for health reasons or if your family is more comfortable with an online learning environment for your child (see: procedures for transitioning between the CDS Virtual Learning program and on-campus learning under “Illness Response”)

Technology training will be provided in the event of a short-term or extended closure and/or in the event a family opts in to the CDS Virtual Learning program.

CDC Signs and additional signage will be posted in highly visible locations throughout the campus to promote everyday protective measures and describe how to stop the spread of germs in ways that are easily understandable for both children and adults.

All CDS staff, students, and families will be trained on social distancing guidelines and safety protocols in this document, including parent/guardian information sessions.

Professional development may occur online or on campus. In the case of on-campus training, staggered schedules, mitigation, and social distancing guidelines will be observed.

The School Nurse, School Based Counselor, and other health and medical experts as needed will provide training for staff in COVID-19 mitigation practices and effective and age-appropriate ways to communicate these practices with their students.

Any time-sensitive updates to information in the CDS Campus Reopening Plan will be presented to staff in an online format.

Additional professional development and educator planning time may be added to the academic year calendar as an integral part of the campus reopening process and our continued effort to operate as safely, effectively, and sustainably as possible for both families and staff.

Educators will be teaching in both virtual and physical classroom environments.

Adults and students should maintain at least a distance of 6 feet from other people as much as possible. Individuals will be considered a close contact if they are within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes. Based on the updated CDC definition of close contact (10.21.20), individuals could be considered a close contact with cumulative interaction over a 24-hour period that is 15 minutes or more.

• Maintain a daily log in a notebook or on a phone app of any student contact for more than 15 minutes when less than 6 feet apart.

• If a situation warrants having appropriate physical contact with a student (for example, comforting a crying child), limit interaction and wash or sanitize hands after such contact.

• If closer than 6 feet from a student, if possible, limit cumulative contact over the course of a school day to less than 15 minutes.

• Maintain at least 6 feet of distance when possible.  

• It is acceptable for individuals to pass in common or outside spaces for brief periods of time.

• Maintain a daily log in a notebook or on a phone app of any adult contact for more than 15 minutes when less than 6 feet apart.

• Limit hallway interactions to 2 minutes or less unless it can clearly be determined that individuals speaking to each other are 6 feet apart. This same limitation applies to arrival, dismissal, lunch, and recess times.

• In-person adult interactions should take place sitting at desks, standing still on marked dots, or standing or sitting at other locations that are clearly marked or known to be a minimum of 6 feet apart.

• Consider calling or using Google Hangouts or other virtual methods of communication.

• Maintain at least 6 feet of distance during communications with another adult.

Community Day School will limit the number of students and adults in classrooms and assign seating based on social distancing guidelines. Student desks will be separated by 6 feet in each classroom to the maximum extent feasible during instructional periods and indoor recess, and all students will be separated by at least 6 feet when masks are removed for eating lunch.

In order to limit student movement throughout the building and cross-group exposure, students will remain with stable cohorts throughout the day as much as possible. Cohort size is 9 to 15 students (varies by grade) organized to be heterogenous by academic interests and strengths and social dynamics. These smaller cohorts will learn together each day and will not mix with other cohorts of students, including during lunch and recess. If needed, teachers and other staff will rotate through different cohorts while maintaining physical distancing.

If movement of a class needs to occur, student movement will be coordinated to maximize social distancing, including the use of markers, signage, and limits for students/adults in hallways/stairways.

After careful evaluation, we have decided to shift to an 8-period day school-wide. Eliminating 9th period allows us to reallocate those minutes at key transition points, allowing more time for teachers to move if needed and for students to take movement breaks. This new schedule will also provide a block of time at the end of the day for Intermediate School and Middle School to incorporate social-emotional learning with many aspects of last year’s Small Group Advisory program. An 8-period day and the need to maintain cohort integrity means that Middle School Exploratories cannot happen in the traditional way this year; we are seeking alternative ways to offer these learning experiences to students in Grades 6-8.

The entire CDS Annex ground floor is designated for exclusive use by Early Childhood to create stable cohorts for these students and staff. Main floor bathrooms may only be used by Early Childhood students and staff and are not to be used by anyone else.

Student furniture and seating will be evaluated regularly to ensure social distancing in classrooms to the maximum extent possible.

Large traditionally communal spaces (i.e., the Ulam K’lalee, Library and Learning Innovation Lab, Ulam Sport), and outdoor spaces may be used as classrooms or otherwise repurposed as learning spaces.

Community Day School will safely provide regular opportunities for physical education, outdoor play, and recess for students. When in communal or outside recess areas, emphasis will be placed on cohorting students and limiting the size of participating groups.

Restroom occupancy will be limited to the number of stalls, and students will follow social distancing guidelines when transitioning to the restroom and continue to wear face coverings while there.

Whenever possible, virtual group events and meetings will replace traditional gatherings.

All food provided by the CDS Lunch Program will be delivered to students in their classrooms or outdoors or picked up in “to-go” containers from the Ulam K’lalee rather than served buffet-style. All students including packers will eat in the classroom, repurposed lunch spaces, or outside. Dots measured at least 6 feet apart have been spray painted in different locations across the school grounds to provide socially distant outdoor eating spaces designated for each cohort. Each child will receive a seat cushion to keep at school for use during outdoor lunch and learning.

Community Day School will continue to evaluate the possibility of overnight field trips for the 2020-2021 school year as the COVID-19 situation evolves throughout the course of the year. We will update parents as we have more information, but disruptions to planned activities/trips may occur. All field trips will follow  state, federal, and international public health guidelines.

Arrival and dismissal procedures are outlined in this plan under “Transportation,” and have been created to maximize social distance and protect staff, students, and families.

Health Office procedures will be revised to limit non-emergency traffic to see the School Nurse where possible by allowing for “tele-health” visits in school via video conference.

Community Day School playgrounds and outdoor play spaces are for the use of students during the school day and are closed to the public, including CDS families, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in consideration of school hours and to prevent mixing cohorts on our campus. For the health and safety of our school community, we ask that families respect CDS social distancing and face covering guidelines during the use of our playgrounds and outdoor play spaces at all other times.

Hand sanitizer (with at least 60 percent alcohol) stations are located throughout the building, and faculty and students will be instructed in their location and proper usage.

Handwashing and hand sanitizing will be built into the school schedule, including before and after lunch, before and after using shared items, before and after using the bathroom, after touching the front of face coverings or another individual, upon arrival to school, and at other times throughout the day (CDS hand hygiene policy).

Touchless paper towel dispensers have been installed in the restrooms.

Outdoor hand washing stations have been installed on both CDS playgrounds.

Water fountains are disabled and water bottle filling stations are located on each floor.

Signs are posted on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 (properly washing hands, promoting everyday protective measures, and properly wearing a face covering) in visible locations throughout the buildings.

Staff attended a train-the-trainer information session that describes the protocols for handwashing, covering coughs/sneezes, and face coverings (https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/fact-sheets.html). Teachers trained their students on the protocols they learned during the aforementioned sessions and will reinforce these protocols in age-appropriate ways throughout the year.  

Community Day School will also share information from public health organizations such as the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health on hygiene and disinfection strategies for COVID-19 transmission prevention at home and in the community in the CDS Parent Memo and other communications.

CDS staff will carefully monitor hygiene supplies including face coverings, soap, tissues, hand sanitizer, and paper towels to ensure adequate inventory in classrooms, restrooms, and spaces throughout the campus. 

In addition to supplies provided by the school, students will be asked to provide an allotment of these hygiene supplies at the beginning of the school year and may be called upon to replenish them throughout the year as they may be difficult to purchase in bulk.

As per the Secretary of the PA Department of Health’s order on July 1, 2020, and with clarification for schools from the Department of Education, and until further notice:

• All adults are required to wear a face covering while on CDS campus

• All children (over the age of 2) are required to wear a face covering while on CDS campus

Face coverings may be removed only when at least 6 feet apart and: eating or drinking or having a designated “face covering break” monitored by an adult.

Single-layered face coverings like neck gaiters, bandannas, scarves, and knitted masks without liners, as well as masks with exhalation valves or vents are not acceptable for anyone on our campus. We instead recommend multi-layer cloth masks that are appropriately sized to cover the mouth and nose (without slipping off) and secured with ear loops instead of ties so students can manage them independently. The CDS brand masks meet these requirements. All children on campus received one the first day of school, but they should arrive every day with masks on their faces and keep labeled extras at school.

Community Day School has an adequate, but not inexhaustible, stock of face coverings for staff and student use. In an effort to maintain the supply, we ask everyone to bring in their own face covering whenever possible. If individuals are consistently needing a disproportionate quantity of the available supply, they may be asked to reimburse the school to accommodate this need.

Exceptions to this requirement due to medical conditions or other circumstances will be made on a case-by-case basis by the School Nurse in conjunction with physicians, mental health professionals, and the appropriate school administrator(s).

Staff and students must follow guidelines on proper use of face coverings (see CDC recommendations). This includes sending your child to CDS with a clean face mask every day. Public health experts recommend that you clean your mask after every wearing to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus or other germs.

Education will be provided to staff and students on the proper use of face coverings to cover the nose and mouth, how to maintain hand hygiene when removing face coverings for meals and physical activity, and for replacing and maintaining (washing regularly) face coverings.

The School Nurse and other staff members will monitor State, Allegheny County Health Department, and federal guidance on COVID-19 transmission in our community.

All families will have the option to enroll their student(s) in the CDS Virtual Learning program for the protection of their vulnerable students or family members. 

Families who have students in a high-risk health category should connect with the School Nurse to discuss reopening procedures and distance learning options.  

Staff who are in a CDC classified high-risk category should speak to their immediate supervisor about their specific situation and about working options that may include working remotely.

The Social Distancing, Monitoring for Exposure, and Hygiene and Face Covering guidelines in this document were developed to protect the health of students and staff in at-risk groups. 

In the event we need to close our campus, the CDS@home program will deliver an authentic, relevant, and empowering learning experience to children in Kindergarten to Grade 8 and support the academic and social-emotional needs of these students.

Pikuah Nefesh (“safeguarding life”) is a bedrock principle of Jewish law. Our best approach to minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on our campus community is to embrace a shared sense of responsibility for one another’s well-being. While we cannot eliminate the risks altogether, we can work collectively to mitigate them. Community Day School requires that staff and students stay at home if they are sick to protect those in our community most at risk of contracting COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses (see: Should I Stay Home From School? Decision Tree and “Illness Response” in this document).

Students other than staff children will not be allowed to enter the building until 7:30 a.m. and may not congregate in groups on the CDS campus prior to entry. Anyone arriving after 7:55 a.m. will enter via the front lobby and be screened by front desk staff before being allowed to proceed into the building.

All staff, parents/guardians on behalf of students, and essential visitors will complete a daily COVID-19 health screening using the SchoolPass App/website prior to entering any CDS building. This screening will include questions about symptoms, travel, and potential contact with COVID-19 infected individuals. The nurse or designated staff member will review the COVID-19 health screening for family compliance. This daily screening must be completed by families before 7:15 a.m. Your child’s privilege to attend school on campus is dependent on your compliance with these procedures.

For illness tracking purposes, all families whose child’s default learning mode is to be on campus must complete the SchoolPass health screening every day, regardless if your child is home sick for a few consecutive days (even if we already know the reason) or has shifted temporarily to virtual learning or if the school is closed. 

All staff, students, and essential visitors are not allowed to enter school if they or someone in their household (including siblings and guests staying in your home temporarily) exhibit new onset of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and not from a chronic condition (fever greater than or equal to 100°F (37.7°C), chills, cough, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, and/or congestion or runny nose). A list of COVID-19 symptoms can be found here. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has updated its travel order, and effective November 20, 2020, anyone visiting or returning to Pennsylvania from another state or country must have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to entering the Commonwealth or quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. We have aligned the CDS travel policy to match the current guidance. Please note the negative COVID-19 test must be a PCR test, not a rapid antigen test, for the purposes of “testing out” of a travel quarantine to return to the CDS campus. You CANNOT “test out” of any other quarantine order. Clearance from School Nurse Susie Kerr is required to return to in-person learning for anyone answering “yes” to these travel-related questions:

• Has your child or anyone in your household traveled outside of Pennsylvania in the last 14 days? 
• Is your child or anyone in your household currently completing a 14-day travel-related quarantine or have you or anyone in your household taken a COVID-19 test related to travel? If a “yes” response, please provide details in the “additional comments for Nurse Susie” question.
   

When completing travel-related questions in the SchoolPass health screening, all members of your household should include visitors who are residing in your home during their visit.

All staff, students, and essential visitors will have their temperatures checked when entering the building or present on campus using the FEEVR non-contact thermal imaging system or other method. Diagnostic temperature checks with an oral, contactless, or tympanic thermometer may be required based on results of the passive screening or the appearance of symptoms at the discretion of the School Nurse.

Any staff member, student (and their siblings), or essential visitor with a temperature of 100°F (37.7°C) or higher or exhibiting other COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home immediately.

Social distancing will be maintained during the daily entry process and face coverings must be worn.  

After the screening procedure, students will go directly to class and not congregate in halls or other areas.

The School Nurse and other staff will monitor State, Allegheny County Health Department, and federal guidance on community transmission. If the school is aware of an increase in COVID-19 symptom-related absences or an increase in community spread, increased surveillance may be implemented.

When a child is absent, families should notify the school of the student’s absence and reason.

Health office staff will maintain privacy in the management of all health information.

Students, staff, and essential visitors should remain home if they or anyone in their household:

• Have new onset of COVID-19 symptoms (not from a chronic condition) including: fever greater than or equal to 100°F (37.7°C), chills, cough, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, and/or congestion or runny nose.

• Have been exposed to anyone known to have or who possibly has COVID-19;

• Test positive for COVID-19; and/or

• Have been told by a public health or medical professional to self-isolate or self-quarantine due to COVID-19.

Students, staff, and essential visitors must notify the School Nurse if they or anyone in their household:

• Have new onset of COVID-19 symptoms (not from a chronic condition) including: fever greater than or equal to 100°F (37.7°C), chills, cough, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, and/or congestion or runny nose.

• Have been exposed to anyone known to have or who possibly has COVID-19;

• Test positive for COVID-19; and/or

• Have been told by a public health or medical professional to self-isolate or self-quarantine due to COVID-19.

Staff and essential visitors who become ill at CDS with COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home immediately, along with their children at CDS who are considered close contacts.

If a student becomes ill at school with COVID-19 symptoms, the child will be provided with a procedural mask to wear and isolated to prevent further spread of potential illness pending immediate pickup by emergency contact(s). Siblings of students with COVID-19 symptoms will be considered a “close contact” and also be sent home. The School Nurse will provide guidance about recommended follow-up treatment and criteria for return to campus.

Students with COVID-19 symptoms themselves or in their households including fever greater than or equal to 100°F (37.7°C), chills, cough, new loss of taste or smell, and/or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing require evaluation by a health care provider and School Nurse clearance to return to school. Healthy siblings may return when the ill student or household member has a diagnosis not related to COVID-19.

Students with COVID-19 symptoms themselves or in their households including nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, and/or congestion or runny nose that last less than 36 hours may return to on-campus learning along with their healthy siblings with clearance by the School Nurse 24 hours after the resolution of the last symptoms without medication.

Students with COVID-19 symptoms themselves or in their households including nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, and/or congestion or runny nose that last more than 36 hours may return to on-campus learning with clearance by the School Nurse after a negative COVID-19 PCR test and/or alternative diagnosis by a health care provider. Healthy siblings may return when the ill person has a diagnosis not related to COVID-19.

Consult the Should I Stay Home From School? Decision Tree for helpful guidance about our Illness Response policy.

Students and staff members who are ill with COVID-19 or close contacts of a person ill with COVID-19 should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for isolation and quarantine, and clearance from the School Nurse is required to return to on-campus learning:

• Sick Parents and Caregivers

• Isolate If You Are Sick

• Quarantine If You Might Be Sick

• When You Can Be Around Others if You Had or Likely Had COVID-19

If the school has been notified of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case, the following steps will be taken:

• The School Nurse will notify the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) for additional guidance and to share appropriate information for the purposes of contact tracing and resumption of normal school operations as allowable by law and in accordance with safety precautions.

• All areas that the student/staff member occupied within the past 24 hours will be closed for another 24 hours, or as long as practical.

• After 24 hours, or as long as practical, occupied rooms will be cleaned, sanitized, and ventilated per the current recommendations from the CDC and/or Pennsylvania Department of Health.

• The school and the ACHD will identify close contacts (within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) of a person with a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19 from the period 48 hours before symptom onset to the time at which the person was isolated.

• Close contacts will be notified as quickly as possible and should follow CDC guidance for testing, quarantine, or isolation.

• The school will communicate to staff and families regarding the situation while maintaining privacy of the affected individual(s).

• Decisions about campus opening will also be guided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education recommendations to Pre-K-12 Schools Following Identification of a Case(s) of COVID-19 (8.13.20) and Determining Instructional Models During the COVID-19 Pandemic (8.10.20) in consultation with public health staff. Levels of COVID-19 community transmission for all counties in Pennsylvania are tracked here.

Staff, students, and essential visitors may return to campus after following the timeline outlined in the CDC guidance When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19. The School Nurse must be notified prior to return and provide clearance that the appropriate criteria have been met. 

For the purposes of returning to campus, Community Day School will only accept the results of a PCR (molecular) test for COVID-19, not a rapid antigen test. The PCR test is the “gold standard” for testing an individual for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although they typically yield faster results, antigen tests are not as sensitive as the PCR test, yielding more false negatives; backup with a PCR-based test is often recommended by public health authorities.

Please note it is not possible to “test out” of an isolation or quarantine requirement, and a child living in a household with another individual with someone who has been identified as a close contact of a person with COVID-19 infection will also need to complete an appropriate quarantine period prior to returning to campus. The 14-day quarantine period doesn’t start until the last contact with the ill individual or after the ill individual completes the isolation period requirements.  

It is critically important for children to remain home if they or anyone in their households are ill with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case. Our ability to continue to deliver in-person instruction depends on your complete honesty and cooperation with this policy. Toward this end, our Virtual Learning program is available to families whose children are well enough to learn, but home to isolate, quarantine, or with mild health symptoms (themselves or in a family member).

• If an on-campus learner needs to become a virtual learner, either due to illness, quarantine, or the family’s choice, the school needs up to 1 full school day after the date the request is made to set up the necessary supports. For example, if you request any time on Friday that you wish your child to become a virtual learner, the student can join their class virtually at the start of school on Tuesday morning. It may take additional time for teachers to gather learning materials for the family to pick up from CDS. If your child is transitioning into the virtual learner program, please fill out this form.

• If a virtual learner decides to become an on-campus learner, the school requires up to 2 school days to establish the classroom space for that student in adherence with campus health and safety guidelines and prepare necessary materials. If your child is transitioning into in-person learning, please fill out this form.

• Established in-person learners who are returning after having been virtual learners may return after being cleared by School Nurse Susie Kerr and by notifying Head of Intermediate School and Middle School Mark Minkus or Head of Lower School and Early Childhood Andrea Erven-Victoria.  The appropriate division head will advise the parent when the academic team is ready to receive their student.

• Extra time will be allowed for students to complete any missed work pending these transitions.

• Once transition request forms are submitted, CDS Head of Intermediate School and Middle School Mark Minkus and/or Head of Lower School and Early Childhood Andrea Erven-Victoria will be in touch with you and your child’s teachers to gather additional information and confirm your child's start date for the transition. If appropriate School Nurse Susie Kerr will also contact you to discuss any relevant details. For medical privacy reasons, it is best to communicate directly with her about family health information.

The Community Day School maintenance staff has cleaned and disinfected the entire campus over the summer of 2020 while it was unoccupied.

Community Day School maintenance staff will clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects within the school on a regular scheduled basis throughout the school day. This includes door and sink handles, water dispensers, desktops, railings, etc. Cordless electrostatic handheld sprayers were purchased for more complete and consistent application of cleaning solutions.

CDS will make every effort to limit the amount of touching of shared equipment. When possible staff will clean and disinfect the equipment between uses.

Individuals classrooms, offices, and communal spaces will be cleaned at the end of every day.

Water fountains are disabled and water bottle filling stations are on each floor.

All cleaning supplies in use are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use against SARS CoV-2 and Safety Data Sheet documentation is available upon request.

Community Day School classrooms used by students receive outside air circulated by an air handling system, from air pulled from the outside from forced air heating/cooling systems, or from a fan.

To the maximum extent feasible, students’ belongings such as backpacks, jackets and other outerwear, lunchboxes, should be separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, lockers, or other areas. Families will be asked to limit sending unnecessary personal belongings to school with their children.

Community Day School will ensure that there are adequate supplies to minimize the sharing of high-touch materials as much as possible (e.g. textbooks, art supplies, science equipment, etc.) or limit the use of supplies and equipment to one group of students at a time and clean and disinfect between uses. For devices and materials that MUST be shared, Community Day School will ensure cleaning and disinfecting between uses to the maximum extent feasible.

In addition to the Chromebooks issued to our Middle School students as part of our 1:1 Chromebook program, all students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will be issued an individual device for classroom and CDS@home use. Care of this device is the responsibility of students and their parents, and its usage is governed by applicable CDS technology policies.

Until further notice there will be no parents, guardians, or other guests permitted inside the school buildings. All meetings with teachers or administrators should be done remotely and by appointment.

All essential visitors will complete the COVID-19 Health Screening and undergo a temperature/symptom screening prior to entering any CDS building or if volunteering/working in outdoor campus spaces. 

All essential services provided by outside agencies must schedule their visits in advance, as well as follow CDS screening procedure for staff before entry. When applicable, these individuals will list all of the students who received their services during that visit during sign-out.

Whenever possible, deliveries will be left in the main entry vestibule.

Exceptions to this policy due to medical conditions or other circumstances will be made on a case-by-case basis by the School Nurse and Director of Security in conjunction with the appropriate administrator.

Except for “once-in-a-lifetime” milestone events, CDS Virtual Learners will not be allowed to come to campus for recess, outdoor learning, or after-school sports or activities. We are working to preserve the integrity of our on-campus cohorts and recognize the difficulty of performing our health screening process in the middle of the day (recess) or end of the day (sports). Participation by CDS Virtual Learners would also complicate contact tracing protocols. We will be working hard to make sure our CDS Virtual Learners feel socially connected to their classmates and an integral part of our school community.

Students, families, and staff will maintain social distancing and wear face coverings on campus during arrival and dismissal.

For students in the Early Childhood program:

• EC Kachol students will be dropped off from 7:30-7:45 a.m.

• EC Zahav will be dropped off from 7:45-8:00 a.m.

• Prior to entry, all children will undergo a temperature screening and must have submitted a completed SchoolPass health screening questionnaire.

• Students must enter through the CDS Annex Building doors.

For students in Kindergarten-Grade 8:

• Due to staffing considerations and health protocols, students should not arrive on campus before 7:30 a.m. as they will not be allowed to enter the building before then regardless of the temperature and there will be no staff to monitor them. They must proceed to their homerooms upon entry after screening procedures. Students may not congregate in groups on the CDS campus prior to entry.

• Walkers are encouraged to approach the campus from the Forward Avenue side and proceed without their parents/caregivers on the sidewalk towards the main entrance in the front lobby.

• Students arriving by bus in the parking lot will proceed down the steps and directly to the main entrance.

• Carpool drop-off will take place at the carpool doors from 7:30-7:55 a.m. Only children whose SchoolPass wellness questionnaire has been completed may be dropped off in the carpool lane. All others will be asked to exit the carpool lane. Once the wellness questionnaires are complete, they may either return to the carpool lane if it is still open or have their students come to the main entrance as walkers. Students must remain in the car until signaled by a staff member to exit. All vehicle occupants over age 2 are required to wear a face mask in the carpool lane.

All staff, families, and essential visitors must comply with the screening protocols outlined in the “Monitoring for Exposure” section of this plan.

CDS relies on public school districts for bus transportation, and all guidance related to COVID-19 safety and busing will be communicated directly by the districts.

All food provided by the CDS Lunch Program will be delivered to students in their classrooms or outdoors or picked up in “to-go” containers from the Ulam K’lalee rather than served buffet-style. All students including packers will eat in the classroom, repurposed lunch spaces, or outside.

Meals include flatware, napkins, fresh fruit, milk (on dairy days), and any appropriate condiments in individual packets. Teachers will wash or sanitize hands before distribution.

All students in all grades should bring a reusable water bottle to and from school each day. Water bottles should be kept in a student’s designated space (desk/table), cubby, or locker. This is especially important since the water fountains have been disabled and replaced with bottle fillers.

Students may not share food or utensils. They should wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after eating.

Please note that all food sent to CDS for personal consumption may not contain nuts or peanuts; attention to the Nut Awareness Policy is particularly important to create an environment that is as safe as possible from food allergens when students are eating in classrooms.

Extended Day childcare services are currently suspended for the 2020-2021 academic year.

After-school programs and activities will be conducted virtually until further notice. If it is determined to be possible to conduct these programs and activities on campus, details for each program will be communicated to stakeholders prior to the start of the activity or program. We are evaluating options for providing the Instrumental Music program.

Indoor singing is an elevated risk activity that creates more forceful respiratory particles than speaking. CDS is committed to creating an environment for a safe and healthy spiritual life on campus. Singing is only permissible in outdoors tefillah or in the gym or Ulam K’lalee with proper social distancing and masks. For indoor singing, a distance of at least 12 feet will be maintained. Tefillah for more than one cohort or full-school Kabbalat Shabbat will be virtual or outdoors in compliance with gathering regulations.

The CDS athletics program is currently suspended. We will evaluate the possibility of offering spring sports by cohort, following guidelines for social distancing, appropriate face covering wearing, and any other relevant guidance.