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; and Ellen Goldhagen, Administrative Support Associate

• 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; Jackie Barnes, Ph.D., Learning Innovation Coach; 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 SMS message (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. Reminders will also discourage students and families from gathering in other public places while school is dismissed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. 

In order to effectively provide instruction to all of our families during the 2020-2021 school year, we plan to provide developmentally appropriate remote learning via the CDS@home 2.0 platform as an option for families that have transportation issues and/or health or family concerns. 

Training for using CDS@home 2.0 will be provided in the event of a short-term or extended closure and/or in the event a family opts in to remote learning.

CDC Signs will be posted in highly visible locations throughout the buildings 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 prior to staff entering the buildings.  

Additional professional development and educator planning time was added in August 2020 as an integral part of the campus reopening process, made possible by emergency grant funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Educators will be teaching in both the CDS@home 2.0 and physical classroom environments.

Adults within the school should attempt to maintain a distance of 6 feet from other people as much as possible, particularly around other adults.

Community Day School will limit the number of students and adults in classrooms and arrange seating based on social distancing guidelines (6 feet of separation throughout the day) to the maximum extent feasible. Interaction among groups of students will also be restricted.

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.

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.

All Specials classes (art, music, physical education, library, technology, etc.) will consider unique programming needs and plan activities using the same COVID-19 transmission risk-mitigation protocols outlined in this document and may deliver instruction remotely where appropriate.

Student furniture and seating are being evaluated to ensure social distancing in classrooms.

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 to allow for larger socially distanced groups of students.

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. Outdoor equipment will be cleaned and disinfected between group uses.

Restroom occupancy will be limited, and students will follow social distancing guidelines when transitioning to the restroom.

No full-school or large group gatherings will be held in person. 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 rather than buffet-style in the Ulam K’lalee, and all students including packers will eat in the classroom or outside.

Community Day School will continue to evaluate the possibility of large group 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.

Community Day School playgrounds and outdoor play spaces are for the use of students during the school day and are closed to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in consideration of school hours and after-school activity use of our facilities. For the healthy 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 will be built into the school schedule.

Touchless paper towel dispensers have been installed in the restrooms.

Water fountains will be disabled and water bottle filling stations will be installed on each floor.

Signs will be 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.

All staff will attend 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). All professional development will follow the CDC guidelines (e.g., participants seated six feet apart, individual handouts, etc.). Teachers will then train their students on the protocols they learned during the aforementioned sessions and 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.

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 are increasingly 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 when at least 6 feet apart and: eating or drinking, during outdoor recess, or having a “face covering break.”

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 the school nurse, physicians, mental health professionals, and the appropriate school administrator(s).

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 CDS@home 2.0 distance learning at any time 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. 

The CDS@home 2.0 platform will be significantly improved so that it delivers the most authentic, relevant, and empowering learning experience possible to students of all ages and continues to support the academic and social-emotional needs of students who are at-risk.

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 encourages 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. Toward that end, new attendance policies will be adopted for CDS staff and students.

Without exception, students 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.

All staff, parents/guardians on behalf of students, and essential visitors will complete a brief COVID-19 Health Screening prior to entering any CDS building or if volunteering in outdoor campus spaces. This screening will include questions about symptoms and potential contact with COVID-19 infected individuals. The nurse or designated staff member will review the COVID-19 Health Screening for family compliance.

All staff, students, and essential visitors are not allowed to enter school if they exhibit symptoms consistent with COVID-19. A list of COVID-19 symptoms can be found ​here​.

Siblings of the student with possible COVID-19 symptoms should also remain at home until there is a definitive diagnosis for the potentially ill student. Healthy siblings may return when the ill student has a medical diagnosis from a healthcare provider that is not related to COVID-19. The nurse or designated staff member will verify that the siblings of ill students remain at home as appropriate per our school policy.

All staff, students, and essential visitors will have their temperatures passively checked when entering the building using the ​FEEVR​ non-contact thermal imaging system. 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 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.

New attendance policies will be adopted for CDS staff and students. When a child is absent, families will be required to notify the school of the student’s absence and reason by a designated time each day.

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 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.

Families, staff, and essential visitors must notify the school nurse of any positive cases of COVID-19 in their households or if anyone in their household has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case.

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 guidelines for isolation and quarantine:

• 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

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 a fever (without a definitive diagnosis) 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.

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 Department of Health for additional guidance and to share appropriate information for the purposes of contact tracing and resuming normal school operations as allowable by law.

• All areas that the student/staff member occupied will be closed for 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 will identify close contacts (within about 6 feet for 15 minutes or more) 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 and should follow CDC guidance for quarantine or isolation.

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.

Outdoor spaces and equipment will be cleaned and sanitized on a regular scheduled basis.

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 will be disabled and water bottle filling stations will be installed on each floor.

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

Most Community Day School classrooms receive outside air circulated by an air handling system. Most other rooms pull air from the outside from forced air heating/cooling systems. Our Campus Reopening Task Force is working with our maintenance team to review the ventilation system and the maintenance being performed before the start of school.

All students’ belongings such as backpacks, jackets and other outerwear, lunchboxes, must 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.

In addition to the Chromebooks issued to our Middle School students as part of our 1:1 Chromebook program, students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will be provided with an individual Chromebook or iPad for classroom and CDS@home 2.0 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.

Visitors and volunteers may participate in outdoor learning if pre-approved by the associated teachers and administrators, and we ask that they practice appropriate social distancing from our students and staff during those occasions, wear face coverings, and follow CDS screening procedures. When applicable, these visitors will list all of the students and staff with whom they were in contact during their visit.

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.

Revised procedures for arrival and dismissal are still being developed and will be communicated to all stakeholders prior to the start of school.

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:

• Students may not enter the school buildings until 7:30 a.m.

• Students must enter through the CDS Annex Building doors.

For students in Kindergarten-Grade 8:

• Students may not enter the school buildings until 7:30 a.m. and must proceed to their homerooms upon entry after screening procedures. Students may not congregate in groups on the CDS campus prior to entry.

• Students must enter through the carpool door or through the outer doors of the Ulam K’lalee.

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. As such, our plans for arrival and dismissal related to students who ride the bus are on hold until we have more information from those districts.

All food provided by the CDS Lunch Program will be delivered to students in their classrooms rather than buffet-style in the Ulam K’lalee, and all students including packers will eat in the classroom or outside.

Meals purchased through the CDS Lunch Program will be delivered by cart to the classrooms in closed containers that 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.

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 the more confined space of their individual classrooms.

CDS plans to offer Extended Day childcare services in the 2020-2021 academic year. This service will follow the same protocols outlined in the CDS Campus Reopening Plan. More information about registration and attendance will be provided before the start of the school year.

Any after-school programs and activities will follow the same protocols outlined in the CDS Campus Reopening Plan. Details for each program will be communicated to stakeholders prior to the start of school, or prior to the start of the activity or program.

CDS plans to offer sports in the fall, following guidelines for social distancing, appropriate face covering wearing, and any other relevant guidance. Winter and Spring sports are in the process of being evaluated and more information will be released prior to the start of those seasons.