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Parent Resources » COVID Safety Plan

COVID Safety Plan

2022-2023 Hilldale's Safe School Plan: Covid Specific Policies and Practices

Hilldale is proud to have successfully maintained its rigorous academic standards and deeply nurturing community during the pandemic. We continue to be committed to supporting our families and our staff. As we navigate through the next stages of COVID, we have updated our policies. Please see our new plan for the amended policies. 
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VACCINATION:
  1. All students and staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. There is no requirement currently for boosters; nevertheless, boosters remain strongly recommended.
  2. All parents and visitors who wish to volunteer at school are required to provide a copy of their vaccination to the office.
 
VISITORS & VOLUNTEERS:
According to the Cal-OSHA, volunteers who are on campus supporting school functions are considered workers and therefore their vaccination status must be verified. For those who are unvaccinated, testing is required every time the volunteer is helping.
  1. All visitors and volunteers must be up to date with their vaccinations or test negative on a school administered antigen test.
  2. Visitors and volunteers must sign in every time they come onto campus in the main office to assist with contact tracing.
TESTING:
  1. Symptomatic testing is conducted whenever a child experiences symptoms.
  2. Response testing is conducted when there is a known close contact.
  3. Screening testing will be conducted at the discretion of the administration and based on the current environment.
  4. Screening testing will be conducted weekly for the first two weeks of the year, immediately upon return from breaks, and if the cases in the county or at the school begin to rise beyond expected levels.
  5. Over the counter (OTC) COVID-19 testing is required for all students and staff prior to returning from breaks or if students have been sick at home. Families who travel via plane should also test between Days 3-5 of return home.
  6. All families will need to register their children through Primary.Health so that the school may administer tests and test results. Only one parent from each family is able to receive results through their system.
MASKS:
  1. Masks are recommended, but not required, to be worn indoors, unless: 
    1. Cases of COVID in San Mateo County are above 100 cases per 100,000 people, OR 
    2. If directed to do so by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or California Department of Public Health (CDPH) or San Mateo County Office of Health.
    3. In the two above situations, masks are required.
    4. If a member of a student or staff’s household is currently positive, students and staff must wear a mask at school for a) the duration of the household member’s positive result, plus b) 3 days after they are no longer positive, plus c) they have tested negative between Days 3 and 5.
    5. Close contacts must wear a mask until they receive a negative test between Days 3 and 5 of exposure.
  2. Cloth masks are no longer an acceptable face covering. Masks may be surgical masks, KF94, N95, or KN95 (or similar) to qualify for an acceptable face covering.
 
 
 
TRAVEL
  1. People who travel via plane are required to test and quarantine according to the current CDC guidelines.  
  2. Please self-test immediately upon return and again within 3-5 Days after returning (or sooner if symptomatic). 
  3. Masks must be worn until a negative test is received between Days 3-5 after arrival.
  4. Monitor for symptoms up to 10 days.

 

Additional Recommendations from the CDC:

  1. Please wait to travel as a family until you and all of your family members are vaccinated. You are encouraged to get a booster if eligible before traveling.
  2. Please wear a mask at all times when traveling. 
  3. Unvaccinated and not up to date on vaccination students should stay home and quarantine for 5 days post travel, monitoring closely for symptoms. Isolate and get tested if symptoms develop.
  4. If you are not fully vaccinated or up to date on vaccinations/ boosters, get tested with a PCR test 3-5 days after returning from travel. The day you return is Day 0.
  5. Refer to CDC Guidelines for Domestic Travel for specifics on vaccinated and unvaccinated travel.
  6. Refer to CDC Guidelines for International Travel for specifics on vaccinated and unvaccinated travel.
Observing Symptoms and Reporting Cases
  1. Contact Mr. Lee, Office Manger, and Ms. Clayton, Principal, at [email protected] and [email protected]
  2. Test your child at home.
  3. Report the test results to the school.
  4. Keep your child out of school (unless minor sniffles or symptoms are known to be due to allergies).
  5. Monitor your child's symptoms.
  6. Return your child to school only after a negative test result AND when they are fever-free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication) AND when symptoms have improved.  

Your child must follow a minimum 5-day quarantine from the onset of symptoms. The day your child developed symptoms will become Day 0, and your child may return to school after Day 5 if:

  1. Your child tests negative for COVID on an antigen test, AND
  2. Your child does not develop any new symptoms, and any previous symptoms improve, AND
  3. Your child is fever free for at least 24 hours (without medication).
  4. NOTE: Your child may not return to school if they are positive on an antigen test (for as long as it takes) as this indicates that they are still contagious. Hilldale does not adhere to a 10-day maximum quarantine period.

 

If your child receives a positive COVID test from a routine screening and is asymptomatic: 

Your child becomes must follow a minimum 5-day quarantine from the date of the first positive test. The day your child tested positive will become Day 0, and your child may return to school after Day 5 if:

  1. Your child tests negative for COVID on an antigen test, AND
  2. Your child does not develop any symptoms.
  3. NOTE: Your child may not return to school if they are positive on an antigen test (for as long as it takes) as this indicates that they are still contagious. Hilldale does not adhere to a 10 day maximum quarantine period.

 

In all POSITIVE cases:

  1. Parents should also notify all close contacts* outside of school.
  2. The school will notify the class (and teachers) that a child has tested positively in their class. No quarantine is required unless they become symptomatic. The class will be tested immediately and between Days 3-5.
  3. Your child must wear a mask indoors at school for a minimum of 10 days from the start of their isolation (even if testing negative), as is recommended by CDPH.
 
*Close Contact means sharing with a person, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, during the person’s infectious period, the same indoor space or outdoor space for fifteen minutes over a twenty-four-hour period, whether that fifteen minutes occurs in one unit of time, or over a series of incremental periods. Close contact in an outdoor space is defined as being within six feet of an infected person for that fifteen-minute cumulative period.
  1. No quarantine is required unless the close contact becomes symptomatic. 
  2. The close contact should be tested immediately and between Days 3-5 (whether at school or at home).
  3. The close contact should wear a mask indoors at school until cleared on the second test between Days 3-5 of the contact with the positive case.
  4. Close Contact means sharing with a person, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, during the person’s infectious period, the same indoor space or outdoor space for fifteen minutes over a twenty-four-hour period, whether that fifteen minutes occurs in one unit of time, or over a series of incremental periods. Close contact in an outdoor space is defined as being within six feet of an infected person for that fifteen-minute cumulative period.
  5. Indoor space is defined as less than or equal to 400,000 cubic feet per floor. (Examples include a home, a clinic waiting room, or an airplane.) Spaces such as offices or waiting areas fully separated with floor-to-ceiling walls are considered distinct indoor air spaces.
  6. Outdoor space means outside or in an indoor space with more than 400,000 cubic feet per floor. (Examples include open-plan offices, warehouses, large retail stores, manufacturing, or food processing facilities.)
  7. Infectious period for a symptomatic person is from two days prior to the onset of symptoms through Day 10. If a fever is present, the person must be fever free for an additional 1 Day post Day 10 and if symptoms have improved.
  8. Infectious period for an asymptomatic person is from two days prior to the positive test result through Day 10 unless a negative test result is obtained between days 5-10. (The person is considered not infectious, but still required to wear a mask in indoor spaces through Day 10.
  1. The sibling(s) and parents (and all household members) should test immediately and at intervals during the time the household member is positive.
  2. The case should be isolated from the family and should wear an N95 mask (or similar) if leaving their isolation area (i.e. to use the bathroom). 
  3. The household members must monitor for symptoms and are strongly recommended to mask in any shared spaces at home.  
  4. Once the case tests negative, household members should test again in 3-5 days and continue to monitor for symptoms for 10 days.
  5. The negative child or sibling may attend school throughout the duration of the household member’s positive test, but must wear a mask when indoors (or outdoors in very close proximity).
  6. If an additional family member(s) become symptomatic or test positive, the process resets for the family member.
  1. No, only the case is sent home, but the sibling is required to mask.
  2. The sibling is tested regularly and is monitored for symptoms.
  3. The sibling must wear a mask for the duration of the positive test, plus 3 days, plus a negative test between Days 3-5 post negative result for the case.