If and when we open our buildings and begin in-person instruction, we want to make sure we do everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and respond effectively should it appear in our community. We’ve incorporated every health and safety protocol outlined by the CDC, the DOH, and Board of Regents in regard to preventing the spread of COVID-19 with reopening schools. We have worked to amend all our schoolwide procedures to align to social-distancing and health guidance and have had our plan vetted by health professionals from Mount Sinai and Montefiore. Outlined below are the ways we are ensuring a safe return to our buildings.

Screening

All members of our community, including visitors to the building, will be required to submit to a health screen upon arrival. This screening will include reporting on symptoms associated with COVID-19, submitting for a temperature check, and confirming proper PPE for use inside. Screening protocols will stay up-to-date and continue to evolve based on guidance from the CDC and DOH. Staff members conducting these screenings will be trained on what symptoms to ask about, based on updated guidance from the CDC as well as how to take and record temperatures. Any member of our community or visitor exhibiting symptoms, including an elevated temperature, will be denied entry into the building. In the case of a student exhibiting symptoms, they will be placed in a supervised isolation room until a parent/guardian can pick them up. For more information on responding to potential cases, see the containment section below.

Daily HOME health screening: Before coming to school, families should conduct a health screen of all their students. The screening should include three components:

1. Look for symptoms of COVID-19: The CDC keeps an up to date list of symptoms of Coronavirus on its website that includes:

   • Fever (100F and above) or chills

   • Cough

   • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

   • Fatigue

   • Muscle or body aches

   • Headache

   • New loss of taste or smell

   • Sore throat

   • Congestion or runny nose

   • Nausea or vomiting

   • Diarrhea

2. Self-screen daily: Your entire household should be reviewing the following statements daily before leaving for school. Students cannot report to school if the answer is yes to any of the following:

   • Been knowingly been in close contact in the past 10 days with anyone who has tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 or who has or had symptoms of COVID-19.

   • Tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the past 10 days.

   • Experienced any symptoms of COVID-19, including a temperature of greater than 100.0°F, in the past 14 days.

   • Traveled internationally or from a state with widespread community transmission of COVID-19 per the New York State Travel Advisory in the past 14 days.

3. Temperature screening: Families should assist with home temperature screenings. If you need a thermometer at home, please call the main office for assistance. Any student with a fever of 100F or greater may not come to school. Students and families are encouraged to get COVID-19 tested and to talk your health care professional if your student does not clear the daily health screen. COVID-19 testing is free and sites can be found by entering your zip code here: Local COVID-19 testing information.

Daily SCHOOL Health Screening Upon arriving to school, families should expect that an on-site health screening will be conducted daily before students can enter the building. If a student or community member does not pass the screening, they will not be able to enter the building and are encouraged to get COVID-19 tested before returning. COVID-19 testing is free and sites can be found by entering your zip code here: Local COVID-19 testing information. The screening will take place by a staff member, and will include:

1. Looking for symptoms of COVID-19.

2. Looking for an appropriately worn mask.

3. Facilitating/asking screening questions.

4. Facilitating a temperature screening using a no contact thermometer.

Staff will use enhanced PPE during screenings. Families should wear masks during drop off and stay with their child until the screening is complete and the child has entered the building. When waiting in line, all students and families must adhere to social distancing of 6 feet. We will have school markers and signage outside to remind you about these policies. Confidentiality of screening will be considered to ensure a participant’s results are not heard by others in line.

COVID-19 Testing

As per the guidance, we will not be providing onsite testing for COVID-19. Based on consultation with health experts, we are asking that all staff get tested in advance of returning to the building through the expedited testing available in collaboration with the DOE. In the event a member of the community develops symptoms while at school, or is found to show symptoms upon arrival, that individual will be sent home and asked to consult a physician regarding getting tested for COVID-19. If the individual is a child, the child will be placed in a supervised isolation room until a parent or guardian can collect them, see more about the containment process below. Symptomatic individuals will be asked to consult a health care professional about getting tested for COVID-19 and, based on consultation and testing results, will be asked to quarantine before returning to the building. Quarantine length will be dependent on recommendations from a health care professional but will at least include a 3-day period where no symptoms are shown.

Containment

Below we outline the policies and protocols we will follow to ensure containment of COVID-19:

School Health Offices: We will work with our co-located school to align on the health protocols involving the nurse’s office. At the very least, a room (or multiple rooms) will be reserved for isolating symptomatic individuals. Should a student develop symptoms during the day, they will be asked to wait in the supervised isolation room until a parent/guardian can collect them.

Isolation: Children who screen positive upon arrival, or children who become symptomatic while at school will be isolated until they are able to safely depart the building. Appropriate PPE will be provided for school staff monitoring the symptomatic individual(s). Families will be asked to collect symptomatic children while staff will be given permission to go home. In all cases, symptomatic individuals will be required to consult a health care professional before returning to the building. The isolation room, as well as the common areas where the symptomatic individual was present, will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before next use. In the event the symptomatic individual has COVID-19, additional protocols will be taken for the contaminated areas, see Exposed Individuals and Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection sections below.

Infected Individuals: Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate and follow the guidance provided by their health care professional. Any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be permitted into the building until a health care professional has cleared them for returning. This process will be conducted and monitored in coordination with local health officials and will include an investigation by NYC Test + Trace and DOHMH to determine close contacts within the school. We will communicate to all families and students at school once a case is laboratory confirmed.

Exposed Individuals: If a positive case is confirmed, all staff and students will be notified and individuals who were in contact with the infected person will be required to quarantine for 14 days and consult a health care professional on getting tested for COVID-19. This includes all students and teachers in the same class as the infected student. Exposed individuals will be strongly encouraged to get tested as part of the broader contact tracing effort. Discharge from quarantine and return to school will be conducted in coordination with the local health department. We will work with the COVID Response Situation Room, staffed by personnel from the DOE, DOHMH and NYC Test + Trace Corps, to investigate the risk of exposure to the school community and issue clear guidance and decisions for next steps based on the investigation outcome. For more information on responses to multiple infected individuals, see the Closure section below.

Criteria for Returning to School After Showing Symptoms: We will follow the guidance established by the NYC DOE around how to handle student or staff who have shown symptoms and are ready to return to the building. Specifically, any individual (student or staff member) showing signs of COVID-19 can only return to school when all the following conditions are met:

• Received a positive COVID-19 test AND

• Isolated for 10 days AND

• Presents clearance from a healthcare provider AND

• The individual has been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

OR

• • Received a negative COVID-19 test AND

  • Presents clearance from a healthcare provider AND

  • The individual has been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

OR

• Never got a COVID-19 test AND

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms started AND

• Presents clearance from a healthcare provider AND

• The individual has been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

If DOHMH or NYC Test & Trace Corps determine the individual is considered a close contact of a positive case, the individual can only return to school when all the following are met:

• The individual has completed a 14-day quarantine regardless of symptoms or COVID-19 test results since their last exposure to that case AND

• Presents clearance from a health care provider evaluation AND

• The student has been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

• Students in quarantine should participate in remote learning if feeling well enough.

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection: Schools will adhere to and promote hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting as set forth by the DOH and CDC. In the event of a positive case, exposed rooms will be closed for 14 days in accordance with DOHMH guidance before being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. If there is a confirmed case – our plan is to quarantine the classroom or pod where the confirmed case was found for at least 2 weeks. During that time, all students and staff would participate in remote instruction.

Contact Tracing: Our schools will do everything we can to support local health departments in contact tracing efforts, including working with the COVID Response Situation Room, see the Closure section for more information on the Situation Room. This includes training our staff on what symptoms to look for, how to report positive cases, and compliance with all contact tracing efforts when there is a positive case. All individuals that enter the building will be required to “sign in” in the event that contact tracing is needed.

If it is deemed that contact tracing is needed, DOHMH and the NYC Test + Trace Corps will facilitate the process. DOHMH will support our schools by investigating confirmed COVID-19 cases. DOHMH will support with rapid identification of close contacts within a school to identify individuals who need to quarantine. NYC Test + Trace and DOHMH will begin investigating self-reported positive COVID-19 test results from a school community within three hours. Based on the results of the investigation, the DOHMH will make a recommendation on scope and length of closures. A positive case can be reported to a school in several ways:

1. Test + Trace finds through case interview,

2. Staff or parent alert school,

3. Staff or parent alert DOHMH hotline.

Closure

Since all our schools are in DOE buildings, we follow many of their safety and facilities policies, including thresholds for if/when a classroom or building needs to close. The decision will be made in conjunction with the COVID Response Situation Room, a multi-agency partnership to support a swift, organized response to positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff in DOE buildings during the 2020-21 school year. Explore Schools plans to follow the DOH and local health departments guidance on how to handle a confirmed case of COVID-19. We will monitor closely the rate of positive cases in our communities and plan to close our schools if the rate of confirmed cases, in New York City, exceeds 3% for a 7-day average (a % that aligns with the DOE’s threshold). Additionally, we outline the steps we are considering for closure:

Following the reporting of a confirmed case, we will work with the Situation Room as they investigate the case. During the investigation, the classroom and other exposed areas will be closed. Exposed students and staff, including all members of the confirmed case’s class will self-quarantine for 14 days. We will follow the same protocol if there are two or more confirmed cases from the same classroom. However, if there are two confirmed cases from different classrooms or two or more confirmed cases linked by circumstances outside of their classroom, we will close the school for up to 14 days or as directed by the DOH. At a minimum, the building will be closed for 24 hours during the initial phase of the Situation Room investigation. We will work with the Situation Room to investigate any suspected or confirmed cases and will keep the school closed per their recommendation. See the table below for details on responding to a positive case of COVID-19.