FAQs
For more detailed information about all of our policies and considerations, please visit the applicable pages on this website. Note that this information is subject change based on the most current guidelines. We will continue to make updates as we receive new information.
Is school planned to begin on time? Yes, we plan to start school on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Though we plan on running a regular calendar for next year, it may become necessary to extend the end of the year if we find that we need extra days.
Will there still be a new parent orientation and drop-in days? We are very excited to get to meet our new families and welcome them to our KHDS family. There will be activities to meet both our new parents and our new students. Stay tuned for more information.
How will the school day operate? Class sizes will be guided by the Governor’s Executive Order updates and CDC guidelines. We have been planning for a continuum of educational models that will enable us to shift to the needs of the moment throughout the year. The three school divisions will operate, age appropriately, in different manners, however will all provide students with the highest standards of Judaic and general studies. Please see our Education page for more information.
Who will be allowed in the buildings? Only students, faculty and staff will be permitted inside the buildings of the Milton B. Katz Campus. No visitors will be allowed on campus. Parents will not be permitted to walk their children into any buildings on the campus.
(updated 9/2/20) Our task force has determined that we can allow private therapists back on campus to work with our students, beginning after the high holidays. There are, as you might expect, many safety rules that still need to be followed, but we are excited to be able to offer this for our students once again.
Therapists will be seeing students outside the building only. We will have four stations (tables and chairs) set up around campus that they may use. They should plan to wipe the tables and chairs down before and after use.
Therapists and students must both be in masks and working 6 feet apart - with the following exception:
Speech therapists may bring their own plexiglass separation to put on the table so that sessions can happen without masks. They should still try to keep distance between them.
Therapists will need to fill out the same checklists that we fill out for our students every day, and they will need to have their temperatures checked when they arrive on campus.
Therapists still need to fill out the attached background information form - which asks for contact information and proof of a background check. You can email completed forms back to me at pdorfman@hilleldayschool.org. Please note that a new form is required each school year. Click here to download the form.
If this is something you would like to coordinate for your child, please email Dr. Dorfman at pdorfman@hilleldayschool.org, and cc: your child's teacher. There will be set times for each class (working around their class schedules) and 4 stations means only 4 therapists at a time. We are doing our best to find spots that are shady, but of course, weather is a factor. Please keep that in mind and plan to be flexible if a session needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather.
How will drop-off and pick-up work? (updated 8/23/20) Click here to view the carpool procedure and map. The goal will be to minimize exposure by maximizing distancing upon entering the building while enabling temperature checks to take place.
Will there be bus service? There will be busing offered in the fall. Students will be spaced throughout the bus to provide social distancing and the bus will be disinfected between uses.
What is the plan for lunches? (updated 8/23/20) Lunches will take place inside classrooms or outdoors by cohort with social distancing in place (as guidelines allow). Hot lunch will be wrapped up and delivered to classrooms. Parents can send in reusable lunch boxes, containers, and water bottles. However, please note that this year we will not have a lost and found for these items. Therefore, any items left behind will be immediately disposed of.
Will there be after school programming? (updated 7/24/20) For the time being we will not be running these programs. We will revisit this after the Chaggim based on the health guidelines, then we will do everything that we can to run these programs safely and responsibly.
Will there be an athletics program? (updated 7/17/20) We are in regular communication with the Sports League Commissioner who is evaluating what competitive team sports will look like in the fall. In an effort to begin as a phased re-opening, after school sports clinics and competitive sports will not be offered at the start of the school year. This will be re-evaluated during the first few weeks of school in order to allow for a phased re-opening.
We will continue to evaluate when and how our athletics program can be reintroduced safely as well as other ways to offer athletic activities while also ensuring safety to our children/staff. Our PE classes will continue to take place, but outdoors and with activities that can be done with social distancing.
What is the policy for restroom use? (updated 7/24/20) Restrooms will be monitored and signage will be in place to remind students of proper hygiene. Only one student at a time will be allowed in the bathroom. The restrooms will be sanitized throughout the day.
What is the temperature screening policy? All KHDS staff/students will be screened on a daily basis via infrared no touch thermometers prior to entering the campus. Anyone with a temperature greater than 100 degrees will not be permitted to enter.
Will there be medical staff on campus? The school has an LPN on campus during school hours.
What is the policy if a member of the community becomes ill? A system will be put in place to request all staff to regularly report any symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell/taste, or exposures to COVID. Staff with symptoms or exposures will be asked to refrain from returning to school as per the protocol initiated at the start of the school year. KHDS is currently evaluating a system to also have students and families report symptoms and exposures. Please refer to our Health Policies for more details.
What is the sanitizing protocol? The maintenance and cleaning policies have been updated to include vigorous disinfection on a routine basis throughout the day as well as a nightly electrostatic disinfection of all areas of our buildings using our Clorox Total 360 system. Modifications are being made to the campus to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of hygiene. Further details can be found on the Facilities section of the website.
What is the mask policy? (updated as of 7/17/20): All KHDS teachers, staff and students will be required to wear a face mask that covers the nose and mouth (and that stays in place with normal movements) at all times when indoors, except when eating lunch, which we will try to hold outside as much as possible. The only exception to this rule will be for the students in the EC2 program, who will not be required to wear masks. Students will be given mask breaks when outdoors.
Neutral colors are suggested and school age appropriate designs (i.e. dots, stripes) will be permitted. Facial shields may be worn in addition to masks, but not as an alternative.
(updated 5/5/21) The Medical Task Force re-evaluates policies and protocols regularly with the changing landscape and most current research. As we head into hotter and more humid weather, and as we continue to review the most current data on COVID transmission outdoors, we will be adjusting our masking policy on campus.
Moving forward, students and staff will no longer need to wear masks outdoors on campus even while playing sports or on the playground. Everyone will still need to keep socially distanced and anyone who wants to continue to mask is certainly free to do so. We do however continue to ask students to mask at morning drop-off while teachers are conducting temperature checks. Masks MUST go back on (and remain on) before entering any indoor space.
What is the policy if we travel out of state? (updated 4/28/21)
We want to take this opportunity to update you on the revised travel policy that will go into effect immediately and continue through the summer as it pertains to Camp Ruach.
Travel by automobile (car and RV) outside of the state of Florida with family members who reside in the same home will no longer require quarantine or testing upon return.
Travel by air (domestic and international) or cruise will continue to require a 10 day quarantine or a negative PCR test on day 5 upon return from travel which will be permitted if the entire group of travelers is asymptomatic.
Fully vaccinated individuals (defined by the CDC as 2 weeks following receipt of either two doses of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine or one dose of the J & J vaccine) are exempt from quarantine and testing upon return.
All individuals who are traveling, regardless of vaccination status or the destination/type of travel, are recommended to wear masks, take COVID precautions during travel, avoid large gatherings, and to self monitor for symptoms for 14 days upon returning.
This policy is in line with the most recent CDC guidance for traveling issued in April 2021.
We are committed to continuously re-evaluating our policies based on up to date science and epidemiology and will update you regarding any changes for the upcoming school year 2021-2022 over the summer. Our priority will continue to be to review and utilize current clinical guidance to introduce individual freedoms while ensuring the KHDS/Camp Ruach campus remains safe for our students, campers, faculty and staff.
Click the below link to access the CDC website:
Domestic Travel During COVID-19 | CDC
If a student is unable to be in school, how will they be able to access the learning? Every classroom will be outfitted with a camera so that a student who is unable attend school will be able to access the live classroom from home.
Are tuition modifications being considered? With the economic downturn, there has been a direct impact on many of our families. Although there may have been some savings by the school by not being on campus, because of economic challenges, demand for financial aid has increased, resources for our scholarship fund (such as fundraising, State funding, and Federation grants) have decreased. Our costs for the technology, sanitizing supplies and equipment, medical supplies, and facilities modifications necessary to safely reopen in August 2020 are exponentially higher than normal. Nevertheless, we want to make sure that every child continues to be able to access a day school education.
We are able to avoid increasing tuition for 2020/21 by reducing certain expenses while maintaining the quality of the program. We are also hopeful that our generous donors will be able to continue to contribute. If a family is experiencing hardship, there are a number of avenues for financial help. Please be in touch with Joe Sharp (jsharp@hilleldayschool.org) if you need assistance in accessing this help. A partial list of scholarship opportunities can be found HERE.