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December 8, 2020
ResponsiveEd Colleagues,
Every December at ResponsiveEd, our campuses, and Home Office departments celebrate the Christmas season with social gatherings. This year, given the concerns around rising cases of COVID-19 and the importance of staff health and safety, we are asking everyone to consider safer Christmas celebrations.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers several considerations and tools for making gatherings more protective. As you might imagine, the safest gathering is one that is held virtually. Of course, we know that many of you will want to gather in-person. If so, please adhere to the guidance that was provided at the beginning of the school year regarding in-person meetings. Specifically, in-person gatherings are only allowed if 10 or fewer people are involved, and if, those in attendance: (1) remain spaced at least 6 feet apart at all times, and (2) do not share unsanitized objects. In addition, if your campus or department is planning a socially distant gathering where food is involved, consider box lunches or individual plates instead of a buffet. This will help cut down on close contact and the use of unsanitized common serving utensils.
If you have additional questions related to expectations for staff gatherings, please email hr@responsiveed.com. For other questions, concerns, or feedback, please email covidupdates@responsiveed.com.
Please enjoy Christmas with your colleagues safely and thank you again for your dedication to our mission.
December 7, 2020
Dear Staff and Families,
As you are probably aware, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently made an announcement about how long a quarantine should last for individuals who have been in “close contact” with a COVID-19 positive individual and are not exhibiting symptoms. This led many to inquire about our response as an organization and whether or not we planned to change our safety practices. To offer more clarity about the recent CDC announcement, and to provide additional details about how this will affect your campus and/or workplace, we would like to offer the following information...
While the CDC announced the option of shorter quarantine periods for individuals found to be in close contact with a person who tests positive for COVID-19, they maintain that a 14-day quarantine period is the safest option. The CDC went on to say that changes to quarantine time frames should be established by local public health authorities and are subject to specific circumstances and available resources.
Under the new quarantine guidelines, individuals found to be in close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual can end their quarantine after 10 days, without testing, if no symptoms have occurred during the quarantine. Individuals can end their quarantine after 7 days if no symptoms have occurred and they test negative for COVID-19.
We understand that each individual’s situation is different and a major consideration for one family or educator, may not be a priority to someone else. For that reason, we will leave the decision to quarantine for 7, 10, or 14 days to the discretion of each adult or family of a student.
Requirements to return after 7 days: Individuals must submit negative test results to appropriate health services and/or HR staff. Note that the test sample must have been collected at least five days after exposure. Send-off (PCR) tests are preferred, but rapid PCR or antigen tests are acceptable. Returning individuals should regularly monitor themselves for symptoms to ensure they remain symptom-free and take appropriate precautions (e.g., more consistent mask usage) for the duration of the 14-day incubation period.
Requirements to return after 10 days: Individuals can return without taking a COVID-19 test as long as they have not experienced symptoms at any time during the quarantine period. They must alert the appropriate HR staff and/or campus health services staff before returning. Returning individuals should regularly monitor themselves for symptoms to ensure they remain symptom-free and take appropriate precautions (e.g., more consistent mask usage) for the duration of the 14-day incubation period.
Requirements to return after 14 days: Follow the CDC’s recommendation for the safest quarantine period with no additional monitoring or precautions upon return.
Please keep in mind this is for individuals who are not exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Individuals who test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19 will follow the same quarantine guidelines as before. As always, thank you for your continued partnership as we update our COVID-19 practices.
Sincerely,
Chuck Cook
Chief Executive Officer
ResponsiveEd
August 11, 2020
ResponsiveEd Colleagues,
As we return onsite for the 2020–21 school year, I would like to personally thank each of you for your dedicated service to our students. This year promises to be unconventional as we continue to adapt to ever-changing situations within our respective communities resulting from the COVID-19 virus. And while many things may change, the one thing that remains the same is our dedication to the safety of our students, staff, and visitors. As you are aware, a number of enhanced health and safety protocols will be in place this fall to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those protocols are described in our recently released “COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines” (Arkansas and Texas) and “Frequently Asked Questions|COVID-19: ResponsiveEd Educators.” These documents, including ongoing updates, may be found on both our public website and staff intranet. And while it is critical that you review and adhere to all of the guidelines presented in these documents, I want to highlight one area of immediate importance – staff collaboration.
I know everyone is enthusiastic about being together onsite to collaborate with your colleagues in person once again. Unfortunately, in-person collaboration may result in substantial disruption to the work/educational environment if proper safety measures are not followed. As such, in order to minimize such disruption in the event of a staff member testing positive for COVID-19, we are requiring staff to continue to hold all meetings virtually (even when located in the same facility). There is only one exception to this requirement. Staff may hold in-person meetings of 10 or fewer people if, and only if, those in attendance: (1) remain spaced at least 6 feet apart at all times, and (2) do not share unsanitized objects. I cannot overemphasize the importance of adhering to these requirements. We have already been required to quarantine the entire staff of a site as a result of these safety measures not being followed.
To reiterate, in-person meetings of any duration of 10 or fewer people may be held if, and only if, those in attendance: (1) remain spaced at least 6 feet apart at all times, and (2) do not share unsanitized objects. Otherwise, staff are to continue to hold all meetings virtually.
Again, our enhanced health and safety protocols can be found by using the above links. If you have additional questions related to our HR practices, you can email hr@responsiveed.com. For other questions, concerns, or feedback, please email covidupdates@responsiveed.com.
Thank you again for your dedication to our students.
Sincerely,
Chuck Cook
Chief Executive Officer
August 6, 2020
ResponsiveEd Colleagues,
Last week, we shared our Texas and Arkansas Health and Safety Guidelines with each of you. While these documents addressed many outstanding questions about the 2020-21 school year, questions quickly followed about how this plan will work in practice once the school year begins. In response we are providing the following answers to the most common questions we have received over the past few days. The COVID-19 FAQs for Educators (i.e. all staff) page includes answers to questions about working remotely and in-person, reporting instances of COVID-19, time off, and much more. We will continue to update the FAQ page as common questions arise. Please remember that the answers provided are subject to change based on future decisions made by health and government officials.
If you have any questions about our health and safety guidelines, or if you would like to offer any feedback, please email covidupdates@responsiveed.com so we can work to address your inquiry.
Thank you for your dedication to our students.
July 28, 2020
Dear ResponsiveEd Staff,
After obtaining feedback from families and staff, as well as reviewing the latest available information from local, state, and federal officials, the ResponsiveEd Health and Safety Guidelines have been finalized and are now available on our webpage dedicated to all COVID-19 updates responsiveed.com/covid-19. The document contains information about our plan for a safe return to the classroom. In the near future, campus employees and families can expect to receive a campus-specific plan that will include specific answers to when and how the school year will begin on campus. In addition, this week, we will also send a message that will allow parents to select the preferred instructional environment (in-person or remote) for their student(s). Please encourage your families to click the registration link they received from ParentSquare on Friday. This will ensure they have the best opportunity to choose the preferred instructional option for their child when students return to the classroom.
If you have any questions about our health and safety guidelines, or if you would like to offer any feedback, please email covidupdates@responsiveed.com.
Thank you for your patience and ongoing partnership.
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