Lehigh Christian Academy Safety Plan 2021-2022

Lehigh Christian Academy strives to provide a quality Christ-centered education that meets the needs of the whole child – spiritual, academic, physical, social, and developmental even in the midst of the pandemic. The board, administration, and staff feel that we can continue to provide in-school instruction for this second year of the pandemic. 

This school year, we will continue to implement procedures, as much as humanly possible, to guard our students, families, and staff physically. Our plan includes steps for remote-learning should that be needed for quarantined staff and/or students. This plan will be reviewed regularly for unforeseen situations with this ever-changing virus. It is our prayer that you, parents, will partner with us to protect our community and our school. God has faithfully brought us through this far and has not changed. We are charged with maintaining the unity of Christ during this 2021-2022 school year. It is our prayer that God will continue to be praised as move through this year. To Him be the glory! 

Screening

• Please continue to screen your children and family prior to coming into the building.
• We ask that if you or your child has a fever or any symptom, please stay at home.
• If your child has been flagged as having a fever, we will contact you to come and get your child. Please make sure you are available or have an approved adult to take your child home.
• Students/Staff who have the following multiple symptoms within 14 days should not enter the building.
• Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, runny nose, cough,
  beyond what you normally experience, shortness of breath, headache beyond what you normally experience, loss of taste or smell, and/or vomiting.

Cleaning

• Daily cleaning by the custodial staff of the entire building.
• Teachers will clean classrooms throughout the day and classroom items as needed while limiting communal items until sanitized.
• Gym and playground equipment/toys will be rotated and cleaned.

Hygiene

• Students will routinely hand wash and/or sanitize.
• Teachers will instruct students on effective hygiene practices (ie sneezing/coughing into the elbow.)
• Touch-less hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the school.
• Hand sanitizer will be available in classrooms without sinks.
• Students need to bring a filled water bottle daily to limit the use of the water fountains.
• Water stations will be utilized in classrooms without sinks until further notice.

Distancing

• We will distance ourselves as much as possible. Due to a larger school population, we cannot distance the 3’ – 6’ in every situation.
• Students in grades 1-12th will be eating lunch together in the lunchroom. We will continue to try to distance during that time.
• Prepackaged food will be available for a nominal fee to those students who forget lunch (ie crackers).
• Full-day PreK and Kindergarten will be spaced for napping as per early childhood guidelines.

Masks

• Masks for students are optional.
• Staff will honor parents’ requests for their child to wear masks throughout the day. Please let administration know if you would like to have your child wear a mask during the day.
• If data arises that masking of the children becomes necessary within the building, parents who wish to continue to have their children remain unmasked must contact administration by email at that time.
• Please be sensitive and encouraging to personal preferences in wearing masks.
• Please refer to your district for mask guidelines on buses.

Remote Learning

● Google Suite and Apps will be utilized for in-school and remote learning scenarios. Streaming is utilized during the second day of quarantine after notification to the school has been received. PreK to 3rd Grade students can stream at the discretion of the parents and teachers. 

● Core subjects will only be streamed. Special classes and electives will only utilize the Google Classroom during quarantine. 

● Google Meet will be used to access streaming into the classroom from home. ○ PreK – 5th Grade students’ parents will be given access to their child’s Google Suite, and Google classroom will be used for each subject area and special class for announcements and work. The Google Meet will be linked to that classroom for each subject. (ie 1st grade reading, 1st grade math) 

○ 6th – 12th grade students will be given access through students’ email accounts (as usual) per each assigned class. 

● Students will be following the classroom schedule during remote learning; attendance will be taken; assessments will be given in all classes and graded as per the classroom rubrics. 

● Excuse notes are required if a student is sick during the remote learning scenario. 

● Quarantine staff will be able to teach remotely via Google Meet to the students in the classroom if needed with another staff member present in the classroom. ● In case of the closure of school, students will follow the classroom and rotating day schedule as established. 

● School-wide communication, forms, and grades will still be through RenWeb.

● Live-streaming is for COVID-19 exposures and quarantining. Other live-streaming requests will be subject to approval by administrations. (ie trips and homebound medical situations) 

● Attendance will be monitored for each part of the day in which the students will be attending. It is vital to communicate as much as possible during this time. 

Procedure for COVID Exposure

• Please follow the CDC recommended quarantine guidelines.
  • Vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine unless symptoms
    appear. These individuals should get tested 5 days after exposure and should wear a mask in public until negative test results are received.
  • Unvaccinated individuals should quarantine for 5 days after exposure. These individuals should get tested 5 days after exposure. If returning to school individuals should wear a mask for 5 more days.Please report to the school any positive cases in order to take the necessary precautions.

 ●Individuals who were exposed but have had COVID-19 within 90 days, do not need to quarantine but should continue to monitor for symptoms. ○ Individuals who test positive should quarantine for at least 5 days. They may return after 5 days if symptom free and fever free for 24 hours. They must wear a mask for 5 days. If the child opts out of wearing a mask, please quarantine for 10 days. 

●Test results should be given to the school upon return. 

● Please report to the school, using the attendance email, any positive cases in order to take the necessary precautions. 

● Siblings and family members of the above scenarios should also adhere to the above guidelines

Procedure for sick students with fever and/or fever with cough

• Please monitor your child’s temperature and symptoms before sending them to school.
• Please keep your child at home if your child has any symptoms.
  • Return to school: fever-free for 24-hours without fever-reducing aid (as per original policy)
  • Doctor’s note is required after 3 consecutive days (as per original policy.)
• A parental excuse note for 1-2 days must include reason for absence.
• If screened and fever is present during school hours, students will be masked and asked to sit in a monitored area to await parent pick up (as per original policy.)
• A student will be able to return to school either after the recommended quarantine period or doctor’s note.

Revised: January 27, 2022

2021-2022 School Year