Entrance, Egress and Movement within School
Mount Madonna School (MMS) will have two entry and exit points to promote physical distancing. The entry and exit points will be the gate at the entrance to the lower campus and upper campus turnaround. Students will be assigned specific entry and exit points each school day. Students in the same family will be assigned the same entry and exit point, to the extent practical. Students will be required to maintain physical distancing of six feet from others when entering and exiting the school, and parents accompanying students during drop off and pick-up will be required to remain in their vehicles, with the exception of preschool and kindergarten parents.
In the middle and high school, the school has designated flow patterns to maximize physical distancing and limit student contact.
Signage at Each Entrance
Signage is posted at each entrance of the school to inform all students, faculty, staff and parents that they must not enter the school campus if they have a fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms associated with COVID-19 identified by the CDC. Signage states that, while in the facility/campus, individuals must wear masks and maintain a minimum six-foot distance from one another.
Signage on Campus
To educate and protect the health and well-being of our community, the following signs are posted at appropriate, highly visible locations on the campus.
- Properly wearing and using cloth face coverings
- Promoting everyday protective measures
- Stopping the spread of germs
- Properly washing hands
- Markers to indicate six feet of space are placed throughout campus and at entrances, to designate spaces where students should be when in line to maintain physical distancing.
- Signage indicating the maximum number of persons permitted in an area at any given time.
Symptom Screening for Students and Adults
In order to protect the health and well-being of our community, students, faculty and staff will undergo pre-screening and on-site symptom screening for COVID-19 at designated screening points. All screeners are trained on the CDC recommendations for proper use of personal protective equipment. We adopted this COVID-19 Symptom Screening Policy pursuant to guidance and reopening plans from the CDC, California Department of Public Health, California Department of Education, and local public health officials. For the safety of our community, at this time, parents and visitors are prohibited from entering campus past the designated screening locations. We ask that all parents carefully review this policy with their child(ren).
1. Self-Screening and Self-Reporting Obligations: Parents, faculty and staff shall screen themselves as well as their child(ren) daily by checking their temperature and observing for other symptoms associated with COVID-19 in the morning prior to leaving for school. Parents must keep their child at home if the child exhibits one or more symptoms associated with COVID-19 and notify the school’s front office or email of the reason for the child’s absence. The CDC currently identifies the following symptoms as being associated with COVID-19:
- Fever, defined as 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
In addition to daily self-screenings, parents, students, faculty and staff are obligated to report the following information and remain at home as recommended by the CDC:
- If your family travels outside the state, we require all students, faculty and staff to self-quarantine for 14 days or present a negative COVID-19 test to return to campus. Please give advance notice if your child will be in quarantine so the teachers can prepare remote learning options.
- If they have traveled outside of the country, they may not return to school for 14 days after they return from international travel.
- If they had close contact with someone who was ill with confirmed COVID-19, they may not return to school until 14 days after the date of exposure. According to the CDC: “Close contact” means being within six feet of an individual for at least 15 minutes.
- If a member of their household is ill with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, they may not return to school until 14 days after the date of exposure and shall remain at least six feet away from the ill individual until 14 days have passed to the extent possible. If this was not possible, the student must remain home for 14 days following the last day of exposure or 14 days from when the household member recovered
2. Designated Screening Points: We have designated multiple locations on campus for symptom screening COVID-19. MMS will set up hand hygiene stations at the entrance points so that children can wash their hands before they enter the school facilities each day.
Preschool and Kindergarten: Preschool and kindergarten parents will accompany their children to the designated screening point located at the parking lot above the lake. Preschool and kindergarten children will be screened from 9:15-9:35 am. Parents will pick up their children from the steps of the Lakeview Building from 3:00-3:15 pm. The school will provide markers that are six feet apart. While waiting in the screening line, preschool and kindergarten parents and caregivers are responsible for wearing a face covering and ensuring that they and their children remain at least six feet apart from other families.
Elementary School: Parents will drop off their child(ren) at the parking lot adjacent to the Lakeview Building. Children will be screened from 8:45-9:15am. School employees will direct children to the 1st & 2nd grade and 3rd-5th-grade screening locations. The school will provide markers that are six feet apart. While waiting in the screening line, students are responsible for wearing a face covering and ensuring that they remain at least six feet apart from others. After students are screened, elementary teachers will walk their students to their classrooms. Parents will pick up their children from the same location from 3:15-3:30 pm
Middle and High School: Parents may accompany their child(ren) to the bus circle at the upper campus where designated school employees will screen students and take their temperatures. The school will provide markers that are six feet apart. While waiting in the screening line, students and accompanying parents are responsible for wearing a face covering and ensuring that they remain at least six feet apart from others. After students are screened, they will proceed to their first class.
Symptom Screening
Designated screeners will screen all students, faculty, or staff. The screening will include:
- Taking each person’s temperature using a non-invasive contactless infrared thermometer. If necessary, the School may take an individual’s temperature a second time to confirm the results of the first test, or if the results of the first test suggest an erroneous result;
- Visually checking for symptoms associated with COVID-19 including cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing without recent physical activity;
- Asking whether the person has experienced symptoms associated with COVID-19 within the last 24 hours;
- Asking whether anyone in the household has had symptoms associated with COVID-19 or a positive COVID-19 test;
- Asking whether the person has had close contact with anyone with a positive test for COVID-19.
We will track a student’s potential exposure to COVID-19 and document his or her temperature, symptoms, and incidents of exposure. All documentation regarding a student’s COVID-19 symptoms will be considered confidential medical records pursuant to the School’s Policy for Use and Disclosure of Student Information Related to COVID-19.
Exclusion From School, Based on Symptom Screening
Persons presenting with a fever of 100.4º F (38.0º C) or above will be excluded from the school campus. Students who appear to be ill, have a fever, or report symptoms associated with COVID-19 will be sent home immediately. In determining whether to exclude a student based on symptoms of COVID-19, the school will consider whether the student has a history of allergies or other non-contagious illness. Individuals exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19 will not be allowed to return to campus until one of the following occurs:
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- A health care provider certifies that at least 10 days have passed since the symptoms first appeared AND the student has been free from fever without the use of fever-reducing medication for at least three days AND respiratory symptoms have improved;
- A health care provider provides the school with a negative viral test result for COVID-19 (antibody tests may not show when someone has a current infection and are not acceptable);
- A health care provider provides the school with a note certifying that he or she is free from COVID-19; or
- The person is otherwise safe to be around others per CDC criteria for discontinuing home isolation, found at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html, as it may be amended from time to time.
The school will maintain COVID-19 test results and doctor’s notes as students’ confidential medical records.
Face Coverings and Personal Protective Equipment
All students, faculty and staff must wear face coverings while at school at all times, except during designated meal times or drinking water. Students who refuse to wear cloth face coverings will be sent home. The following individuals are exempt from wearing a face covering: persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a face covering could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance. In addition, individuals with a mental health condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering are exempt from wearing a face covering.
Cloth Face Coverings
Cloth face coverings must be made out of breathable cloth materials, cover the entire nose and mouth area, and be secured to the head with elastic ties or straps (Properly wearing and using cloth face coverings). The CDC has created training on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings, which is accessible here.
Face coverings are intended to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected.
If the cloth face coverings no longer cover the nose and mouth, do not stay on the face, are soiled, or have holes or tears, then they are not acceptable and must be discarded. MMS will provide a disposable mask for anyone whose mask is no longer effective or able to be worn properly. Cloth face coverings should be washed daily per CDC guidance.
Face Shields
Teachers and students may wear a face shield accompanied by a cloth face covering. At times, elementary teachers will use face shields without a cloth face covering to enable younger students to see their faces and to avoid potential barriers to phonological instruction. On the bus, the driver and students will wear a face shield accompanied by a cloth face covering.
Preschool and Kindergarten Stable Cohorts
In accordance with the California Department of Social Services (“CDSS”) and county requirements, preschool students will be in groups of 12 or fewer children. The same teachers and staff will be with the same group of children each day to the greatest extent possible, and consistent with CDSS and local adult/child staffing ratios for preschool programs. Children who are in the same family will be in the same group, to the greatest extent possible.
1st-12th Grade Cohorts
Consistent with the CDC, CDE and state guidelines, lower school students will be grouped in stable educational cohorts by grade level, based on the physical distancing and spatial constraints of the classroom (i.e., the total square footage of the classroom). These stable cohorts will be grouped together each day to minimize the mixing of student groups. The school has structured the cohorts by grade level. Teachers will stay within their assigned educational cohort and reinforce physical distancing strategies amongst the students.
For the middle school program, students will be grouped in stable educational cohorts by grade level based on the physical distancing and spatial constraints of the classroom (i.e., the total square footage of the classroom). These cohorts will be grouped together each day to minimize the mixing of student groups. Teachers will stay within their assigned educational cohort and reinforce physical distancing strategies amongst the students. Starting in eighth grade, students have options for math courses, and students will be divided for math.
For the high school program, students will be assigned to distance grouping. Distance groups are determined by the number of students a room can accommodate. Students will remain with their grade level with the exception of mixed-grade math courses. Teachers will reinforce physical distancing strategies amongst the students.
Physical Distancing
The CDC recommends physical distancing, also referred to as social distancing, to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to the CDC, the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads primarily when people come into close contact (within about six feet) with each other for a prolonged period (approximately 15 minutes or more). The State, the CDE, and local authorities have issued guidance recommending that students, faculty and staff maintain at least six feet of distance from one another in schools. Physical distancing is adopted for the protection of students, faculty, staff and families.
Markers that designate intervals of six feet are placed throughout campus, and at entrances, to designate spaces where students should walk, as well as locations to stand in line to maintain physical distancing.
Physical Distancing in Classrooms
All classrooms will be required to adequately provide for the physical distancing of students and teachers. The maximum capacity limit will be posted outside of all classrooms.
Students will be required to maintain at least six feet of physical distancing from others in the classroom whenever possible. In all classrooms, desks, activity stations, tables, and chairs will be spaced at least six feet apart from one another. Desks will be arranged facing the same direction (rather than facing each other). If students sit at tables, they will sit on only one side of the table, spaced apart, so that children are not facing one another. Assigned seating arrangements will be used to the extent possible.
The school has also designated additional indoor spaces which will be used as classroom space, such as the library, the assembly room, and the upper and lower school gymnasiums. All buildings and rooms will have maximum capacity limits consistent with implementing physical distancing, and the maximum capacity limits will be posted outside these rooms and buildings.
Windows and doors will remain open, weather permitting, and if doing so does not pose a safety and health risk to children. MMS will utilize outdoor classroom space for instruction as much as possible, weather permitting.
The sharing of materials will be limited, and students will be provided with an individual set of supplies instead of using a communal bin. Each student’s belongings must be separated in an individual, labeled storage container, cubby, or area.
Recess and Lunch Periods
Lunches will take place in individual classrooms or in outdoor areas designated for each grade level. For the present time, students will not be permitted to share tables during meals, and all food services (i.e., the snack bar, access to microwaves, utensils) will be suspended. Students are not permitted to touch or share others’ food. The school has shut off water fountains. The touchless water dispenser is still available for students to fill their water bottles. Please ensure your student comes to school with healthy snacks and lunch, preferably packed in reusable containers, along with reusable utensils and napkins.
Playgrounds/Outdoor Play Activities/Athletics
Outdoor physical education or play activities will be staggered for different student groups to promote physical distancing.
Physical education and athletics will be limited to activities that do not involve physical contact with other students. Students must maintain a distance of at least six feet from other students during physical education and athletic activities.
Playground equipment may be used by one student group at a time and will be disinfected between uses.
All outdoor play equipment used by students will be cleaned and disinfected between uses by different groups of children.
Restrooms
Each grade level will be assigned a restroom and/or stalls in a restroom. To remind students to stand six feet apart, the school will place markers on the ground. Occupancy will be limited and bathroom breaks will be built into the schedule. During assigned breaks from learning, teachers and staff will be stationed outside of bathrooms to reinforce wearing face covers and distancing. Teachers will teach and reinforce healthy hygiene habits, such as washing hands for 20 seconds, using a paper towel to touch fixtures or door handles. Custodial staff will conduct regular cleaning and disinfecting of restrooms.
Healthy Hygiene Practices
The teachers will teach and reinforce proper hand-washing techniques following CDC guidance, including washing their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap, rubbing thoroughly after application, and using paper towels to dry hands thoroughly. We trust that parents will educate their children on proper hand-washing techniques according to the CDC guidance (available at https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html).
Students will be required to wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available, when arriving and leaving home, when arriving and leaving school, before and after meals, after outside play, before and after using the restroom, after having close contact with others, after using shared surfaces and tools, and after blowing the nose, coughing, and sneezing.
Hand sanitizer will be provided in all classrooms that do not have sinks with soap and water. Students using hand sanitizer should rub it into their hands until it is completely dry.
At school, students will be reminded not to touch their faces, and to use a tissue to wipe their nose and to cough and sneeze inside the tissue. We encourage parents to also remind their children to follow these practices.
Cleaning and Disinfecting the School
To promote a safe and healthy school and workplace, MMS has established cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation practices, which apply to all areas of the school campus both indoor and outdoor, including buildings, facilities, and grounds, as well as all school buses.
MMS will use cleaning and disinfectant products approved for use against COVID-19 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To the extent practical and to the extent available, MMS will make efforts to select and make available cleaning and disinfectant products on List N with asthma-safe ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, or lactic acid, and will avoid products that mix hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, or lactic acid with peroxyacetic (peracetic) acid, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), or quaternary ammonium compounds, which can cause asthma.
Soap and water, disposable wipes, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol, or other effective disinfectants will be provided.
Indoor Classrooms: Classrooms will be cleaned after each group uses a classroom. Teachers will clean frequently touched surfaces or objects throughout the day such as tables/desks, chairs, light switches, and doorknobs. When appropriate, students will help teachers clean frequently touched surfaces.
Outdoor Areas: MMS will clean outdoor areas of the campus routinely. Playground equipment will be disinfected between use.
Restrooms: MMS will clean and disinfect restrooms and all restroom surfaces frequently throughout the school day and workday. Preschool teachers and teachers’ aides will sanitize the sink and toilet handles before and after each child’s use. They will teach preschool and kindergarten students to use a tissue when using the handle to flush the toilet.
Lunchtime: MMS will clean and disinfect the outdoor areas and indoor classrooms where meals are eaten regularly. MMS will also clean and disinfect surfaces frequently touched by students in outdoor eating areas, including, but not limited to, tables, chairs and benches before and after lunchtime during the school day. If students eat lunch in their classrooms, we will clean and disinfect the students’ desks and/or tables before and after use.
Frequently Touched Surfaces or Objects: The maintenance and cleaning crew along with the teachers will clean frequently touched surfaces or objects throughout the day such as tables/desks, chairs, light switches, and doorknobs.
Drinking Fountains and Water Systems: Before reopening, the school has turned off and covered all drinking fountains. MMS will encourage the use of reusable water bottles.
School Vehicles: We will clean and disinfect all school buses, including all frequently-touched surfaces within the bus before and after use of the vehicle. Examples of frequently-touched surfaces within school vehicles include, but are not limited to, door handles, seatbelts, seats, steering wheels, and window buttons. MMS will provide hand sanitizer and effective disinfectant, on each bus.
Ventilation Systems: MMS will replace air filters with a targeted filter rating of at least MERV 13 and maintain the HVAC systems with a targeted filter rating of at least MERV 13. MMS will also increase the circulation of outdoor air by opening windows and doors to the extent possible and safe.
Cleaning After a Symptomatic or Infected Person has Been on the School Campus: In the event, a student, faculty or staff who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 or who tests positive for COVID-19 has been on the campus, the school will close all areas of the campus the individual used or visited. We will wait 24 hours before having a Third-Party Cleaning Company clean and disinfect the areas using disinfectants from List N. The school will prohibit anyone from entering the areas until after they have been cleaned and disinfected. All surfaces and objects potentially touched by the individual will be cleaned and disinfected.
School Buses
School buses transporting children to school will have a maximum student capacity based on physical distancing requirements. Prior to entering the bus, parents will screen students using measures consistent with the School’s COVID-19 Symptom Screening Policy and submit the screening form to the school. Students will be directed to maintain physical distancing when entering and exiting the vehicle, and will be required to wear cloth face masks and face shields while on the vehicle, and when entering and exiting the vehicle. Physical cues will be present on the bus to help students distance.
Upon entering the school bus, each child will use hand sanitizer. They will be directed to sit in a manner consistent with physical distancing. Students will be assigned seats and seated one student to a bench. Siblings will be assigned to sit on the same bench. Seats required to be vacant will be marked or blocked.
If possible, students will be seated from the rear forward when entering the vehicle. At school pick-up, students will board based on the order of drop-off, with students who get off first boarding last and sitting in the front of the vehicle.
Windows will remain partially open to increase air ventilation.
Student, Faculty or Staff Displaying Symptoms
Students, faculty, or staff who either answer “Yes” on health screening or develop a fever and cough during the school day or other symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will be moved to an isolation area supervised by a caring adult wearing enhanced personal protective equipment such as a KN95 mask, nitrile gloves, and a face shield. In the isolation room, the student, faculty or staff will continue wearing a cloth face covering. MMS will immediately notify parents, guardians, or emergency contacts to pick up their child(ren), faculty or staff from the school. All students who present with COVID-19 symptoms must be signed out by a parent or guardian unless the Head of School or designee specifically authorizes otherwise. The school may seek emergency medical attention on behalf of the student if the student’s COVID-19 symptoms become severe, as indicated by persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, or bluish lips or face. MMS will recommend COVID-19 testing for the individual. MMS will disinfect the space.
Confirmed COVID-19 Case and Contact Tracing
If a student, faculty, staff or family reports a positive COVID-19 test result, the school will notify the local health official (Gail Newel) of the positive case. We will also communicate the confirmed case to our staff, faculty, and families immediately while maintaining the confidentiality of the individual in accordance with the American Disability Act (ADA), FERPA, and state law related to the privacy of educational records. The contact tracing team will begin identifying individuals who may have had contact with the ill individual, as well as trace all the recent movements of the ill individual on campus. MMS will work with the Health Service Agency to share any information needed to notify individuals of potential exposure. After documenting the incident, the school will close off the area(s) used by the ill person for a minimum of 24 hours. At that time, a third-party company will clean and disinfect the space(s). We will recommend COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff. At this time, the school will close the classroom for 14 days while students, faculty, or staff quarantine, and we will pivot to remote learning. If 5% of the total number of students, faculty or staff report positive COVID-19 test results, then the school will close and all students, faculty and staff will quarantine for 14 days and we will pivot to remote learning.
The ill individual may not return to campus until one of the following occurs:
- A health care provider certifies that at least 10 days have passed since the symptoms first appeared AND the individual has been free from fever without the use of fever-reducing medication for at least three days AND respiratory symptoms have improved;
- A health care provider provides the school with a negative viral test result for COVID-19 (antibody tests may not show when someone has a current infection and are not acceptable);
- A health care provider provides the school with a note certifying that he or she is free from COVID-19; or
The person is otherwise safe to be around others per CDC criteria for discontinuing home isolation, found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html, as it may be amended from time to time. - A student’s parent or guardian must complete the Certification for Student Returning to School after COVID-19 Symptoms, Positive Test Result, or Exposure form prior to returning to school. Students who are sent home due to exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19 will be provided with extensions to turn in assignments and will be provided with remote learning academic support.
Learning Pods
Learning pods are small, in-person groups of students learning together with the assistance of a tutor or parent. Mount Madonna School follows the recommendations of the State of California, Santa Cruz Health Services Agency and the Santa Cruz County Department of Education, and based on the recommendation of these organizations, the school does not recommend learning pods.
How to Respond to Possible COVID Cases
The health and safety protocols followed by Mount Madonna School (MMS) are designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are informed by guidance from the California Department of Public Health, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, the Center for Disease Control, and in consultation with physicians and scientists. As flu season approaches, public health and physicians are encouraging flu shots as many of the symptoms and signs of the flu are similar to COVID-19.
We continue our practices of daily IHT screening, wearing masks, physical distancing, reinforcing healthy hygiene habits, and enhanced cleaning and sanitation routines. MMS will remain open for in-person learning unless the one or more of the following occur:
- We have positive COVID cases in our school community
- Air quality or the weather does not permit in-person learning
- The state or local health department instructs us to close campus
- There is significant non-compliance with the California COVID safety guidelines. The community-minded precautions we take off-campus are equally important as the ones we practice daily at MMS.
Daily IHT screening allows the school administration to monitor health on our campus. IHT offers an added benefit to our students, faculty, and staff by providing them with timely access to a medical professional should they feel unwell.
| If a student, family member, faculty or staff develops COVID-19-LIKE SYMPTOMS |
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| What should you do? | Response and actions by MMS |
| Stay home, consult IHT or a healthcare provider, and test for COVID-19, if recommended by a healthcare provider. | |
If you receive a positive test result:
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MMS will notify the local public health agency and will follow all instructions, which include
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If you receive a negative test result and have symptoms:
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If you receive a negative test result and have symptoms:
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If you do not undergo COVID-19 testing:
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| If a student, family member, faculty or staff CAME IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS CONFIRMED COVID-19 POSITIVE * Close contact: a person has been less than six feet for longer than 15 minutes, regardless of whether the 15 minutes were consecutive or if the individual was wearing PPE or a cloth face covering. |
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| What should you do? | Response and actions by MMS |
| 1. Stay home, consult IHT or a healthcare provider, and test for COVID-19, if recommended by a healthcare provider.
2. Notify the local public health agency 3. Notify MMS 4. Follow the instructions from the public health agency |
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If you receive a positive test result:
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If you receive a negative test result and have symptoms:
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If you do not undergo COVID-19 testing:
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| To Notify Public Health: | |
| Santa Cruz County Human Services Agency | (831) 454-4114 |
| Santa Clara County Public Health Department | (408) 792-5040 |
| County of Monterey Health Department | (831) 755-4500 |
| San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency | (831) 637-5367 |