Fusion Berkeley: COVID Safety Plan

COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) for Fusion Academy Berkeley 811 University Ave., Suite 100, Berkeley, CA 94710 Campus Director & COVID Liaison – Lubna Iabichella – 510.292.4101 Head of School & COVID Liaison – Daniel Wright – 510.292.4101 This CSP is designed to control exposures to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that may occur in our school and workplace.

Description of Workplace Fusion Academy Berkeley is a small private school serving students in grades 6-12 in a full time, part time, and tutoring capacity. Our current enrollment is 33 full time students. All our sessions take place in a ratio of 1 teacher to 1 student at all times, we are a 1:1 school. In addition to our individual classrooms which allow for six feet of distance between teacher and student, there are two large social spaces for students on campus that provide ample space for social distancing. We have used our current square footage, and campus design plans, to determine occupancy limits in each space on campus. Our organization (Fusion Education Group) supports 60+ schools throughout the nation, and our COVID task force has supplied PPE, cleaning, and staff/student training materials to best support our campus communities at this time. All other details of our COVID planning and response are outlined below.

Face Coverings and Other Essential Protective Gear Employees and students are required to wear a face covering on campus until further notice.

A face covering is generally a cloth, bandana, or other type of material that covers a person’s mouth and nose. The CDC recommends that individuals wear cloth face coverings in public places or when it is impossible to practice social distancing. If someone does not have an appropriate face covering, one will be provided.

To get the most benefits from a face covering, students and employees will be advised: • • • • • • •

Make sure it completely covers your nose and mouth Read the directions for use (if provided) Wash your hands before and after removing it Try not to touch your face when you adjust it throughout the day Keep cloth coverings clean by washing daily, or more often if contamination occurs o It is recommended to wash with soap and water before leaving for the day and be left out overnight to dry. It can also be taken home and washed in a washer and dryer Don’t let others wear your face covering If using disposable face coverings, do not reuse them, and throw them away in appropriate trash receptacles

• • •

Don’t lay your face covering on any surface that may contaminate either the covering or the surface Don’t use the covering if it’s damaged or has holes, unless it is the only face covering you have Face shields are not recommended for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings o Face shields can be used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing – or those who care for or interact with a person who is hearing impaired o Face shields can be used when combined with other protective measures, including: § Social distancing, protective barriers, and making sure the face shield wraps around the sides of a wearer’s face and extends below the chin

Stable Group Structures While we have offered virtual teaching throughout the school year, due to our small school size we are able to offer in-class teaching to our entire community (33 full-time students). At this point in time less a 1/3 of students are on-campus, which is well within our occupancy limits. We only serve students in a 1:1 capacity and do not host any group sessions. Our flexible scheduling allows students to access campus at different points throughout the day (not all students are on campus at one time).

Entrance, Egress, and Movement with the School • • • •

Fusion Academy Berkeley does not use a bussing system, all students are dropped off and picked up or drive themselves There is one entrance/exit used at the campus, but with our 1:1 teaching, schedules are staggered to avoid an influx of students at the same time Arrows have been placed throughout the corridors to promote one-way travel If students arrive at the same time, there are tape markings that delineates six feet of separation

Ventilation • •

Fusion Academy Berkeley had preventative maintenance performed on the HVAC system on November 2, 2020, where all units were inspected, the filters were upgraded to MERV-13, and the outside air intake was increased from 10% to 20% Each classroom, office, and shared space receives conditioned and filtered air through the central HVAC system

Healthy Hygiene Practices • • •

Signs have been placed throughout the campus with tips on healthy hygiene and signs placed at sinks with instructions on proper hand washing Hand sanitizer is available in every classroom and office and are placed strategically throughout the campus Gloves are available for sanitizing items before and after use

Cleaning and Disinfection •

#

The campus is stocked with disinfecting wipes and/or sprays to allow occupants to sanitize their work areas before and after each session o Teachers and students clean their workspace and any items used during instruction according to the chart below Area/Place

Frequency Table & chair surfaces

At the end of each meeting and end of day

Computers, keyboards, monitors & mouses

Before and after each use

General objects often used or touched

Doors & windows handles, faucets, sinks, bathrooms

Before and after each use

Kitchen area

Table & chair surfaces, dispensers, handles/knobs, etc.

Before and after each use

4

Classrooms

Table & chair surfaces, computers, keyboards, monitors & mouses

Before and after each use

5

Lobby/Reception

1

Offices, desks, tables & conference rooms

2

3

• • • •

Disinfectant/ Cleaner

Measures

From EPA Spray with approved supply handheld listing sprayer or wipe

Commonly touched Periodically throughout the day surfaces

A janitorial company is contracted to provide routine cleaning on a nightly basis and sanitize all common touch points throughout the campus All non-essential shared items have been made off-limits, until further notice All essential shared items: computers, textbooks, etc. are sanitized before and after each use If a positive case is identified on campus, we will close off the room immediately. The room and other affected areas will be disinfected through electrostatic disinfecting or by hand, if the occupant was onsite less than 72 hours before the test result

Health Screenings for Students and Staff To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the potential risk of exposure to, all employees, students and visitors will complete the questionnaire (below) before entering the workplace. This form can be completed each day using an application that can be accessed via a link from a mobile phone or computer. If an employee has an affirmative response to any of the questions, they will be prompted to contact their manager for further review and instruction.

Self-Assessment Form Questions: 1. Have you experienced any of the following symptoms today or within the past 24 hours: • Fever of 100.4 or higher (without having taken any fever reducing medications) • Unexplained frequent cough (with no other known cause, like allergies) • Unexplained shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Early symptoms of acute respiratory illness such as: chills/shivering, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, runny or congested nose, muscle pain • New loss of taste or smell 2. Have you had close physical contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 cumulative minutes over a 24-hour period) within the last 14 days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or who has experienced COVID-19 related symptoms?

Have you tested positive or been tested and are awaiting the results for COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

After completing the form, an email response will be sent to the person completing the form. The response will either direct the person to proceed to campus or to stay home and call the school leader/manager. Here are sample responses from the Self-Assessment:

Physical Distancing In practice social distancing means: • • • • •

Staying 6 feet away from others as a normal practice.

Eliminating contact with others, such as handshakes or embracing friends, coworkers, students, or visitors.

Avoiding touching surfaces touched by others, to the extent feasible.

Avoiding anyone who appears to be sick, or who is coughing or sneezing.

Where a minimum distance cannot be maintained due to facility layout, one or more mitigation strategies must be implemented, including PPE or other administrative controls.

Fusion Academy Berkeley is implementing social distancing by:

• • • • • • • • • • •

Whenever possible, work areas should be arranged to allow separation of 6 feet between people.

Clear signage about the desired position of an employee or student may be placed in each classroom or work area but is not required.

Employees need to disinfect their own workspace multiple times during the day, giving special attention to common surfaces.

Remind students and employees to avoid touching their faces and must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water several times during the day to reduce risk and prevent person-to-person potential infections.

Avoid gathering when entering and exiting the campus or location.

Remain in your car until your scheduled start time.

Ensure 6 feet of space between each person while you wait to enter.

When you talk to someone while you are waiting, make sure you do not point your head directly at them.

It is recommended not to touch the front desk iPad or entry door handle with your finger(s) or hand, use a tissue if available. If you do touch these items, disinfect them before and after touching.

Break times should be staggered to the extent possible.

Do not exceed the capacity limit of the break room.

What to do if the work areas are less than the recommended spacing?

•

Work designs should avoid face-to-face orientations with less than the minimum 6 feet requirement. Otherwise, students and staff use supplementary measures to mitigate their exposure, such as: o o o

Face Coverings or Masks Body Orientation Physical barriers where practical. The barriers must be cleaned multiple times a day and between each class.

Staff Training and Family Education All staff have been trained on: • Fusion’s COVID response • Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 • Daily self-screening procedures • Procedures for symptomatic staff/student • Social distancing measures • Sanitization measures • Personal Hygiene • PPE A Return to Campus Guide detailing the steps Fusion Berkeley has taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 was created for families and is available upon request. The content can also be found on our website here: Return to Campus.

Identification and Reporting of Cases 1.

The person with the confirmed positive test needs to self-isolate at home. The employee or student should remain home until released by a physician or public health official. If a medical note releasing the employee is unavailable, follow the CDC guidelines or applicable state law on when an employee may discontinue self-isolation. (See chart below for individual states/counties.

Because this guidance is regularly changing, we will consult the most recent CDC guidance prior to allowing someone to return to campus or work) Virtual teaching/learning may still take place during self-isolation.

2.

Report the positive test to the local health department. (Ideally, the local health department will know before we do and will contact us as an employer, but this does not always happen.) A directory of local health department contact information can be found here.

3.

Trace the student’s/employee’s recent contacts at work/on campus. Communicate with the employee and student and with local health officials (if available) to identify all others who came in “close contact” with the employee/student on campus or at work. Give health officials the names and contact information of those identified. Unless the employee or student’s parents gives you permission, do not disclose their name to anyone other than the authorized public officials.

•

The CDC defines “close contact” as: •

Any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person;

•

For a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more; and

•

Over a 24-hour period starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

4.

Inform those identified contacts that they have come in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. It is appropriate to ask whom the contacts believe they may have been in “close contact” with for 15 minutes or more, for their estimate of the last date of close contact, and for any other information they can provide about their contact with coworkers. (Remember that we may not disclose the infected person’s identity in these conversations without permission.)

5.

Send those students and employees who were in close contact home as a precaution. (If someone insists that he or she did not come into close contact with infected person, do your best to determine the facts. If the possibility of contact cannot reliably be refuted, the prudent course is to send the student/employee home, even if he or she continues to disagree.) a.

Tell the potentially exposed students/employees your best estimate of their last date of “close contact” with the infected person. Try to obtain a confirmation or correction of that date from the infected person, so that there is agreement.

b.

Tell them that they can return in 14 days from their last period of close contact with the infected person, provided that they are symptom-free and have not tested positive for COVID-19 - unless health officials provide a different recommendation.

c.

Suggest that these potentially exposed people contact their doctor, which should be done by phone or videoconference.

d.

6.

Remind these potentially exposed employees that even though they might be unhappy about being away from campus or work, if they are unable to work virtually, they will be eligible for benefits under either the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (certain locations) or state unemployment benefit program.

Clean and disinfect the affected areas: a.

Suspend operations in the areas where people who had close contact with the infected person – worked or spent any appreciable amount of time. This might require suspending all operations to thoroughly clean and disinfect the entire site, if it is not clear where that person went.

b.

Cordon off any common areas – bathrooms, breakrooms, etc.

c.

Contact the Facilities Manager regarding cleaning and disinfecting those areas.

7.

Consider providing a letter to other employees and students, to explain the situation and the precautions being taken to safely resume operations.

8.

Resume operations. c.

Remind employees and students that they should not come to work or campus if they are sick or exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., feeling feverish or having a fever over 100.4, dry cough, shortness of breath).

All symptomatic cases on campus will be handled according to the following flow chart: Receive report that Employee/Student (“person’) has symptoms after or upon arrival at campus/office

COVID-19 symptoms not detected

COVID-19 symptoms detected

Negative COVID-19 test

Positive COVID-19 test

Persons Identified

School Closure Determinations Fusion Academy Berkeley will close in-person teaching and transition to virtual teaching in the event: •

There are 3 or more COVID-19 cases on campus within a 14-day period o Campus will close for 14-days and an investigation of the workplace will commence with any hazards being resolved

Testing of Staff and Students Fusion Academy Berkeley is not performing any surveillance testing of staff or students. Testing is recommended when a staff/student is exhibiting symptoms or had close contact with a COVID positive individual.

Communication Plans Fusion Academy Berkeley has created communication templates for scenarios involving: • • • •

Confirmed COVID-19 widespread exposure on campus Confirmed COVID-19 isolated case on campus Recommended/Required school closure by government agency Close contact notification

These templates can be revised with updated information to respond quickly to an incident on campus.