Desert Christian Academy CSP 01-21-21

COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN (CSP) Revision Date 01/29/2021

The following plan will be implemented for the 2020-21 school year at DCA to ensure a safe and healthy return to on-campus learning of all students, K – 12th Grade, taking into consideration the guidelines and recommendations from the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and other respected organizations. This plan is based on a “HEALTHY ONLY” framework for reopening DCA which requires parents and employees to ensure that only healthy individuals are permitted on campus.

Parents will be required to sign a Waiver of Liability and Health Screening Agreement prior to their child(ren) returning to school. Our goal is to maintain a healthy and safe campus while also sustaining the spirit, relationships, and sense of community that are unique to DCA. We will strive to maintain consistent, fair, and appropriate policies and procedures while also considering the unique challenges created by COVID-19. Our school administration will update and modify this plan as necessary over the course of the school year based on updated information, conditions, health data and what is found to be effective and feasible for the overall well-being of our students and staff.

Overview At Desert Christian Academy, we believe that the best way to accomplish our mission to train each student to glorify Jesus Christ by growing spiritually, academically, socially and physically is to provide in-person instruction. We also desire to strongly support both our students’ and staff’s social/emotional and physical health. In order to resume educating our students in person, we are implementing protocols and procedures to ensure that compassion, human connection, and the health of our entire school community remain our primary concerns.

Throughout this process the leadership at Desert Christian Academy has sought to be measured in our response, submitted to Christ, informed by research, and committed to meeting the needs of students. Through the planning process we have been guided by four principles: Foundation of Faith: The very foundation of Desert Christian Academy was a step of faith taken by our founders out of obedience to the Lord to start a Christian school in the Coachella Valley.

Standing on that foundation of faith, our leadership continues to seek God’s leading and direction in all matters pertaining to DCA and we are committed to faithful obedience to Christ as our highest authority. That conviction applies to our campus reopening plans and COVID procedures as it is the framework for everything we do.

Reality of Risk: Mitigating risk in regards to the health and well-being of DCA students is a foremost priority every school year. COVID-19 certainly adds to all the risks involved in safely operating a school, but it also is not entirely new either. Every year there is a new threat to the health and safety of our community and our team has become adept in innovative planning to significantly reduce those risks. There is no way that we will eliminate risk at our school. As adults, we live with risk every day. Our students do as well. The reality is that there is no way to do school without having some risk but we have committed ourselves to implementing strategies that mitigate risk without sacrificing educational excellence.

Good Citizenship We, as a school community, want to be good citizens. We do care about COVID-19 related deaths, hospital bed availability and ICU capacity. Our response will seek to balance those concerns with the very real needs of our students and families. Many of the families we serve are essential workers that our community relies heavily on, from teachers, to medical professionals, to law enforcement and beyond. We believe we are serving our community by supporting our families with their children’s educational needs.

Students overall health and developmental needs The spiritual, mental and emotional health of students has been affected by the COVID-19 campus shutdowns. We saw this in our own community. This makes us more committed than ever to choosing health protocols for fall that allow us to serve our students overall health needs while also helping contain the spread of COVID-19 to more vulnerable populations.

This document is the result of several weeks of extensive research, strategic conversations with community stakeholders, the perspectives of medical experts, and collegial partnerships with other Christian schools in the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Flexible Approach with Options We are preparing our campus for the opening of school and the physical return of our students for in-person instruction. However, we understand that the COVID-19 community impact can be unpredictable. DCA’s leadership also understands the needs of our families who may have members with underlying health conditions or who aren’t yet comfortable with in-person education at this time during the ongoing pandemic.

That is why DCA is currently planning a flexible approach with the ability to pivot to online instruction in the instance of a community outbreak and a full online educational program option for our families who aren’t able or desiring to commit to in-person education at this time.

Digital DCA For our students in grades 3 and above who aren’t able to return to in person learning, we are providing Digital DCA, a completely online only program, as an option. Our 3rd 5th grades program features daily live instruction with an online DCA teacher. Our secondary digital program​ features ​students meeting in small groups virtually twice per week for one-to-two hours each day. The primary teacher will review the week's lesson plans, lead collaborative activities, ignite engaging discussions, proctor online assessments, and engage with students personally and spiritually.

Conqueror Connect In the event of a complete school shutdown, DCA on campus learning will convert to Conqueror Connect. Conqueror Connect is our live, online platform designed to continue education for our K-12 programs.

In Person Instruction DCA has re-opened our campus to in-person attendance and these protocols will be strictly adhered to: Active Health Screening Procedures ● Students: ​Many precautionary procedures have been put in place for in-person instruction. We are depending on our partnership with families as we seek to

ensure the health and safety of our students and staff while on campus. Parents have been provided with a list of COVID-19 symptoms and have been asked to perform a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms prior to leaving for school.

Students who are sick or show COVID symptoms during the home health check will not be allowed to come to campus. Any student that exhibits a fever of 100 degrees or higher will not be permitted on campus. If a student exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19 while at school, the student will be evaluated by the school’s registered nurse. If it is determined that the student is running a fever and/or has one or more symptoms, the student will be isolated and provided with a surgical face mask. Parents will then be contacted to arrange for immediate transportation for their child from campus. COVID-19 testing will be highly encouraged or a doctor’s diagnosis regarding the source of the fever. The appropriate action plan will be followed if it is not COVID-19. ● Employees: ​Employees must wear face coverings at all times while on campus.

Employees must conduct a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms prior to leaving for school. Staff has been instructed to call in sick and stay home in having symptoms of COVID-19 and to get tested. Any employee displaying fever and/or symptoms during school hours will be sent home. Staff with a fever of 100 degrees or higher and/or COVID-19 symptoms will be directed to leave campus immediately.

Additionally, temperatures may be randomly checked on any person throughout the day. The DCA campus has been closed to all other visitors, including parents, during this time. Only students and employees who have passed the health screening will be permitted on campus. For the health and safety of our students and employees, exceptions will not be made.

Employee Testing Following health officials recommendations, we will be testing all asymptomatic employees on an ongoing basis with 50% of employees being tested every month as well as symptomatic testing for employees as needed. Privacy laws prohibit us from sharing any personal information. However, if a teacher were to test positive for COVID-19, this will result in that teacher continuing to teach from online (if able) or utilizing a substitute teacher as needed, until the teacher has been allowed clearance to return to campus. All of our substitute teachers have been trained on all of our COVID-19 protocols and procedures and will undergo regular testing along with employees.

Student Exposure to COVID-19 ● If a student is exposed to COVID-19 and/or is indicated by contract tracing, the student will be sent home if at school. Students will be required to quarantine for 10 days from the last exposure. ● Testing will be recommended 5-7 days from last exposure, but will not shorten the 10-day quarantine. ○ Those in quarantine will receive direction and resources to support learning at home from their teachers. ○ Families will need to contact their individual teacher(s) for specific guidance. ● The school will remain open. ● If exposure occurs on campus, the school community will be notified.

Confirmed COVID-Positive Case on Campus ● If a DCA student, faculty, or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, our school nurse will notify all those who have been in close contact with the individual. ● The Local Health Department will be notified within twenty-four hours from the time we are made aware of a new case. DCA will also report a positive case who is or has been present on campus within 10 days preceding a positive test result.

When reporting a positive case of COVID-19 on-campus a notice (developed in collaboration with the LHD) will be sent to parents and staff informing them that the school will be working with the LHD to notify exposed people. (Notification #1, Appendix 2) ○ According to FERPA guidelines, if a student tests positive for COVID-19, the school may disclose, without prior consent, PII (personal identifiable information) from student education records to the officials at the public health department.

■ The school will be required to keep a record of each request for access and disclosure of PII from the education records of each student. ● Those identified to have been in close contact (A contact is defined as a person who is within 6 feet from a case for more than 15 minutes cumulative within a 24-hour period, regardless of face coverings) will be dismissed from school and asked to self-quarantine. ○ Each family involved must quarantine for 10 days after the last date the case was present at school while infectious. ○ Asymptomatic testing will be recommended 5-7 days from last exposure and/or immediate testing if symptomatic.

○ Those in quarantine will receive direction and resources to support learning at home from their teachers. ● The DCA community will be notified of a positive case. ● Cleaning and disinfecting of classrooms and primary spaces. ● School will remain open.

Face Coverings for Students ● Face coverings are required for all students in grade levels K-12. ● Face coverings must be worn at all times. ○ Face coverings may be removed while eating, but lunch/snack seating has been designed to ensure students are not sitting directly in front of one another. ● Students and families will be provided with information contained within the CDPH Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings. ● If a student forgets to bring a face covering, a disposable mask will be provided. ● Cloth face coverings should be washed daily. ● Students’ cloth face coverings should be clearly identified with their names or initials, to avoid confusion or accidental swapping. ​Students should never share or swap cloth face coverings with others. ● Students’ face coverings may also be labeled to indicate top/bottom and front/back. ● Parents of students who refuse to wear a mask/shield will be contacted to reiterate the school policy. If they continue to refuse to follow the policy, they will be required to move to remote learning.

Physical Distancing DCA students will remain physically distanced at all times. Classroom desks will be placed 6 feet apart with individual desk shields. ● Class Sizes - Classes have been assigned and scheduled to maximize spacing in order to allow for appropriate physical distancing at all times. ● Alternative instruction locations - Weather permitting DCA has many outdoor venues that can facilitate classroom instruction. ● Desk shields - Desk Shields have been purchased and supplied to every classroom where 6 feet cannot be consistently applied at all times. The majority of classrooms have desk shields for every student. ● PE and Recess - Students will still be allowed much needed time for exercise and recreational activities. However, those times will be structured and supervised with activities that are designed for physical distancing.

Cohorts Cohorts are groups of students who will interact with each other. All students, kindergarten through 12th grade, will be placed into small cohorts (between 3 and 9 students) at the start of the school year. Cohorts have been created and will stay together on designated parts of the campus (playgrounds, lunch area, dismissal area) for the duration of the school day beginning at drop-off, continuing into the classrooms, during recesses and lunch, at dismissal, and in aftercare (when applicable). The cohorts will be implemented as a mitigation strategy for COVID. This will help reduce the number of people that our students come in close contact with and assist with contact tracing. Each cohort will be identified by a color. Students will wear colored silicone bracelets which will help students, teachers and/or supervisors identify specific cohorts more easily. ● Secondary & Elementary Cohorts ○ Students will be placed in cohorts within their same class. ○ When group learning is appropriate, students will work within their cohort. ○ Students will be dismissed to nutrition and lunch within their cohorts and they will sit socially distanced, within their cohorts. ○ Cohorts will not be changed due to social conflict.

Staggered Entrance, Egress, and Pick Up Procedures In an effort to reduce congestion, DCA is not allowing visitors and parents on campus at this time. Students have been placed into color-coded cohorts. Each cohort will be identified by a colored bracelet. The cohorts will transition around campus by following one-way traffic patterns. The lunch and break schedules have been designed to limit the number of students playing and eating at the same time. One group will begin their lunch period eating, while the other plays, then switch to provide for adequate social distancing. Once students arrive at school, they will immediately go to their cohort leader and begin socially distanced activities. At dismissal, students will remain in their socially distanced cohorts while awaiting their parents’ arrival.

ENTERING & EXITING CAMPUS PROTOCOL Elementary Drop-Off Emerald Crest ● ●

Elementary students should arrive between 7:30 - 8:05 AM Families with only elementary students may only use the parking lot behind the school off of Emerald Crest.

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Grades 3-5 must wear face coverings when entering the campus. If a student forgets to bring a face covering, a disposable mask will be provided.

Instructions for Entry: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Please plan your trip so that you are entering Emerald Crest from Washington.

Please do not use Yucca Lane to access Emerald Crest.

Parents need to enter the lower parking lot, pull forward, and follow the directions.

There will be four wellness stations set up in the parking lot.

The stations will be numbered, beginning at the exit gate.

Each station will allow students to be socially distanced A DCA employee will ask if a temperature check has been completed before arriving on campus. ○ If yes, the student will be allowed to enter campus. ○ If no, a DCA employee will conduct a temperature check.

DCA employees will also conduct a visual wellness check, along with asking ○ Did you complete your at-home daily health check? ○ Have you been around anyone that is displaying symptoms?

Once healthy students have been released from their car, they meet up with their cohort and be supervised.

Students displaying fever and/or symptoms will be sent home. ○ If a student is sent home, it will be documented in RenWeb Attendance and administration will be notified. The student will not be allowed back on campus without the approval of the school nurse. ○ The school nurse will follow-up with the student and family.

We anticipate that car lines will take a little bit longer.

Our priority will be to get your students into and out of our facility safely while maintaining physical distancing.

The entrance gate down the hill will be closed at 8:05 AM. Students who are not checked-in by 8:05 AM will need to go to the school office.

Tardy Students: ● ● ● ● ●

Parents must remain in their vehicle until their student is cleared to enter campus.

Students must enter the front office. Please stay socially distant.

Students will have their temperature scanned and a visual wellness check performed before they will be allowed to go to class.

Students who pass the temperature and wellness check will be allowed to go to class.

Students who do not pass the temperature and/or wellness check will be sent home and administration will be notified. The student will be walked to their parents car by a staff member. The student will not be allowed back on campus without the approval of the school nurse.

Elementary Pick-Up Emerald Crest ●

Kindergarten pick-up 2:20 PM (Mon-Thurs) and 1:20 PM (Fri)

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Grades 1-5 pick-up 2:45-3:00 PM (Mon-Thurs) and 1:45-2:00 (Fri) Elementary students are to be picked up in the pick-up area off of Emerald Crest, unless they have secondary siblings who are being picked up in front of the school.

When picking up your students off of Emerald Crest, we are requesting that you line up on Emerald Crest only.

Please plan your trip so that you are entering Emerald Crest from Washington.

Please do not use Yucca Lane to access Emerald Crest.

Please display your student name/grade card on your dash/windshield.

When exiting the pick-up area please turn right onto either Yucca Lane or Washington St. to help with traffic flow.

Parents are asked to please stay in your cars.

Please do not make a U-turn or park your car on Emerald Crest during pick up times.

Students will remain socially distanced, as much as possible, and will stay with their classmates.

Any student not picked up by 3:00 PM will be walked to the Elementary Pavillion and checked into Aftercare.

Students will sit socially distanced.

SECONDARY (Grades 6-12) DROP-OFF Main Gate - Front Parking Lot ● ● ● ●

Families with both secondary students and elementary students will use this arrival/drop-off area.

There will be DCA staff members directing traffic in the parking lot.

Students should arrive between 7:30-7:55 AM All students must wear face coverings when entering the campus. If a student forgets to bring a face covering, a disposable mask will be provided.

Instructions for Entry: ● ● ●

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Enter the main gate by driving north on Yucca Lane to allow for an easy right turn into the parking lot.

Please use lanes 1 &2 to drop off students.

While remaining socially distanced, students will enter the campus ○ Middle School students will go directly to the gym if arriving between 7:30-7:45 AM. After 7:45 AM students will go directly to their 1st period class ○ High School students will go directly to their cohort square in the Grove until the 1st period bell rings at 7:55 AM. When exiting the campus, drivers will only be able to make a right onto Yucca Lane.

Tardy Students: ●

Students must enter campus through the front office. Please stay socially distanced within the office.

Secondary (Grades 6-12) Pick-Up Main Gate - Front Parking Lot ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Secondary pick-up is at 2:45 PM (Monday-Thursday) and 1:55 PM (Friday) We will not be providing after-school care at this time, therefore all students must be picked up immediately after school.

Teachers and students will dismiss immediately to the main parking lot for pick-up.

Students must stand with their cohort in their designated spot.

Instructions for Entry: Enter the main gate by driving north on Yucca Lane to allow for an easy right turn into the parking lot.

Please display your student name/grade card on your dash/windshield.

Stay in a single line as you enter campus. A DCA staff member will direct you to either go to lane 1 or to lane 2.

Once you have picked up your student, please remain in line. Turn on your blinker. The blinker will help us to know who is waiting and who is ready to pass.

When exiting the campus, drivers will only be able to make a right onto Yucca Lane.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DRIVERS (Parking Permit Required) Main Gate (Gate One) ● ● ● ●

Please enter the main gate by driving north on Yucca Lane to allow for an easy right turn into the parking lot.

Students should arrive between 7:30-7:55 AM Student drivers are allowed to park in the third and fourth rows of the parking lot.

All students must wear face coverings when entering the campus. If a student forgets to bring a face covering, a disposable mask will be provided.

Identification and Tracing of Contacts DCA has plans in place that will help ensure the identification, isolation and tracing of all known contacts of an individual with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis within our school community. In the event of a confirmed positive diagnosis, those identified to have been in close contact (those within 6 feet from a case for more than 15 minutes cumulative within a 24-hour period, regardless of face coverings) will be dismissed from school and asked to self-quarantine. Through contact tracing, members of our school community that have had close contact with the individual will be notified as soon as possible and will shift to remote learning. We will notify and work closely with the local health department in any and all contact tracing efforts. The Head of School will communicate with students, staff, and parents about cases and relevant exposures at the school.

However, under no circumstances will the school report any individual health information due to strict FERPA and HIPAA privacy laws.

Cleaning and Disinfection DCA’s maintenance staff have been trained with specialized deep-cleaning procedures to help keep our classrooms and buildings disinfected. When disinfecting, proper air ventilation will be utilized. We have also placed hand-sanitizer stations throughout our campus for use throughout the day. Our campus will be cleaned regularly and disinfected by our maintenance and support staff (classrooms, lunch areas, equipment, bathrooms, benches, etc.). High touch areas such as door handles, light switches, desk tops, etc. will be cleaned and sanitized regularly throughout the day. Each evening, our campus will undergo a deep cleaning by our janitorial staff, focusing on both classrooms and offices, and other high-touch common areas around our campus.

All classrooms will be equipped with hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray and/or wipes, and paper towels. In addition to the cleaning and disinfecting done by our maintenance and custodial teams, teachers will also assist with regular cleanings of interior classrooms.

Each classroom will also be disinfected between each stable group. Weather permitting, and when students are not present, classroom doors will be kept open as much as possible to allow ventilation and airflow.

Lunch and Nutrition Our Conqueror Cafe, lunch service and vending machines will be closed until DCA has determined it is safe to provide these services for our students again. All lunch and snack items need to be brought on campus from home in order to ensure food items aren’t handled by multiple people prior to consumption. Health guidelines will be consulted prior to offering these services. In the event of any food distribution, any person handling or serving food must wear gloves and a face covering.

Healthy Hygiene Practices All students will be instructed in healthy hygiene habits including proper hand-washing techniques, coughing into a tissue or an elbow (including when outside). Students will be instructed to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap frequently throughout the day, including before and after eating; after coughing or sneezing; after classes where they handle shared items, such as playground equipment; and before and after using the restroom. Students will also be directed to use hand sanitizer in their classroom. In addition, water fountains have been disabled and covered with the exception of touchless water filling stations that are stationed throughout campus. We ask that

parents support our efforts by reinforcing these healthy hygiene habits at home and by sending refillable water bottles with their students each day.

Triggers for School Closure Following health department guidelines, we will close our school and revert to our Distance Learning format in grades K-12 if 5% or more of our students/staff tests positive for the coronavirus over any 14 day period. DCA will refer to CDC and the local health department recommendations to determine if/when a cohort or the entire school should be closed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus.

In the event of a cluster/outbreak the school will notify parents and staff and will encourage them to follow public health recommendations. (Notification #2, Appendix 3) All classrooms and other areas will be cleaned and disinfected where cases or symptomatic students or staff members spend significant time.

Shift to Remote Learning Classes will be shifted to Distance Learning if a teacher or a student within the specific cohort tests positive, someone in their family tests positive or they have been in close contact (see 6/15/24 rule above) with someone with a confirmed positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Should a cohort (or the entire school) be required to quarantine, DCA is prepared to automatically switch grades K-12 to remote learning in order to ensure continuity of learning for all impacted students. ● Teacher Resources - DCA teachers are trained and proficient in online delivery applications like: Google classroom, Padlet, Canvas, Peardeck and many more. ● Student Devices - All DCA students in 6th-12th grade are assigned an ipad that can be used in any online learning circumstance. Students in grades K-5 can be provided ipads if a shift to remote learning is necessary.

Visitors on Campus ● In order to mitigate the risk of possible exposure and spread of COVID-19, DCA's campus will initially be closed to all visitors, including parents. ● An online meeting will be scheduled should a parent need to meet with a teacher, support staff or administrator. ● Only essential vendors will be permitted on-campus. All vendors will be screened and scheduled before or after school hours, to the greatest extent possible.

Staff Training and Family Education

Our faculty and staff have gone through a rigorous 10-day orientation and training in all our COVID-19 policies and procedures. Every family in grades K-12 has attended an orientation and connected with their assigned teachers to be trained and understand what they will be required to do once they arrive on campus day one. Regular and ongoing weekly updates will go out to all DCA families once in-person instruction begins in order to keep everyone informed on healthy campus practices. We are blessed with an incredible school community of families and we sincerely thank you for your partnership and responsiveness as we navigate these new COVID-19 protocols and procedures together.

We recognize that no document, regardless of its length or depth, can answer any and all questions pertaining to the educational process amidst our current conditions.

However, it is our hope that this information helps address the majority of questions and concerns from our DCA families. We must work together (distanced, yes, but nevertheless together!) to be successful during this crucial time in the history of our school and nation.