Guide to Reopening and Returning to Campus Safely

2020‒2021 Guide to Reopening and

Returning TO CAMPUS SAFELY

Returning to Campus Safely Our Mission At Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, students are engaged in personal growth, inspired to discover their passion and empowered to make a difference in the world.

Introduction Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is dedicated and committed to delivering an excellent educational experience. Guided by our mission, we will provide in-person instruction during Phase III and beyond on our campuses and will also make accommodations to provide learning options for students with significant health risks.

As we approach the reopening of NSA and welcoming students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community back to our campuses, the health and well-being of our NSA family is at the forefront of our reopening guidelines. A reopening task force has been created and is guided by federal, state and public health regulations to ensure best practices in safety and health are implemented in accordance with the Forward Virginia Blueprint, existing executive orders, CDC Interim Guidance for K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs, CDC Considerations for Schools and in partnership with local and state public health officials. This task force will continue to monitor all health and safety regulations and will recommend changes and/or adjustments to our procedures and guidelines as needed.

Guiding Principles • Ensure the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty and Staff • Comply with Federal and State Regulations • Utilize Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health • Implement Effective Space Planning to Support Physical Distancing • Reinstate School Routines for Effective Learning • Establish Clear Expectations for Students, Faculty and Staff

First Day of School Based on Governor Northam’s Phased Reopening Plan for K-12 Schools, NSA is planning to resume in-person instruction and will welcome students for the first day of school on both campuses as scheduled on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. To prepare for our return to campus, safety procedures training will be provided for students to ensure the safety and health of all individuals on campus.

We anticipate ending the school year as planned on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. While it is our hope that we are able to remain on campus to deliver the NSA educational experience, we are preparing for potential interruptions and will adjust the school calendar if needed. As always, further communications will be delivered to the NSA community if changes are deemed necessary.

Safety Procedures Delivering the educational experience at NSA will require new practices to ensure the safety and health of our students, faculty and staff. Returning to campus will feel and look different, and NSA is implementing many changes to support physical distancing and best practices to open safely.

As previously mentioned, NSA will be guided by the CDC’s recommendations for schools, and our safety measures will include physical distancing, enhanced health and hygiene procedures, cleaning and disinfecting measures as well as other mitigation strategies. These precautions include, but are not limited to: Daily health screenings of students, faculty and staff

Providing remote learning accommodations for students who have significant health risks

The use of cloth face coverings by students, faculty and staff in common areas and when at least six feet physical distancing cannot be maintained

To ensure our students are aware of our new health and safety protocols, NSA will provide safety procedures training. During this training, students will learn and practice the procedures and guidelines to become familiar with our new protocols and routines.

Faculty and staff will receive professional development and safety procedures training prior to students returning to campus.

To support physical distancing, NSA is making adaptations to our campuses, which may include directional traffic patterns throughout all campus buildings, spacing of desks in classrooms and restricting gathering sizes and occupancy in meeting spaces and common areas.

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Our Educational Experience

In the Classroom and Beyond: Reaching All Students NSA is committed to delivering an educational experience that is flexible and accommodating while still delivering our mission to engage, inspire and empower our students. We are expanding our educational model to provide capabilities so everyone in our community is able to benefit from an NSA education.

NSA continues to invest in technology innovation and provide exceptional professional development to our faculty to continue to deliver an excellent educational experience regardless of where teaching and learning take place.

For the safety and health of our students, NSA is considering implementing protocols to minimize congestion in the hallways and carpool as well as adjustments to our academic schedule to minimize class changes during the day to lower exposure risk and to allow more time for individualized instruction.

Our Learning Model NSA understands the on-campus experience is the most suitable approach for the majority of our students; however, we also recognize that some students may not be able to return to campus for reasons related to the virus. In those circumstances, NSA will offer remote learning opportunities.

To support all of our students, NSA will utilize technology to extend the reach of the classroom beyond the physical space on campus to our students at home.

Additional Program and Other Important Information Extended Day, Athletics, Visual and Performing Arts and More

NSA is looking forward to resuming our regularly planned programs. Each program will maintain the same safety protocols and guidelines, including physical distancing, as required on campus.

Extended Day Extended Day, including before- and after-care for Pre-K through eighth grade, will be offered this year. There will be limited mixing of grade levels, and the students will follow the same health and safety guidelines. There may need to be modifications to parent pick-up procedures.

Please continue to monitor school communications for updates.

Arrival and Dismissal/Transportation NSA is currently evaluating procedures for arrival and dismissal times as well as transportation services. More information will be provided prior to the start of school.

Visual and Performing Arts The Visual and Performing Arts Department will resume programming upon the start of school.

Athletics Our goal is to resume athletics and extracurricular activities with some mitigation measures in place to allow student-athletes to begin summer training in the next few weeks. Our ability to do so is determined by government orders and the guidelines provided by the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA).

The Office of Athletics will release a summer schedule soon. At this time, we are still waiting for additional information regarding formal competition for 2020-2021. Please continue to follow school communications for updates and additional information.

More guidance will be forthcoming.

Recess All lower school classes will have daily recess at assigned playgrounds or designated locations. Daily times will be assigned to ensure only one class is in a common space at any given time. There will be cleaning procedures in place between use of the common spaces.

Visitors and Volunteers In order to maintain a healthy environment and minimize risk, we will begin the school year by strictly limiting access to campus buildings to students, faculty and staff. Visitors will be considered by appointment only. While we understand that some members of the community may be disappointed, it is important to note that we will not resume on campus or in classroom volunteer opportunities at the start of the school year.

Lunches and Snacks on Campus As we start our school year, students will be eating in their classrooms or another designated space. The Main Campus food service provider, Flik Independent School Dining, is prepared to provide students with nutritious lunches and implement physical distancing protocols in the delivery of meals to our students. Classrooms will be sanitized before and after each lunch period.

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Our Health and Wellness

Encouraging a Healthy Campus Environment NSA is committed to implementing physical distancing practices on our campuses to promote a healthy campus environment. This effort must be supported by everyone in the NSA community, including parents, students, faculty and staff. With everyone’s support and understanding, we have a greater opportunity to minimize risk and maintain a healthy environment for all.

Health and Wellness Partnership It is imperative that all families commit to supporting NSA’s health, wellness and safety protocols and agree to keep students home when they are not feeling well, have COVID-like symptoms or if they have potentially been exposed to COVID-19.

Daily Temperature Checks Daily temperature checks may be performed each day. If a student has a temperature of 100.4°F or higher, he or she will be sent home. Please continue to monitor communications for additional information and updates regarding student health checks and monitoring.

Requirements for Face Coverings Students, faculty and staff should use cloth face coverings as an important way to slow or stop the spread of the virus and protect each other when physical distancing cannot be maintained and as is medically and developmentally appropriate. Face coverings are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult.

Face coverings should be worn by faculty and staff in times when at least six feet physical distancing cannot be maintained. For example, a teacher standing in a classroom six feet from students could teach without a face covering. During meetings or gatherings, carpool or in narrow hallways or other settings where physical distancing may not be easy to maintain, a face covering would be prudent to wear. There will be students on campus who will wear face coverings for longer periods of time, including students who are directed to do so by their health care providers.

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Physical Distancing Measures Physical distancing and other measures will remain important prevention strategies. Additional operational requirements will include gathering limits and other mitigation strategies (i.e. class size limitations, etc.).

Physical distancing of at least six feet should be maintained to the greatest extent possible in all buildings. Other precautions will include, but are not limited to:

Limiting mixing of classes/groups of students

Closing or staggering the use of communal spaces and staggering outdoor activities/ recess, with a priority on physical distancing and limiting the mixing of classrooms

When Your Student Feels Sick On both campuses, additional space will be created in our health clinics to accommodate physical distancing for students with various ailments and symptoms. Our nursing staff will work closely with the division office managers to manage and monitor the number of students in the health clinics at all times. Students who are running a fever, coughing or experiencing shortness of breath will not be allowed to return to class. They will remain in the designated space until they are picked up by a parent or guardian.

Deciding When to Stay Home Performing at-home health screenings and knowing when to keep students home from school is a very important part of keeping our NSA family healthy. To help, we have outlined key protocols to help families determine when students should stay home.

Is a member of the household positive for COVID-19, awaiting test results or experiencing COVID-like symptoms?

Is the student unwell with COVID-like symptoms?

Does the student have a fever of 100.4°F or higher?

Has the student been fever-free without medication for 72 hours?

YES

YES

YES

YES

1 Stay home.

2 Call your doctor.

3 Inform NSA.

Call the nurse the day before returning to school.

1 Stay home.

2 Call your doctor.

Call the nurse the day before returning to school.

3 Inform NSA. 4 Rest and recover.

Call the nurse the day before returning to school.

Important: If at any point students are feeling well enough, they may participate in remote learning until returning to campus.

Supporting a Healthy Campus What You Can Do to Help This Summer Teaching Healthy Hygiene Practices: • Encourage frequent hand

washing and use of hand sanitizer.

• Practice coughing and sneezing into elbows.

• Add daily temperature checks to the morning routine.

Maintaining Preventative Health Practices: • Continue regular doctor visits

and well-child appointments.

• Keep immunizations and

physicals current.

• Encourage physical activity and time outside.

Keeping Children Emotionally Safe: • Ask how they are feeling and give them

space to share and ask questions.

• Continue reassuring them that the adults in their lives are there to support their well-being, both physically and emotionally.

• Reach out for help. Our counseling team is available throughout the summer and school year to provide support.

Teaching and Encouraging Our Health Protocols: • Visually show and practice keeping six

feet apart.

• Practice wearing a cloth face covering.

Preparing for Interruptions Potential Closures

Unfortunately, there may be circumstances beyond our control, and additional outbreaks of COVID-19 could possibly impact on-campus learning in the future. In the event that NSA is notified by government officials or the health department of the need to close our campuses, instruction will continue virtually.

Our Commitment

If we are required to limit or restrict access to our campuses or parts of a campus (for example, just one division or just the Main Campus), NSA may transition to virtual learning.

During any period of temporary virtual learning, we remain committed to:

Delivering an excellent educational experience based on our mission

Providing our students with a high-quality, student-centered learning experience

Communicating clearly and consistently with our NSA families

Tuition and Fees

For campus closures requiring more than 30 days of virtual learning, NSA will examine extending credits and/or refunds for activities that a virtual learning environment may restrict the school’s ability to deliver effectively, such as extended day and transportation services.

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See You Soon

Reopening Campus for 2020-2021 We can’t wait to see you!

We have really missed having our students, faculty and staff on our campuses and are looking forward to the start of the 2020-2021 academic year! Please be sure to monitor school communications for further updates and information.

If you have any questions, please contact your respective division head.

Serena W. Bush

Kimberly H. Aston ’88

Frances J. Chambers

Michelle J. Horton ’89

Head of Lower School, Harbour View Campus, and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sbush@nsacademy.org

Interim Head of Lower School, Main Campus, and Director of Academic Affairs fchambers@nsacademy.org

Alex F. Bartlett ’01

Assistant Head of Lower School and Director of Pre-Kindergarten, Main Campus abartlett@nsacademy.org

Head of Upper School kaston@nsacademy.org

Head of Middle School mhorton@nsacademy.org