Ranney School Reopening Plan as of August 14, 2020

 We plan to re-open in the fall, on campus and in person, 5 days/week.  Classes will be available to all students ages 3 through Grade 12 both in-person and through distance learning to allow families flexibility to accommodate health concerns and regulations.

 Ranney is fortunate that our small class size, spacious campus, and ample resources position us to be flexible in responding to this global pandemic.  Our plan relies on a combination of setting clear community expectations, screening, social distancing, face-covering, expanded indoor spaces, sanitization practices, including electrostatic cleaning, and quarantine protocols.  Whether students are on campus or learning remotely, we will deliver the best of Ranney School, however our plan entails significant changes in how we will operate.

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Our primary concern is to maintain the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. There is no single measure that provides perfect protection against COVID-19, but we can mitigate the risk of infection by employing a hierarchy of controls to prevent exposure and transmission.

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This is the moment when our mission promise to know and value every child and to provide the best academic and student life experience to our students, notwithstanding the challenges ahead, will be as important as ever.

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The Ranney student and faculty experience will be significantly different than in the past, however being back together in person will be a welcome opportunity after our students and faculty have spent so long connecting virtually.

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No matter how well we execute our plan, external or internal events could force our campus to close again. Because we will offer the opportunity for students to learn remotely even when campus is open, should we be forced to close campus again the transition back to distance learning will be seamless.

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We will not be able to monitor the actions of every member of the community when they are not on campus, therefore we will need to work together to inspire and instill a mindset of shared community interest and trust.

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 Our plan is based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the New Jersey's Governor's Office, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other federal and state entities. We have taken into account the reopening guidance and requirements applicable to New Jersey public high schools and universities.  Reopening in September (and remaining open) is subject to governmental directives and orders.  In May, we launched a Reopening Task Force comprised of members of the Board of Trustees, the Medical Advisory Board, members of the Administrative Leadership Team and representatives from the Health Office. Our detailed plan has also been advised by Dr. Meg Fisher, a world renowned pediatric infectious disease consultant at Monmouth Medical Center and Dr. Niraj Govil ’86, who developed an Infection Control Plan for Ranney based on his expertise advising military command on pandemics.

 We will update this Reopening Plan as we receive new guidance and implement new protocols. The latest version of this plan can be found on our website: www.ranneyschool.org/covid-19.

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Environmental Controls (Facilities, Cleaning/Sanitization, HVAC)

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Administrative Controls (Sick Policy, Health Screening, Masks)

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Expanded Health Office, New Sick Policy, and PPE

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Academic Schedules and Distance Learning

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Daily Health Certifications via AUXS

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Planned Updates to Reopening Plan in August:   

Quarantine Policies Athletics and Co-Curriculars Lunch; Before and After Care

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 We are altering facility layout and student schedules to reduce risk of potential exposure: — Analyzing class sectioning to match class sizes with classrooms that allow for social distancing — Expanding smaller classrooms

— Planning alternative use of larger spaces — Altering schedule to minimize transitions

— Re-envisioning lunch delivery — Increased use of outdoor learning spaces — Social distancing signage posted across campus — One-way hallways — Staggered dismissal of classes during the school day

— Installing plexiglass shields for administrative assistants

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 We are enhancing our cleaning & sanitization protocols: — Quarterly BioProtectors electrostatic spraying of all surfaces (next cleaning week of August 24).

— Ranney owns an on-site electrostatic sprayer, which will be used to regularly clean touchpoints.

— Cleaning staff will be added during the day and will have extended evening hours.

— Touchless faucets will be installed in all restrooms that do not currently have them.

— Installing water bottle station in the Upper School.

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 We are upgrading our ventilation and HVAC and ventilation systems: — Conducted extensive preventive maintenance on each building’s HVAC system to ensure everything is working properly.

— Enhancing our filters from MERV 8 to MERV 13.

— Adding two HEPA Filters to the new Health Office isolation rooms and assessing if we need to get an additional filter for the main Health Office.

— Maximizing air change per hour for each space by increasing outside air intake and decreasing relative humidity.

— Recommending that faculty keep classroom windows remain open and installing screens on any windows that do not already have them.

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 We will require masks for all students—Lower, Middle and Upper School—as well as administrators, faculty, and staff, where feasible.

— American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the New Jersey's Governor's Office require masks for everyone ages 2+ years — We will distribute a Ranney mask (5-layer polycloth mask with replaceable carbon filters) for each student and faculty/staff member

 Cloth and disposable surgical masks are both acceptable. The CDC recommends thicker, more densely woven cotton fabrics with at least two layers.  Masks should cover the child's nose and mouth without large gaps.  We also ask that you wash cloth masks on a daily basis.

 Students and faculty are welcome to wear face shields in addition to masks if they would prefer to do so, however face shields are not a substitute for masks.

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 Students with any of the following symptoms or circumstances may not attend school in person.

Symptoms

Circumstances

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 COVID-19 Positive Test  Student or someone in household has been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case  Student or someone in household has traveled to a state or country on New Jersey’s quarantine list  Student has taken fever or symptom-reducing medications to alleviate symptom listed to the left within the last 24-hours

Temperature of 100.4+ Cough Difficulty breathing Sore throat Severe cold symptoms Loss of smell or taste Unusual body aches Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Undiagnosed rash

 If students are found to exhibit any of these symptoms while at school, they will be sent home immediately. Parents must pick up children within an hour of notification.  If a student exhibits any of the symptoms listed above, they must obtain clearance from a physician prior to return to campus.

 We are developing specific protocols regarding quarantine and return to campus clearance requirements specifically related to COVID-19 symptoms and circumstances.

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 Students, faculty and staff will be required to complete a health screening prior to entering school buildings each morning.  On a daily basis, parents will be required to certify that their child(ren) is/are healthy: — Child has a temperature under 100.4 F — Student has been without a temperature for 48 hours — Child has no symptoms of illness

— Child has not taken medications that reduce temperature — Child has had no known exposure to COVID-19

 If student passes the Health Certification, the parent will receive an email with a green safety pass, which the student will show to gain entry to school buildings in the morning (see next slide).

 Administrators and faculty will check students’ temperature during the school day as well.

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 Campus will be open for students to learn in person, 5-days per week, however students will have the option to continue learning remotely for optimal flexibility based on individual family needs.  Goals of 2020-21 school schedule are to:  Provide (approximate) equivalency in time to our regular academic schedule.  Simplify the schedule to reduce stress on students and faculty.  Allow for a “seamless” transition between on-campus instruction and distance learning.  Reduce the number of daily transitions to reduce contact points between and among people.  Enable late arrivals and early departures, where possible.  Offer alignment across divisions.

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 The Upper School schedule will involve a modified block schedule with 70-75 minute classes and four blocks per day.  The schedule will operate on a two-day rotation with A, C, and E days being the same, and B, D, and F days being the same.  The main difference between letter days will be in 8th period activities on B, D, and F days.  Students will have the ability to arrive late or leave early if they have a study hall in the beginning or at the end of the day.

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 The Middle School schedule will also involve a modified block schedule with 70-75 minute classes and four blocks per day.  The schedule will operate on a two-day rotation with A, C, and E days being the same, and B, D, and F days being the same.  The main difference between letter days will be in the end of day activities and athletics periods.

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 Lower School will offer a full-day of classes on a six-day cycle (A-F).  Specials teachers will come to the homeroom classrooms to minimize transitions.  Teachers will share the detailed weekly schedule with parents so those learning from home can plan ahead.

 Students who are distance learning will have planned breaks from the computer.

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 The new school year will be challenging for all of us, therefore we have decided to relax the dress code for the 2020-2021 school year.  We will keep classroom windows open, so students should dress accordingly.

 Students will no longer have access to locker rooms, so students should come to school dressed to participate in PE or athletics, as appropriate.  Students in Middle and Upper school will be allowed to wear casual clothes (jeans, sweatpants, t-shirts, and Ranney gear).  In Lower School, students will wear clothes for PE and the regular uniform.

We will be flexible in enforcing the uniform policy.

 We will require students to wear masks at all times, where feasible.  Students must also be dressed in clean, neat attire.

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What happens if someone tests positive for COVID-19?

We are working closely with Ranney’s Medical Advisory Board and Board of Trustees to develop a detailed Quarantine Policy and decision tree. A team of administrators on the Reopening Task Force are participating in COVID-19 Case Response Training as well as Contact Tracing training. We are also closely following CDC, state and local guidelines regarding safe school opening. In the August 21 Reopneing Roundup, we will share details regarding Ranney’s Quarantine Policy.

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How much protection will masks, social distancing, and sanitization protocols provide to my children when they are on campus?

COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. To prevent transmission of COVID-19, individuals should continue social distancing, wear masks, and wash their hands frequently. Masks are meant to protect other people in case you are infected because they limit the projection of coughs and sneezes into the air. Because the virus can live on surfaces for a period of time, we will frequently sanitize high touch surfaces including classrooms and bathrooms. Despite all of our best efforts, we may not be able to prevent transmission of COVID-19 within our community, but we will make every effort to limit this possibility and we ask families' partnership in helping us to do so.

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How is Ranney opening classrooms or accommodating social distancing within existing classrooms?

We will schedule classroom use such that maximum class size (i.e. all students enrolled in the class) for each class can fit safely (i.e. 6 feet apart) into the scheduled space. Last year, the average number of students in each classroom, across divisions, was 12.5. Larger sections will require larger spaces (e.g. Panther Hall, Paulus Library, Searle Library, repurposed as classrooms).

Based on survey results, we know that at least 10% of our students are planning to participate in distance learning.

So while we are planning classrooms based on the total class enrollment, we anticipate that some portion of students will be learning remotely.

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Will there be times when students are allowed to take off their masks during the day?

We will require masks for all students, faculty and staff while on campus. Exceptions to this policy include when students are eating (in small groups, sitting 6-feet part) or when physically-distanced outside. We are building in time to the schedule for students in all divisions to have time to be able to get outdoors, whether during recess for Lower School or during flex / recess time for the upper grades.

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How will the school handle athletics?

NJSIAA is the governing body of High School sports in New Jersey and we are following their guidelines closely. They recently released the Return to Play Fall Sports Model 1, which pushed back the official practice start date for all sports to September 14th. Our Athletic Department has been working in conjunction with our Upper and Middle School administration to create a safe plan to return to Fall sports on September 14th. We have decided not to hold in-person summer workouts for any of our teams, although athletes and coaches across all three seasons will have the ability to interact virtually during this time.

We will mirror the Middle School athletic schedule to the emerging plans for High School sports.

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Will parents and visitors have access to campus?

Buildings will be strictly off-limits to parents and other visitors during the day. We welcome opportunities to meet virtually with parents. In the rare occasion that a parent or visitor would need to come to campus for a meeting in person, we will require them to complete a Health Certification. For the foreseeable future, we will not have large indoor gatherings. Events like Back to School nights and other parent meetings and sessions will be held virtually.

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Please visit www.ranneyschool.org/covid-19 for the most up-to-date information and version of this plan.

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Email safety@ranneyschool.org with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your partnership, flexibility, and patience.

We can’t wait to see your children in September!

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