FALL 2020 SCHOOL REOPENING GUIDE As of July 31, 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 screening and testing, social distancing, face-covering, use of outdoor spaces and expanded indoor spaces, enhanced 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. 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 (campus layout and cleaning)
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Administrative Controls (Sick Policy, health screening, masks)
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Health Office and PPE
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Academic Schedules and Distance Learning
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Planned Updates to Reopening Plan in August:
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Updated Sick Policy Health Screening protocols for morning check-in Quarantine Policies Athletics and Co-Curriculars Lunch; Before and After Care
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We are altering facility layout to reduce risk of potential exposure — Analyzing class sectioning and expanding smaller classrooms to adhere to social distancing guidelines — Altering scheduling to minimize transitions — Re-envisioning lunch delivery (small groups) — Planning alternative use of larger spaces — Increased use of outdoor learning spaces — Social distancing signage posted across campus
➢ Enhanced sanitization protocols — Quarterly BioProtector electrostatic spraying of all surfaces — Cleaning staff will be added during the day and will have extended evening hours — Sanitization stations located throughout campus
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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. ➢ Students, faculty and staff will be required to complete a health screening prior to entering school buildings each morning. ➢ We will conduct periodic temperature checks of students on campus. ➢ We will strictly limit parent and other visitors. Parent meetings will be conducted virtually.
➢ We will strictly enforce our enhanced Sick Policy: — Student must stay home with temperature of 100°F+ or symptoms of any illness; and — If a student, faculty, or staff member is exposed to COVID-19, we will require them to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.
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➢ We are expanding our state-of-the art Health Office spaces and resources. ➢ On a daily basis, parents will be required to certify that their child(ren) is/are healthy: — Child has a temperature under 100 F — Student has been without a temperature for 48 hours — Child has not taken medications that reduce temperature — Child has had no known exposure to COVID-19 ➢ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the New Jersey's Governor's Office guidelines currently require masks for everyone ages 2+ years — We will require mask for all students—Lower, Middle and Upper School—as well as administrators, faculty, and staff, where feasible. — We will distribute a Ranney mask (5-layer polycloth mask with replaceable carbon filters) for each student and faculty/staff member
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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 coming weeks, 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! 23