Rethink the familiar. Imagine the possibilities. Create the future.
Alex Brosowsky Head of School
I love all of my students and their families and eagerly look forward to seeing all of you in person soon. To make our reunion possible, I need your help. Short of a government mandate to quarantine, TQS will reopen in September. Our top priority when reuniting our community is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and parents. The policies enumerated in this document are based on the information and guidance currently available from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Montgomery County Department of Health and other health experts. We are in communication with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), and international, national, and regional schools and districts. In this constantly shifting public health emergency, TQS will remain agile, alert to emerging trends and responsive to public officials to ensure student and faculty safety. Based on the most current information available, these plans are based on the following assumptions: COVID-19 is an illness caused by a virus that can spread from person to person COVID-19 is often spread from person to person through close contact and maintaining social distancing (6 feet of separation) can greatly mitigate its spread Until a vaccine is widely available, COVID-19 will be a concern for public health The best health and safety plan is only as good as the people carrying out the plan, and to safely come back together, we need your assistance. We want our students to safely and healthily blossom socially, behaviorally and academically. Let’s do this together!
Health & Safety Guiding Principles
The health and safety of all TQS students, faculty, staff and families will lead our decision-making process. Our belief in our mission, our Quaker values, and our experience and expertise will ensure our students continue to learn, develop and shine during this time of change and challenge.
Principles for Reopening TQS: Protect the health and safety of students and employees Be compliant with government orders Utilize guidelines from the Centers for Disease (CDC), PA Department of Education, PA Department of Health and Montgomery County Department of Health Establish effective use of spaces and places to support physical distancing Set clear health and safety guidelines and expectations for all members of the TQS community Recognize that the COVID-19 health crisis is fluid and health and safety recommendations change often
Health and Safety Team: In support of our reopening principles and commitment to our students, faculty, staff and families, the Health and Safety team will design and continuously update policies, procedures and precautions that ensure the health and safety of the entire TQS community. As part of its charter, this group will ensure TQS meets or exceeds social distancing and safety guidelines as established by Governor Wolf, Montgomery County and CDC.
TQS Pandemic Response Team: TQSÂ has established a Nerve Center, composed of a small group of administrators, to function as the COVID-19 pandemic team. The Nerve Center sets the overall tone of TQS' COVID-19 response work, acting as a single-source of "truth" in real-time for all information and actions related to outbreak and response.
Phases of Reopening in Pennsylvania
The Red Phase
Schools remain closed for in-person instruction, and all instruction must be provided via remote learning, whether using digital or non-digital platforms.
The Yellow Phase
Schools may provide in-person instruction after developing a written Health and Safety Plan, to be approved by the local governing body (e.g. board of directors/trustees) and posted on the school entity's publicly available website.
The Green Phase
Schools may provide in-person instruction after developing a written Health and Safety Plan, to be approved by the local governing body (e.g. board of directors/trustees) and posted on the school entity's publicly available website.
TQS will account for changing conditions in our community, county and surrounding regions to ensure fluid transition from more to less restrictive conditions in each of the phase requirements as needed.
Partnering through Communication
Postitive Case of COVID-19: When it is known that a student, faculty or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the following steps will be followed by TQS: Contact the Montgomery County Department of Health and follow the recommended steps. Send communication to families, faculty, staff and relevant visitors informing all of the positive case, while maintaining the anonymity of the individual. Inform families, faculty, staff and relevant visitors IF they were within 6 feet of the positive individual for more than 30-minutes. These individuals will be required to provide a doctor's note and/or quarantine for a period of 14-days and be symptom and fever-free before returning. Close, clean and disinfect the areas of the building the positive individual occupied for more than 30-minutes after a 24-hour period has passed as recommended by the CDC and PA Departments of Health and Education.
School Attendance:
TQS Reopening Hub & Canvas
In support of our Health and Safety protocols, it is very important for families, faculty and staff to inform TQS of daily absences. Families should call the main office, 215-674-2875, prior to 8:15 a.m. on the day of the absence. Students who are feeling well enough may leverage our HyFlex model during days of absence.
The best resources for staying abreast of current information are available in TQS' Reopening Hub on our website. Families will find helpful information from our clinical services team, all messages from our Head of School, details on our HyFlex model and links to valuable resources.
Quarantine Protocols If a member of a student's household tests positive for COVID-19, only close contacts of the person who tested positive will be required to quarantine. For instance, a sibling in the household of a positive case should be considered a close contact and does need to quarantine for a period of 14-days and be tested. Close contacts of the sibling (e.g., other students in the same classroom as the sibling) do not need to quarantine unless the sibling's results come back positive, but they should self-monitor for symptoms. At school, only close contacts of the person who tested positive will be required to quarantine. For example: If a teacher tests positive but has consistently worn a mask and was not closer than 6-feet for more than 30-consecutive minutes to any of their students, then the students do not need to quarantine. If a student tests positive and sat at a desk less than six feet apart from another student for more than 30-minutes and did not wear a mask, the student next to the positive case does need to quarantine. If a student who tested positive sat three feet apart from another student for more than 30-minutes but was wearing a mask the whole time, the student next to the positive case would not need to quarantine.
We understand that there will be scenarios where due to the nature of school activities, staff may be uncertain about whether these protocols were followed. The school nurse and COVID response team will work with the Montgomery County Department of Health. Montgomery County Department of Health will assist our school in running through the above scenarios. In summary, it is unlikely that an entire class will need to quarantine, or our entire school would shut down in the event of a positive case, unless social distancing and mask requirements are not adhered to.
Cleaning and Disinfecting Procedures
The interior of the main school building, cabin and occupied areas of the Horsham Friends Meetinghouse will be professionally cleaned, sanitized and disinfected on a daily basis.
All high-touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected regularly throughout each school day. These surfaces include, but are not limited to, bathrooms, door handles, light switches, playground equipment and desks. All soft surfaces such as carpet and padded chairs will be disinfected regularly with an EPA-registered household disinfectant.
Classrooms, offices and common areas will be ventilated with additional circulation of outdoor air when possible, using windows, doors and/or fans.
Electronics and screens, such as tablets, laptops and keypads, will be cleaned and disinfected after each use following the manufacturer's instructions and guidelines.
All students, faculty, staff and visitors will be required to wash their hands upon entry to the building and thereafter on a frequent basis throughout the day. Hand sanitizer will be available in all common areas, hallways and in classrooms.
All faculty, staff, students, visitors and other key members of the TQS community will be trained on TQS' established cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting and ventilation protocols.
Fostering our Community through Responsibility and Stewardship
The congregation of students, faculty, staff and visitors in hallways and common areas is prohibited.
Materials such as pencils, crayons, etc. will be supplied by TQS and will not be shared amongst students.
Recess times will be staggered to maintain small groups of students, faculty and staff and to minimize hallway traffic.
Each student, faculty and staff desk will be placed 6-feet apart in adherence with social distancing guidelines. The configurations of classrooms, breakout rooms, common areas and offices will be altered for maximal social distancing. To the extent possible, one-directional traffic patterns will be established within the main building and identified with floor markings.
All faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a mask or face covering while on-campus. Any design, imagery, etc. on face coverings must follow the guidelines outlined in the Student and Employee Handbooks.
Students are expected to comply with all school district mandated health, safety and social distancing guidelines during the bus ride to and from school.
Students are required to wear masks while in school. If a student's disability prevents them from wearing a mask, a face shield should be used. If a student cannot wear a mask or face shield, then another face covering should be worn. If a student cannot tolerate face covering, they may attend school without masking.
Temperature and Symptom Screening
An individual must register a temperature below 100.4℉ and not exhibit or complain about any of the following symptoms to enter any buildings on the TQS campus (main building, cabin and HFM): vomiting, diarrhea, cough, shortness of breath and/or loss of taste and smell. Symptom screening will be conducted by all parents/guardians at home each morning before the school day. We will partner with families to ensure students stay home when exhibiting symptoms. All faculty and staff will conduct symptom screening at home each morning before the school day and contact his/her supervisor if a symptom of COVID-19 is detected. Temperature screening will be required for everyone upon entrance to the building. Anyone registering a temperature greater than 100.4℉ will be isolated for a period of 5-minutes, then re-screened by the school nurse. If the second recorded temperature is below 100.4℉, the individual will be granted entry to the building. If above 100.4℉, the individual will go directly to the nurse’s office to be isolated and sent immediately home. For visitors, entry to the building will be denied. In accordance with applicable federal law, temperature and symptom screening information will not be recorded.
Monitoring Student, Faculty and Staff Health Students, families, faculty and staff will consistently be made aware of the signs and symptoms of COVID0-19 and visible signage will be displayed throughout the building. Students and staff will go to the nurse immediately if feeling symptomatic. All students and staff with a fever greater than 100.4℉ will be sent home immediately and unable to return until fever and symptom-free for a period of 48-hours. The school reserves the right to request a doctor's note prior to the return of the student and/or staff member.
A Day at TQS
How do I enter school if my family brings me to school?
All vehicles will enter through the upper lot, closest to the cabin on our campus, then proceed to the parking area beside the main school building. The first vehicle to arrive must pull all the way to the front of the marked drop-off zone (directly past the entrance to the atrium). Each vehicle thereafter must pull up directly behind the vehicle in front to maximize space. The car line will be closely monitored to ensure waiting vehicles aren’t causing a back-up onto Meetinghouse Road. A TQS staff member will approach the passenger side of each vehicle to temperature and symptom screen the student while seated in the vehicle. If the student passes the temperature and symptom screen, the student will exit the vehicle, enter through the atrium door and proceed to their homeroom. If the student registers a temperature at or above 100.4℉ the driver of the vehicle will pull ahead and wait for 5-minutes. After 5-minutes, the student’s temperature will be rechecked by the school nurse. If the student’s temperature is below 100.4℉, the student will exit the vehicle, enter through the atrium door and proceed to their homeroom. If the student’s temperature, after 5-minutes, remains at or above 100.4℉, or is symptomatic, the parent or guardian will be asked to take the child home and notified that the student may return to school after being fever free for a period of 48-hours. The school reserves the right to request a doctor’s note prior to the return of the student.
How do I enter school if I ride in a bus, van or cab to school? Buses, cabs and private vehicles will continue to pull in at the lower driveway, then proceed to the circular driveway in the upper lot. The first vehicle to arrive must pull all the way to the front of the marked drop-off zone (close to the dumpster). Each vehicle thereafter must pull up directly behind the vehicle in front to maximize space. Each vehicle must leave the parking lot in the order in which they are parked. Double-parking and jumping out of line are safety hazards and are prohibited. The driver will wait to open the door until a TQS staff member approaches the vehicle and conducts temperature and symptom screening for each student. TQS staff will bring the computer tablet to all Philadelphia buses so the attendants may scan their badges. If the student passes the temperature and symptom screen, the student will exit the vehicle, enter through the main door and proceed to their homeroom. If the student registers a temperature at or above 100.4℉, the student will move to an isolation area and wait for 5-minutes. After 5-minutes, the student’s temperature will be rechecked by the school nurse. If the student’s temperature is below 100.4℉, the student will leave the isolation area and proceed to his/her homeroom. If the student’s temperature, after 5-minutes, remains at or above 100.4℉, the student will go directly to the nurse’s office. If a student is symptomatic, the student will go directly to the nurse’s office. The student’s parents/guardians will be contacted and asked to immediately pick-up their child. The student may return once fever and symptom-free for a period of 48-hours. The school reserves the right to request a doctor’s note prior to the return of the student. Given the current COVID health crisis, coupled with the recommendations from various state and local health agencies, drivers and attendants are prohibited from entering the school building.
How will my teachers enter school? All faculty and staff will use the main entrance for admittance to the building. All faculty and staff must complete a temperature and symptom screening by 8:00 a.m. The school nurse will perform temperature and symptom screening for faculty and staff arriving after 7:30 a.m. Faculty and staff arriving prior to 7:30 am will take their temperatures and complete the symptom screening. If the faculty/staff member passes the temperature and symptom screen, he or she will enter through the main door and proceed to his/her homeroom or assigned area. If a temperature at or above 100.4℉ is registered, but the person is asymptomatic, the faculty/staff member will move to a designated isolation area and wait for 5-minutes. After 5-minutes, the temperature will be rechecked by the school nurse. If the temperature is below 100.4℉ , the person will leave the isolation area and proceed to their homeroom. If the temperature, after 5-minutes, remains at or above 100.4℉, the faculty/staff member will go directly to the nurse’s office. If symptomatic, the faculty/staff member will go directly to the nurse’s office. The faculty/staff member may return after being fever and symptomfree for a period of 48-hours. The school reserves the right to request a doctor’s note prior to the return of the faculty/staff member. All faculty and staff will be required to sign an acknowledgment form affirming their understanding of our COVID-19 health and safety protocols and procedures and agree to abide by those protocols and procedures while on campus.
May visitors enter our building? A total of ten (10) visitors will be permitted on-campus during a one-week period. On-campus includes the main building, cabin and HFM (restricted to the areas occupied by TQS.) Visits will be recorded and tracked in a central log managed by the Executive Assistant to the HOS. All visitors will be temperature and symptom screened. If symptomatic or a temperature of 100.4℉ or greater is registered, entrance will be denied. All visitors will be required to sign an acknowledgment form affirming their understanding of our COVID-19 health and safety protocols and procedures and agree to abide by those protocols and procedures while on campus. The following individuals will be exempt and therefore not included in the weekly visitor count: technology, security and building maintenance, deliveries and postal service, emergency services and township officials (fire/police). When feasible, FedEx and UPS will be directed to leave packages in the vestibule. If needed, the driver will enter the building and place all packages at the front desk. Visitors are prohibited from broad access to the building, and where and when possible, limited to designated areas.
My family picks me up at the end of the day. How will I get to the car? Students will be dismissed from homerooms in small groups of no more than twelve (12) students at a time and in car order (first to last). Car riders will exit through the side entrance (atrium) of the building.
I ride a bus, van or cab home. What is the dismissal process for me? Students will be dismissed from homerooms in small groups of no more than twelve (12) students at a time and in bus order (first to last). Bus riders will exit through the main entrance of the building.
What happens if my family is picking me up during the school day? Families picking up their child during the school day will remain in their vehicle and call the main office upon arrival. The child will be accompanied to the family vehicle by a faculty or staff member. Students will be asked to wear a face covering while in the hallway walking to their car or bus. Students will be prohibited from entering the building once they have left for the day unless it is an emergency or medical situation.
I love recess! Will we still have it everyday? Recess times will be staggered to allow for small groups of students. Doors will be designated as ‘out’ and ‘in’ to help maintain one-way traffic in the building. Homerooms will go to recess one at a time to limit the number of students in the hallway at any given time. Each homeroom will have a bag of recess equipment that will be used only by the students in that homeroom. Faculty and staff will clean the equipment after returning from recess on a daily basis. Students, faculty and staff will wash their hands upon returning from recess. Outdoor recess equipment will be sanitized and disinfected on a daily basis.
School Nurse In support of our mission and care for our TQS community, a full-time nurse has been hired. The nurse will assist students in maintaining optimal health for effective learning, and perform other duties as listed below and as assigned: Create and maintain systems and procedures to ensure the safety of students and employees in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and other new health issues as they arise. Ensure required classroom cleaning and sanitization procedures are followed and assist teachers in ensuring rooms are safe and properly disinfected during the pandemic. Provide first-aid, medical care and services to students according to physician prescribed care and treatment orders.
If I want to visit the nurse or social worker, may I still do that? A faculty or staff member will call the nurse or social worker before sending a student to ensure availability and that adequate social distancing space is available. If the first requirement is met, the student will proceed directly to the nurse or social worker office. If the first requirement is unmet, the nurse or social worker will either call the homeroom teacher or go to the homeroom when adequate social distancing space is available. The nurse or social worker will call the student’s homeroom teacher once the student is ready to return to their homeroom.
Questions? 215.674.2875 info@quakerschool.org