2021-2022 Return to Campus Guide

R E T U R N I N G T O C A M P U S

WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Returning to Campus

Wesleyan, we’re almost there! In just a matter of days, we will be back together, and your teachers, staff, and administration are excited to see each of you!

During this season in the life of our school, Wesleyan remains committed to our mission: To partner with families by providing a biblically-based, college-preparatory education so that students will be equipped to serve Christ and influence the world.

The information in this document is very similar to last year's Returning Safely to Campus Guide, with some minor adjustments specific to our current environment. Our staff and faculty have worked to research, assess, and implement ways to ensure that your children can receive the full benefit of a Wesleyan education. Our guiding principles for returning to campus are below:

Principles for Returning Safely to Campus

Protect the health and safety of students, employees, and families

Limit intermingling of students

Maintain school routines, with minor adjustments, for learning, spiritual, and emotional well-being Set clear expectations for everyone

Also, as you read this document, it' may be helpful to remember that Wesleyan Christian Academy is a private religious institution, which for now, provides some level of autonomy. In the following pages, you’ll find details about Wesleyan's updated health and safety protocols and procedures, arrivals, dismissals, if/when scenarios for quarantine, and much more.

Please read this document in full so that we are all working from the same page. God has blessed us with the ability to return to school in person and we do not take that for granted, or take this responsibility lightly. By working together as the team and Wesleyan family that we are, we are excited to see what God has in store for the 2021-2022 school year.

Since February 2020, Wesleyan's staff and faculty have continually sought out extensive research and participated in hundreds of discussions assessing the ongoing development of Covid-19.

Specific to 2021-2022, as we have sought the Lord’s wisdom, equipped with information from a broad range of credible sources, we are committed to striking a balance between taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID on our campus, while keeping the mental, emotional, educational, and spiritual health of our students and staff in mind.

Wesleyan has made the decision to enable parents to make the best individual choice for their families, and their children. That said, as the coming days unfold, we are prepared to pivot quickly if we need to do so.

Wesleyan’s leadership, in consult with Nurse Moore and Nurse Papciak who communicate regularly with the Guilford County Health Department, will make adjustments to our health protocols for individuals 1) if or when we have identified a significant impact on our student body's health, as we do for any serious health issue or 2) if we are mandated to do so. At this juncture, we will continue with health and safety protocols that aim to reduce risks for our campus community, while honoring each parent or staff member's freedom to choose what is best for their family.

Be encouraged that Wesleyan has experienced zero new cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks and months, despite hosting hundreds of children from throughout the community for various summer camps. If we all follow and respect these protocols and procedures, we are hopeful that your children and your family will be able to enjoy the full benefit of an on-campus Wesleyan Christian Academy education for the 2021-2022 school year.

Face Coverings On Campus

As we have shared with you in prior communications, the decision to wear or not to wear face coverings is optional, allowing parents to make the best decision for their children and family. If we identify a significant shift in our students' health or by government mandate, Wesleyan's leadership will assess the situation immediately and adjust protocols as needed.

State-of-the-Art Air Purifying Units

Wesleyan has purchased a Vallore Air Purifier for each classroom and heavy traffic area on campus. These air purifiers use the same technology NASA has used for decades in the Space Station to help provide the best air quality possible while reducing contagions like the flu, colds, strep, norovirus, and even SarS-Cov-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19). These units have also proven beneficial in helping asthma sufferers and those with sensitive immune systems.

Limited Intermingling

HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS & PROVISIONS

This year, we will do our best to limit intermingling to assist us with contact tracing and reducing the risk of viral transmission. While we had eased our intermingling plans earlier this summer, Wesleyan's will resume some limited intermingling procedures and protocols, including adjusted walking traffic patterns in and around campus, rotating classes for in-person attendance in chapel (elementary, middle, and high), and preparing seating charts for each class in the case that contact tracing is required.

Nurse Moore and Nurse Papciak

We have also made the decision to have our school nurses travel to students in their classrooms for medical needs rather than students being sent by teachers to the Nurses' office.

Campus Cleaning

Our facilities team will assist with daily sanitization procedures in heavy traffic and high-touch areas on campus and in classrooms throughout the day. In the evening, the facilities team will use state-of-the-art equipment to sanitize the campus.

Designated Isolation/Waiting Rooms by School Division

If or when a child has an elevated temperature or is displaying symptoms that resemble COVID-19 or other contagious illnesses throughout the day, those students will be asked to wait in isolation/waiting rooms, as designated by the school division. The locations for these rooms are as follows:

Elementary | Room adjacent to Nurse Moore's office

Middle and High School | Interior room between two high school rooms (3rd floor)

Enrichment Center & Fine Arts | Room at the Music Studio entrance.

Health & Wellness Pledge

While daily symptomatic screenings are no longer required, in order to maintain the health of our students and staff, disclosure of exposure or close contact with an infected individual is required. Further, it is critical for parents not to send ill children (including those with a mild fever) to school. Also, please note that if conditions change, we may consider resuming temperature screenings. For further information, you can find Wesleyan's Health Pledge on the last three pages of this document.

Internal Doors / Doorways

Internal traffic doors will remain open during the day to eliminate the need for opening and closing doors, thus eliminating a high contact area.

Vinyl Floor Arrows

Vinyl arrows remain on the extreme left and right sides of the hallways to encourage physical distancing and to direct hallway traffic throughout the school.

Hallway Traffic Patterns / Use of Outdoor Walkways

Students should remain in their designated divisions throughout the day and will not be allowed to walk through other divisions of the school, with the exception of the Main Academy Hallway that students access via the Main Academy Lobby entrance to get to the Elementary, Middle, and High School. For example, no elementary, middle, or high school students will be allowed to walk through the Early Education Center, and no middle or high school students will be allowed to walk through the Elementary hallways. (Exception: Severe Inclement Weather)

To access the Enrichment Center, the STEM lab, or the Fine Arts department, students must be prepared to use outdoor walkways, rather than walking through the school. Please make sure to include an umbrella as you pack your backpack.

Plexiglass

Plexiglass dividers will remain in Art rooms, the Media Center, cafeteria registers, and the Middle School Computer room.

Physical Distancing

Keeping in mind that visitors and volunteers will be allowed on campus, students, staff, and visitors are encouraged to respect others' personal space by self-monitoring the distance between themselves and other individuals.

Restroom Use

In Elementary Classrooms - In those elementary classrooms that share a boy and girl bathroom, the bathrooms will again be designated by classroom rather than by gender to reduce the intermingling of classes.

On Campus - Bathrooms will be cleaned and sanitized multiple times a day. Students, faculty, and staff are asked to provide ample personal space for others while waiting or washing hands, etc.

Water Fountain Use

All traditional spout water fountains will remain disabled this year; the individual bottle-filling option is still available.

A NOTE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

At this time, international travelers returning to the United States are required to provide a negative test to re-enter the country. If a student, sibling, parent, or anyone living in your home has traveled internationally for any reason, please take these steps to monitor your health and practice physical distancing:

Take your temperature with a thermometer 2 times/day and monitor for fever. Watch for cough or trouble breathing

Keep your distance from others (about 6 feet)

SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTS:

ARRIVAL PROCESSES & PROCEDURES

2020-2021 ELEMENTARY & EARLY EDUCATION TRAFFIC PATTERNS WILL CONTINUE

ALL MORNING and AFTERNOON Elementary and Early Education vehicle traffic should enter campus via the 3rd entrance from Centennial Street (Entrance C) . Entry A, adjacent to the soccer field, will remain Exit Only.

PARENTS IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS:

We are happy to be able to welcome our parents back into the school buildings this year.

ARRIVAL PROCESSES

EARLY EDUCATION

Parents, please arrive before 9 a.m. if possible and walk your child to their classroom where you will sign them in for the day.

ELEMENTARY

August 17-20, parents will be allowed to walk their elementary students to class, after which parents are encouraged to walk their children to the exterior elementary door (main academy office door) or use the drop off car line from Centennial Street, via Entry C, to drop off their children.

The first bell for students to go to class will ring at 8 am. and the tardy bell at 8:10 a.m. Students will be able to arrive early and report to the cafeteria at 7 a.m. until 7:55 a.m. when they will be dismissed to their homeroom

MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL

• The first bell for students to go to class will ring at 8 a.m. and the tardy bell at 8:10 a.m.

DISMISSAL PROCESSES

EARLY EDUCATION

DISMISSAL PROCESSES & PROCEDURES

Parents may pick up their children from their classroom.

ELEMENTARY

Students who are car riders will be dismissed by grade level at 2:25 p.m. at the following locations.

All teachers will walk students to the designated areas and supervise the students until all are picked up by parents.

Kindergarten - Canopy A

1st Grade - Canopy B

2nd Grade – Connector

3rd Grade - Middle School Gym

4th Grade - HS Entrance

AFTER SCHOOL CARE TEACHERS will be in the classrooms by 2:20 pm to allow teachers to leave after school students in the classroom and take the car riders to their dismissal locations at 2:25 p.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle school will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. Students are expected to travel to their designated areas and will be supervised until all are picked up by parents.

5th graders - Connector between the Early Ed Center and the Enrichment Center

6th graders - Canopy A

7th and 8th graders - MS Gym/Cafeteria entrance

HIGH SCHOOL

High schools students will be dismissed at 3:15 pm.

WESLEYAN EXCLUSION POLICY

IF/THEN SCENARIOS REGARDING SYMPTOMS/DIAGNOSIS

Below you will find an overview of Wesleyan's Exclusion Policy including specific if/then scenarios.

A COVID-19 SCREENING IS REQUIRED?

WHAT HAPPENS IF OR WHEN

Please know that each potential case or scenario will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. That said, there are some standardizations in the overall assessments of each case.

DURING A COVID-19 SCREENING NURSE MOORE WILL ASK THE STUDENT THESE QUESTIONS*:

1. Has the student been in close contact (within 6 feet for 15 cumulative minutes) in the last 14 days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or has a healthcare provider or the health department advised you to quarantine?

Yes; the student is isolated and sent home asap

No; the student can proceed to his or her classroom with none of the symptoms listed below

2. Does the student have any of the following symptoms present (WITH the established fever (See prior page)?

Chills

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

New cough

New loss of taste or smell

IF YES, that student will be isolated and sent home and be recommended to followup with their healthcare provider.

What are the most common symptoms of Covid-19?

Fever (temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit)

Sore throat

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Cough (for people with chronic cough due to allergies or asthma, a change in their cough from baseline)

Difficulty breathing (for people with asthma, a change from their baseline breathing

New loss of taste or smell

Diarrhea or vomiting

New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever

What if my child is diagnosed with Covid-19?

Your child should stay home until he or she meets the criteria established in Wesleyan's Exclusion Policy on pages 7 and 8. Also, make sure that you are following instructions and communicating regularly with your child's primary physician.

What if my child has a negative result on a rapid test, but my provider sends a sample off for a second test, can they return to school? No. You must wait to find out the result of the second test.

What if my child is exposed to an individual with Covid-19?

If your child has been vaccinated:

He or she does not need to quarantine, but should monitor themselves for the next 14 days. If your child begins to show any symptoms of an illness, you must consult your physician to rule out COVID.

If your child has not been vaccinated:

They should begin quarantine, then after Day 5 from their exposure they receive a negative covid test and remain symptom-free (with no medications), they may return to campus on Day 8, while selfmonitoring until Day 14.

Why is daily symptom screening for children no longer recommended? Children are less likely to spread the virus than adults. Children are more likely to have no or minimal symptoms from COVID-19 Symptom screening will also identify children who do no have Covid-19 and will unnecessarily exclude students from school. K-12 schools provide essential educational, developmental, and support services to students and families. However, parents, caregivers, or guardians must monitor their children for symptoms or infections illness every day through home-based symptom screening. Students who are sick should not attend school in person.

Whom do I need to tell if my child is diagnosed with or exposed to an individual with Covid-19?

Disclosure of exposure or diagnosis is required and should be reported to Nurse Shannon Moore at smoore@wcatrojans.org.

How are "Exposure" and "Close Contact" defined?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Exposure to COVID or being in close contact with a COVID case is defined as being physically exposed within 6 feet of another person, for 15 minutes cumulatively or longer, within a 24 hour period with or without a face covering (e.g. 5 min at arrival, 5 minutes at lunch, 5 minutes at dismissal).

When can a person return to school if they receive an alternate diagnosis?

If a student has been excluded from school because he/she is symptomatic and he/she receives an alternate diagnosis from a health care provider, he/she can return to school following normal school policies: once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 48 hours.

What are the requirements of isolation?

If a student/employee has been diagnosed with Covid-19 but does not have symptoms, they must remain out of school and isolate until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive Covid-19 diagnostic test, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.

If a student with symptoms is diagnosed with Covid 19 by a medical professional based on a test or their symptoms or does not get a test buy has symptoms, they should not be at school and should isolate at home until they (or a family member if younger child) can answer YES to the following three questions:

Has it been at least 10 days since the individual first had symptoms?

Has it been at least 48 hours since the individual had a fever (without using fever-reducing medicine)

Has there been symptom improvement, including cough and shortness of breath?

Is hand sanitizer safe for schools to use?

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol are known to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 virus and can be placed in dispensers and other containers that are readily available for student use.

Should my child attend school in person?

We know that in-person school is fundamental to children's development and well-being--especially for younger children. Schools provide academic support, social and emotional skills, a safe, comfortable place, reliable food and nutrition supports, physical/speech therapy, and opportunities for physical activity. There can be substantial negative impacts for children and communities without in-person learning taking place regularly.

WHAT HAPPENS IF OR WHEN ...

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A student, or family member of a student, in my child’s classroom has been diagnosed with COVID-19?

Because each situation is unique, Nurse Moore and Nurse Papciak will handle each situation on a case by case basis as required; however, below is an overview of the standard steps that will follow:

Nurse will contact the Guilford County Health Department and notify their representative of a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case among students or staff and work with them to follow procedures such as contact tracing.

School administrators will comply and coordinate with local health officials to notify staff and families while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with FERPA and all other state and federal laws.

If the student is on campus at the time of diagnosis, they will be isolated immediately and the entire room will be cleared and sanitized.

A member of our extended family (outside of the home) tests positive for COVID-19? Can my student still attend school? If your household has had no close contact (within 6 feet, without face coverings for longer than 15 minutes), then, yes, your student may attend school.

Someone my student carpools with, or someone in their carpool member's household tests positive for COVID-19? If your student has been in close contact with a member of the household for longer than 15 minutes without a face covering, you must quarantine for 14 days since the last contact.

NOTE: For all other questions regarding if/then scenarios, please contact your division principal, assistant principal, or teacher who will either be able to answer your question, or point you to the appropriate resource. Thank you.

ADDITIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

After School Program (ASP). Students participating in ASP will remain in their rooms at dismissal and be picked up by their respective ASP leaders rather than walking with their class to car lines. One-Hour Care groups will still go to the cafeteria while maintaining physical distancing. ASP small groups will go to a designated classroom where they will stay for the duration of the day rather than rotating classes. Playtimes will be staggered.

Bus Routes (Morning). Because Wesleyan's bus service is considered private transportation, therefore the optional face-covering guidelines apply.

Chapel. Chapel will continue to be held for each school division when we return to school by implementing an in-person rotation schedule by division. Those not attending chapel in person will be able to enjoy the program via a classroom live stream.

A FAMILY COMMITMENT

WESLEYAN FAMILY HEALTH PLEDGE

standards in a way that maximizes a safe and healthy environment for us to teach, minister, work and learn.  Continued enrollment at Wesleyan is predicated on your agreement and support of our additional measures during this exceptional time.

With health and safety as Wesleyan Christian Academy’s priority, our ability to offer an On-Campus Teaching Model hinges on the the fact that each of us has a responsibility to know and act on these It is important to remember that at some point during the school year, there may be a positive COVID- 19 case and some level of quarantine and at-home learning.  Via your enrollment and thus agreement with Wesleyan Christian Academy's Family Health Pledge, families commit to following the

health and safety protocols and guidelines developed by Wesleyan to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and wellness of the entire Wesleyan community.

If evolving and required guidelines demand any changes to this document, we will share updates with

you directly. Families must support this agreement in order for their children to continue with on-campus classes, activities, and events.

By enrolling with Wesleyan Christian Academy, families agree to adhere to the following health and safety expectations:

1) Students agree not to come to campus if they have a household member who has tested positive for COVID-19 or if they have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days, who is awaiting a test result for COVID-19, or who is under self-quarantine.  For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to the testing that led to a positive result) until the time the patient is isolated.

2) In addition, students should not come to campus if they are ill or exhibiting any flu-like symptoms, or the symptoms below:

Fever of 100.4 or higher

New or worsening cough

Shortness of breath

Chills

Recent loss of taste/smell

Body aches

Sore throat not related to another medical condition

New onset of vomiting or diarrhea

Parents and/or students agree that no medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen will be used to minimize any flu-like symptom or potential COVID-19 symptoms, such as those stated in the list above, prior to arriving at school.

A FAMILY COMMITMENT - PAGE 2

WESLEYAN FAMILY HEALTH PLEDGE

3 ) Every day, before transporting a student to school or allowing the student to travel alone or with others, families will assess their child(ren) for any sign of illness.  If any of the symptoms listed above are present, parents, guardians or caregivers will not transport or allow their child to be transported to Wesleyan Christian Academy, and parents will inform their principal and Nurse Shannon Moore. If conditions change, resuming temperature screenings may be considered.

4) Students will be sent home from school if they are exhibiting any of the above symptoms and families will arrange for them to be picked up from a waiting room/isolation area as soon as possible or within one hour.

5) All students who exhibit any of the symptoms listed above or who are sent home from school because of exhibiting any of those symptoms must follow the testing, contact tracing and quarantine protocols established by Guilford County Health Department and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

6) Any students who test positive for COVID-19 must not come to campus unless and until: (1) they have complied fully with all of the other protocols or quarantine detailed in Wesleyan’s Return Safely to Campus Guide, Part 2 AND (2) they have been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc.) and free from vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and upset stomach for 48 hours before returning to school.

7) Families must inform Nurse Shannon Moore and their Principal if any family member tests positive for COVID-19 (in addition to not transporting or allowing their child to be transported to Wesleyan Christian Academy), so that Wesleyan may follow guidance from local health authorities, implement sanitization protocols and communicate proactively while protecting privacy, per FERPA protocol.

8) Wesleyan Christian Academy families also agree to follow social and hygiene practices recommended by federal, state, and local public health organizations in order to minimize the risk of exposure to and transmission of COVID-19.

We must follow appropriate protocols and health practices both during the school day and beyond in order for us to remain open and to keep our students and staff as healthy as possible.

A FAMILY COMMITMENT - PAGE 3

WESLEYAN FAMILY HEALTH PLEDGE

By enrolling at Wesleyan Christian Academy, families pledge to:

Acknowledge the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that their child(ren) and family may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, or death.

Review the safety protocols and expectations as outlined in the Wesleyan Christian Academy’s “Returning to Campus Guide”.

Acknowledge that while precautions serve to mitigate risk, they do not guarantee protection against the transmission of COVID-19.

Acknowledge that the risk of becoming exposed to or infected by COVID-19 at Wesleyan Christian Academy may result from their own or others’ acts or omissions.

Agree to abide by any adjusted health/safety policies or protocols that Wesleyan Christian Academy puts in place to maintain a healthy environment, given that knowledge and guidance regarding COVID-19 continue to evolve.

Thank you for your continued support of Wesleyan Christian Academy in this endeavor. We are blessed each day by the families and students who call Wesleyan home