COVID Resources

We know that learning is most effective when our students are engaged, face to face with our caring, dedicated, and committed teachers in a live, vibrant environment with their fellow classmates.  We also believe that students’ social and emotional well being are supported when they are in community with their peers. 

One important strategy we are using is called cohorting (or forming “pods”). Cohorting forms groups of students, and sometimes teachers or staff, that stay together throughout most of the school day to minimize exposure for students, teachers, and staff across the school environment. Currently, there is no published scientific study on optimal maximum or minimum cohort sizes in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission among school-aged children. However, CDC modeling demonstrates that smaller cohort sizes are generally associated with less transmission in schools. Smaller cohorts mean more limited contacts, but there is no specific threshold for optimal size.

Ideally, students and staff within a cohort would only have physical proximity with others in the same cohort. This practice may help prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by limiting cross-over of students, teachers, and staff to the extent possible, thus:

• decreasing opportunities for exposure to or transmission of SARS-CoV-2,
• facilitating more efficient contact tracing in the event of a positive case, and
• allowing for targeted testing, quarantine, and isolation of a single cohort instead of school-wide measures in the event of a positive case or cluster of cases.

We are using some of the following mitigation strategies for 7th-12th grade students:

• 2-way hallways
• no chapels (chapel will be live-streamed into classrooms)or assemblies
• lunches in various location to allow for distancing
• assigned entry doors
• students waiting “in the cue” to enter their next classroom so the teacher can disinfect the classroom between each class
• desk spacing
• use of larger and outdoor spaces when feasible

Currently, the most effective way to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is using multiple mitigation strategies in combination. Various measures such as the following are part of that strategy:

• Students, faculty, and staff staying home when sick
• Use of facial coverings per CDC/State of Michigan recommendations
• Social distancing
• Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces
• Hand washing and use of hand sanitizer
• Appropriately covering coughs and sneezes
• Increased classroom ventilation (open doors & windows, ionizing fans)
• Touchless bathroom faucets, bottle refill stations

Some of these strategies may be new for students, teachers, and staff to implement in the school setting. Therefore, increased education, training, and having protocols to ensure these strategies are implemented as intended are necessary to increase the likelihood of reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

We will educate staff and families about when they or their child(ren) should stay home and when they can return to school, while actively encouraging employees and students who are sick or who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 to stay home. We will teach and reinforce proper hygiene practices among all students, teachers, and staff:

Please see the following link for all information regarding when you are ill. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html

A facial covering is cloth material that covers the nose and mouth. Facial coverings may be secured to the head or simply wrapped around the lower face. They can be made of a variety of materials, such as cotton or linen, and may be factory-made or made by hand.

Taken from Cornavirus Executive Order 2020-142

No. The CDC does not recommend the use of face shields as a substitute for cloth face coverings.  However, a face shield that covers the eyes, nose, and mouth can be worn in addition to a cloth mask if desired.  Moreover, a face shield may be worn by younger children who are not required to wear a cloth face mask.

Taken from Cornavirus Executive Order 2020-142

People who should not wear facial coverings include the following:

• Children younger than 2 years old
• Anyone who has trouble breathing
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face-covering without assistance

Schools should require documentation from a medical professional, as they do for other types of accommodations.

Taken from Cornavirus Executive Order 2020-142

Contact tracing is a time-tested method used by epidemiologists to minimize spread of disease. Simply put, it is a system of notifying people who have had close contact with someone who tested positive, so that they can monitor themselves for symptoms and practice safe strategies to keep from spreading the virus until the incubation time has passed.

As a school, we will be keeping records of visitors entering and exiting our buildings, and their travels throughout our building.  Additionally, in accordance with state and local laws and regulations, PCA administrators will work with local health officials to inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms.

Click HERE to view the CDC's Contact Tracing Infographic.

State and local governments may have travel restrictions in place, including testing requirements, stay-at-home orders, and quarantine requirements upon arrival. Currently, they state of Michigan is not one of the 14 states with travel restrictions in place. For up-to-date information and travel guidance, check the state and local health department where you are, along your route, and where you are going. Prepare to be flexible during your trip as restrictions and policies may change during your travel.