Fairville Friends School
2021-22 Health & safety plan

Approved: 08/18/2021

Amended 08/25/2021 to better reflect CDC definition of COVID symptoms

This plan was developed with thoughtful consideration of the recommendations of the Chester County Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education, the CDC, medical authorities, academic institutions, and professional industry associations. This plan was reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees of Fairville Friends School (“Fairville”). This plan may be updated or changed at any time. Any updates to this policy will be communicated to our Fairville community through the Fairville Flash. Our “pandemic coordinator” will be the Head of School, Maia Tolsdorf. 

Fairville will not follow lock and step with the decisions made by the Kennett Consolidated School District (where our school is located), nor the Unionville Chadds Ford School District (where the majority of our families reside), although those will be valuable inputs in our decision-making. 

Please understand that there are risks inherent in gathering with others, and that there will be exposure to other children and staff within each class. We will mitigate this exposure in part through use of face coverings, cohorts and stable classrooms, frequent hand washing, disinfection of surfaces, and vaccination of our staff. We will also utilize our outdoor space to the greatest extent possible to further minimize exposure. The cooperation of our community is essential, most especially by keeping children home any time they are not feeling well and communicating openly with the school about illness and COVID exposure within each family.

Vaccination

  • All Fairville staff are vaccinated, and this will remain a requirement for future hiring. including of substitute teachers and contracted specials teachers.

  • Adults who spend extended periods of time in our school building, including volunteers and those participating in our Preschool Playtime, must provide proof of vaccination and adhere to any masking requirement as well.

Cohorts and Distancing

  • Close contacts and exposure will be minimized through the use of cohorts and stable classrooms. As we begin the school year, Fireflies will be in a cohort with Bumblebees, and Butterflies will be in a cohort with Grasshoppers. The cohort will also be permitted to play in the same yard during outside playground time. During times when the cohort is seated (e.g., for Meeting or lunch), students will be seated six feet apart from students who are not in their class. Students from different cohorts will not mix through the morning. Ladybugs will not mix with other groups, and our kindergarten will remain separate from other students.

  • We are offering our afternoon enrichment programs. For at least Sessions A of these enrichments, we will continue the cohort so that Fireflies and Bumblebees will be together, as will Butterflies and Grasshoppers. (Kindergarten and Ladybugs are not eligible for enrichment classes.) As the year goes on, we may allow mixing within these enrichment programs as we had initially planned.

  • Snack and lunch will be provided outside whenever possible. We will make every effort to provide three feet of distancing between all students during snack and lunch. We will provide at least six feet of distancing between students from different classrooms that are part of a cohort during snack and lunch regardless of whether it is held inside or outside.  

Masking

  • All students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear face masks inside the school regardless of vaccination status. We understand that this is going to be difficult for many children, particularly for our youngest students. We will be patient and supportive as they adjust to this practice.

  • Staff and students will not be required to wear face masks when outside. Only one classroom or cohort will be permitted to engage in outside free play at a time in a single yard to limit exposure during this unmasked time. Larger groups may gather together for a seated activity (e.g., Meeting), in which case students will be seated at least six feet from those outside of their classroom or cohort. If a family chooses to have their child mask while outside, we will honor that request to the best of our abilities.

Managing Illness and Exposure

  • The most important step to keeping COVID out of our school is to keep your children home whenever they are not feeling well, and to have them tested if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID. Runny noses, coughs, and tummy aches are a part of childhood, but unfortunately, they are also signs of COVID. Please check your children each morning before you bring them to school, and do not send them if they are showing any signs of illness. If your child experiences symptoms of COVID, you must notify the school, and share a negative COVID test result before your child may return to school. Please note that this requirement is triggered any time your child experiences the symptoms of COVID, regardless of whether the symptoms appear on a school day.

  • People with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms which might include any of the following:

    • Cough

    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

    • New loss of taste or smell

    • Fever

    • Sore throat

    • Chills

    • Muscle pain

    • Headache

    • Congestion or runny nose

    • Vomiting

    • Diarrhea

    • For more information, please see Symptoms of Coronavirus

  • If a Fairville student or staff member receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, he or she must stay home as directed by the Chester County Health Department and may return to school with proof of proper quarantine and otherwise ready to return to school.

  • If Fairville identifies a child or staff who tested positive for COVID-19 or we learn they are positive, we will take the following steps:

    • Contact the Chester County Department of Health and follow all of their instructions for responding appropriately.

    • Notify the guardians of those in the affected individual’s stable classroom group, and then notify the school community that an exposure has occurred.

    • Work with the Chester County Department of Health to determine next steps, including the extent of recommended quarantine, closure, and cleaning.

    • Inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms and to follow the CDC guidance if symptoms develop. CDC guidance for self-isolation should be followed.

    • Students/staff experiencing other signs of illness may return to school 24 hours after they are symptom-free. 

  • If a child has been exposed to a known case of COVID-19, he or she must report any such exposure to Fairville and quarantine as instructed by the Chester County Department of Health. 

  • If a staff member is exposed to a known case of COVID-19, she must report the exposure to the Head of School and follow all appropriate guidelines. In the event of an extended exposure, she will not be permitted to return to school, but required instead to test 3-5 days after the exposure and return only once she has received a negative test result.

  • If any member of a child or staff’s household has been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 and the exposed household member is experiencing symptoms, Fairville requires that the family or staff notify the school and follow quarantine recommendations as if the child or staff member had been directly exposed.

Cleaning

  • Inside high-touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected several times throughout the morning and at the end of each day.

  • Children and staff will wash hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.

This plan is based on the most recent information as of August 18, 2021. Any updates or changes will be published as they become available. Updates will be shared via the Fairville Flash email and posted on the Fairville Friends School website (www.fairvillefriends.org).