Dear Families,
We are planning our 2020-2021 school year with great anticipation.
We have missed you and your children and are anxious to see you again!
School begins on August 19, and we will be excited to welcome you at our front door. We care greatly about the health, safely, and well-being of our children, their families, as well as our teachers and staff. Therefore, we have been diligently working to develop our Harrisburg Adventist School’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan that closely follows the guidance and recommendations of the Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
We want to take this time to communicate this plan with you, our HAS families, in preparation for our new school year.
CDC Guidelines will be implemented across the campus. In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Conference, a comprehensive on-campus plan will be fully implemented in August prior to the start of the new school year. This plan includes, but is not limited to, the following:
All personnel and students will have their temperature taken with a no-touch thermometer upon entering the building and questions regarding symptoms will be asked.
Parents and visitors will need to call the school office and make an appointment if wishing to meet or conference with any school personnel. Before entering the building temperatures will be taken and questions regarding other symptoms will be asked.
If a student or a member of the school personnel are displaying COVID-19 symptoms or have a temperature of 100.4 or higher, he or she will be sent home, and testing for COVID-19 will be required.
A negative COVID-19 test will be required to return to school. If the test is positive, the local public school nurse will be notified. HAS will work in cooperation with the local public school nurse to determine what further steps should be taken to safely care for the individual and the school community.
In addition, HAS will be tracking student and staff absenteeism to identify patterns that may need to be investigated by either the school administration, PA Conference leadership or the county health department.
As of March 8, 2022, masks are not required.
Create staggered schedules to limit the number of individuals in classrooms and other spaces (lunch room).
Lunchtime seating in the gym will follow social distancing guidelines (6 feet apart).
Classroom seating will follow social distancing guidelines (6 feet apart).
Restrict interactions between groups of students.
Hand washing protocols throughout the school day (sanitizing stations at building entrances)
Increased use of hand sanitizer throughout classrooms and common use areas
Frequent use of disinfectant wipes on high-touch, hard surfaces throughout the school day
Maximizing opportunities for social distancing
No-touch protocols throughout the school day
No shared toys or manipulatives
HVAC systems sanitized and calibrated for optimal fresh air exchange
Enhanced HVAC filter protocol with optimal particle filtration and increased replacement
frequency
The information in this section is taken from the CDC and the PA Department of Education websites https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for- schools.html.
https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx
If a student or staff member at HAS is diagnosed with COVID-19, the following will be done:
Close campus for sanitization and deep cleaning with continued access to teachers and education through virtual learning
All families and personnel will be alerted to the diagnosis while keeping student and personnel confidentiality intact.
Our assigned public school nurse will be contacted for further guidance.
Teach health safety to staff, students, and their families
Communicate the health expectations of our organization
Preventative care signs will be posted in all classrooms, restrooms, and other common use
areas.
Classroom furniture and activities will be designed to maintain spacing of six feet between
students.
Lunch will be scheduled to allow for smaller groups.
Seating will maintain spacing of six feet between students
I'd like to extend a special word of appreciation to our Health and Safety Committee for their time and effort in research, discussion, and collaboration. Our committee members are key stakeholders of Harrisburg Seventh-day Adventist Church and Harrisburg Adventist School.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the HAS COVID-19 Safety Plan further, please contact me at office@haschool.org. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Tim Brown, Principal