MLWS Health & Safety Plan Update
When to keep my child home/return-to-school when sick
As the autumn chill is steadily approaching and the first sniffles are making an appearance, it will be a guessing game for many of us lay people to identify the cause and make an educated decision on whether or not to send our child to school in the morning in light of the fact that so many of the COVID symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu. It will also help provide an understanding of our Return-To-School Protocols. Upon consultation with our infectious disease specialist, we are providing an easy flow chart to help you decide whether to keep your children home or not when they are sick.
As the medical understanding of transmission of the coronavirus is evolving, our protocols and guidelines may pivot at any time.
Please note the following changes and reminders:
SchoolClues App
Mountain Laurel Waldorf School will be phasing out the Google COVID questionnaire and moving exclusively to the SchoolCues Application for our COVID screenings and emergency communications on Tuesday, September 29th.
Face Masks
Early Childhood:
In Nursery and Kindergarten masks will be strongly encouraged. Masks will continue to be worn at all times of transition.
Grades:
Every Grade student must wear a mask at school, even when they are sitting at their desk 6 feet apart. Students must change to a new mask at lunchtime. Please make sure they come to school every day with 2 spare masks and a bag or container to put their used mask in. Students will have an opportunity for mask breaks during the day.
Teachers & Staff:
All teachers and staff wear masks at school except when eating/drinking and when they are alone in a room.
All:
Face Coverings such as gators, bandanas and masks with respirators do not provide adequate protection from airborne particles and may not be used as a face covering at school.
Hand Hygiene
All of our students wash their hands with soap and water diligently at least five times a day, each time they enter school, the class room, before and after snack/lunch and prior to dismissal. It has now been recommended to us that children should increase their use of hand sanitizer to at least once per hour. We have hand sanitizer available in every classroom as well as touch free hand sanitizing stations by the school entry and exit, but request that each child also has a hand sanitizer available in their back pack.
Flu Season
As we are entering the flu season and the possibility of a twindemic has been mentioned in the medical field as a real threat to our health, we highly recommend that children and staff inoculate against the flu this season.
Masking, social distancing and hand hygiene have been the key to the progress New York has made in reducing the incidence of COVID-19. Maximizing these simple tools protects our children, our selves and the privilege of being able to open our school for in person learning.
Thank you for all you are doing to ensure our community remains in good health and our school stays open!
The Administration
