2021-2022 DAILY FACE-TO-FACE PROCEDURES
As we continue to prepare for the start of our 2021-2022 school year, please know that the health and safety of our faculty and students is our first priority.

After receiving directives from the LDOH and the Diocese along with our COVID-19 Task Force, our school year will begin accordingly:

(Please be advised that these procedures may be revised as directives are received from the Diocese or as guidelines and recommendations change.)

FACEMASKS
Faculty and students are required to wear facemasks throughout the day. Teachers will provide mask breaks as needed during instruction.

**Students are required to purchase their own facemask prior to the start of the school year.
Gaiters are allowed. Bandanas, shields, masks with vulgarity and/or obscene language or images including but not limited to skull bones or anything, which could be considered racist or offensive, are not allowed. Masks do not have to match the school uniform.

In order for an employee or student to be exempt from wearing a mask, a physician’s letter is required stating that the child has medical issues which cause severe breathing difficulties. Any student who submits a doctor’s excuse to be exempt from mask wearing, will have to quarantine any time there is a positive case in his/her class.

The sharing of facemasks is prohibited.
COVID VACCINATIONS
The school is not mandating COVID-19 vaccinations, but please be informed that when a student is vaccinated it will decrease the possibility of quarantine for athletic events, extracurricular activities, other school events, and it will also decrease the possibility of virtual learning.

*Please refer to section on quarantine/symptoms protocol and vaccinated students and staff.
ARRIVAL
HIGH SCHOOL
Faculty and students are expected to sanitize hands upon entering into the buildings utilizing automatic dispensers.
Student’s will also have assigned areas to report throughout the day (arrival, morning break and lunch) where they will be divided between the Commons, gym and outside.

ELEMENTARY
Parents may begin dropping off students at 7:20 AM but no later than 7:45 AM in order to begin our school day at 7:50 AM.
We will return to our pre-COVID drop off schedule, which is:

• K-3- Little Shed
• 4^th-6^th- Big Shed
• 7^th-8^th- front of the Junior High building gate

If you have a younger student that needs to be dropped off first, you can drop your older student at the big shed and he/she will cross to the Junior High.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
With the exception of a couple of courses, the size of each class will not exceed 25 students.
Students will be required to sanitize their hands upon arrival and when exiting the classroom through the use of automatic hand-sanitizing stations in each classroom. Hand sanitizing stations will also be available in the gyms, Commons and libraries.

Students’ desks will be arranged 3 ft. apart (distance as much as possible with larger enrollment) with all desks facing the same direction.

Students will be seated at tables in their art classes with 4 students per table separated by polycarbonate shields/dividers.

Teachers will have disinfectant sprays and wipes, which will be used between each class and during instruction.

HIGH SCHOOL
Teachers may require students to complete and submit assessments online during instruction in order to prevent handling of hard copies of tests

All students must exit the classroom before the next class enters.
PE classes will be conducted outside (when weather allows). The gym will also be utilized for instruction where students will be spaced as needed. The Athletic PE classes (6^th and 7^th periods) will be divided into groups according to sports. Coaches will be required to take his/her athletes to their respective fields for practices.

ELEMENTARY
Student desks will be spaced 3 feet apart to the greatest extent possible.
Static groups will move independently of other groups to allow for social distancing in the hall during all transitions. 4^th through 8^th grade students will transition to their classes as in previous years.

LIBRARY
Students will be expected to adhere the policies of social distancing and wearing of facemasks. CHANGING OF CLASSES/LOCKERS
Students will form 2 lines in the hallways when reporting to class – both moving in opposite directions.
Students will continue wearing masks during their designated locker times. Lockers will also be assigned in a staggered manner where possible.

Restrooms, hallways, Commons and the gym will be cleaned throughout the day with the use of disinfectants and EMist Electrostatic sprayer.

LUNCH
Students will line-up 6 ft. apart while waiting to be served and will be required to wash/disinfect their hands before and after eating lunch.
The cafeteria will be sanitized after each group departs.
* Although students will receive free lunch, there is a charge for water and extras for high school students. Money will not be accepted in serving line. Parents are strongly encouraged to apply for free/reduced lunch online as it will be applied for the 2022-2023 school year.

HIGH SCHOOL
Students will be served lunch according to grade levels, beginning with Seniors.
Students will be spaced in the cafeteria and Commons’ areas with limited conversations while eating.
Those students not eating lunch will also be seated in the gym and outside tables (when weather allows).
During the morning break and lunch/recess, the students will be separated as follows:

• 9^th and 10^th graders – Students will report to the Commons  and outside in designated areas
• 11^th graders and 12^th graders - Students will report to the gym in designated areas

ELEMENTARY
Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria one grade at a time.
RESTROOMS/LOCKER ROOMS
Restrooms and locker rooms will be utilized in small groups where students will maintain physical distance and wear masks.

MASSES
As with previous years, Masses for high school students will be each Friday (with the exception of scheduled Confessions), following the social distancing guidelines.

ASSEMBLIES
Students will be spaced throughout the bleachers and wearing masks during high school assemblies.
PEP RALLIES
High school pep-rallies will be conducted at the football field for faculty, students, parents and members of the SHS school community. However, in the event a pep-rally has to be moved to the high school gym as a result of inclement weather, only SHS faculty and students will be allowed to attend.

DISMISSAL
HIGH SCHOOL
High school students will be dismissed according to grade levels. Those who do not drive to school will be separated inside the foyer, under the foyer shed and along the sidewalk on the side of the building until their transportation arrives.

ELEMENTARY
Students will be dismissed according to the oldest child in elementary. We are dividing students into smaller family pods for social distancing purposes. The siblings will meet together in the following locations according to the oldest sibling’s grade level.

Oldest child is in the:
            8^th grade- Junior High- pick up in front of Junior High building
            4^th and 7^th grade- Cafeteria- pick up in the cafeteria horseshoe
            5^th and 6^th grade- Big Shed- pick up at the big shed
            3^rd grade and bus stop- pick up at the bus stop gate
            K-2^nd grade- Little Shed- pick up at the little shed.

CHROMEBOOKS/PRINTERS/COPY MACHINES
High school students will each be assigned his/her individual Chromebooks in his/her Homeroom class on the first day of school. Shared printers and copy machines will be cleaned after each use.

CELL PHONES
HIGH SCHOOL
Students will be required to place his/her cell phone in the designated areas in the foyer when entering the building. Should a parent need to contact his/her child during the school day, please contact the office.

ELEMENTARY
K-8 students are not allowed to bring cell phones onto campus.

WATER FOUNTAINS
HIGH SCHOOL
Students will be allowed to bring bottles of water instead of utilizing water fountains for use throughout the day. Students are not to drink directly from the water fountains.

ELEMENTARY
Students may bring more than one bottle of water. Please label with student’s name. Students will be allowed to refill water bottles.

TROJAN BUS CAPACITY
Athletes will be spaced as much as possible, wearing facemasks and windows will be down to provide proper ventilation when traveling on the Trojan bus. The bus will also be sanitized before and after each use.

QUARANTINE/SYMPTOMS PROTOCOL
As with last school year, a room has been designated near the office area as a “Quarantine Room” in which students with any symptoms will be placed in isolation until the parents/guardians have been contacted and are able to pick-up his/her child. This room will be disinfected after each use.

The registered school nurse will conduct “Contact Tracing” while conducting the proper protocol directed by the CDC, LDOE and Diocese for any child who tests positive for COVID-19 or is determined to be a Positive Contact.

As directed, the school nurse will also contact the Superintendent to report any faculty, staff or student with COVID-19 positive tests, or who have been identified as having experienced close contact exposure.

A close contact is defined as anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour period. Contact tracing begins 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms of the COVID positive case.

Students and staff are considered close contacts of everyone in their household and any members of their carpool (if they were in contact for more than 15 minutes in a 24  hour period regardless of mask use) who test positive.

Day 1 of quarantine will be the test date of the positive person, not the day of the onset of symptoms.

NON-VACCINATED STUDENTS AND STAFF
Any student/staff member who has had close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 can return:

• With dated documentation of a confirmed case of COVID-19 within 90 days of contact or
• After day 10 of quarantine without testing for COVID-19 or
• After day 7 of quarantine with negative COVID test (ONLY IN AN ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUAL) AND
• If they are symptom free for 24 hours prior to their return date and
• If they are fever free for 24-hours prior to their return date without the use of fever-reducing medication.

VACCINATED STUDENTS AND STAFF
Any student or staff who is fully vaccinated will be exempt from quarantining after close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have symptoms.
 

• Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after both doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
• If the vaccinated student or staff becomes symptomatic after a close contact, please refer to the non-vaccinated students and staff policy stated above.
• Proof of vaccination will be required to determine eligibility of exemption.

SACRED HEART SCHOOL WILL NOT ACCEPT OVER THE COUNTER HOME COVID TESTING NOR COVID ANTIBODY LEVELS. ALL COVID TESTING MUST BE PERFORMED BY A MEDICAL PROVIDER OR LABORATORY.

CONTACT TRACING
PARENTS MUST NOTIFY SHS IMMEDIATELY if their child has symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive for COVID-19, so that the school may immediately begin contact tracing in an effort to limit spread and decrease the likelihood of virtual learning or cancellation of school and athletic/extracurricular activities.

STUDENT ABSENCES
Please notify the school nurse any time your child is absent or will be arriving to school late. The nurse will need to discuss any COVID related symptoms (including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea). If the student is absent for reasons other than this, you may state that absence is “not COVID related”. Please contact the school nurse by phone or email at ashley.lafleur@shsvp.com.

When being tested for COVID and waiting for results, the student and household contacts are not allowed to return to school until the results are returned and are negative. Also, if a student has a negative rapid test and the physician orders a PCR, the student cannot return to school until they have a negative PCR result.

VISITORS’ POLICY
Closed Campus – As with the previous school year, visitors on campus will be limited to include essential personnel, students and only parents who have received prior approval of administration. Visitors will be required to be required to health screening and wear masks, which will be communicated to the school community. Parents will be required to follow the same protocol as last year when signing students in and out of school and when bringing and picking up items.

SCHOOL CLOSURE
In the event the school is required to be closed as a result of Federal, State and/or Diocesan mandate, faculty and parents will be notified immediately by the administration through various methods which include email and ParentSquare