Health Screening

All students, faculty, and staff will be required to complete a daily online health assessment before coming to campus. The health assessment will be reported via a smartphone app. Those without complete health checks each day will need to complete them at a health station on campus. While temperature and symptom checks don’t provide 100% assurance that an individual is not infected with COVID-19, these health checks do allow for any individual presenting with symptoms to be isolated and directed to further testing. SCH is required to report confirmed COVID-19 cases to the Philadelphia Department of Health for detailed follow up and contact tracing.

Face Coverings

All students, faculty, and staff will correctly wear face coverings when on campus. Routines for students to remove their masks while safely distancing outside will be developed. 

Preventive Hygiene 

Each room will be outfitted with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Classroom and daily routines will be developed to ensure frequent hand washing and desk cleaning for divisions where students transition rooms.
 

SCH Academy adheres to the CDC and OSHA standards for cleaning and disinfecting, using the products and practices described below: 

• Our professional cleaning staff, Interstate, will disinfect high-touch areas throughout the day and after hours. Enhanced cleaning protocols will occur after dismissal, including electrostatic technology.
• Each classroom, common spaces, and entrances will be supported by cleaning kits for students and staff to use.
• All high-touch surfaces will be disinfected regularly, including water fountains, door handles, light switches, playground equipment, and student desks. SCH is committed to maintaining an ample in-house stock of appropriate disinfecting and sanitizing products.
• All HVAC systems were checked and filters changed in June. They will be rechecked and filters changed again before the start of school. We are following manufacturers guidance on the best possible filters for each system and introducing as much fresh air into the system as it allows. All of our buildings have operable window that allow for increased airflow.

SCH Academy will continue to follow the guidance of local and national officials and experts on how to handle possible or confirmed cases of COVID-19. As we have seen, the guidance from various health officials will continue to evolve and change and our plans will need to do the same. The protocols below are from the City of Philadelphia Board of Health Guidelines for Schools (6/26/20):

Isolating possible cases on campus

If a student or adult develops symptoms while on campus, the SCH medical staff have designated isolation rooms by division. The individual will be cared for by medical staff who will wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and follow infection control practices designed to decrease the risk of transmission. The school will call parents and arrange for the child to be collected immediately. All affected rooms will be sanitized according to CDC guidelines. 

If a student or staff member has a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 

• SCH Nurses will call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) at 215-685-6741 for further instructions. 
• All children and staff in the classroom or who have come in close contact with the case (greater than 10 minutes of interaction less than six feet away) should quarantine at home for 14 days. 

PDPH will guide us in determining which individuals should quarantine. Anyone who develops symptoms during that time should contact their healthcare provider to request testing.  

If a student is exposed to a COVID-19 positive household member

• The child's pediatrician should be notified immediately. 
• The student will quarantine for 14 days.
• The positive household member should be isolated immediately from the child and other household members. 
• The child should be tested at least 7 days after the initial exposure to ensure test accuracy. If the student tests negative and remains asymptomatic after 14 days, they may return to school per their physician's instructions. 
• The child's pediatrician will advise appropriately during this time, and will receive guidance from the Board of Public Health.

Returning isolated or quarantined staff or students to school

The school will work closely with the Philadelphia Department of Health concerning any presumptive or confirmed COVID-19 cases in our community. This will include following the DOH recommendations for contract tracing, communication, and cohort quarantine, and/or the closure of any section or the entirety of the school.

The current PDPH guidance is that the COVID-positive individual should remain home until all of the following are true: 

• It has been at least 10 days since the onset of symptoms, AND 
• The individual is fever-free while off anti-fever medications for 3 days, AND 
• Their symptoms are improving.

SCH is blessed to have a large campus and small divisions with campus zones predominantly dedicated to one division. While we will not eliminate all crossover between the zones, we can ensure that large groups of students from different divisions are not moving at the same time. 

Within each division we will make the following adjustments:

• Morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up will take place at their normal times and at division-specific locations with updated protocols. These locations and times have traditionally been staggered and this will continue.
• Classroom desks and furniture will be spaced for maximum physical distancing. 
• Assemblies will be conducted virtually across campus. 
• Clear signage in all areas will direct traffic flow, stair usage, and seating for maximum physical distancing.
• Larger spaces will be repurposed for any class that does not adequately fit in its original space. This will likely include spaces such as The Chapel, Haber Room, Henry Library, and Resource Room.
• SCH libraries will continue to be open to our students, and staff will maintain social distancing and hygiene protocols.

Due to COVID-19, the Inter-Ac has a limited inter-scholastic competition this athletic year. 

We will continue to work closely with the Inter-Ac League Athletic Directors and move forward in accordance with the guidelines provided by the state and city Departments of Health and Education and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). For everyone's safety, all plans are incumbent on a decision from the city and state. 
 

SCH Academy will continue to monitor its Health and Safety Plan throughout the year and update as needed. All revisions will be reviewed and approved by the governing body prior to posting on this website. Please see below posted September 2020. 

SCH Phased School Reopening Health & Safety Plan