health and safety measures

UPDATED MARCH 4, 2021

Contact Department:
Office of the Head of School

Oversight Executive:
Head of School

Scope:
These required protocols apply to anyone on an International School of Indiana campus, including but not limited to all students, staff, faculty, contractors, vendors, suppliers and visitors.

Definition of Terms: 
Social distancing (also called physical distancing): is keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. Social distancing is a critical tool in decreasing the spread of COVID19.

Policy Statement:
These health and safety protocols have been guided by what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of our school community as we work to protect students, faculty and staff from the spread of COVID-19. These considerations are meant to supplement—not replace—any policies or procedures that inform health and safety protocols at ISI. 

Reason for Policy:
1. Personal prevention practices and environmental prevention practices including cleaning and disinfecting can help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread during school sessions and activities.

2. This policy provides guidance on how public health and safety measures will be implemented until International School of Indiana is able to return to normal operation in accordance with all public health and governmental orders. 

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Procedures:

SCREENING

Self-Screening 
Parents and employees should self-screen before coming to school. Students and employees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 could experience:

• A fever of 100.4​° F​ or greater
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills 
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Without being otherwise explained, people experiencing these symptoms are prohibited from coming to school. If they do come to school, they will be sent home immediately.  

School-Based Screenings
a) Temperature Screening

• temperature Screenings will be conducted each morning as employees and students arrive.
• any employee or student with a fever of 100.4​° F​ or greater will be sent home.
• temperature screenings will be conducted with touchless thermometers by school personnel. 

b) Health Questionnaire

• families and visitors will be regularly subject to our Health Screening Questionnaire before entering ISI buildings.  

CONTACT TRACING
The ISI school nurse is a trained contact tracer with the ability to interview people who've been diagnosed, to identify their close contacts, and apply public health knowledge necessary to support our school community. To aid in contact tracing efforts, all students will have assigned seats in all classrooms. 

MASK WEARING
As face masks are intended to prevent the unintentional spread of the virus, students, staff, faculty, coaches, contractors, vendors, suppliers and visitors must wear a face covering upon entry to any campus building, and in campus spaces where social distancing of six feet is not possible, including outdoors. Some exclusions apply based on grade level of staff position, as outlined in the COVID-19 Face Mask Policy.

HAND WASHING AND SANITIZING

• Employees and students will wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer often.
• Hand sanitizer will contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
• It is permitted for students to bring lotion to school, in case they choose to apply throughout the day, due to cracked skin from frequent hand washing.
• Employees and students will be required to wash or sanitize hands at the following times:
  • start of the school day
  • before eating
  • after using the restroom
  • after blowing nose, coughing or sneezing
  • after using shared equipment
  • movement to and from the classroom
  • additional times throughout the day as determined necessary

COHORTS

• Students are assigned to cohorts with whom they spend their school day in accordance with the Cohort Model Policy. 
• For students who participate in before and after school programming, a secondary or tertiary cohort will be assigned.  
• Teaching and learning will take place outside as much as possible. 
• Students will remain in cohorts when outside in designated areas.  

PHYSICAL BARRIERS AND GUIDES 

• Physical guides, such as tape on floors or sidewalks and signs on walls, ensure that faculty, staff and students remain at least 6 feet apart in lines and at other times.
• Prescribed procedures for entering and exiting classrooms, offices or other facility spaces will be regularly communicated.
  • individuals exiting have the right of way, and individuals entering should yield to them. 
• While students will generally remain at their assigned cohort desk during any free periods, access to the library will be limited with appropriate social, or physical, distancing measures in place.  
• Physical barriers, such as sneeze guards and partitions, are installed in areas where it is difficult for individuals to remain at least 6 feet apart.

SHARED OBJECTS

• Student belongings will be separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or areas to the extent possible.
• Sharing of school supplies is only permitted within a cohort.

VENTILATION 
Air quality has been analyzed in each ISI facility and ventilation filtration systems would be modified as needed. 

WATER FOUNTAINS
Staff and students have been asked to bring their own water bottles to school daily to minimize use of water fountains. Additional information is posted in the Meals, Snacks, Water Fountains, and Food Services policy.

COMMUNAL SPACES

• Use of shared spaces will be limited for a single cohort or staggered in timing so that there is the ability to clean and disinfect between use.
• Limited quantities of students will be permitted in bathroom facilities so social distancing can be practiced.
• Both middle school and high school students will be expected to wear PE clothing to school on days they have PE to avoid the need to use changing rooms.
  • PE lessons will be taught, outside whenever possible, with the need to keep students physically distanced in mind.  
• Faculty lounges and break rooms are closed until further notice.

FOOD SERVICE
Has been modified to serve individually plated meals in classrooms instead of in a communal dining hall or cafeterias when possible. Additional information is posted in the Meals, Snacks, Water Fountains, and Food Services policy.

CLEAN AND DISINFECT
Thorough building cleaning is provided by Coverall Service Company. Coverall is one of the few vendors nationally prepared for COVID-19 Precautionary and Outbreak cleanings. Coverall uses a health-based cleaning process, which combines advanced disinfecting chemistry and proprietary cleaning protocols. This helps reduce the risk of illness and ensure a clean facility throughout.

Every ISI facility receives a precautionary detail cleaning to prepare the buildings for a safe working environment for all. These cleanings are more methodical than normal detail cleanings, using thorough disinfection (CDC approved hospital grade chemicals for eliminating COVID-19 and other concerning pathogens). When and where necessary atmospheric air fogging is capable of disinfecting microorganisms but not damaging to any surfaces, it will be used.

During the school year, nightly cleaning crews will maintain all 3 facilities. In addition, each facility will have 1 to 2 day porters appointed to consistently sanitize high touch points throughout the entire school day. These day porters are able to take direction from the Facility Directors (Tim Davis, Diana Torres & Joel O’Neil) at any time. Otherwise, they will be actively busy working to sanitize the space before, during and after the school hours, including restrooms, high traffic areas, classrooms, offices, high touch points, etc. 

Faculty and staff will have access to products to clean surfaces in their classroom/office spaces as needed. 

FACULTY AND STAFF TRAINING
2020-2021 academic year faculty and staff orientation will include training on all COVID-19 safety protocols.

Orientation will be held virtually or ensure that social distancing is maintained.

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