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Reopening

Health, Wellness & Safety

To promote the health and wellness of every student, teacher, and staff member, we have made many changes to our campus, our classrooms, our policies, and our daily routine. These changes stem directly from the recommendations of our reopening task forces on health and wellness; operations, facilities, and technology; and academic programming. 

Over the summer, these devoted member of these task forces examined every element of our campus and the daily life for students, faculty, and staff as part of a thorough exploration of options for a responsible reopening. The task forces have ensured we follow the best practices established by the CDC and the policies set by the D.C. Department of Health while determining whether we should open in person, virtually, or a hybrid approach. What has emerged from weeks of research and deliberation by the task forces is the following principle: While no institution can entirely eliminate risk, the implementation of consistent health protocols and evidence-based mitigation measures can significantly reduce risk and enable us to begin to bring teachers and students back to campus this fall.

 

Preventive Measures & Protocols

List of 7 items.

  • Recommended Precautions Before the Start of School

    Because COVID-19 community spread is prevalent in many states and some other countries, travel is one of the major risk factors for COVID-19. In order to minimize the risk of inadvertent introduction of COVID-19 into the school community, families are strongly recommended to refrain from travel during the 14 days prior to the start of school. We ask families to exercise other COVID-19 precautions (such as physically distancing and avoiding risky gatherings) and to have students begin using the symptom screening app daily during those two weeks.

  • Symptom Screening with the Magnus App

    Screening for symptoms of COVID-19 each morning reduces the risk that students or adults with COVID-19 could arrive at school with symptoms and spread infection. Students, faculty, and staff will be asked to take their temperature each morning and complete a short symptom questionnaire using the Magnus app, which can be downloaded to a tablet or smartphone. Magnus is the system St. Albans uses to collect health forms. The app and the COVID-19 screening are new features. Click here to learn how to download the app. (The COVID-19 screening is not accessible through the Magnus website.)

    Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

    • elevated temperature (>100.3oF)
    • cough
    • shortness of breath
    • nausea/vomiting
    • diarrhea
    • headache
    • severe fatigue
    • loss of smell or taste
    • sore throat
    • muscle/body aches

    Parents will be expected to keep students home if they feel unwell or show any of these symptoms.

  • Facemasks

    Infection without symptoms or with mild symptoms can spread quickly in a group setting. When everyone in a group wears facemasks properly and consistently and maintains physical distancing, the risk of transmission is low. All students, faculty, staff, will be required to wear facemasks at all times on campus except when participating in physically distanced conditioning, drinking water, or (when we start our Hybrid-Cohort model) eating lunch.

    • The school will provide each student with three cloth facemasks that meet international standards for prevention of COVID-19. Students may purchase additional masks at the school store.
    • Teachers and administrators will have backup supplies of masks on hand in case of emergency (i.e., forgotten, lost, soiled, or damaged masks).
    • Students will be allowed to purchase and bring their own cloth facemasks, if they prefer, provided they contain three layers of fabric.
    • Facemasks should be put on and removed with freshly washed or sanitized hands and stored in a clean bag when not being used. Facemasks should be laundered after one day of use, or earlier if visibly soiled.
    • Each student’s name must be written on the inside surface of each of his masks.
    • Students with hearing impairment may contact their advisors or homeroom teacher about requests for teachers to use clear masks when in the classroom.

  • Supplies to Bring to School

    Students should have facemasks, hand sanitizer, and a water bottle in their backpacks.

  • Physical Distancing

    Physical distancing, in combination with universal masking, helps minimize the risk of viral spread. Physical distancing will be maintained whenever students are on campus to the greatest extent possible.

    • For outside activities, students will line up six feet apart to join their classmates.
    • During outside activities, desks/chairs/exercise or activity stations will be maintained at a distance of 6 feet apart.
    • All restrooms have new, strict occupancy limits and distance markers.
    • When we shift to the Hybrid-Cohort model with cohorts of students on campus, students will line up to enter school, class, lunch, and restrooms along distance markers.
    • In the classroom, where public health guidance limits classroom occupancy to no more than 12 individuals per classroom, desks/chairs will be maintained at a distance of 6 feet apart.

  • Hand Hygiene

    Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be readily available from at least 70 dispensers located throughout the school. Use of hand sanitizer, in addition to washing hands with soap and water, will be integral to classroom, lunch, and sports hygiene protocols throughout the day.

  • Read more

    Read more precautions and protocols in the Reopening Guide.

St. Albans School

Phone: 202-537-6435
Located in Washington D.C.,  St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.