The Hebrew Academy - A Yeshiva Day School serving Toddler through Eighth Grade

Guiding Principles

The many steps that need to take place before reopening are being reviewed by our administration and  our consultants in preparation for this exciting and eagerly anticipated moment. We will be guided by the following principles in our reopening; safety, ongoing consultations with experts, educational needs, the need for fluidity and flexibility, and our campus’ physical realities.

We are committed to take the necessary safety precautions to ensure the well being of our students and faculty, as our first priority. Social distancing, health screening and preventive hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting will be priorities throughout the day. In addition, we will educate our students as to the science of transmission and Torah requirements of Vinishmartem et nafshotaichem, to guard one’s health.

• Prioritize student, faculty, and staff health and safety.
• Provide face-to-face learning instead of remote learning whenever it is safe to do so.
• Promote practices and policies to reduce risk of virus transmission by ensuring hygiene and health related policies that are research based, clearly communicated, effectively implemented, and diligently enforced.
• Demonstrate flexibility and fluidity by preparing various scenarios with the ability to move from different models on a weekly or even daily basis.

Our Roadmap is guided by four principles:

1. Prioritize student, faculty, and staff health, safety, and well-being above other principles.
2. Provide classroom learning over remote learning whenever it is safe to do so.
3. Promote practices and policies to reduce risk of virus transmission by ensuring hygiene and health related policies are research based, clearly communicated, and effectively implemented.
4. Demonstrate flexibility and fluidity by preparing various scenarios with the ability to move from different models on a weekly or even daily basis.
5. Create the best and most normalized educational environment for our children

Our plan meets the standards set forth in the guidance and reflects engagement with school stakeholders and community members, including but not limited to administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents/legal guardians of students, local health departments, local health care providers, and affiliated organizations.

Health and Safety

1. SOCIAL DISTANCING

   Infectious disease experts have promoted social distancing as an essential strategy in the containment of COVID-19. By their nature, schools are high-density, which can promote disease transmission. We recognize that to effectively reduce the risk of infection, we must implement the following effective social distancing policies:

   • Class size will be guided by NYS guidelines and our medical consultants.
   • Large common areas like the gym, cafeteria and auditorium will be limited to use by small groups only.
   • Minimizing movement between classrooms by students.
   • Masks will be worn by staff at all times.
   • Use of physical barriers where needed.
   • Students will not be able to share school supplies.
   • There will be no field trips unless approved by our medical consultants. When field trips will occur, students, faculty and staff will be asked to social distance and/or wear appropriate face coverings as the situation dictates. Visitors will be limited, and facemasks will be required of visitors as well as temperature checks.

2. HEALTH SCREENING AND PREVENTATIVE HYGIENE

   Another essential pillar recommended by health care professionals involves mandating health screenings and preventive hygiene, which begins with hand washing and use of masks. Coupled with physical distancing, these are the most effective strategies in containing COVID-19.

   • THA is planning to require individual temperature and symptom screenings prior to entering the buildings each morning as long as it is deemed as an effective method in preventing COVID-19 transmission. Our goal is to prevent symptomatic children and adults from entering our buildings. Included in the health screenings will be our staff and employees.
   • Symptomatic children and adults, and those who are asymptomatic but have been placed in quarantine due to exposure to a COVID infected individual, will not be allowed to enter our buildings.
   • Everyday hygiene practices are key to preventing virus transmission. These hygienic practices will be taught to our staff and students and will be monitored for compliance . As has been well-documented, hand washing many times daily with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is critical. In addition to hand washing, frequent use of alcohol based hand rub with formulations containing 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol is a simple yet effective way to prevent the spread of pathogens and infections.
   • If a student or adult develops symptoms while at school, we will have the individual in an isolated room
   • The individual will be cared for by an assigned staff member, who will wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and follow infection control practices designed to decrease the risk of transmission. We will call parents and arrange for the child to be picked up as soon as possible.

3. CLEANING, SANITIZING, AND DISINFECTING

   • We will implement a routine for frequent cleaning of classrooms, hallways, common areas, door handles, etc. when school is in session along with a night-time disinfectant routine. We will endeavor to follow the latest CDC guidelines, along with other occupational and environmental recommendations, and stay on top of the most current practices in school facilities.

4. COMMUNICATIONS, TRAINING AND COORDINATION

   • We will establish clear expectations for our THA community, through a structure that is both sustainable and flexible to adapt to changing realities.
   • We will implement signage in school with our protocols, hygiene and social distancing reminders. We need all members of our community to accept new responsibilities within this changed culture.
   • We will reduce contact by placing marked floor direction in hallways and stairways.

   Rabbi Avremel Kotlarsky will be the designated coordinator and the main point of contact upon the identification of positive COVID-19 cases and will be responsible for subsequent communication. He will be responsible for answering questions from students, faculty, staff, and parents or legal guardians of students regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency and the plan implemented by the school.

5. DROP-OFF/ DISMISSAL

   • In the event that our local school districts are not able to provide busing this Fall, we will be establishing a schedule for drop-offs and dismissals. Though we are planning for a full day of instruction at our schools, we may create a staggered schedule for arrival and dismissal so that we can maintain a safe system of social distancing and so that we can conduct daily temperature checks in a safe and efficient manner.

6. SECURITY AND BUILDING ACCESS

   For now, non-essential visitors will be restricted from the school building, until we can ensure our new protocols have become standard and routine.

   Essential visitors include:

   • Approved vendors, package delivery vendors, and facility specialists. Essential visitors will need access for entry through our security, which will incorporate a temperature and symptom check prior to entry. Signage at our entrances will indicate our health hygiene policy, including masks and hand sanitizing upon entering the campus. Arrival/Dismissal, Common Areas (Playgrounds, Hallways, Bathrooms etc.)

Models of Learning

In anticipation of ongoing and evolving challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hebrew Academy has developed two models for learning. These models take into account our principle which states, “Provide classroom learning over remote learning whenever it is safe to do so.” These learning models acknowledge the critical role face-to-face interactions play in a child’s learning while implementing physical distancing norms that reduce student density.

Our learning models are as follows:

• Classroom Learning Model
• Distance Learning Model

Classroom Learning Model:

This is a traditional school experience with students attending school in person five days a week with our facilities operational. This model will be used when the risk level is determined to be low. Preventative hygiene policies will be implemented in combination with realistic physical distancing guidelines. Based on our current enrollment per grade level, we plan on  using the social distance model in the classrooms of 6’ between students, which will obviate the need for students to wear masks when they are seated.

• Our classes range from 3 to 11 students per grade. As such, each grade will function as a “cohort group”.
• To the best extent possible, there will be no contact between cohorts.
• Sufficient supplies will be provided in each class to ensure no cross-contamination. The advantage of a cohort model is that if infection occurs, only the infected cohort has to be quarantined while the rest of the school can continue to operate. If a cohort must be quarantined, it will continue to learn via distance learning for the duration of the quarantine period.

Distance Learning Model:

This is the same model our community experienced in the final months of the 2019-2020 school year: our campuses will be closed and school will remain open through our remote learning experiences. This is the model of learning which will be used if it is deemed unsafe to have our students in our facility. We have learned a great deal about how to best deliver Distance Learning from our experiences in the Spring of 2020 and would use that knowledge to refine the experience in the Fall.

MISCELLANEOUS

Before and Aftercare Programs:

All social distancing policies and procedures that apply to our regular school program will apply to our before and aftercare programs as well.

Vulnerable Populations:

To the greatest extent possible, we will make accommodations for vulnerable students to allow them to participate in educational activities which may include extra PPE or social distancing for the particular student or teleconferencing and/or distance learning, when appropriate. Vulnerable faculty and staff will be encouraged to wear extra PPE such as gloves and/or face shields as appropriate.

Extracurricular Activities:

Extracurricular activity will be minimized and when they will occur, proper social distancing and/or face coverings will be required.

Food Services:

Meals will be served in the lunchroom/multi-purpose area. Appropriate social distancing will be maintained and measures to protect students with food allergies when providing meals in spaces outside the cafeteria, including appropriate staff training, will be maintained. Students will perform hand hygiene before and after eating by washing their hands. Appropriate hand hygiene will be promoted through signage and teacher reinforcement and the sharing of food and beverages will be discouraged through the same means. Additionally, cleaning and disinfection prior to the next group of students arriving for meals, if served in the same common area, will take place.

Emergency Drills:

Fire (evacuation) Drills and Lockdown Drills will be conducted as per state and town requirements.

Mental Health, Behavioral, and Emotional Support Services and Programs:

Teachers will be trained to observe for signs of mental, behavioral, and emotional issues with students.  Such students will be referred for evaluation and proper next steps will be taken.

Attendance Taking:

The school will collect and report daily teacher/student engagement or attendance, regardless of instructional setting via email and/or direct contact between the teacher and principal.

ADDITIONAL PROTOCALS FOR MONITORING OF HEALTH CONDITIONS

Testing Protocols:

Staff and students will be referred to their primary care physicians for diagnostic testing for COVID-19, in consultation with local health department officials, when needed. Symptomatic individuals, close contacts of COVID-19 suspected or confirmed individuals and individuals with recent international travel or travel within a state with widespread transmission of COVID-19 as designated through the New York State Travel Advisory will be encouraged to be tested by their primary care physician before such individuals return to school.

Testing Responsibility:

The local health department will be the community organization primarily responsible for referring, sourcing, and administering testing.

Early Warning Signs

We will follow the metrics signs established by state and local health departments that will serve as early warning signs that positive COVID-19 cases may be increasing beyond an acceptable level.

CONTAINMENT: RESPONSE AND PREVENTION

Infected Individuals:

Individuals that have tested positive and have recovered and cannot transmit COVID-19 will be allowed to return to in person learning. This will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.

Exposed Individuals:

Individuals who were exposed to the virus must complete quarantine before returning to in-person learning. This will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.

Contact Tracing:

We will support our local health department in contact tracing efforts.

Closure triggers:

In consultation with state and our local health department, we will identify conditions that may warrant reducing in-person education or closing of the school, and we will plan for an orderly closure with them.

Operational Activity:

Operations will be decreased and ceased via phases and milestones as the specific situation arises and determinations as to appropriate closures or partial closers will be done in consultation with the local health department.

In Conclusion

The Hebrew Academy is resolved to do everything it can to safely open our building. We have put in a tremendous effort to ensure we are implementing safe practices to do so based on what we know today.

Ultimately, how and when we open our buildings will be determined by regulations and guidelines provided by New York State, the CDC, and medical professionals.