Family Update 11/18/21 and COVID Plan adjustments

Visit this link to view a recording of the call, and read on for more details and information on the updates and adjustments.

Many of us are hoping for a safer environment soon with the recent announcement of vaccination of children aged 5 and above. Fingers crossed!! Please remember, you can visit www.ourshot.in.gov to sign anyone (including all people ages 5 and up) for a free vaccination at many locations throughout the state.

To bring us in closer alignment with the current recommendations of the CDC, and help support the families that choose to participate in the vaccination effort, we are sharing some changes to our COVID Plan effective Monday, 11/29 with relaxed protocols with respect to COVID and contact tracing for vaccinated people.

A summary of the changes beginning on Monday, Nov. 29th is given here:

A NOTE ABOUT COVID VACCINATION RECORDS IN COORDINATION WITH OUR NEW COVID PLAN ADJUSTMENTS: BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO KEEP THE CONSTANTLY CHANGING COVID VACCINATED RECORDS UP-TO-DATE, FULLY VACCINATED LEARNER RECORDS MUST BE SHARED EACH TIME YOU ARE REQUESTING LEARNERS/SIBLINGS TO COME ON CAMPUS AND - CM MAY ADJUST THE PLAN ON A CASE-BY-CASE SCENARIO DEPENDING ON SYMPTOMS. THESE RECORDS WILL BE EMAILED TO THE STUDIO TEACHERS AND YOU AGREE NOT TO BRING LEARNERS ON CAMPUS UNTIL YOU HEAR BACK FROM THE STUDIO TEACHERS.

1. SIBLINGS OF FULLY VACCINATED LEARNERS:

   1. For VACCINATED symptomatic learners, their siblings will not need to stay/be sent home with the symptomatic sibling. Only the sick learner will stay home. Email your teachers with the vaccination record and symptoms when you are reporting your absence.

   2. For UNVACCINATED symptomatic learners, ALL UNVACCINATED HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, INCLUDING SIBLINGS OF THE SYMPTOMATIC LEARNER SHOULD STAY HOME. However, VACCINATED siblings or household members could return, but need to agree to send their vaccination record to the teachers each time and test the unvaccinated symptomatic learner for COVID as a part of the return process.​​​​​​​

2. FULLY VACCINATED LEARNERS WHO ARE CLOSE CONTACTS OF A COVID POSITIVE: CM learners may choose to share vaccine documentation with the school. If this documentation is shared BY EMAILING THE RECORD OF FULL VACCINATION TO THE STUDIO TEACHERS EACH TIME and the individual is considered a close contact of a person who has tested positive for for COVID then:​​​​​​​

   1. They may return to campus immediately.

   2. They should CLOSELY monitor for any symptoms developing for up to 14 days from the date of close contact. And families agree to Enhanced Precautions (per Indiana Dept. of Health guidelines) while at school:​​​​​​​

      1. Close contact must remain masked AT ALL TIMES during the school day.

      2. Close contact must maintain extra (at least 6ft) distance from others during lunch because this requires them to be unmasked.

      3. School staff should encourage as much social distancing as possible throughout the school day, and also prioritize hand hygiene (as already established in the CM plan.)​​​​​​​

   3. They are recommended to have a PCR test on days 5-7 after exposure.

   4. If they develop symptoms, they should not return to campus and they may do one of three things to return to campus:​​​​​​​

      1. A negative COVID PCR should be shared with the studio teacher, or

      2. the family will provide a note that states that the illness is NOT COVID from a medical professional, or

      3. the learner should not return for 14 days.​​​​​​​

   5. The learner should also be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement of symptoms before returning back on campus.​​​​​​​

3. STAFF COMMIT TO MONITORING ENHANCED PRECAUTIONS: For those learners returning as vaccinated close contacts as described above the school will follow Enhanced Precautions (per Indiana Dept. of Health guidelines). The staff commit to monitoring these additional precautions for the full 14 days after a potential close contact.

Please remember, IF YOU ARE TRAVELING NEXT WEEK, per CDC guidelines, here are recommendations for domestic travel for unvaccinated people on public transportation (e.g. bus, plane) OR if individuals have been in large crowds while travelling (where 6ft social distancing was not kept) families are recommended to follow these two parameters:

1. Get a Covid PCR test 3-5 days after travel and share it with your child's teacher, AND​​​​​​​

2. Self-quarantine at home for a full 7 days before returning to on campus learning. (The day you return from travel will be day 0.)