In response to current guidelines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), Chaminade’s Return-to-School Task Force has committed extensive resources to safeguard the health and safety of our students and employees when we are allowed to reopen for in-person instruction. Chaminade is committed to complying with all requirements of the DPH, as well as applicable and feasible recommendations.
Below is an overview of all we are doing to safely welcome back our students and employees. Be advised that the fluidity of the situation may result in revised state and local recommendations and protocols that can affect our planning at a moment’s notice.
Compliance Oversight Task Force
The Compliance Oversight Task Force is coordinating all efforts to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 at Chaminade. It is responsible for adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols issued by the county. It also advises and oversees the work of each campus’s own Compliance Task Force, which are responsible for establishing and enforcing campus-specific safety protocols, as well as educating students and employees.
School Exposure Management Plan
Each campus’s Compliance Task Force is responsible for monitoring on-site adherence to safety protocols, and responding to reported COVID-19 cases among students and/or employees by activating the School Exposure Management Plan.
Student and Employee Health Screening
All students and employees will be required to perform a COVID-19 health screening at home using the Ruvna Health application before arriving to campus each day. The at-home health screening will include:
- A COVID-19 symptom check.
- Questions to ensure that all students and employees entering campus are not manifesting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, either currently or within the past 24 hours.
- Questions to ensure that all students and employees entering campus are not manifesting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, either currently or within the past 24 hours.
- Manual temperature checks to ensure that all students and employees entering campus have a body temperature below 38° C or 100.4° F.
After completing the Ruvna Health screening, students and employees will immediately receive instructions as to whether or not to proceed to campus that day. If a student or employee is permitted to proceed to campus, they will receive a QR code to present at one of the campus entry points for clearance. Among those arriving to campus, random on-site temperature checks will be conducted by staff members using no-touch, hand-held thermometers. Randomly selected individuals who have temperatures greater than 38° (C) or 100.4° (F) will be sent home. If someone appears ill, their temperature will be checked at entry and/or during the day.
Face Coverings
All students and employees are mandated to wear a clean and proper cloth face covering or mask (“medical grade” masks are not required) upon entering campus and while on campus at all times, except while eating or drinking.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
All students and employees are asked to bring a spare mask each day in case something happens to the mask they wear upon arrival. Chaminade has also procured additional PPE: extra face coverings, masks, and shields; disposable gloves and gowns; no-touch, hand-held thermometers.
Physical Distance and Signage
A combination of signage, arrows, and other markings have been placed on doors, floors, walkways, stairways, and walls to signify the need to maintain six feet of physical distance. There is also signage to designate entrance and exit doors, one-way traffic patterns, and space to queue before entering a room or building.
Classroom Furniture
Classroom furniture is arranged to maintain at least six feet between the room’s occupants. In student and staff support spaces (i.e. library, counseling office, faculty lounge) communal, non-cleanable fabric furniture has been removed and replaced with student desks and chairs that are spaced out six feet apart.
Proper Hygiene
Sufficient amounts of ethyl alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% ethanol) has been procured and deployed throughout common spaces, classrooms, and offices. Freestanding units have been secured and will be placed in common spaces around the campuses.
Portable Handwashing Stations
Portable handwashing stations have been placed in strategic locations on the campuses to promote frequent handwashing while minimizing movement and relieving pressure on limited bathroom access.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces occur several times a day using EPA-registered disinfectants approved for viral/bacterial pathogens.
Deep Cleaning Practices
Intensive deep cleaning will occur in spaces utilized by an individual who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. Janitorial staff will use EPA-registered disinfectants approved for viral/bacterial pathogens.
Classroom Ventilation
The following changes to the operation and maintenance of our ventilation systems have been implemented:
- Portable medical-grade HEPA/carbon air purifiers have been installed in all classrooms.
- The outside air mixture in our systems has been increased to improve ventilation.
- Existing system filters have been replaced with higher efficiency MERV 13 filters to provide enhanced filtration. MERV 13 filters are highly effective in lowering the concentration of airborne particulates.
- Classroom windows and doors (where practical) will be opened to increase air circulation.
Food Services
The following measures are in place to maintain physical distance during school meals:
- Campus food services have instituted a new “no-touch” food service system utilizing the online and mobile applications, MySchoolBucks and MealViewer. Students and faculty can preorder packaged meals ready for pick up at the beginning of lunch.
- Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas will continue during lunchtime.
- Staff members will be deployed during meals to monitor physical distancing.
- Queues have been reimagined so that students will pick up food from one entrance. Markings on the floor will assure there is six feet between students in this line.
The cafeteria and outdoor eating areas have been redesigned to allow for a minimum of six feet between all tables and chairs. Extra outdoor seating has been made available.
Daily Bus Services
Mission School Transportation will health screen bus drivers each morning. Students will show their Ruvna Health QR code to their bus driver prior to boarding their morning bus. Additionally:
- Students will be required to wear a face-covering during the entire bus ride.
- Students will load the bus from back-to-front and depart the bus from front-to-back.
- No more than one student will be assigned per bench seat.
- While DPH guidelines allow one student at every bench seat, barring further developments Chaminade will keep one bench seat empty between each student.
- Windows will be open when weather conditions permit.
Bus drivers will wipe down high-touch surfaces between multiple afternoon route runs, and buses will be sprayed back-to-front with disinfectant after the last morning and afternoon run.
We know that many challenges are ahead as we safely reopen our campuses when we are allowed to open for in-person instruction. However, through our faith in God and our willingness to collaborate together, we will emerge as a stronger Chaminade family as we focus our energies on providing the integral, quality education that is at the heart of our mission.