COVID-19

These additional health and safety precautions are in place to acknowledge potential exposure, mitigate risks, and promote safety for our entire community while on campus. 

• Adhere to school, local, state, and federal recommendations and health guidelines as it relates to health and safety precautions.
• Daily screenings will take place in the form of self-reporting, independent precaution, and symptom evaluation by the Nurses and other licensed practitioners to inform the up-to-date risk level for the school.
• Based on current health protocols and requirements, masks are required for everyone while on campus (four cloth masks will be provided for employees and students). We understand and acknowledge that developmentally our youngest learners may have difficulty wearing masks all day. We will continue to research options to stay within recommendations and guidelines while paying particular attention to our Lower School students' needs.
• Sanitizing and cleaning processes will increase, including in between classes.
• Increase protocols to ensure proper hygiene, including hand-washing/sanitizing stations, tissues and paper towels, disinfectant wipes or spray, and gloves.
• Before the campus opens, students and employees will complete a required health assessment/questionnaire to assess household exposure to COVID-19 and overall risk level within our school community.
• Annual health forms for all employees and families including a new COVID-19 high-risk assessment, COVID-19 waiver, and COVID-19 school policy compliance pledge.
• Infection control measures in accordance with the new Charlotte Country Day School COVID-19 policy.
• New education and training requirements, along with increased communication for all members of the community related to policies and procedures.
• Campus signage on preventing illness, health and safety precautions, social distancing, and wayfinding.
• Each campus will have two health facilities: one for isolation of suspected COVID-19 patients and one for daily health room operations.
• Follow CDC and NCDHHS protocol regarding notification and contact tracing in the instance of a confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Contact Our Nurses

Cannon Campus: 7:30 am–6 pm
(704) 943-4569 or (704) 943-4568
Liz Grasty, RN
Gwen Nix, RN, BSN

Bissell Campus: 7:30 am–3:30 pm
(704) 943-4826
Wendy Barber, RN 

Classrooms, Group spaces, Events, Visitors, and Lunch.

• Adhere to school, local, state, and federal recommendations and health guidelines as it relates to social distancing and group size.
• In our current planning, the start of school will have smaller classroom sizes while maintaining 6 foot social distancing. The school will maximize classroom usage and outdoor spaces for all grade levels as good stewards of our resources.
• Lower School lunch will take place in the classrooms with the option to bring or purchase lunch for delivery to the classrooms. Middle and Upper School lunch will take place in the cafeterias with staggered lunch times to allow for social distancing requirements. We will limit unnecessary interactions with outside food and material vendors. This includes parent deliveries of forgotten items such as lunches and books.
• Use of outdoor spaces whenever possible.
• Morning and afternoon carpool modifications with faculty and volunteers assisting car exiting, but with protective measures, no direct contact, and limited interactions.
• Institution of capacity limits to allow for social distancing in spaces such as the gym, special area classrooms, hallways, etc.
• Limited or rescheduled group activities such as no field trips through September. Progression will seek advice from a wide variety of available sources, including athletic and academic associations.
• Establish dedicated entrances and exits to ensure proper traffic flow and adhere to social distancing requirements.
• Modification of programs and events in compliance with limits on crowd sizes and social distancing measures.
• Utilize staggered scheduling as needed.
• Changes to campus access for visitors and parents. Initially, we will limit Classroom Parent Volunteers until such time state guidance allows this.
• Continued use of online and virtual platforms in conjunction with in-person services to keep contact at safer levels in the areas of academic instruction, student activities, and volunteer group meetings.

We have consulted with our partners at Atrium Health to develop guidance for our families regarding face coverings. The following protocols are in place based on Atrium’s recommendations and CDC guidelines.

• Students will receive four Country Day masks by Friday, August 21. 
• Masks must be worn at all times while on campus. Face shields are only permitted if accompanied by a mask. 
• Masks need to fit snugly over the individual’s nose and mouth. 
• Store-bought or homemade cloth masks made with densely woven cotton fabrics are best.
• Single-use surgical masks, like those you can purchase at a pharmacy, are allowed. However, these masks should only be worn once and then discarded. 
• Logos or wording must be school appropriate, following dress code guidelines.
• Our Atrium Health partners have clarified that these types of face coverings are less effective at limiting exposure, therefore they are not permitted on campus:
  --Gaiters and/or any single layer thin stretchy fabric that is worn around the neck and then pulled up over the face.  
  --Mask with valves. While these masks protect the individual wearer, they may be less effective for preventing the spread of respiratory droplets. Although some of these types of masks have additional protections including filters, because of difficulty in monitoring the valves, all masks with valves will not be permitted. 
• Masks will be worn during PE and recess for the first two weeks of school to allow students to get used to social distancing requirements and practices. Please know that PE will be limited to low to moderate activity levels during this time. mask break for recess is for Lower School only. We can do mask breaks in PE. We will continue to assess these requirements and alleviate them as deemed appropriate and safe. 
• Students may remove masks briefly to eat and drink when they are socially distanced, but must place it back on immediately afterwards.  
• Masks should NOT be worn by: 
  --Anyone who has trouble breathing.
  --Anyone who cannot take it off without help from another person.
  --If any of these apply to you or your child, please contact the nurses immediately. 

• Every school morning, when arriving at the bus stop, parents will need to enter the drop off queue and wear a face mask along with all others in the vehicle.
• All passengers must remain in the vehicle until the bus arrives, at which time the parent is required to escort the student(s) to the bus.
• Parents must show confirmation of completing a daily screening assessment for their student(s), using the Magnus Health app.
• Trained personnel will take student(s) temperatures prior to loading the bus. If the screening assessment is compliant and the temperature is within normal limits, the student(s) can safely board the bus.
• If the screening assessment is not compliant and/or the temperature is above 100.4, personnel will give instructions to return home, review the next steps, and encourage prompt follow up with the divisional nurse.
• While standing in line to board the bus, students must wear masks and social distance.
• If a student walks or is walked to the parking lot, masks must be worn by all members of the household (age two and older) and social distancing must be followed. The same applies for pick-up in the afternoon.
• Cars must be parked in designated parking spaces at the church. Please depart the church parking lot immediately after picking up your child.

In an effort to mitigate risk for our campus community, visitors and guests are not permitted on campus at this time. However, we understand that some essential visitors, such as vendors, need safe access to campus. Below are the protocols for essential visitors.

Prospective parents who want to learn more about Country Day should contact the Admissions Office. We look forward to welcoming guests on campus in the future. In the meantime, please visit our website to get a virtual look.

Guest/Visitor Protocols

• Employees that are expecting an essential visitor must inform their supervisor and the front office at the Levine Center or Rea Hall.
• All essential visitors MUST be screened and temperature checked at one of the two thermal temperature scanners in those front offices.
• Please reach out to the divisional offices regarding any essential visits to campus, including lunch drop off and student early pick-up or late drop off.
• Exceptions include daily deliveries from food service, FedEx, mail delivery, etc. who typically deliver on Buccaneer Road.
• Masks are required for all during screening and when on campus.

For questions, please contact David Mancos or Greg Walters, or call Security at (704) 943-4630.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

• Individuals who are symptomatic, had a known exposure, or have tested positive should stay home, call the nurses (Cannon: 704-943-4711 or Bissell 704-943-4830), and see their health care provider.
• Individuals will not be able to return to campus until the appropriate quarantine period has passed or an alternate diagnosis for the symptoms is provided by their health care provider. 
• It is understandable that you may want to know if someone near you tested positive, becomes symptomatic, or has an exposure. Generally, we cannot disclose that information. Under federal health privacy law, we are not able to release identifying personal information, and individuals are not compelled to share this information. 
• The school's Contact Tracing Team, which is made up of school administrators, school nurses, and Atrium health professionals, will engage in rigorous contact tracing and notify individuals and groups that have had close contact with people who have tested positive. They will also work with our facilities and cleaning services to guide appropriate cleaning and disinfection of affected areas. In most cases, you will only be notified if the contract tracers determined you were in close contact (more than 15 minutes of contact within 6-feet distance) with an individual who tested positive. Simply working or being in the same building/classroom with someone who has symptoms or recently had an exposure or tested positive does not put you at higher risk for getting the virus.
• In some cases, a division or the school community will be notified of a positive case on campus with reminders of our protocols and explanation of the school decisions based on that particular investigation. 
• Once identified, individuals will be instructed to quarantine and follow up with their healthcare provider. They will only be allowed back on campus once the situation is cleared, not only by their health care provider, but also our Contact Tracing Team. 
• In the event of a close contact exposure to a known COVID-19 positive patient, employees and students who are enrolled at the school will have the option to enroll in Atrium Health’s Exposure Management Program (Get Well Loop). This program provides daily monitoring of the exposed individual virtually during the 14-day quarantine period.
• COVID-19 testing is automatically ordered for both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals at the appropriate time frames. Once the program has been completed, a return to work/school note is provided.

Atrium Health’s Exposure Management Program (Get Well Loop)

1. A COVID-19 positive patient is identified.
2. Contact tracing is performed, and a list of students, faculty, and staff who are identified as having a close contact exposure is compiled and provided to Atrium Health.
3. A member of the Atrium Health team reaches out to the individual and offers to enroll them into the Get Well Loop (available for enrolled students and employees).
   —Cost of service is $100 for enrolled students (billed through Student Billing). If a family decides not to enroll, they simply work closely with their healthcare provider and our school nurses.
   —Employees are provided this service free of charge. 
4. Exposed individual is monitored for the next 14 days virtually.
5. For individuals who are not displaying symptoms, testing is automatically ordered between days 4 and 7 of the last known exposure to the COVID positive patient. For individuals who are displaying symptoms testing will be ordered right away.
6. For those who test negative, the Atrium team will continue to monitor them via the virtual technology for the remainder of the 14-day quarantine period and provide a return to work/school note once the 14-day quarantine period is complete (provided that another exposure has not occurred and symptoms are not present).

• We will continue to monitor the situation on campus and will make any necessary decisions to mitigate risk to our community, including transitioning a pod, class, division, or school to remote learning if necessary.
• We have created a nimble and fluid plan to allow students and employees to transition in and out of on-campus teaching and learning as we know this pandemic will necessitate at times. 

• Feel free to reach out to any of the nurses with questions or concerns:
  —Cannon Campus: Liz Grasty liz.grasty@charlottecountryday.org, (704) 943-4711
  —Bissell Campus: Wendy Barber wendy.barber@charlottecountryday.org, (704) 943-4830

The school is committed to accommodating students, faculty, and staff who need to operate remotely due to being in a high-risk category related to COVID-19. Procedures and guidelines for handling absences will follow Federal and State guidelines. Please complete the questionnaire in your Magnus Health Portal to indicate this need. 

Most people within the Country Day community fall within the low-risk category, however like with any illness, heightened screening for those higher-risk individuals will help to keep the entire community safer. Based on available, current information and clinical expertise, it appears that older adults and people of any age who have underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19:

• People age 65+
• People with underlying medical conditions including, but not limited to:
  • Chronic lung disease
  • Moderate to severe asthma
  • Serious heart conditions
  • Immunocompromise (Ex: anyone undergoing or having recently undergone cancer treatment, bone marrow or organ transplantation, autoimmune disease or other immune deficiencies, HIV or AIDS, prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications, smokers, etc.)
  • Severe obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
  • Liver disease

All extracurricular activities will adhere to overall school policies and guidelines as they relate to social distancing rules and practices.

After School/Extended Day

Extended Day will be open with some modifications to meet the policies and protocols of the school, county, state, and associations. 

• Extended Day Drop-In Service has been suspended until further notice.
• After School Enrichment classes are discontinued for the 2020–21 school year.  

Athletics

Refer to the Athletics COVID-19 webpage for recent updates.

Arts Beyond Curriculum

Plays, performances, and musicals beyond the curriculum will all be adjusted to meet the guidelines and requirements necessary.

International Studies

• Initially, no school-sponsored global programs abroad and/or the welcoming of international groups to campus. We will re-evaluate the status of global programs abroad starting with trips scheduled for Spring 2021.
• International Studies will adhere to school, local, state, and federal guidelines and restrictions for global programs.
• Instead of global programs abroad, there will be an even greater emphasis on global programming through curriculum and virtual initiatives.
• All globally-themed extracurricular programs will start on a virtual platform (on-campus learning model) and eventually expand locally in the community (i.e. off-campus speakers and opportunities) when deemed appropriate by the school.
• Utilize internal and local partners to bring global programs, learning initiatives, and extracurricular opportunities to campus.
• Ensure quality and safety of programming by collaborating and communicating with other global programs around the country.