FAQs

Once a positive case is identified the school’s Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Work Flow is initiated. This individual will stay home, along with members of their household, follow up with their health care provider, follow appropriate quarantine procedures, and be invited to enroll in the Get Well Loop.

The nurses will conduct an interview with the individual, along with the parent in the case of a student to identify low-risk and high-risk exposures made by this individual. This includes questions about activities in and out of the classroom i.e. lunch, athletics, extended day, bus, etc. A thorough investigation will take place by the Contract Tracing Team based on that interview and the appropriate school officials, individuals, and families will be notified and contacted. Individuals determined to have high-risk exposure will stay home, along with members of their household, will follow appropriate quarantine procedures, and be invited to enroll in the Get Well Loop.

Students or employees 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 addition, our Atrium Health partners are providing guidance and have helped coordinate an Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Protocol. 

The nurses have developed a full flow chart based on the CDC and NCDHHS recommendations on what the steps students and faculty should take whether they are experiencing symptoms, have a known exposure to someone who has tested positive with COVID-19, or has tested positive themselves. 

This would be considered a high-risk exposure. Once identified, the school’s Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Work Flow is initiated. This individual will stay home, follow up with their health care provider, follow appropriate quarantine procedures, encouraged to get tested, and be invited to enroll in the Get Well Loop.

Students or employees 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, enrolled students and employees 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. The cost of the service is $100 for enrolled students (billed through Student Billing). 

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.

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).

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).

No, once in quarantine, you must remain there for 14 days regardless of if you test negative or are asymptomatic. Symptoms of COVID-19 usually take from 2-14 days to appear, hence the importance of the 14-day quarantine. You can always reach out to the nurses for specific questions.

• An individual who lives with someone who has been exposed to COVID-19, but has NOT tested positive can continue to come to work or school.
• If an individual lives with someone who HAS tested positive for COVID-19, then the subsequent members of the household must quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.
• PCR testing for COVID-19 does NOT decrease the number of days that you must quarantine.
• Review our Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Protocol.

We are proud of our partnership with Atrium Health, who continue to provide guidance and support, including the coordination of our exposure management and contact tracing protocols detailed below. 

Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Protocol

• 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, enrolled students and employees 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).

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. However, after rigorous contact tracing efforts by the school’s Contact Tracing Team, which is made up of school administrators, school nurses, and Atrium health professionals, individuals and groups that have had close contact with people who have tested positive will be notified immediately.

In some 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. Most likely, the division or the full school community will be also notified of a positive case on campus with reminders of our protocols and explanation of the school decisions based on that particular investigation. 

Read our Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Protocol for detailed information.

In the Lower School, students who need to take an extended absence due to a quarantine situation or similar situation will stay in their homeroom class group. 

Middle and Upper School students will follow their schedule and protocols on their regular learning from home days.

No, if your child has any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they must remain at home and return to school only after completing the proper protocol (see COVID-19 Policy). Please also review the Exposure Management and Contact Tracing Protocol.

A member of the health center will call you if your child becomes ill at school, and an appropriate pickup location will be arranged, depending on the extent of illness/injury and the student's division (Lower School, Middle School, etc.). 

No. Country Day will not require your child to be tested for COVID-19. Getting tested for COVID-19 is a decision made in consultation with your family physician/treating pediatrician. If your child presents with symptoms, however, they will not be allowed back onto campus until cleared by a physician, but it will be up to the physician to determine if a COVID-19 test is warranted.

According to our partners at Atrium Health, the most important thing to do when you get home is wash your hands. Proper hand hygiene is critical to minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Remember to wash your hands every time you take your mask off and before you put it on.

The school administration consulted with our partners at Atrium about this topic this summer and again as we approach the Labor Day weekend. Due to a variety of factors, the recommendation is to not have a flat travel ban, but a strong encouragement for families to maintain social distance and mask protocols while not at school to minimize risk of exposures whether you are in Charlotte or traveling.

Lower School students will return to campus in a "split group" pod model. This means that Lower School students:

• Will be assigned to a homeroom class, as they have in the past, but then will be divided into two equal "pods," who they will stay with throughout the school day.
• Each pod will have their own learning space--using the traditional classroom space and an additional space on campus.
• Our assistant teachers and lead teachers will rotate between the pods, working equally with each pod.
• Students will rotate between the learning spaces on a weekly basis, but to ensure safety and distancing in the classroom, will not be in the same space at the same time, or on the same day.
• To launch the school year, our special area teachers will be assigned to two homeroom classrooms, where they will rotate through the pods to provide instructional and social-emotional support to our students.
• Students will have physical education outside, weather permitting, in their pods 2-3 times a week, in addition to two recesses a day. Due to the size and open nature of our campus, we will also provide ample opportunities for our students to get outside. 

Student drop-off this year will run from 7:45 -8:30 am, and the school day will begin at 8:30 am. The increased drop-off time will allow families flexibility for when they arrive to campus in the morning, and will allow our school to do the quick health screening (including temperature check) to safely begin the school day. Students will go directly to their classrooms when they arrive- at this time we will not be able to have supervised morning wait. The timing of the end of the day will be similar to the times in the past, though to safely dismiss our students, we'll have to stagger our dismissal time in a way where grades have the ability to dismiss from both the front of campus and the back at the same time. More communication will be sent out shortly with more end of day details, as well as details about our first week of school.

Because the Lower School is bringing all students back to campus, we are working on a potential staggered start for the first week of school to allow students to transition appropriately to being on-campus every day. More information will be shared soon.

In our current learning model, Middle and Upper School students will alternate days on campus and learning at home in an alternating A/B schedule. Teachers and classrooms are equipped with an integrated educational technology system (Microsoft Teams in Upper School, Google Team in Middle School, live video, chat, screen share, etc.) that allows for students at home to watch the lesson, engage with their teacher and classmates, ask questions, and more.

This allows for the students to participate, learn, and engage in meaningful ways while allowing the school to maintain appropriate social distancing requirements in this blended learning model. This also allows students who need to be home for 14 days for quarantine or are unable to join us on campus for other reasons to seamlessly transition to on campus or learning at home.  

Read more details about the Learning at Home model.

In order to maintain proper social distancing, Middle and Upper School students are not able to attend on-campus on both A and B days.

If, for public health reasons, students and faculty must continue with full remote operation, Country Day is able to transition to Online Learning when needed to ensure the safety of our community. Online Learning does not change our mission of providing excellence in education to prepare students for their future. While Country Day was able to transition to emergency remote learning for a short-term crisis period at the onset of COVID-19, we are no longer in response mode for a sudden crisis.

Country Day’s online learning model includes regular, live (synchronous) experiences as a component of instruction, with check-ins for wellness and support during learning from home. Instruction will also include additional lessons and assignments that students can complete during the day on their own schedule. Teachers will utilize consistent tools within each division to streamline the student experience.

The school will communicate regarding any transitions between learning models via e-mail, text, and phone call.

Lower School students will be placed in pods with half their class. Because of the individualized nature of students’ courses of study in Middle and Upper School, cohorts will not be in place. Upper School will prioritize other health and safety measures, such as facial coverings, social distancing, and hand hygiene to mitigate COVID-19.

Note: these plans are still developing and are subject to change

Lower School 

Junior Kindergarten: 8:30 am–1:15 pm
Kindergarten: 8:30 am–1:45 pm
First Grade: 8:30 am–2:15 pm
Second Grade: 8:30 am–2:30 pm
Third Grade: 8:30 am–2:45 pm
Fourth Grade: 8:30 am–3:00 pm
Student drop-off will run from 7:45–8:30 am and students will go directly to their classrooms when they arrive. Dismissal times are staggered in a way where grades have the ability to dismiss from both the front of campus and the back at the same time.

Middle School

9:00 am–3:30 pm
Students report directly to their advisory locations.

Upper School

9:00 am–3:10 pm
Students report directly to their advisory locations.

Read details about arrival and departure procedures.

Morning care is not available at this time.

If you are coming to school late, please call your divisional front office for instructions.

Yes. Parents are expected to complete a daily health questionnaire, including temperature reading, through an easy online form before they arrive on campus. Subsequently, during the arrival process, another temperature check will be made before students are allowed on campus. Read more details here.

--Lower School screening begins at 7:45 am and takes place in designated carpool areas. 
--Middle School screening begins at 8:15 am and takes place behind the gymnasium, which is where cars will need to come each morning.
--Upper School screening begins at 8:15 am and takes place at the regular drop off area along the Purdy Center. It stays open until 10 am to accommodate students who do not have first period.

If the screening assessment is not compliant and/or the temperature is above 100.4, Atrium Health personnel will give instructions to return home, review the next steps, and encourage prompt follow up with the divisional nurse. All vehicle occupants must return home.

To encourage students to be outside as much as possible, athleisure such as athletic shorts and T-shirts are permitted every day. All other dress code rules are in effect. No clothing with rips, holes, exposed midsections, shear material, low cuts, spaghetti straps, halter tops, or offensive or suggestive wording or logos. Lower School students must continue to wear sneakers every day. Middle School students are very much encouraged to wear sneakers as well.

Lower School students will eat at their desks in their classrooms in small groups with the option to bring their lunch or purchase a box lunch for delivery to the classroom.

Middle and Upper School lunch will take place in the dining hall with staggered lunchtimes to ensure social distancing requirements. We will limit unnecessary interactions with outside food vendors, including parent deliveries of forgotten items such as lunch and books. Middle and Upper School students can also order a boxed lunch ahead of time.

Lower School students will have physical education outside, weather permitting, in their pods 2-3 times a week, in addition to two recesses a day. Due to the size and open nature of our campus, we will also provide ample opportunities for our students to get outside.  

Middle and Upper School students will have breaks, advisory, and lunch during the school day, with appropriate health and safety protocols in place.

We will make decisions about Middle and Upper School athletics based on guidance from the NCISAA and in concert with other independent schools in the city, state, and region. Athletics will be guided by best practices in health and safety and in accordance with our protocols.

Please check the Athletics COVID-19 page for up-to-date information.

Though some courses, such as choir and band, will be structured differently, students will have access to the same arts offerings of the past. 

For Middle School, to decrease safety risks, students will not sing in chorus or blow instruments in band. Fine arts students meet both asynchronously and synchronously and connect every day as a class on Google Meet. Because fine arts classes are skill-based and process-oriented, students will receive instruction and individual help while in the classroom, on campus. During remote learning days the expectation is that students review the previous day’s lesson and practice those skills at home.

Lower School students will participate in recess twice a day within their cohorts. Masks will be worn at all time while on campus. 

At Country Day, we value the physical wellness of our students. In order to accommodate the smaller group sizes, Lower School students will participate in P.E. but not every day with appropriate health and safety protocols in place. At the time, Middle School will have P.E. as scheduled. Masks will be worn at all times while on campus. 

High-touch surfaces are cleaned frequently throughout the day by facilities staff. Restrooms are cleaned regularly throughout the day by the cleaning staff.

The cleaning staff has participated in training and conducts intensified cleaning throughout the campus nightly.

All classrooms have cleaning supplies available that teachers can use at their discretion. All classrooms have been fogged with chemicals that last 90 days and all classrooms are cleaned each night.

Country Day benefits from a long-standing partnership with the Budd Group to execute the high level of cleaning and sanitization necessary at all times for our school, but especially right now. The Budd Group has 57 years of experience in disinfection services. With their help, we can take extra precautions when it comes to infection control. As the largest janitorial, facility services, and disinfection provider in our markets, The Budd Group has the staff and experience to disinfect our facilities efficiently and safely. Plus, they know which tools, and which products, are most effective at killing pathogens and preventing their spread.

• The school has several misting, fogging, and electro-static machines at our disposal. 
• Increased cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces throughout the campuses.
• Increased education and protocols for employees to perform routine sanitizing of desks and materials in their areas of use (classrooms) throughout the day unless extenuating circumstances exist. Cleaning materials will be supplied by the school. 

• On a daily basis, our custodial partners, The Budd Group, cleans with two primary products manufactured by Diversey, Inc:
  1) Virex II 256, a hospital grade disinfectant listed on the EPA/CDC website for COVID-19;
  2) Alpha-HP, a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner, listed as Phato 1:64 on the CDC website with the same EPA registration number as Alpha HP of 70627-62.
• Alpha HP is primarily used during the day, since hydrogen peroxide poses less risk if one of the day porters had just wiped down a touch point and someone touches behind them.
• Virex is typically used by the evening crew and is a little harsher disinfectant.

Additional Processes Used by the Budd Group

• ProTech—spaces are disinfected with the Virex II 256, then BioShield is electrostatically applied with a special electrostatic misting machine. This product and the electrostatically charged spray provide a 90-day “preventative” barrier to growth of spores and bacteria. 
• ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)—testing to monitor the “cleanliness” of surfaces and performance of the barrier over the 90 days.

Safety Data Sheets

• Pro Tech
• Virex 256
• Alpha-HP
• BioShield

Over the past few months, our Emergency Planning Team has undertaken a comprehensive review of COVID-19 public health guidance, state reopening guidelines, our campus footprints, school logistics, parent surveys, and consultations with NAIS, SAIS, and INDEX peer schools, to deliver a multi-faceted plan that was reviewed by the Board of Trustees, and faculty and parent groups in late June. Informed by regular engagement with medical experts, peer schools and international schools that have reopened, as well as numerous local, national, and international resources and organizations, the Reopening Plan was developed with care and focused intention on balancing the delivery of academic excellence while mitigating risk in our community.

Student and faculty health will always be a priority as we make decisions to transition in and out of the three models we developed -- fully on-campus with safety precautions, blended, and online -- as appropriate. Our plans are based on what we know today about the spread of this virus from recommendations by national and local public health authorities, physician consultations, and in accordance with state guidelines and phasing.

The school will continue to communicate decisions and plans early and often.

We truly benefit from strong local, national, and international organizations and partnerships both in and out of education to help inform our decisions and work collaboratively for the benefit of our communities.

First, we do not take the health and safety precautions lightly. From mandatory wearing of masks for all students and employees, social distancing, daily screenings, contact tracing, and sanitation and hygiene protocols, we can assure you that the team here is working tirelessly reviewing every step of the day to ensure that we are doing everything we can to mitigate risk. From looking at every single shared use piece of equipment to campus mining all acres of our Cannon and Bissell campuses to maximize space usage, we are uncovering every rock to make sure we are ready.

Secondly, Country Day has always benefited from a strong parent/school partnership. That foundation and trust will help bolster us as we all make decisions in the months ahead to do what’s best for our entire community. Despite this time of enormous uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, we remain steadfast in our promise to continue providing the highest level of instruction—whether students are on campus or learning remotely.

To do this well, we will rely on families to do their part to protect the school population. Just as families can depend on the school to mitigate risk on campus for our students and teachers to the best of our abilities. Through deep and thoughtful planning, constant communication, and collaboration with the organizations referenced earlier, we are doing everything within our control to mitigate risk while delivering a Country Day education.

• Our investments in educational technology tools and training over the years allow for our Middle and Upper School students who need to be home to participate, learn, and engage in meaningful ways including outfiting every classroom with flexible video and screen share technology, providing laptops/Microsoft Surfaces/iPads to all faculty.
• Campus bandwidth, network infrastructure, and wireless system has been improved to increase efficiency and redundancy. 
• Additional cameras in all divisions to support synchronous connectivity. 
• Increased professional development for all faculty over the summer in preparation for the increased needs in online and blended learning this year.
• Increased investments in sanitation and disinfection solutions including several misting, fogging, and electro-static machines, hand sanitizing stations, etc.
• Upgrades to the air conditioning systems: Increased the MERV count and frequency of changing our filters. We are also working to upgrade our HVAC systems. We are also pursuing safe options for those classrooms which are not part of a central HVAC system.