SchoolPass & Carpool Hangtags:

• You should have received a welcome email and instructions for configuring your parent account in SchoolPass. All parents should have received this by now.
  
  Please email support@laurenceschool.com if you need help logging into SchoolPass for the first time. You can also refer to these tutorials to get you started.
   
• From the SchoolPass app or website, you will complete your child’s daily Wellness Questionnaire, communicate carpool changes, and report absences and late arrivals/early dismissals.  
   
• Additionally, if you haven't already, you will be receiving Laurence hangtags in the mail with your carpool number on them.  Please hang these tags from the rearview mirror of any car that will be coming to pick up your child.  

• In order to reduce the risk of exposure and number of people on campus at any given time, parent and visitor access to campus will be limited to specific times and events. All visitors will be asked to comply with current guidelines.

Procedures for Parent Access to Campus

• If parents need to drop something off for a student (e.g., lunch or homework): Please call in advance so that the front office is aware of who might be coming to campus.
   
• If parents need to drop a student off late: Please call in advance so that the front office is aware of who might be coming to campus.
   
• If a parent needs to pick up a student early (e.g., appointment or sick): Please call in advance so that the front office is aware of who might be coming to campus.

School Pass Wellness Check

• Every morning before arriving at school (or the bus), all students, faculty and staff will be required to complete a daily wellness check using the SchoolPass app.
   
• The wellness check will focus on COVID-19 symptoms such as:
   
  • Is your child feeling sick today?
     
  • Is your child having any symptoms of illness including but not limited to: Runny nose, sore throat, headache, chills, new cough, congestion, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, nausea/vomiting or diarrhea?
     
  • Has your child had a fever above 100.4F in the past 72 hours - OR - used any medication such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil) to control a fever in the past 24 hours?

Note: We’re counting on you to help keep our community healthy and safe. Please answer all questions honestly and take your child's temperature at home each day. Nurse Caryn is available to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Face Coverings/Masks 

• Mask wearing will be aligned with the current LA County requirements.
   
• Effective, Monday, March 14, masks are strongly recommended during the following times:
  • While inside any classrooms/indoor spaces
  • On the bus 
  • During camp assemblies
  • When walking to/from class 
  • At carpool
     
• PLEASE NOTE: We recognize that many of our families may still choose for their students to wear masks. This is a personal decision that we will fully support.

Bathrooms

• Only one student will be allowed in a bathroom at a time. Signage and physical distancing ground stickers will be in place to help students remember. 
   

• Hand hygiene is an important part of our efforts to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Practicing hand hygiene, which includes the use of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) or handwashing, is a simple yet effective way to prevent the spread of infection. CDC recommendations reflect the critical role of hand hygiene.
   
• When we return to school, teachers will develop routines enabling students to regularly wash and/or sanitize their hands at staggered intervals. 
   
• Please help us in our efforts to mitigate risk by teaching your children when and how to wash their hands to stay healthy.

Hand Washing on Campus

• Hand-washing breaks will be scheduled, and teachers will encourage students to wash their hands frequently throughout the day and at key times.

Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

When to Wash Your Hands

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

• Before and after eating food
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• Before touching your eyes, nose, and mouth 
• After touching a contaminated surface or object
• After blowing your nose
• After coughing or sneezing into hands 

• Touchless hand sanitizers are available in each classroom.

• Water bottling filling stations are located about the campus. Drinking fountains have been sealed off.
   
• Please send a labeled refillable water bottle with your child each day.

• Touchless hand sanitizer stations have been installed throughout campus and in each classroom to facilitate students' ability to sanitize their hands as they enter and exit their classroom and frequently throughout the day.
   
• Bathroom sinks and toilets have been updated with touchless hand washing and flush mechanisms.

• Fresh air is important! Teachers will open windows and doors whenever possible to increase the flow of fresh air into the classroom.
   
• The school will be upgrading filtration and ventilation, including installing MERV 13 rated filters, known to be a successful method of filtering airborne pathogens.

School Facilities

• Our facilities team and nightly cleaning crew are increasing cleaning and disinfecting efforts throughout the day and evening.
   
• Our Clorox 360 Electrostatic Sprayer (also known as a fogger) is available and will be used as needed. 
   
• High-touch and common areas, such as door handles, outdoor tables, etc., will be cleaned and disinfected as needed throughout the day.

Cleaning Chemical Information

• All chemicals used during the day are EPA-approved for human safety and for effectiveness in killing viruses and germs.
   
• Higher-grade disinfectants for increased sanitizing will only be used overnight. All spaces where these are used will be safe for students and employees by morning. 

• All employees have been provided with the Cal OSHA CPP explaining our detailed protocols and procedures for heightened healthy, safety and hygiene. That document can be accessed here.
   
• During our in-service week for faculty and staff, our Health Office personnel will review the following:
  • Enhanced sanitation practices
  • Screening practices 
  • COVID-19 specific symptom identification and school protocols
  • Our plan and procedures to follow when children or adults become sick at school. 

• Prior to our return of students to campus, we will send information via email explaining our health, safety, hygiene and risk mitigation protocols.
   
• To get a head start on teaching your children about the proper use and removal of masks, click here for tips from the CDC.

• The school will follow LACDPH and our Medical Task Force's recommendations regarding faculty and student testing. Laurence may conduct baseline testing when students return to campus following academic breaks. This will be determined based on local COVID statistics and in conjunction with our medical task force. 

• An individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 90 days may not need to test at our regular on campus testing events. Please contact the health office for further guidance.

• All students must be fully vaccinated (as defined by federal, state or local authorities) against COVID-19 for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. 

• We strongly recommend that all students and employees be immunized each autumn against influenza (flu) unless contraindicated by personal medical conditions.
   
• The school will provide flu shots for faculty and staff, as we do every fall.
   

What to do if your child is not feeling well AND/OR if you think they have any COVID-19-related symptoms (for example, but not limited to, fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and/or diarrhea within the last 48 hours).

Before You Arrive on Campus: 

• If your child does not feel well for any reason, report these symptoms by contacting the Health Office.
   
• Keep your child at home. 
   
• Contact your Pediatrician.
   
• The nurse will follow up with you regarding your child's symptoms.
   
• All students who have COVID-19-related symptoms will be asked to seek a COVID-19 PCR test.
   
• If your child has a fever and tests negative for COVID-19, they may return to school after being fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and when other symptoms have improved.
   
• In all other instances, when your child can return to school after a normal illness will be determined on a case by case basis, at the discretion of the school, using LACDPH protocols and the advise of your pediatrician.

See the Return to School section below for more information about coming back to school.

While Your Child is at School:

• Please instruct your child that if they start to feel unwell and/or experience any COVID-19-related symptoms during the school day, please immediately tell their teacher.
   
• The teacher will call the Health Office, and the nurse will assess the student.Your child may be asked to go home at the discretion of the school.
   
• If your child is sent home, please contact your Pediatrician. 
   
• The nurse will follow up with you regarding your child's symptoms.
   
• All students who have COVID-19-related symptoms will be asked to seek a COVID-19 PCR test.

See the Return to School section below for more information about coming back to school.

Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face
   

• Once a student is in the Health Office, our school nurse will determine if the student has any COVID-19-related symptoms. 
   
• Students with possible COVID-19-related symptoms will be immediately isolated.
   
• The School Nurse will contact the student’s parents and/or emergency contacts.
   
• While student waits to be picked up:
  • The school nurse or Health Office Manager will make sure the student is wearing a face mask.
  • The school nurse or Health Office Manager will supervise the student while wearing proper personal protective equipment.
     
• The Health Office will also follow up with the Administration and classroom teacher with next steps.

• The CDC and LACDPH considers a close contact to mean that you were sharing indoor airspace with who tested positive for COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period irrespective of whether masks were worn. A person is considered to have been exposed to a case during the infectious period if at least one of the following criteria are met:
   
  • Sharing indoor airspace with the infected person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
    
    OR
     
  • Having had unprotected contact with the infected person’s body fluids and/or secretions of a person with confirmed COVID-19 (e.g., being coughed or sneezed on, sharing utensils or saliva, or providing care without using appropriate protective equipment).

• Please see LACDPH's Exposure Management Plan for important procedures and protocols that the school will follow in the event of a positive case of COVID-19 on campus.
   
• Below, you will also find information about procedures and protocols regarding what to do if your child has been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or if your child tests postive.
   

• If your child has had recent contact (under our definition of "close contact" above) with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, notify the school:
  • Email your Division Director (Liz Silverman, K-2, and Eric Hogenson, 3-6); AND
  • Email the Health Office.
  • If you have any doubt about whether your child has had recent close contact, please call the school before sending your child to school. 
    
     

• If your child resides with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, he/she will be required to follow specific protocol at school for the duration of the affected person’s isolation. Specifically:

  • Visit the Laurence Health Office each morning before going to class for an antigen test AND

  • Wear un upgraded mask (N95/KN95)

• If your child has had a recent contact (under our definition of "close contact" above) with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they should self-isolate (stay at home and isolate from others), and follow the protocols below regarding What If My Child Tests Positive for COVID-19 and Return to School.
   
  • To ensure sufficient contact tracing, we strongly recommend that you get tested if you or your child has symptoms consistent with COVID-19. 
     
  • For testing resources, visit: https://corona-virus.la/covid-19-testing.
     
  • Click here for important information and health guidelines to follow from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
     
• Please note that these same procedures and protocols apply to vaccinated employees who are contacts and experiencing symptoms. Asymptomatic, vaccinated employees do not need to quarantine, but it is recommended that they test on day 3-4 of exposure.

• If your child is confirmed to have COVID-19, you should immediately notify your Division Director (Liz Silverman, K-2, and Eric Hogenson, 3-6) and the Health Office and DO NOT SEND your child to school.
   
• The school will inform potentially impacted individuals of the possible exposure but maintain confidentiality, per HIPAA regulations. The school will also be in close communication with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health as required by the County. 
   
• You will be asked to identify anyone your child was in close contact with, as best they can recall, from two days before symptom onset, which is considered the infectious period. If they are asymptomatic, you’ll be asked to identify those they had close contact with two days before their COVID-19 test, and in the prior 14 days (including other students, teachers and other school employees). 
   
• Please note that these same procedures and protocols apply to employees, as well.

Normal Illness, Cold, Allergies, Etc.

• All students who have COVID-19-related symptoms will be asked to seek a COVID-19 PCR test. These symptoms are defined as, but not limited to: Runny nose, sore throat, headache, Ttemperature of 100.4 or above, chills, new cough, congestion, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, nausea/vomiting or diarrhea.
   
• In all other instances, when your child can return to school after a normal illness will be determined on a case by case basis, at the discretion of the school, using LACDPH protocols and the advise of your pediatrician.

If Your Child Tests Positive for COVID-19

If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 and is at home self-isolating, they may return to school under the following conditions:

• At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
   
• Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved
   
• After 10 days of isolation, an student may return with no further testing requirement if they are also fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms have improved

Students with severe to critical illness or who are severely immunocompromised:*

• At least 20 days have passed since symptoms first appeared AND
   
• At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
   
• Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved


*The studies used to inform this guidance did not clearly define “severely immunocompromised.” For the purposes of this guidance, CDC used the following definition that was created to more generally address occupational exposures.

Some conditions, such as being on chemotherapy for cancer, untreated HIV infection with CD4 T lymphocyte count < 200, combined primary immunodeficiency disorder, and receipt of prednisone >20mg/day for more than 14 days, may cause a higher degree of immunocompromise and require actions such as lengthening the duration of work restrictions.

Other factors, such as advanced age, diabetes mellitus, or end-stage renal disease, may pose a much lower degree of immunocompromise and not clearly affect occupational health actions to prevent disease transmission.

Ultimately, the degree of immunocompromise is determined by the treating provider, and preventive actions are tailored to each individual and situation.

• Please note that these same procedures and protocols apply to employees, as well.

• Laurence School is aligning with the LACDPH and CDC guidelines for travel, which can be found here: CDC Domestic Travel Recommendations. If you are traveling internationally, please reference the CDC International Travel Recommendations and Requirements. 
   
• If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Caryn in the Health Office.

Laurence School will follow the State of California and Los Angeles County’s mandates on school closure, which include:

• The school will consult with a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Officer any time there is a new case of COVID-19 with special consideration for 3 or more cases (that are epidemiologically linked) in a 14-day period, which is considered a cluster.
   
• We will follow Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance as to when we need to close the school, if needed.