COVID FAQs - Holton-Arms

Will Holton require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees?

Yes. In order to help the Holton campus and our community of students and adults remain as safe as possible, we are requiring all employees to be fully-vaccinated by August 16, the week before Pre-Season and New Faculty Orientation begins (August 23). This means that employees need to have received their final shot (either one J&J shot or a second Pfizer or Moderna shot) by Friday, July 30. Employees must upload a copy of the vaccine card to Magnus by Monday, August 2.

Will Holton require COVID-19 vaccinations for students?

Yes, all eligible students must be vaccinated or have an approved exemption to participate in any on-campus activities (pre-season, orientation, Convocation) or attend classes. The COVID-19 vaccination requirement is based on availability of the vaccines and each student’s eligibility to receive the vaccine. Currently, the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been approved for people 16 years and older and are readily available. Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for students 12 and older and is also readily available. As your child receives their first and second doses of the vaccine, please upload a picture or their vaccination card directly to Magnus. A child is fully-vaccinated a full 14 days after they have received the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

As a reminder, we are asking all families to update Magnus with their child(ren)’s medical forms by August 1st per their contract.

Why is Holton requiring students to be vaccinated under Emergency Use Approval (EUA) and before official FDA approval?

Holton-Arms School’s health policies are based on guidelines and information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Maryland Department of Health and Maryland School Health Services, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). When developing policy and making decisions, we first refer to those agencies with a depth of knowledge and expertise focused on keeping our children healthy and safe.

What if my child is eligible for the vaccine after the deadline?

What if my child requires a medical exemption?

If your child is medically unable to receive a vaccination, you will need to apply for a medical exemption, for which you must submit a letter from her doctor documenting the specific medical reason that she cannot receive a vaccination. This must be submitted by August 1st and is subject for approval by the School before the student may return to campus. All medical information will be confidential.

Are there any helpful resources about vaccines and children?

What criteria will Holton use to make campus open and closure decisions?

How will daily wellness checks be conducted?

Prior to arriving on campus every day parents are required to take the temperature of their child(ren) and answer questions about symptoms and exposure. Parents must submit temperature and screening information through the SchoolPass app or website by 7:30 a.m. each day. Students with a temperature of 100º F or above or show other symptoms may not come to campus. If a student will not be coming to campus, please notify the appropriate division assistant and the School Nurse. All students and staff are required to complete their daily SchoolPass screening when School is in session regardless of whether they will be on-campus. They will also be required to complete the screening on weekends if they are planning to be on-campus for any reason (athletics, organized social gathering, etc.).

The school’s communicable disease policy has recently been updated to include new guidelines specific to COVID-19. Adherence to this policy is part of each family’s contractual obligation to the school. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

What if a student shows symptoms while on campus?

The School will be checking temperatures of each student in the middle of the school day while on-campus and may also periodically check the temperature of students on-campus at other times. If a student presents with a temperature or other symptoms of COVID-19 while on campus, the student will be isolated and the contact on record will be notified. The student must be picked up within 60 minutes of the parent/contact being notified. If necessary, emergency medical personnel will be called. The student will be directed to consult their physician and may be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to campus.

What if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

The School will report the situation to the appropriate Montgomery County health officials according to current regulations and work with them to determine next steps. The School will follow and communicate immediately any health directives for quarantining, testing, or campus closure. As of November 6, the county has communicated that the only criteria for quarantining an individual are that the person has been within 6 feet of the infected person for 15 minutes cumulatively over a 24-hour period. In order to align with this directive and minimize the impact of a positive case on other students and faculty, the following protocols will take place upon news of a positive case on-campus:

1. Immediately: Families will be contacted via email and text alerting them to a precautionary quarantine by cohort (MS & US)/homeroom (LS) and teachers of the student in question.
2. Within the first 24 Hours: Holton staff will conduct a more extensive internal contact tracing including interview with infected individual about friend groups, lunch, class interactions and any other interactions that may be within 6 feet for a cumulative 15 minutes over 24 hours.
3. Within 2 days:

Holton will call teachers and families with children that might be impacted by above with extended quarantine details.
Holton will email impacted cohorts/homerooms to announce the timing of the precautionary quarantine lift.
Holton will report final list to Montgomery County Health Department (for non-Holton contact tracing).

While the School will work with county health officials, the School may also make its own determinations about moving groups of students (a homeroom or cohort, a grade, or a division) or possibly the whole school to Holton@Home. A number of factors will inform such decisions including but not limited to the number of suspected or actual cases and their location(s) (a single homeroom or cohort, a single grade, a single division, or multiple divisions). How long we remain in Holton@Home learning will also depend on a variety of factors as well as direction/mandates from the county health department.

What are the quarantine protocols for students or staff whom have come in close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?

Individuals testing positive for COVID-19 must follow CDC guidelines for isolating and quarantining before returning to campus. As of 12/1/2020, the CDC's guidance for asymptomatic individuals is to quarantine for 10 days. Individuals can leave quarantine at 7 days if they get a negative test on day 5 or 6.

However, anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and who has:

been diagnosed with COVID-19 illness within the previous 3 months and
has recovered and
OR has been vaccinated
remains without COVID-19 symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath) does not need to stay home.

Close Contact includes the following:

The unvaccinated student was within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a cumulative 15-minute period over 24 hours regardless of whether face coverings were worn.
The student provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19.
The student had direct physical contact with someone who is sick with COVID-19 (touched, hugged, or kissed them).
The student shared eating or drinking utensils with someone who is sick with COVID-19.
Someone who is sick with COVID-19 sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on the student.

What is the schedule for drop-off and pick-up when students are participating in on-campus learning days?

During Hybrid@Holton and "10 Grades in 10 Days" School starts at 8:15 a.m. every day with the exception of Wednesdays when the day starts at 9:25 a.m. to allow for faculty meetings and professional learning. Students will not be permitted on campus more than 30 minutes prior to the start time. This means no earlier than 7:45 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and no earlier than 8:55 a.m. on Wednesday. Unfortunately due to the need to avoid mixing the homerooms and cohorts, there will be no before-school care or breakfast. Students will go directly to their first class upon entering the building. Students will be assigned entrances and exits by cohort.

Students will be dismissed directly from classrooms when their bus or caregivers arrive on campus. Students must be picked up by the end of the academic day --no later than 3:30 p.m. There will be no Homework Zone from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Aftercare programming will only be available to those that absolutely require it and will end at 5:30 p.m. each day, as the campus will close at 6 p.m. (Register here)

What are the quarantine requirements following travel?

What other facility accommodations are being made to promote health and safety?

Signage will be placed throughout the building to indicate six-feet distance, directional flow and other virus-related reminders. Students must adhere to all posted signage, including those directing social distancing, use of elevators and common spaces.

Classrooms have been set-up to accommodate 6-feet social distancing between desks, except for some exceptions where they are 3-feet apart in compliance with updated CDC recommendations.

The School will limit the number of people in a restroom (including multi-stall restrooms) at a time. The School will be performing regular, frequent cleaning.

Can a student opt out of on-campus learning (Hybrid@Holton) once on-campus learning resumes?

Yes. Students can opt out of Hybrid@Holton by trimester, including all three if they so choose. Once a family has decided to opt out of on-campus learning, they cannot opt back in until the next trimester. This policy is to maintain a level of continuity for students and faculty. However, if a student must quarantine or is sick, they can of course engage with Hybrid@Home until cleared to return to Hybrid@Holton. A student who is sick and unable to participate in Hybrid@Home should report their absence to the appropriate division assistant, the School Nurse and normal absence policies and notification procedures will apply. Please contact Division Director for an opt-out form. Students can choose to opt-out at any point in the trimester, but it is helpful for our teachers to know as soon as possible about decisions that have already been made.

What is my assumption of risk once on-campus learning resumes?

COVID-19 is extremely contagious and is believed to spread by person-to-person contact; and, as a result, federal and state health agencies recommend social distancing and various other measures to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus. The School has implemented reasonable preventative protocols, policies and procedures designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Students and their families are expected to adhere to these protocols in order to reduce the risks of contracting or spreading the virus at the School.

Despite the Safety Policies and other measures in place to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 on campus, there are inherent risks that students and/or their families may become infected with COVID-19 due to the student’s participation in-person classes at the School. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following: exposure to COVID-19, becoming infected with COVID-19, or becoming a symptomatic or asymptomatic carrier of the virus. It is possible that a student is already an asymptomatic carrier of the virus before and that the student may infect other students, employees, or other individuals at the School as a result of their attendance. Any person who receives a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, including a student or their family member, may encounter extended quarantine/self-isolation, additional tests, medical care, hospitalization, other potential complications, and the risk of death. By allowing their child(ren) to come to campus for any reason, parents understand, acknowledge and voluntarily assume these risks on behalf of themselves and the student(s).

Will face masks be required while on-campus?

Yes. Students must wear a face mask at all times while on campus except when eating. Currently, this still applies to vaccinated people on campus. Students are expected to know how to properly use and remove a face mask. Students must arrive at campus with their mask and may choose to use either cloth or surgical masks. If students are using fabric masks, the mask must be cleaned regularly. Students needing a medical accommodation should contact the School Nurse.

We will provide students with 3 school-approved masks (uniform colors, 3-ply cotton) at the beginning of the year and will have disposal masks available if they are without one. Students can purchase additional School-approved masks through the vendor of their choice, we just ask that it comply with uniform colors and is at least 3-ply cotton. Students can wear their own preferred masks of the same quality or greater, we just ask that there are no distracting logos/artwork/phrases that would otherwise not comply with the school dress code. Faculty and staff will also be provided school-approved masks.

Will the building ventilation be upgraded to align with guidelines from the CDC and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers?

Holton consulted with system design engineers with knowledge of current research and standards to optimize the performance of our HVAC systems. Our equipment includes air handlers which bring in outside air and filter and recirculate inside air and fan coil units in each room to condition and filter the internal air. We’ve increased filtration to the maximum possible in each system. Increased outside air percentages to max possible. We have followed guidance to seal gaps in multi-filter systems

Studies show that UV light systems can be up to 85% effective which is the same level as our current filtration system. Engineers have advised that installing UV light systems in our HVAC system will not increase the effective filtration. We will be running systems 24x7 for constant air flow and conditioning.

Lower School Precautions

Air handlers bring in almost 100% outside air. 2 sets of filters on outside air. Approximately 10 complete air changes per hour
Fan coil units also have filters – filters have been increased to max filtration possible without damaging the equipment
Windows can be open – depending on heat and humidity outside will impact comfort in the classroom
Doors can be open or closed when rooms are occupied

Middle and Upper School Precautions

Air handlers flow is automatic. We are overriding the automatic system to increase the outside air percentage to the maximum possible which depends on the heat and humidity outside.
Fan coil units also have filters – filters have been increased to max filtration possible without damaging the equipment.
Windows can be open – depending on heat and humidity outside will impact comfort in the classroom.
Doors should be closed when rooms are occupied for maximum outside air circulation.