Safe Start 2021: Webb's Reopening Plan

Health and Safety
Tabetha Sullens

Update 7/01/21

Dear Webb Community,

  What an exciting time to be a part of The Webb School community! We are thrilled to report a record enrollment for a second consecutive year. With these new opportunities and growing community comes more responsibility and ongoing efforts to keep our community safe. Similar to last year, the Health and Safety team continues to research best practices to ensure your child’s health and safety at Webb.

  Everyone at Webb aims to create a student experience that your child can be proud of, enjoy, and glean the most valuable learning possible. We continue to practice proper hygiene, and sanitation protocols established last summer on campus to disinfect social areas. Our summer camps have proven to be safe and successful. Per the most recent guidelines published by the CDC in May, we currently ask students to distance when possible, and we encourage your child to wear a mask at your family’s discretion when distancing is not possible.  We know that these recommendations may change by August. We will continue to keep you updated as we near the start of the school year. 

  As of right now, the large majority of our faculty and staff has been vaccinated. Many of our students 12 and older are getting vaccinated as well. We plan to offer vaccinations to those new faculty and staff, along with students who are interested, at or around orientation in August. If you would like to inquire about vaccination or schedule an appointment, please contact nurse Risa Brown at rbrown@webbschool.com or 615-428-7594.

  We ask that, as partners, you monitor your child’s symptoms both at bedtime and upon rising. We will continue to ask you to refrain from sending sick children to school; please keep your child home if he or she presents with any symptoms and report those immediately to our Health Center at 615-428-7594 (call or text).  We will continue to update the COVID dashboard in the weekly newsletter.  We look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Warmly,

Dr. Tabetha Sullens’ 94

Assistant Head for Student Affairs

 

Distance-Learning Program

 

Update 8/12/20

Each day, we honor our Enduring Understandings, which are the hallmarks of The Webb School. Each person shares the responsibility and honor of SERVING OTHERS. To serve your child in the best way possible, our top priorities are student, community, and family safety. To ensure respect and care for others, we will practice daily health checks prior to students moving about the campus, with the goal of ensuring that we remain on campus for learning. The only way we can ensure face-to-face learning is by partnering with the entire school community.

Morning Health Check- Students must report to the following designated spaces to start their day.

Bus Riders- Driver takes the temperature of students BEFORE allowing them to get on the bus. Parents must wait to see if they may leave their child.  Students receive clearance bracelets for their day on campus. 

Early Students- Report to the Student Center for a clearance bracelet. All students and visitors must receive a bracelet to attend breakfast. No bracelets will be given out at the Dining Hall.

Day Parent Drop OFF-

1. Middle School (Bradley Bldg. 7:45) Tabetha
2. Upper School (Library 7:45)

Day Student Drivers- All day student drivers report to Barton Athletic Center 7:45-8:00.

Late Students- Day and boarding report to Melissa James in Rand for a temperature screening and attendance. Students must receive a bracelet prior to traveling on campus.

Boarders- All boarders report to the Student Center between 7:00-8:00 am. If a day student arrives between 7:15-7:45 am and wishes to attend breakfast they must check-in at the Student Center.

Nurses will monitor students for bracelets 7:00-7:15 am in the dining hall.

Prefects will monitor students for bracelets 7:15-7:55 am in the dining hall.

Buses

Daily bus routes will run to all normal destinations with an additional bus to Murfreesboro to lessen numbers on that bus.  Bus drivers will temp check every student before allowing them to get on the bus. We ask parents to remain in the parking lot until your child is cleared. When your child is cleared and gets on the bus, he or she will be given a clearance bracelet for the day. These are color-coded for each day of the week. Students are required to wear the bracelet for the duration of each school day. While on the bus, students will be seated one child per seat. Masks will not be required, but are highly encouraged. Buses will be cleaned after each use. We will be using an electrostatic sprayer to apply a disinfectant fog that evenly coats surfaces and kills all bacteria.

The daily bus schedule has been adjusted to accommodate our new daily schedule.  The early bus will now depart Webb at 3:30 p.m. from the parking lot behind the Big Room. The late bus run will remain the same, departing Webb at 5:45 p.m. from the Barton Athletic Center.  Please see the link below to view the specific bus route arrival times.  Please note, faculty meetings are held every other TUESDAY morning, and classes do not begin until 8:30 a.m. Therefore, morning departure times will be ½ hour later every other TUESDAY. There will be an early release every other FRIDAY, so the early bus will depart at 2:30 p.m. on those Fridays.

Dining Hall

The dining hall has been given careful consideration to lessen numbers in any given lunch. To do this, a third lunch block has been added. The first lunch is ONLY for middle school and within those numbers, seventh and eighth-grade students will rotate their days dining in the Alumni and Development building. The second lunch is ONLY for grades 9,11. The third lunch is ONLY for grades 10, 12. To keep numbers consistent, the upper grades will also rotate having lunches in the Alumni and Development building. To keep numbers consistent in all lunch blocks and sections, students are ONLY allowed to dine during their designated times.

Chapel

To foster a sense of tradition and community, students will participate in Chapel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Chapel will be live-streamed between the first and second periods. Students in the first period will watch chapel together (A and D periods). Should the community come together in grade levels, they would meet in one of the two gymnasiums, distanced, and masked.

Masks

We encourage students to select masks that are reminiscent of the Webb colors to promote school spirit. To respect our diverse school culture, we ask that students refrain from wearing masks that can be viewed as political. If students have a mask they may want the administration to consider, they may contact Mrs. Sullens or Mr. Bloom for approval. We do ask that all students have two clean masks on their person at all times.

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Before School Begins

Quarantining

Students who have traveled by public transportation after August 1 (planes, buses, subway, ride-share, Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.) will need to quarantine for seven days when arriving on campus. We will enforce masks and sanitizing during this time. Dormitories will open August 7 for quarantining students. Students will need to be quarantined in their room as much as possible. Nurses and dorm parents will monitor daily. To learn more about travel safety please visit this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/using-transportation.html.

Testing

The CDC does not recommend testing asymptomatic students/faculty/staff. The nurses will screen students as they arrive for fever/symptoms/exposure. We will enforce daily health screening. For more information on testing please visit this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/ihe-testing.html.

Orientation

Orientation Day for all new students will be Saturday, August 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Families will be asked to arrive at a specific time to ensure proper social distancing. Students will have the opportunity to visit their classes, meet their teachers, and pick up their textbooks. The Admissions Office will send out specific arrival times to families. We will be following the guidelines below to ensure the orientation is as safe as possible.

• Families must arrive during their designated appointment time
• Only two parents per student will be allowed to attend
• Temperature checks will be taken upon arrival
• Families will need to wear masks and physically distance at all times
• We encourage all families to speak with our nurses to discuss ongoing and/or existing medical conditions.

Once School is in Session

It is important to note that beginning this year ALL communication from parents regarding absence due to illness or illness of their child be directed to the Health Center. When the nurses send out their video, they will provide a cell phone number for parents to call or text.

Melissa James, Student Information Systems Specialist, will contact families if we have not heard from them regarding an absent student. Ms. James will inform the family to call the Health Center and alert the Health Center they should expect a call. Late students should report to Ms. James’ office in Rand. She will assess the student’s temperature and general health status and record attendance before allowing them to go to class.

If a faculty/staff/student presents with one or more symptom

Fever/Chills, cough, shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, muscle/body aches, headache, loss of taste/smell, rash, sore throat, runny nose/congestion are the “key symptoms” according to CDC/TDH.          

The faculty/staff/student should apply a mask asap and go to the Health Center for evaluation/isolation. (Symptomatic students should report through the side door closest to the gym. Students with non-covid symptoms should report through the front door. Proper signage will be posted on doors.) Teachers will be given a symptom flowchart.     

Day Students:

1. The nurse will notify the parent and advise to pick up their day student for testing/quarantine at home.

2. The student will remain in isolation until picked up by the parent.

3. The parent will be instructed to expect a call from the Head Nurse and will be given the Return to School form. (These will be added to the COVID section of the Handbook and can be accessed online as well.)

4. The Head Nurse, Risa Brown, will remain the Point of Contact (POC) for all COVID communication with students, parents, HD, doctor, etc. to minimize info loss/confusion, and will work with school leadership as necessary to notify “close contact” parents.

5. We ask that all students and their parents allow the Nurse (POC) to communicate suspected COVID cases and results with the community and to not disclose personal information with the community.               

Boarding Students:

The parent will be called and notified of the situation and the following steps:

1. The student will be placed in the Health Center isolation area for monitoring to determine if COVID-19 testing is warranted.

2. If testing is deemed necessary, the student will be placed in a private long-term isolation room until taken to a testing facility while waiting for results.

3. The student will be taken by Head Nurse, Risa Brown, to the local pediatrician- Dr. Charles Stimpson (Shelbyville) for evaluation and testing.

Plan A: The student will be taken to Dr. Stimpson for evaluation and testing.

Plan B: The student will be taken to Fast Pace Urgent Care for evaluation and testing.

Plan C: The student will be taken to Bedford County Health Department for testing, with a follow up appointment with Dr. Stimpson or Fast Pace asap after testing.

4. Close contacts will be identified, isolated, and all parents (of those directly exposed) will be notified.

5. Students will remain in isolation until test results received or picked up by parents, if domestic/contiguous. If a student is picked up, the parent/guardian will be given a Return to School form. (These will be added to the COVID section of the Handbook and can be accessed online as well.) The following will occur if a student is unable to go home:

a. IF POSITIVE: Students will remain in an isolation room for a duration of 10 days + 24 hours fever free (without fever-reducing medication) and symptom improvement. 10 days begins from the onset of symptoms.

b. IF NEGATIVE: Students will be allowed to return to the dorm room unless nursing staff determines that extra time is needed due to the student still presenting with fever or other worrisome symptoms. Students may be sent for an additional test based on parent/nurse collaborative decision if false negative is suspected. If a nurse determines a student needs more time in isolation, the same guidelines for the duration of isolation for a COVID-19 positive test result would be followed.

6. If while in isolation, it is determined the student needs more advanced medical care, they will be driven to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, TN for further evaluation and possible admission.

7. 911 will be called for all emergencies with transport by ambulance to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, TN             

If a student tests positive:

The Head Nurse will serve as Point of Contact (POC) for the school and will remain in contact with administration regarding all suspected COVID-19 and confirmed positive COVID-19 cases.

Day Students: 

The Health Department will assign a “contact tracer” to the student’s case. The Head Nurse will stay in communication with the contact tracer and/or parent to identify those who were in close contact with the suspected/confirmed COVID-19 case. The students and parents of those who are identified as close contacts will be notified. The Head Nurse will inform close contacts that they need to quarantine for 14 days, per CDC guidelines, and will remain in contact with parents/guardians regarding all updates. Increased sanitation/cleaning will be initiated where applicable. The Head Nurse will serve as Point of Contact (POC) for the school and will remain in contact with administration regarding all suspected COVID-19 and confirmed positive COVID-19 cases. 

Boarding Students:

The Head Nurse will begin the contact tracing process on campus and will collaborate with the Bedford County Health Department’s contact tracer to identify those who were in close contact with the suspected/confirmed COVID-19 case. The students and parents of those who are identified as close contacts will be notified. The Head Nurse will inform close contacts that they need to quarantine for 14 days, per CDC guidelines, and will remain in contact with parents/guardians regarding all updates. Increased sanitation/cleaning will be initiated where applicable. The Head Nurse will serve as Point of Contact (POC) for the school and will remain in contact with administration regarding all suspected COVID-19 and confirmed positive COVID-19 cases. 

Plan For Roommates/Suitemates/Classmates

Roommates/Suitemates should be quarantined in their rooms until we have a test result from the symptomatic student. If roommates/suitemates become symptomatic, they will be moved to a long-term isolation room. If the student tests negative and we feel confident in a negative result, roommates/suitemates may be released from quarantine. If the student tests positive, roommates/suitemates should remain in quarantine for 14 days. Classmates’ isolation and testing would depend on distancing available and would essentially follow contact tracing guidelines.

Before Any Child Can Return to School if COVID-19 is Confirmed:

Day Students:

Parents/Guardians must coordinate in advance, by phone or email, with the Health Center for the return of the student to campus. The student along with their parent/guardian will need to bring a copy of their completed Return to School form along with required documentation, if applicable, to the Health Center upon arrival to campus.

Boarding Students:

Students must remain in isolation for a minimum of 10 days after symptom onset. Students can return to school after 10 days from symptom onset if fever free for 24 hrs. without the use of fever reducers, and symptoms are improving/resolved. No further testing is required. 

Any student testing positive but remaining asymptomatic can return to school 10 days after the first positive test, provided they continue without symptoms. This is per the updated CDC recommendations as of July 24.