The Heschel School

Vaccination

• Heschel has mandated Covid vaccination for all eligible members of our student body, faculty, and staff (everyone age twelve and up).  Students who turn twelve must receive their first vaccination shot within fourteen days of their birthday.  

• Please be sure to upload proof of vaccination to Magnus in the immunization section as soon as possible.  No one who is eligible will be allowed to return to school without uploading proof of vaccination.  

Masking

• Everyone entering Heschel’s buildings must be masked and must remain masked unless actively eating or drinking during approved times and in approved spaces.  

• It is very important that everyone has a well-fitting mask. If the mask is cloth, it should be double layered.  Surgical masks are available upon request.  

Eating

• Nursery through Grade 6 (unvaccinated students) will have lunch delivered to their classrooms. Lunch will be distanced, short, and quiet.

• Grades 7 through 12 (vaccinated grades) will have lunch available “grab and go” style and students will be able to eat in areas that provide appropriate space and that are supervised in an effort to minimize unmasked time.

Mandatory Covid Testing

• Heschel will be requiring all students, faculty, and staff -- unvaccinated and vaccinated -- to take and submit the results of three PCR Covid tests from any convenient testing site. All results must be uploaded to Magnus.

If you have trouble finding a testing site, please contact Rhonda Avner (rhonda.avner@heschel.org).  

Covid Testing for Symptoms

• Anyone experiencing any Covid-like symptoms must stay home, let our nursing team know by emailing nurses@heschel.org, get a PCR Covid test, and send the results to our nurses.  Please be vigilant about staying home if they are symptomatic.  

Quarantining

• Anyone (whether unvaccinated or vaccinated) who tests positive for Covid must isolate for 10 days.  

• Unvaccinated direct contacts of anyone with Covid (inside school or outside school) must quarantine for 10 days and submit a negative PCR Covid test result to the nurses before returning to school.  If you have multiple children in school and one is in quarantine for exposure (not for having Covid), the others can come to school.  

• If you are vaccinated and a direct contact (inside school or outside school -- but not in your own household), please test on Day 3-5.  You are not required to quarantine in the interim -- i.e., you can come to school and you must get tested on Day 3-5.

• If you are vaccinated and someone in your household -- that is, someone you live with and have household contact with -- tests positive, you must stay home until you get a negative test (to be submitted to the nurses) on Day Five.

• International travel: Unvaccinated people must quarantine for 7 days following international travel and submit a negative PCR Covid test administered on Day Five or later.

   

Communication

If someone in your class/your child’s class tests positive for Covid, our nurses will contact you.  Heschel will not be communicating such information beyond those immediately impacted.

Remote Learning

• Anyone who tests positive for Covid or is in quarantine as an unvaccinated direct contact of someone with Covid or is home as a vaccinated household contact will be permitted to learn remotely over Zoom if they feel well enough to do so.  Those are the only circumstances under which remote learning will be permitted.  

• Students who are absent as a result of other illness, getting Covid tested, or other commitments will not be permitted to Zoom into class.  

• Heschel’s faculty and staff are always committed to helping all students catch up with any missed work after being home sick.  

Cleaning and Ventilation

• Heschel’s facilities team will clean high-use areas frequently during the day and the buildings will be thoroughly cleaned each night.  The ventilation systems will continue to keep the air safe and filtered with the windows closed to maximize their power.

Hygiene

• Frequent hand washing will be required and hand sanitizer will be readily available around our buildings.

Limited Access to our Buildings

• Unfortunately, we cannot allow parents into our buildings for general programming or general arrival/dismissal at this time.  We are very eager to find safe ways to bring parents into Heschel again.