Health & SaFety INFORMATION

If your child has any of the following symptoms, please consult Epiphany School guidelines and the CDC symptoms flowchart below for testing and isolation guidance, then reach out to health@epiphanyschool.org to report symptom(s) and confirm the testing and/or isolation plan with the school nurse.

• Congestion or runny nose
• Cough
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fever or chills (a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above)
• Headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Nausea or vomiting
• New loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat

Students exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested at home or by their healthcare provider. Rapid at-home tests are available for Epiphany School students and families. Please contact health@epiphanyschool.org or stop by the front office for tests.

Confidentiality
The identity of individuals who have suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 is protected confidential health information and will not be disclosed. All members of the community are expected to respect privacy and confidentiality and to not speculate on the identity of, or in any way target individuals who are suspected of or diagnosed with COVID-19.

Symptomatic: If a student, faculty, or staff member tests positive for COVID-19 (by rapid antigen tests, PCR, or molecular test), they must:

Stay at home and isolate for at least 5 days after symptoms first appeared. The individual may leave isolation after 5 full days if:

Symptoms are improving 5 days after the start of the isolation period.

AND

There is no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

Asymptomatic: If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, but does not have any symptoms, they still must isolate at home for 5 days.

How to calculate isolation period: If an individual has symptoms, day 0 is the first day the symptoms appeared. Day 1 is the first full day after the symptoms developed.

If an individual does not have any symptoms, day 0 is the date of the positive test. Day 1 is the first full day after the specimen was collected for the positive test.

Returning to school: After 5 days of isolation, an individual may return to school on day 6 if:

Symptoms have improved

AND

There has been no fever for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication)

Masking upon return to school: For days 6-10, the individual must wear a well-fitting and high-quality mask around others. If symptoms return or worsen, the isolation period will need to be restarted at day 0.

If a student is unable to wear a well-fitting mask, they should isolate for the full 10 days or until they meet the negative test requirements (see below).

If an individual tests negative on two sequential (back-to-back) tests each performed 24-48 hours apart, they can stop wearing a mask before day 10.

If an individual continues to test positive on repeat testing through 10 days, they should continue to wear a mask until they receive two sequential negative antigen test results.

Notify the school of positive tests and close contacts
If a student tests positive for COVID-19 or if a member of the household tests positive, please notify the school by emailing health@epiphanyschool.org.

Exposure notification and recommendations
Epiphany School will continue to send exposure notifications to families via email. If a family receives an exposure notification that an individual in their child’s class has tested positive for COVID-19, Epiphany School recommends (but does not require) that the exposed student should:

• Take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test daily before coming to school for 5 days following the exposure (masking is optional). 

OR: 

• Wear a mask while indoors at school for 5 days and take a COVID-19 test on day 5 following the exposure.

Epiphany School will continue to provide students and families with rapid COVID-19 antigen tests and masks for the 2023-2024 school year.

Close household contact
If a household contact tests positive for COVID-19, the affected student(s) should: 

• Take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test daily before coming to school for 5 days following the exposure.

AND

• Wear a mask at school while indoors through day 5 (even if they test negative each day).

Currently, all students, faculty, and staff have the option to wear a mask inside or outside of Epiphany School buildings. In addition, please note that there will be circumstances in which masks will be required indoors, either by Epiphany School or WA DOH or PHSKC, as follows:

• Anyone who tests positive must wear a mask upon returning to school during days 6-10. An individual may remove their mask before day 10 if they have two sequential negative tests at least 24-48 hours apart.
• Depending on local conditions and health circumstances, we may require masks, regardless of any WA DOH or PHSKC guidance
• Students must bring at least one well-fitting mask to school daily in backpack (N95, KN94, or KN95 preferred; surgical acceptable)

According to the CDC, handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. All students and employees follow a regular schedule of hand washing or use of hand sanitizer throughout the day. All students and employees wash hands upon arrival on campus, before and after eating, after using the restroom, after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing, after recess or other time spent outside, and before leaving campus. Washing hands with soap and water is the preferred method for hand hygiene. Hand sanitizer (alcohol-based with at least 60% alcohol) is available in all classrooms and at entry points on campus. 

Teaching and modeling proper hand hygiene remains a priority at all age levels. Additional signage around campus and near sinks remind students of proper handwashing techniques.

For additional information on how and when to wash hands or how to use hand sanitizer, please refer to the CDC guidelines here.

All classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and offices are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Electrostatic sprayers are available to clean classrooms if needed and the Zono Disinfecting and Sanitizing Cabinet is regularly used by pre-k and kinder classrooms to sanitize classroom materials. Faculty have been trained in proper cleaning and sanitizing and clean tables and chair backs before and after students eat lunch and snack in their classrooms.

Epiphany School has assessed and improved air filtration and ventilation based on ASHRAE guidance for schools. For all buildings on campus, the key strategy to minimize the risk of virus transmission is to increase outside air ventilation whenever possible and improve air filtration. All spaces have mechanical ventilation systems. To achieve maximum airflow, we keep windows and doors open as much as possible. For buildings that have outdoor air handling units, we have adjusted settings so that the system runs continuously, bringing in more outdoor air. 

As a result of these strategies, classrooms and offices may be colder or warmer than we normally expect. We suggest students and employees wear layers of clothes to campus in order to feel comfortable on campus. 

To ensure highest quality air filtration, we use MERV13 filters. Portable HEPA filters and air purifiers are available for additional ventilation if the need arises.

Our campus is currently open to all visitors. Epiphany School no longer requires proof of vaccination for visitors. 

If a student is absent due to potential COVID-19 symptoms or for non-COVID-19 health-related issues, we will not share that information with the class or community.

According to DOH guidelines, if a student or faculty/staff member tests positive for COVID-19 and there is a risk of transmission on campus, we will communicate this to the student's cohort and ask the student or faculty/staff to isolate per our stated protocols. The Division Head and School Nurse will also contact affected faculty/staff individually to discuss next steps.

Exposure notifications will typically go to all staff and to the classroom where the positive case was identified. However, we reserve the right to request all students within a grade follow the exposure protocols if there has been significant mixing of classrooms across that grade in the two days prior to identification of a positive case.

Epiphany School will strive to send these communications within twenty-four hours of notification of the positive test results.

Illness: Families should email health@epiphanyschool.org, their child’s teacher, and office@epiphanyschool.org before 8:30 am to report student absences due to illness. If the school has not received communication by 9:00 am, the school will call home to check on the student. The voicemail system will operate during non-school hours.

School Attendance During Illness: When a student has a short-term illness (1-3 days), we expect them to stay home and rest until they are well enough to come to school (as outlined in our “Health Policies” in our Family Handbook). There is no expectation that students in this situation would maintain their schoolwork during this time. Once the student returns, teachers will help them review any missed work as appropriate. No remote school option is available for this situation. 

For any student facing a longer-term illness or isolation due to COVID-19 symptoms or positive test, the family should be in touch with the school nurse, division head, and teacher to discuss specific plans for classroom connection, learning, and expectations for completion of schoolwork during the child’s absence. A combination of synchronous and asynchronous formats may be available for these situations. There will not be a fully synchronous remote school option in any cases.

Non-Illness Absence: School vacation dates are listed in the 2022-2023 school calendar on the Family Portal. Absences of any length outside of school vacation dates make a significant impact on students’ classwork and positive school experience. The School requests that families plan vacations during school breaks. The Division Head and the classroom teacher need to be notified ahead via email if a student plans to miss more than five consecutive days of school due to a family vacation or a non-illness absence from school. Since homework and outside work cannot duplicate the experience of working with teachers and peers in person at school, we do not expect teachers to be responsible for preparing work to cover the student’s academic needs during this absence. Once the student returns, teachers will help them review any missed work as appropriate. There will be no remote/synchronous school option available for non-illness absences.

Epiphany School does not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for the 2023-2024 school year and encourages families to talk to their healthcare providers about COVID-19 vaccination.