2021-2022 Health Mitigation Plan - Archive

Statement on latest VDH Guidance - Posted Feb. 3, 2022
Read the complete statement HERE

Health Mitigation Policies - Updated January 26, 2022

History

Bishop O’Connell High School is a college preparatory high school committed to the safety, health and well-being of all school community members while providing a Christ-centered education for all our students. Our pedagogical approach is best supported when our entire student body is on campus full-time, five days a week, allowing in-person instruction with social-emotional support and safe access to facilities.

At the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020, Bishop O’Connell established a COVID-19 Task Force. Throughout the COVID pandemic, Bishop O’Connell staff have developed detailed plans for the operation of school under the following three guiding principles:

• Plans have been designed that advance the school’s mission: “To provide students with an education rooted in the life of Christ and to foster the pursuit of excellence in the whole person.”
• The health and well-being of our entire community has been of paramount importance as decisions are made.
• Clear and consistent communication is central to planning at all levels to ensure stakeholders are well-informed and to maintain a strong community built on trust and respect.

During the pandemic, and in accordance with federal, state and local guidance and regulations, Bishop O’Connell High School closed its campus due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, 2020. In June 2020, Governor Northam announced the need for a phased physical Return to School Plan from Virginia’s elementary and secondary schools, requiring the plans to follow city/state executive orders and CDC recommendations. Bishop O’Connell opened its campus for instruction in hybrid mode beginning on August 31, 2020, following the directives and guidance of the state and local health authorities and the Diocese of Arlington. Bishop O’Connell High School remained hybrid for the year. Extracurricular activities resumed in February, 2021 and all students were welcomed back to campus in a non-cohorted manner in June, 2021. Graduation was held on campus for the entire senior class and their families on June 3, 2021. During the 2021-2022 school year, classes have been held in person. Executive Order Number Two (EO#2) pertaining to COVID-19 passed on January 15, 2022 and became effective as of January 24, 2022.

We appreciate the challenges that our students, families and faculty have faced and continue to face throughout the pandemic, and we are grateful for the dedication of the Bishop O’Connell community as we have moved through the COVID pandemic. Bishop O’Connell High School recognizes the importance of meeting the needs of all our students and we remain committed to an education plan that provides equitable educational opportunities for our students.

Current Circumstances

The purpose of this plan is to outline the health mitigation strategies Bishop O’Connell High School is adopting to continue to ensure the safe operation of academic instruction for the remainder of the 2021 - 2022 school year.

Bishop O’Connell High School opened for broad faculty and staff access on August 9, 2021 and for the 2021-2022 school year on August 23, 2021 with full time, 5-days-a-week, in-person instruction on campus for all students.

Updates of this plan have been made with the guidance of Bishop O’Connell Administration,  the Office of Catholic Schools, the Virginia Council for Private Education, Virginia Health Department and Arlington County Public Health Department guidance, and The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Bishop O’Connell High School will continuously monitor three sources of data to make necessary adjustments to the guidelines and protocols used throughout the school year. It is possible that as the data changes, specific requirements could be loosened or removed.  However, at all possible times, we will have a mask optional plan for all students, faculty, staff and visitors due to our high population of vaccinated  faculty, staff, and students.

The three sources of data are as follows:

1. School Metrics - School Metrics dashboard is located on the Virginia Department of Health website, and evaluates the level of community disease transmission in our community. The Metrics categories include low, moderate, substantial, and high. Two measures are used to establish each category: the total number of cases in the past seven days and the percentage of nucleic acid amplification tests that are positive in the past seven days.

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/key-measures/pandemic-metrics/school-metrics/

2. Vaccine Data Dashboard - The vaccine data dashboard on the Virginia Department of Health website helps us understand community and locality level vaccination coverage. Age-group vaccination coverage at the local county level and voluntary anonymous school survey responses provide important data regarding estimated vaccination coverage at Bishop O’Connell High School. Because children over the age of 5 are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, and all indicators support a highly vaccinated population, this informs health mitigation protocols. On an ongoing basis, Bishop O’Connell High School reserves the right to adjust school health policies to address conditions especially in situations where all students interact with each other during Mass and other school-wide activities and events.

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/see-the-numbers/covid-19-in-virginia/covid-19-vaccine-summary/covid-19-vaccine-demographics/

3. School Impact Data - While local data is important, information specific to Bishop O’Connell High School will be crucial in monitoring the effectiveness of our protocols. Criteria we will consider is transmission within the school, student absenteeism, and staff capacity. We will regularly evaluate the impact that COVID-19 transmission is having on our school community and adjust protocols accordingly.

School impact data along with community information regarding transmission levels in our community may require health mitigation protocols be adjusted to provide a higher level of protection which may include options such as limits on athletics and other extracurricular activities.

Key Prevention Strategies

As recommended by the CDC, VDH, Arlington County and the Office of Catholic Schools, nine key prevention strategies are recommended for consideration to create a layered health mitigation plan:

• Promote Vaccination
• Staying home when sick
• Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
• Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities
• Ventilation
• Contact tracing with use of isolation and quarantine
• Physical distancing
• Consistent and correct mask use
• Screening testing

 1. COVID-19 Vaccinations - Vaccines are now readily available for students ages 5 and above.  People are considered fully vaccinated  2 weeks after their last required dose of vaccine. Booster doses are available to many age groups. More information regarding the moral dimension of the vaccine is available here. The Diocese of Arlington affirms the position of the Vatican and the USCCB that under grave circumstances such as this pandemic, individuals are morally justified in receiving ethically acceptable vaccines such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. At this time, the COVID immunization is not required for school entry and students are not required to be vaccinated in order to return to school. Families should discuss decisions regarding vaccination with their medical provider.

NOTE: Vaccination is available to our entire school community though is not required for school attendance. However, as stated (CHOP January 2022 - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia “Guidance for In-person Education in  K-12 Educational Settings): “ Now that all within K-12 school communities have been offered vaccination, the competing risks to children of education loss from prolonged school closures alongside social isolation are far more concerning than COVID -19 itself."

2. Staying home when sick - The most important health mitigation strategy by far is to stay home when sick. Bishop O’Connell has, and will continue to implement daily health screening practices for students and staff. Students and staff should continue to complete daily self-checks at home (DOWNLOAD the Health Self-Assessment Form here) to verify they are asymptomatic and fever-free before reporting to the school. Individuals who answer yes to any screening question before school should not come to school. Student absenteeism will be closely monitored through the school’s attendance office. Current procedures for absence reporting by parents will remain in place with appropriate follow-up by attendance office staff or the school nurse.

During the school day if any student and/or staff show signs of illness, and in particular symptoms of COVID-19, the individual will be isolated and instructed to wear a medical grade mask regardless of COVID immunization status (supplied by the health team). This will be required of students even if they choose to remain unmasked generally as allowed by EO#2. Additional information available section 8. The individual will be examined by the school health staff, and if a student - his or her parent/guardian will be contacted. The person will be sent home or for emergency medical evaluation (as appropriate).  If necessary, transportation home will be arranged with the emergency contact. Uber/Lyft cannot be utilized for illness transportation. The individual will require medical clearance before returning to campus and should contact the school clinic for instructions.  A separate space to allow isolation of sick individuals with its own entrance and bathroom has been dedicated for use during the pandemic. This space will be cleaned and disinfected after the individual has left the building.

3. Hand washing and respiratory techniques - Frequent handwashing with soap and water will be encouraged throughout the day. Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the building to encourage proper sanitary cleaning. Restrooms will be consistently cleaned and stocked.

4. Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities - Bishop O’Connell will have regular, thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the school building. All cleansing agents are non-bleach based, hospital grade and EPA- registered disinfectants qualified for use against SAR-CoV-2. In the event of a COVID positive person being on campus, all areas of the school involved will be disinfected prior to being used again. Cleaning and sanitizing will be maintained throughout the day.

5. Ventilation - The facilities team will ensure that the proper cleaning of ventilation, air circulation systems, and water/plumbing systems are maintained in order to mitigate the spread of viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19. Portable air purifiers were purchased and installed in all classroom spaces to further increase air exchange throughout the school day. Windows will be opened as feasible.

6. Contact tracing in combination with use of isolation and quarantine - Suspected or confirmed Positive for COVID-19: Parents must notify the school immediately if their student is confirmed or suspected to be positive for COVID-19. Notification is to be given to the school nurse directly 703-237-1443 or email clinic@bishopoconnell.org.

Staff members and contractors must notify the school immediately if they suspect or are confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 by contacting the Dean of Mission.

Isolation for individuals who test positive for COVID:

• Following updated CDC recommendations and VDH guidance (December 2021), the isolation period for individuals who test positive for COVID is reduced from 10 days to 5 days.
• Individuals can return on Day 6 if they have no symptoms and have been fever free for 48 hours. COVID positive individuals are required to wear a well-fitting mask through Day 10 if they choose to return to campus during the 10 day isolation period. If they do not wish to wear a mask, they may isolate at home for the entire 10 day isolation period.  Failure to wear a well fitting mask will result in the individual being sent home.
• Students should distance at greater than 6ft while eating lunch.
• Students will not be able to participate in sports (games and/or practices) for the full 10 days after symptom onset or positive test (whichever came first)
• Student-athletes will be able to return to classes on Day 6 (see above), but will not be able to return to play until 10 days after symptom onset or positive test (whichever is earlier) presuming they agree to wear a well fitting mask at all times.
• Student-athletes must have submitted an athletics “Clearance to Return to Play” form prior to return to play.

COVID positive individuals will be asked to provide the names of those with whom they had close contact at the school. Student schedules will be reviewed for seating assignments within the 48 hours prior to symptoms/positive testing date. Identified close contacts (on campus) to a COVID positive individual are determined by the Bishop O’Connell health mitigation team in consultation with the Arlington Health Department. COVID positive situations in the athletic department are determined by the on-site athletic health mitigation team in consultation with the Arlington Health Department.

Close contact definition:

The current Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Virginia Dept. of Education (VDOE) definition of a close contact (01/26/2022) is as follows:

• Being within 6 feet of a person who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, or
• Having direct exposure to respiratory secretions (e.g., being coughed or sneezed on, sharing a drinking glass or utensils, kissing), or
• Caring for a person who has COVID-19, or
• Living with a person who has COVID-19.

K-12 exception for close contact
Exception: In indoor and outdoor K-12 settings, a student who was within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student is not considered a close contact as long as both students wore well-fitting masks  the entire time. Available at: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/protect-yourself/exposure/#close-contact

Identified Close Contacts (for individuals who are identified as a close contact to a COVID positive individual):

• Close contacts (regardless of vaccination status), who are asymptomatic, will no longer be required to quarantine from school.
• Individuals and the parents of individuals identified as a close contact will be notified by the school via email.
• Parents will be given the option to quarantine their child, but the quarantine of close contacts is no longer mandated.*
• It is imperative that any student identified as a close contact wears a well-fitting mask in the school for 10 days from the date of exposure (regardless of vaccination status) if they choose to return to campus. If they do not wish to wear a mask, they may quarantine at home for the entire 10 day quarantine period.  Failure to wear a well fitting mask will result in the individual being sent home.
• Students should distance at greater than 6ft while eating lunch.
• Students are required to wear a mask for all athletic activities during the 10 day quarantine period.  Failure to do so will result in the individual being sent home.
• A COVID test on Day 5 is encouraged but not required for school attendance.
• If an individual is a close contact and the exposure involves immediate family members, then the individual should contact the clinic before returning to school.
• Individuals who develop symptoms must stay home and obtain a COVID test.
• Close contacts who test positive for COVID during this 10-day period, should contact the school and follow the isolation guidance above.

* Per CDC, if an individual cannot feasibly quarantine, he or she must wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure to a known COVID positive person. Per VDH and Arlington County Health Department guidance, it is recommended that you quarantine for 5 days from an exposure if you are not fully vaccinated.

Learning options if a student tests positive for COVID-19 or is identified as a close contact during the 2021-2022 school year - Students should communicate directly with respective faculty in regards to missed work and posted due dates for assignments/assessments.  

7. Physical distancing - Physical distancing of three (3) feet will be maintained in classrooms or on-campus spaces as feasible.  Physical distancing of six (6) feet between adults and students in classrooms and on-campus spaces as feasible. Physical distancing will no longer be maintained on school buses.

8. Masks - Governor Youngkin signed Executive Order Number Two, “Reaffirming the Rights of Parents in the Upbringing, Education, and Care of Their Children.” effective Monday, January 24, 2022. Therefore, Bishop O’Connell will adopt a  “mask optional” policy for our students. Updated Virginia Dept. of Health and Virginia Dept of Educations states in part: “ Parents should consult with their medical providers if they have questions about whether their child should mask and for how long; this is especially true if a child is at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, or lives with individuals at higher risk for severe illness." It further states: "In situations where a child is returning from isolation due to COVID, or was subject to a close contact exposure, the benefit of temporary masking is likely to outweigh the risks."

Bishop O’Connell encourages all families to read the entire interim guidance available at:

Students, faculty and staff will continue to have the option to wear masks and are encouraged to do so. COVID is still a reality in our community and masking remains an important layer in our mitigation strategy. KN 95 masks are available at the clinic to any student/staff member who requests to use this option.

PLEASE NOTE - There are certain instances where masking will be required throughout the school day. These instances include but are not limited to the following:

• Athletics - WCAC rules require fans, athletes (on the sideline), and coaches to mask during games.
• Individuals who become unwell while on campus and are assisted in the clinic or athletic training room.
• Isolation protocols require that students returning from isolation due to Covid wear a well-fitted mask days 6-10 or they may choose to stay at home for the full 10 days.
• Individuals identified as close contacts will be required to wear a well-fitting mask for the full 10 days after exposure or they will need to quarantine at home. 
• Buses - Federal law requires that students wear masks on school buses.
• Field trips/retreat - Individuals may be required to wear masks at certain venues outside of school.
• Visitors - All visitors are required to mask while inside our building. 

For individuals who choose to wear a mask, they should be clean, free from messaging, and worn to completely cover the nose and mouth. NOTE: Bishop O’Connell High School reserves the right to adjust school mask policies as state legislation, school, and local public health conditions evolve throughout the year. The school will communicate that information to families as needed through email during those periods and will post the news at school entrances.

9. Screening testing - Screening testing for COVID-19 will not be offered at Bishop O’Connell High School. Parents can refer to the VDH testing site locator or contact their primary care provider for assistance. Testing may be used as a tool to complete quarantine if an individual is identified as a close contact to a COVID 19 positive person.

Visitor Policy

Visitors to campus will be allowed as needed for school business to proceed. Their admittance to the facility will be recorded in the daily log. As a part of the sign-in process, visitors must submit a completed Health Self-Assessment Form, attesting that they are not experiencing symptoms of illness nor have they been exposed. Visitors should not come to campus if they answer yes to any question or feel unwell. Visitors should postpone their visit to campus if they are within their 10 day isolation or quarantine period respectively. Bishop O’Connell Visitor policy is visitors will be masked at all times on campus.

Cafeteria - School Nutrition

The cafeteria will be open and lunches will be available for purchase during lunch time. Our cafeteria vendor, Flik Hospitality Group, has provided options for payments and distributing lunch in a safe manner. Students will be allowed to bring their own lunches.

Vending machines will be available during the school day.

Water fountains will be available during the school day. Students are strongly encouraged to bring a water bottle from home to use throughout the school day.

It is recommended that students and staff pay close attention to hand washing practices before eating and after touching communal surfaces. Likewise, all individuals should avoid touching the “T zone” of their eyes, nose and mouth which is the most likely way illness enters the body.

Athletics: (Full athletic mitigation policy available at HERE)

• WCAC rules require fans, athletes (on the sideline), and coaches to wear masks during indoor games.
• COVID positive Individuals will not be able to participate in sports (games and/or practices) for the full 10 days after symptom onset or positive test (whichever came first).
• Student-athletes must have submitted an athletics “Clearance to Return to Play” form prior to return to play.
• Individuals identified as close contacts are required to wear a well fitting mask for all athletic activities during the 10 day quarantine period. Failure to do so will result in the individual being sent home.
• Student athletes being treated in the training room will be asked to mask as appropriate.

---

Previous Updates

Dec. 31, 2021 - Updates to the Health Mitigation Policy

Aug. 19, 2021 - Updated Health Mitigation Plan

Aug. 12, 2021 - State Health Commissioner Order of Public Health Emergency Statewide Requirement to Wear Masks in K-12 Schools 

Aug. 5, 2021 - Fall Opening Plans (email)

---