COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan August 2022
Jennifer Sherman, Head of School
Patrick Janssen, Director of Operations
Last updated September 16, 2022
As we enter the academic year 2022-2023, we acknowledge that the virus that causes COVID-19 has a continued presence in our local communities and society at large, and therefore continues to be a prominent consideration in the health and safety planning at RVWS. The pandemic has evolved over time, marked by new variants which have led to changes in the presentation and severity of symptoms for individuals, and modifications in recommendations from health experts, accordingly. Our school’s response to the pandemic has changed over time as well. Amidst all the changes, however, one thing has remained the same: we have continued to follow the guidance of the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) when making updates to our COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan, and we will continue to do so.
According to the CDC, schools should have in place the following strategies for daily operations to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases, including the virus that causes COVID-19.
Strategies to Reduce Transmission from the CDC
- Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Promoting vaccination can help schools maintain in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports. We encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Screening, ventilation, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick, getting tested, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
- Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.
- Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening, testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening, and testing).
- CDC Exposure Recommendations: following exposure to someone with COVID-19:
- Regardless of vaccination status, individuals who have had a known exposure to someone with confirmed COVID-19 should get tested at least 5 days after the exposure, and wear a mask around others and watch for symptoms for 10 days.
- CDC Isolation Recommendations: if you test positive for COVID-19,
- Regardless of vaccination status, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home for 5 days. Isolation may end after 5 days if individuals are fever-free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving. Individuals should continue to wear a well-fitting mask for an additional 5 days (i.e. through day 10 after testing positive).
If a student is staying home due to COVID-19 infection and isolation, please report this to the school administration by emailing both Pat Janssen at pjanssen@rivervalleyschool.org AND Jessica Harper at attendance@rivervalleyschool.org
COVID-19 Community Levels and Associated Prevention Strategies
Community Levels of Risk
The CDC currently examines the combination of three metrics—new COVID-19 hospital admissions, the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases in the community—to determine the COVID-19 community level of risk. Using these data, the COVID-19 community level is classified as low, medium, or high.
Currently (as of 8/12/2022), Bucks and Northampton Counties in PA, and Hunterdon County in NJ, are in the MEDIUM level of community risk for COVID-19.
Masking
Low Community Level
- Individuals will have the option to wear a mask indoors and outdoors based on their personal preference, and informed by their personal level of risk.
- Shaming, questioning, 0r bullying anyone who chooses to wear a mask, or not wear a mask, at any time will not be tolerated.
Medium Community Level
- Individuals who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness should talk to their healthcare provider about additional precautions, such as wearing masks or respirators indoors in public.
- Shaming, questioning, 0r bullying anyone who chooses to wear a mask, or not wear a mask, at any time will not be tolerated.
- Students, faculty, staff, and visitors will not be required to wear masks outdoors on school grounds.
High Community Level
- Students, faculty, staff, and visitors will be required to wear well-fitting masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk.
- Students, faculty, staff, and visitors will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks outdoors on school grounds.
State guidelines permit an exemption for students with a disability or medical conditions that contraindicate the use of masks. River Valley requires a note from a parent or guardian for any such exemption.
Close Contact and Quarantine
- The definition of a close contact is an individual who was within 3 to 6 feet of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes cumulatively or continuously or more in a 24 hour period.
RVWS Protocols
The following are the protocols that River Valley has adopted in the event of possible COVID-19 infection during the academic year 2022-2023.
If | Then |
A student develops flu-like symptoms overnight at home |
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A student shows symptoms of COVID-19 at school |
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A student shows symptoms of COVID-19 and receives a negative COVID-19 test result. |
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Parents report that their child has tested positive for COVID-19. |
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Parents report that a family member of an RV student has tested positive for COVID-19. |
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Parents report that an RVWS student has been exposed (or may have been exposed) to COVID-19 outside of school. |
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Parents report that a family member of an RVWS student has been exposed (or may have been exposed) to COVID-19. |
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A student asks about a classmate who has been absent for several days. |
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A student reports to the class that a peer has COVID-19, or is in quarantine because a s/he or a family member has been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19. |
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A student or teacher plans to travel domestically or internationally |
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A teacher tests positive for COVID-19. |
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The family member of a teacher tests positive for COVID-19. |
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Field Trips are planned |
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Ongoing Review of the Plan
- Staff will periodically review all elements of this Health & Safety Plan and are encouraged to reach out to Pat Janssen, Director of Operations, with any questions or concerns.
- This plan will be reviewed monthly by the school’s administration, and will be updated in light of evolving guidance from the CDC, the State of Pennsylvania, and the Bucks County Health Department.
Resources
Please read, become familiar with, and periodically refer to the following resources to better understand the bases for our COVID-19 policies, and the conditions that would require us to make changes to our Health and Safety Plan in the future.
CDC Community Levels by County

1395 Bridgeton Hill Rd
Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972
610-982-5606
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