We remain committed to carefully monitoring and responding to new information about COVID-19  In developing the various school continuity scenarios, we understand that our plans must be flexible and include contingencies for changing conditions over time. We are prepared to deviate from plans in order to take swift actions to keep our community safe.

Students have their temperature taken and complete a short series of screening questions each morning.  If students have a fever or are symptomatic, parents should follow the School’s health procedures (stay home, call the Health Center to report the absence, call your primary care physician for guidance and clearance to return to campus).

Everyone on campus is expected to adhere to four important pillars of public health: (1) use of face coverings; (2) frequent hand washing; (3) physical distancing; and, (4) personal health monitoring.

1. Face coverings: Everyone must wear a face covering in buildings, where physical distancing cannot be guaranteed, and in public settings. You may provide other kinds of masks, but the cloth variety has the advantage of being reusable and does not require a large stockpile. We will maintain a supply of masks around campus in the event a student loses, damages, or dirties a mask during the day.  

2. Frequent hand washing: In addition to encouraging our community members to wash their hands frequently, hand sanitizer stations are installed throughout campus, along with reminders to avoid touching one’s face after touching surfaces.

3. Physical distancing: Reminders are posted to ensure that everyone remains at a safe distance from others when on-campus operations resume. Classrooms and other common spaces have similar distancing requirements. Morning Meeting, large gatherings, and seated meals have been recreated to adhere to social distancing measures. 

4. Personal health monitoring: We monitor students and all other community members for COVID-19 symptoms daily. If symptoms are present, day students are sent home, boarders go to the Health Center, and faculty and staff are directed to their primary care physicians. Parents must immediately report any COVID-like symptoms in their child or family to our Health Center.  

The Health Center team worked extensively to develop policies necessary to treat students in the setting of the ongoing pandemic. The Health Center added staff and expanded in size to allow for a Surge Space that will accommodate students with COVID or COVID symptoms. Additionally, we updated access protocols to reduce risk of exposure to students and staff. Students who become ill on campus are sent to the Health Center and screened.  Please see our Communicable Disease Policy and Covid 19 Policy.

After a rigorous review of available transmission and COVID-19 case data, lengthy and repeated consultation with our Medical Director, Dr. Matthew Abel, and extensive conversations at the senior administrative level, we have decided that in order to return to campus, all boarding students must have a designated emergency contact who resides within 300 miles driving distance to Rumsey Hall School. Further, and importantly, this emergency contact must be willing to pick up your child from campus within 48 hours in the event of a school shutdown, a mandated quarantine, or if the student is diagnosed with a communicable disease (i.e. COVID-19, strep, or Influenza).  All boarding families who plan for their child to return to campus must complete the Emergency Contact Form.