Keys School
COVID-19 Safety Plans
Actions Keys is Taking to Support As Safe a Campus Environment As Possible
GOALS
- Keep students safely on campus
- Optimize the school experience for students, faculty, and staff
- Build community on campus and through social gatherings
- Educate students and families about ongoing transitions in our COVID guidelines
COVID TESTING
Keys will perform twice weekly surveillance testing at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
- Keys School will provide on-site antigen testing two times per week for all students, faculty, and staff at both the Lower School and Middle School campuses starting on Thursday, August 25th. We ask for your assistance to arrive early on test days to ensure we can get all students tested prior to the start of school.
- Keys will use Global Virus Pass (GVP) to provide test results.
- Keys will continue to closely monitor the health of our community and follow updated county and state requirements regarding COVID and will adjust our testing strategy as needed.
- If families would prefer to test at home, please complete this Google form to report your results before 7 am the day of testing. Tests should not be administered any earlier than 9 pm the night before.
CAMPUS PROTOCOLS
Keys will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students and faculty.
- Keys will enforce a zero symptoms policy. We ask that you monitor your child for any COVID symptoms before sending them to school and use home antigen tests to double-check if needed.
- Students/Faculty/Staff: Optional masking indoors and outdoors (This is a family choice, not a school restriction).
- Parents/Guardians: Masking required indoors. In alignment with CDC, CDPH, and SCCDPH guidelines, masking is strongly encouraged. (This is a family choice, not a school restriction).
- Since Parents/Guardians are not part of our bi-weekly surveillance testing, we are requiring indoor masks as an extra precaution.
RESPONSE TO POSITIVE CASES AND POSSIBLE COVID EXPOSURE
Keys needs full community support to avoid COVID transmission and clustering of COVID cases on campus.
- Inform us promptly if a student, faculty, or staff member tests positive so we can partner with you on a health plan.
- Please follow the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health guidelines for when it is safe to return to school.
- Faculty and Staff: Keys will continue notifying appropriate employees of positive COVID cases.
- Keys will continue to closely monitor the health of our community and follow updated county and state requirements regarding COVID cases and exposure.
COVID VACCINATION
Keys follows the scientific data, which makes it clear that vaccination against COVID is helpful for personal as well as community health and safety.
- Keys strongly encourages COVID vaccines and boosters for those that are eligible.
KEYS DATA
We will continue to provide 2 weeks of information on a rolling basis.
- COVID positivity rate (% of student body positive with COVID) will be reported weekly in the Wednesday Letter.
- The report will include current week versus the week prior to track changes or surges.
COVID SURGE PLAN
Keys will add back some or all of these protocols and more-restrictive layers of protection if COVID conditions or data warrant it.
- Required face coverings indoors
- Required face coverings outdoors
- High-quality face coverings: KN95, KF94, or similar
- Return to more-restrictive on-campus protocols, e.g., strict cohorting, limit campus visitors, suspend group activities, and enact a modified testing strategy
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EACH OTHER
As members of the Keys community, we affirm and uphold our responsibility to one another. We are all responsible to assume positive intent and follow Key’s COVID guidelines and protocols. Keys community members agree to:
- Make the health and safety of our individual families and the Keys community our top priority, recognizing that at times this will mean putting compliance with health protocols over family convenience: Our choices have a direct impact on the health and safety of our community.
- Take responsibility for reading and complying with all COVID-related guidelines posted on the Keys website and in school communications
- Follow all government requirements
- Comply with the school’s published testing and reporting protocols
- Promptly notify Keys when we are aware that a member of our own household has a known or suspected case of COVID
- Remain mindful of our own and others’ mental health and safety during this time: We all will practice self-care and remain non-judgmental in our thoughts about other Keys community members.
LEADERSHIP
The Keys leadership team and COVID task force monitors the evolving COVID situation carefully. This regular analysis allows the Head of School to make data-informed and reasonable decisions that are responsive to current circumstances. This regular analysis also affords an ongoing assessment of the school’s established processes, guidelines, and protocols, which have been established by the Reopening School Task Force.
Thank you to these dedicated and thoughtful volunteers who have been part of the 2022-2023 task force. They represent leaders in our medical, educational, parent, and board communities: Dr. Christy Dosiou, Dr. David Hong, Dr. Sharon Williams, Heather Rogers (Chair), Kate Atmore, Betsy Doss, Ryan Matyjasik, Larry Purcell, and Cathie Whalen
