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COVID - 19 » Campus Protocols

Campus Protocols

 

The Baldwin School of Puerto Rico is committed to providing a safe learning and working environment for students and employees. To this end, the protocols on our website for the year 2022-2023 are informed by the Puerto Rico Department of Health’s Guidelines for Schools and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among others.

It is the aim of Baldwin School to provide a complete experience for its students, with an understanding that our campus life may continue to be different for some period of time. The school’s response continues to be scalable and proportional to conditions as they change.  It is our deep belief to preserve the importance of face-to-face education and adapt as we ask our students and families to do so.

Any of the protocols described below may be deployed in whole or in part as conditions warrant. These protocols are subject to change as advanced planning and real-time conditions warrant. As of August 2022, we ask our community to follow our COVID flowchart to help determine the right steps and to seek out the Health Team should they have any questions. All persons—students, parents, Baldwin School employees, visitors, and third parties—are subject to these protocols while on campus. It is the ongoing obligation of all parents, employees, visitors, and third parties to review and comply with any updated and revised protocol, as well as those that may be added as circumstances warrant.

To communicate with the school nurses regarding any COVID related incident, use the following email: [email protected]

 

Campus Health and Safety Protocols 2022-2023

In starting the school year on campus for August 2022, Baldwin School will continue to employ a number of recommended strategies and enact the Puerto Rico Health Department's guidelines throughout the school day to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These include:

 

  • Vaccination:  Administrative Order # 509B (Aug. 2021), makes it a requirement for all eligible students and employees to be fully vaccinated in order to be on campus in person, unless there is a medical or religious exemption preventing vaccination. Per the contact tracing and isolation guidelines published in May 2022, vaccination status will determine the isolation / quarantine periods for students and employees. 
  • Mandatory use of properly fitted masks: The universal use of surgical masks, regardless of vaccination status, is mandatory for all students, faculty/staff, visitors, outside vendors, etc. No one is allowed on campus without a properly fitted mask.
  • Physical distancing: Continue to establish social distance practices. All classrooms are using spaced out tables, specific ingress, and egress protocols, and staggered outdoor lunch and play/recess times. Elementary and OECC classes have been scheduled in cohorts to limit interaction among grade levels and within grade levels, etc.
  • Systemic Screening and Monitoring: Continuous monitoring throughout the school day for COVID-19 symptoms. Should any student or employee develop symptoms, they will be asked to go home and provided a PCR test from the Dept. of Health's BioPortal to get tested.
  • Ventilation: Air purifiers and filters are placed in all classrooms and common spaces. Classrooms are encouraged to leave one window open to maximize air ventilation.
  • Hand-washing and Sanitation stations: Locations are strategically placed around the entire campus for students to wash and sanitize their hands in between classes throughout the day. 
  • Lunches: Pre-packed individual lunches are delivered to the OECC and Elementary School divisions and consumed in either outdoor seating or designated indoor, physically distanced spaces. Grades 6-12 can pick up their pre-ordered lunch at the Cafeteria. 
  • Isolation, Testing, and Contact Tracing: Any student or employee that is sick or has any type of symptoms should stay home. In the event of a suspected case of COVID-19 on campus, employees and students will be isolated until they leave campus. Testing will be required of anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Contact tracing will be conducted to determine risks of exposure, and relevant parties will be notified.
  • Communications: In the event of a suspected or confirmed case(s) of COVID-19, staff, and families will be informed, and appropriate mitigation actions will be taken.
 

We require all students and adults on campus to wear properly fitted, surgical masks indoors. No cloth masks without medical permissions. The PR Department of Health recommends against the use of masks with ventilation attachments or other respiration valves.

The School has a supply of adult and child masks available for students and employees at any time.

The Administrative Order # 509B by the Government of Puerto Rico from August 2021 makes it a requirement for all students and employees to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus in order to attend school in person. Should anyone have a medical or religious reason preventing them from getting the vaccine, an exemption form must be provided to the school. 

According to the latest  Contact Tracing and Isolation guidelines for Schools (May 2022), vaccination status will determine the isolation or quarantine period in the event that a student or employee is exposed to the virus or diagnosed positive for Covid-19. 

Fully vaccinated status definitions:

Adults 50 years or older or immunocompromised patients: 

  • Must have received the second booster (4th dose) 4 months after the first booster was administered. 

    

Adults 18 years or older:

  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer/ Moderna vaccine, fourteen (14) days   

have passed since the second dose, and it’s still within 5 months from the second 

dose.

  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine and received the booster, if eligible. 
  • Completed single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, fourteen (14) days have passed, and it’s still within 2 months from that single dose.
  • Completed a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and received a booster, if eligible. 

 

Adolescents 12 - 17 

  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine, fourteen (14) days have passed  since the second dose, and it’s still within 5 months from the second dose.
  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine and received the booster, if eligible. 

 

Children 5 - 11 years old  

  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine. 
  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine and received the booster, if eligible.    

 

Children 3 - 4 years old

  • Pending guideline publications from the Department of Health, but should you be inclined, we strongly recommend making arrangements to get your child(ren) vaccinated if they are within this age group and attending Baldwin School.

 Non-vaccinated status definitions: 

  • Completed the primary series of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine, 5 months or more have passed since the second dose, and haven’t received the booster.
  • Completed the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 2 months or more have passed since that dose, and haven’t received the booster.
  • Have not completed the initial series (2 doses) of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine.
  • Haven’t been vaccinated at all.

Exemption Forms 

Employees and students who do not wish to be vaccinated against Covid 19 or do not wish to receive the vaccine booster must submit a medical or religious exemption form in order to be admitted in school. The medical exemption (student form / employee form) must specify the health reasons that prevent the person from being vaccinated and must be signed by a doctor with a license to practice medicine in PR. The doctor's name and license number are required in the exemption. Any religious exemption (student form / employee form) must specify that the reasons for not being vaccinated are because of your religious convictions and must be signed by the minister of the church and notarized by an attorney with license to practice law in PR.

Instructions to Upload Child(ren)'s Vaccination Card to the Magnus Health Portal                                          

To make sure we know our families’ status and begin the school year safely, families must upload their child(ren)'s vaccination card on the Magnus Health portal by following these steps:

  1. Scan and save the vaccination card or the medical / religious exemption form to your computer.
  2. Enter your Veracross Account to Access the Magnus Health Portal through the link provided in your Veracross Account (a purple rectangle in the right side of the screen).
  3. To log in the Magnus Portal use the same Username and Password you use to enter your Veracross Account.
  4. Select Student Health Tracker next to your child’s name to access the Tracker Summary.
  5. Look at the Conditional Questions section, click Edit and answer this question: Is your child fully vaccinated against Covid-19 Virus? Click on Yes or No to answer the question. After answering the question, click Submit to save your answer.
  6. Look for the requirement Immunization Form. Click Edit to submit your child’s vaccination card or the religious/medical exemption form,  select Yes, Continue , and then, Yes, Submit.
  7. Select Upload and choose Choose File to select the previous saved document, then select Choose for Upload and then Upload File.
  8. You will see a Saved Successfully confirmation on the next screen.

The DOH will continue its efforts to carry out random testing sessions throughout the year. EVERY student must submit an informed consent form whether parents approve to have their child(ren) tested or not. The consent form will be valid for the entire school year 2022-2023. The students are chosen through the DOH BioPortal where Baldwin is registered. Baldwin School doesn’t have control over the student selection process. Parents will always be notified if their child is selected to participate. 

travel

The government of Puerto Rico states the following regarding travel to the island:

  • Travelers arriving on domestic flights are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to arrive on the island. 
  • As of June 12, 2022, international travelers are no longer required to present a negative Covid-19 test prior to traveling, regardless of vaccination or citizenship status. However, international travelers that are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents must still present proof of vaccination.

At Baldwin School, we will ask that upon return from travel, students and employees closely monitor for any onset of symptoms. Should symptoms develop within the first 3 - 5 days, the student or employee should stay at home and seek to get tested. A medical order for a PCR test for any student or employee can be provided by the Health Team upon request.

If an employee feels sick during the regular school day, he/she is to inform their immediate supervisor, the nurse(s), and vacate the campus. 

If a student feels sick, they will be sent to the designated isolation room and receive medical attention from one of our nurses. The parents will be notified so they can pick the child up from school and subsequently visit their primary healthcare physician. Parents are expected to pick up their child within a reasonable time after receiving the notification. 

Our Covid safety cleaning crew will proceed to clean and disinfect all areas the sick employee or student occupied prior to leaving the campus.

 

Positive Case Notification

Any person that tests positive for COVID-19 must stay home and notify the correct team. Employees need to notify their immediate supervisor, and send their results to the Health team. Students’ parents must notify and send their results to the Principal's office and Health Team. Quarantine time will be determined according to vaccination status:

  • Fully vaccinated; asymptomatic: must complete a 5-day isolation period and be symptoms free before returning to campus on Day 6. A mask must continue to be worn around others at all times until Day 10. 
  • Fully vaccinated with mild to moderate symptoms: must complete a 7-day isolation period and be symptoms free before returning to campus on Day 8. A mask must continue to be worn around others at all times until Day 10. 
  • Under vaccinated or Unvaccinated: must complete a 10-day isolation period and be symptoms free before returning to campus on Day 11. A mask must continue to be worn around others at all times. 

**A negative test is NOT required to return to campus after the isolation period is fulfilled.

   Positive Case(s) within the Baldwin Household or other suspected close contact

If a positive case is reported amongst a member(s) of the same Baldwin household, the isolation period will be determined according to vaccination status of the exposed person.

  • Fully vaccinated: No quarantine is required as long as the exposed person doesn’t have any noticeable symptoms. Testing on the 5th day or if symptoms develop may be recommended.
  • Under Vaccinated or Unvaccinated: The exposed person must quarantine for 5 days and get a PCR test on Day 5. If the result is negative and the individual is symptoms free, he/she may return to campus. Should the result be positive, the person must proceed to quarantine for another 10 days. 

In this case, students will be granted access to our virtual program for the duration of the quarantine period. OECC and Elementary school parents need to contact the nurses and division officer in order to facilitate this option.

MUS parents need to contact the nurses. The nurses will inform the Principal and Academic support team in order to coordinate the virtual programming for the affected student(s). The teachers will be notified directly by the academic support team. Please do not reach out to them directly. Managebac is the direct line of communication between parents/students and the teachers.

 

Contact Tracing

The Nurse is required to report any positive case and notify the number of exposed individuals to the municipal epidemiologist from the Department of Health. The municipal epidemiologists also have access to our data through the DOH’s BioPortal. The DOH has the authority to adapt school procedures or covid case(s) management as warranted. 

Returning to Campus/Work

The individual that tested positive may report back to campus after 5, 7, or 10 days, according to vaccination status and as long as there are no symptoms present. A medical release may be requested to ensure the individual is able to return. 

A vaccinated individual exposed to a positive case is not required to isolate after exposure to a positive case, but may be referred for testing. A non-vaccinated individual exposed to a positive case needs to quarantine for 5 days and get tested before returning to campus.

 

COVID POSITIVE CASE / CLOSE CONTACT FLOWCHART:    

Baldwin Positive Case Flow chart

Physical distancing markers to separate students:

  1. Sidewalk markings outside of classrooms, bathrooms, ingress/egress points. 
  2. Floor tape delineating student workspace at desks or tables.
  3. Directional arrows for hallways and pathways. 

Only students and faculty/staff are allowed on campus during school hours. Pick-up and drop-off will be curbside and parent conferences will be conducted remotely via Zoom or scheduled in person as necessary. At pick-up, parents must wait in their cars while their child makes it to the vehicle. After school hours (tutoring, sports practices, after school clubs, etc.), parents are to wait in their vehicles while the student concludes their activity. 

Vendors, third-party services, and special guests will be limited to essential activity and allowed on campus with prior notice. 

aliveschool

Our cafeteria service provider is Alive School. 

All services are convenient, and easily accessible through their online platform.   Once registered, you can pre-order lunch for your child(ren), make deposits, and monitor the lunch accounts.   

Lunches for grade levels (PPK-12) must be pre-ordered, and are individually packed in labeled bags for each student. Grades PPK - 5 will be delivered to the school division’s designated area for lunch. Grades 6-12 will pick up their pre-ordered lunch in the cafeteria. 

For more information on how to set up and/or register for lunch services visit www.aliveschoolpr.com and/or email:  [email protected]

 

Official school communication is transmitted through the Veracross portal to the entire community or targeted Baldwin groups. A weekly newsletter titled the Campus Connection is published every Friday to summarize important news and accomplishments of the week and make important announcements for the upcoming week. The PTO also serves as a liaison to transmit official school messages via the Class Link parents. COVID-related information and updates will continue to be captured on the website.

Our social media platforms are great resources for news and to stay current on campus and student life. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and subscribe to our Youtube channel for live streams.

Communication in case of emergency

In the event of an emergency, all communication will be made via Veracross and our social media platforms. Veracross also has an SMS texting feature that can broadcast quick SMS text messages to our families, faculty and staff. 

After school classes and Aftercare for the younger groups will resume in 2022-2023. Information will be provided on our website at the start of the school year and updated each semester according to the offerings. All Covid related protocols will be extended to all after school activities.

 

Play areas include OECC interior play spaces, OECC exterior play spaces, Elementary playground, soccer field, field house, exterior courts, and tennis courts. Access to play spaces will be subject to staggered scheduling so as to ensure reduced group size by period and/or support cohort monitoring. All standing play surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day.