On-Campus Health & Safety Plan – 2021-22

Nurturing a culture of health, safety, and shared responsibility.

Health and Safety Plan

NSWS is required to follow policies and mandates from the Washoe County Health District, Washoe County Human Services Agency and Governor Sisolak.  Our policy development is also informed by the Center for Disease Control.

Children and employees are not required to wear a mask inside the school building. Masks are optional. We respect each individual’s decision.

If NSWS has an outbreak the school will implement appropriate mitigation measures, including masking for the duration of the outbreak for those ages 2 and older.

Medical exemptions will be honored during outbreaks in which masking will be required.

  1. The Leadership Group may approve mask exemptions for students who are medically fragile as documented per an existing IEP or health related 504 equivalents.
  2. The Leadership Group may approve mask exemptions for students or employees who provide documentation from a qualified Nevada licensed medical professional that they are exempt in accordance with Subsection 3 of Section 7 of Directive 024.

Written requests for mask exemptions and accompanying documentation can be sent to the Leadership Group.

Parent’s Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the parent to take his/her child’s temperature at home every day to ensure it is under 100°.  Please note any changes in your child’s behavior and any possible symptoms that may have emerged overnight.  

Drop-Off Procedures and Daily Health Screening

A parent brings the child to the class teacher/assistant and stays until the child is cleared. Teachers will ask the following health check questions:

  1. Have you done your child’s health screening this morning?

If not, the teacher will hand the parent a checklist and ask them to do the health screening. This includes the question “have you been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19?”

  1. Was your child’s temperature below 100?

The teacher will take the temperature if the parent did not do so at home.

All late arrivals check-in at the front office. Office staff will complete the health check and walk the child to class. 

Ventilation is another layer of our COVID-19 mitigation plan. The Reactor campus has HEPA filters installed in the HVAC system. These filters are maintained regularly and are checked more often when the air quality is poor for extended periods of time. In addition, each classroom has two air purifiers. When the air quality is normal, teachers have the option of opening doors and windows to support air circulation inside the classroom.

Good hygiene with frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer are utilized.

  • Wash hands before leaving home, sanitize hands, upon arrival at school, upon entering or leaving a classroom, after recess or indoor play, and before final departure
  • Children sanitize hands upon arrival at school and before their final departure.
  • Children wash (or sanitize) hands before and after eating (snack and lunch).
  • Hands are washed after using the bathroom and throughout the day as needed.
  • Hands are also washed after using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing, and blowing one’s nose, and throughout the day as needed.
  • Young children are supervised in washing their hands. They thoroughly wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water.

In the grade school, when students are working at their desks, they will be socially distanced at 3 feet apart when possible.   Indoors, children will be distanced three feet apart when eating and drinking, when possible.

COVID-19 Symptoms

If you have had any new or unusual symptoms from the following lists in the last 24 hours (even if you have been fully vaccinated), you will need to quarantine immediately if:

You have one (1) or more of the following symptoms:

  • Fever (temperature ≥100.4°F at rest)
  • Respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, and/or difficulty breathing)
  • New loss of smell or taste

OR

If you have two (2) or more of the following symptoms:

  • Chills
  • Feeling cold and shivering
  • Muscle pain or aches
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue
  • Nasal congestion
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting (If only symptom, 48-hour exclusion.)
  • Diarrhea (If only symptom, 48-hour exclusion.)

Quarantine Guidelines

NSWS follows the CDC quarantine guidelines.

Contact the School Nurse

Please contact the school nurse right away if your child is symptomatic.  She will provide information and support regarding your child’s illness and confirm if and how long your child may need to quarantine.

Contact: nurse@nevadasagewaldorf.org

At School

For All Students

Students are cared for in the sick room by nurse until the parent or guardian picks up the child.  Nursery children are not be required to wear a mask in the sick room. For all other children and students, if not too sick to wear a mask (ie. is not nauseous and/or congested), the child will be asked to wear a mask for a short time until the parent/guardian arrives, regardless of mask exemption status.

At home

When your child is sick, please call the office.  We want to know when your child is out sick and we need to keep sick log records as required by the Washoe County Health District.  When you call the office, the staff will ask you what your child’s symptoms are.  We can also work with you to determine the applicable return to school date.

All visitors are welcome in the front office.

Prospective families touring the school are required to wear a mask.

The bathroom located in the office is only open to employees. Parents and children are not allowed to use this bathroom. Please plan accordingly.

NSWS endorses the CDC Travel recommendations and highly encourages that employees and families who choose to travel follow the CDC guidelines for quarantining following travel. NSWS does not require employees and families to report their travel plans.  The health of our community depends on everyone making prudent and responsible choices.

If any local, state or federal directives change, the NSWS Leadership Group will review and amend our policies and protocols as needed.