2020-2021 Reopening Plan

Social distancing is a key element to Hyde’s health and safety planning to help reduce the spread of the virus. All students, staff, and any visitors must make efforts to stay at least six feet from one another, while at the same time wearing masks for additional protection. Hyde will use various schedules, entry and exit procedures, and movement protocols for student transitions in order to avoid circumstances of close contact among students and staff. In addition, we will implement the following:

• Hyde will communicate with the community informing them of social distancing, mask-wearing, and health and safety policies and procedures.
• A “no visitor policy” will be adopted. Our community will be notified that visitations will require an appointment and visitors will be met at the main entrance.
• No field trips or retreats will be planned until health conditions improve.
• Limit in-person gatherings as much as possible and use teleconferencing or video-conferencing whenever possible

Hyde will require students and staff to wear masks when in school, and we will be providing two cloth masks at the start of the school year to all students to wear throughout the day. Students/families are expected to clean and care for these masks. In addition:

• All students and staff must wear a face mask (covering mouth and nose) at all times while at school when social distancing is not possible. Staff may wear their own face covering to school and students and staff should keep masks cleaned and maintained. (Use & care of masks).
• Hyde will provide Face Shields to those staff and related service providers who need one. Face Shields (Face Shields) can be worn in addition to face masks, but not as a replacement.
• Upon arrival, all staff and students should cleanse hands immediately, either using soap and water (See Proper Way to Wash Hands) or hand sanitizer from dispensers at the entrance. Students and staff should clean their hands throughout the day.

The mental health, behavioral, and emotional support of our community must be the priority upon reopening. Hyde has systems and practices in place to identify and support students, families, and staff having difficulty with COVID-19 and other traumas. These include:

• Providing space and encouraging students, families, and staff to connect to trusted members of the community
• Use of Hyde signature practices as well as targeted SEL activities to develop coping and resilience skills
• Student counseling sessions through teleservices
• Each division has designated student and Family Education support personnel that provides outreach and support for families through a referral process
• Professional development for staff during pre-opening as well as throughout the school year on Mindfulness, Social-Emotional Learning, and Trauma-Informed Instruction.

Hyde will conduct health monitoring of students and staff to track potential health issues that could lead to the spread of the COVID-19. We will report to the local health authorities as required.

Upon arrival to the school building, all students and staff members will be temperature- screened, and anyone presenting a temperature above 100.0 degrees will not be permitted to enter the building with the exception of students who are required to be picked up by a parent/guardian. In these cases, the student will be escorted to the Isolation Room for parent /guardian pick-up. In addition, all staff/adults will be required to successfully pass a health-screening questionnaire in order to be granted access to the school buildings. The health questionnaire may be sent electronically or completed when arriving at school. Health screening questionnaires may be sent periodically to parents/guardians on behalf of students.

Hyde recognizes that regular school attendance is essential to a student’s ability to learn and to flourish. We have established a collection and monitoring system and a tiered approach to supporting students and families with attendance. Each division has a designated student and Family Education support personnel that monitors attendance and provides outreach and support for families. Hyde acknowledges that family schedules, availability of technology, or other barriers may preclude students from connecting with teachers at a certain time. To that end, flexibility is key in our way of offering instruction as well as how we collect & monitor attendance. Daily attendance will be collected and entered into PowerSchool in each division. PowerSchool attendance will evidence daily attendance on all instructional days in our remote, hybrid, and in-person programs and serve as Hyde’s documentation that verifies attendance.

Because we recognize that flexibility is recommended when monitoring attendance in a remote instructional model, Hyde will follow these outreach strategies for students who are disengaged in our remote, hybrid, or in-person programs:

Students in grades K-3 will receive Chromebooks as part of their pre-opening orientation. Students in grades 4-12 are currently in possession of their own school-issued Chromebook. Similar to the spring, Family Education Directors will coordinate with families in order to ensure that every child has reliable access to high-speed internet services. Hyde will also provide financial assistance to families in need. Lastly, our IT department will offer remote and onsite support for technical issues. During orientation we will ensure the following:

• Distribution of Chromebooks for K-3 and new-to-Hyde students in 4th-10th grades
• Orientation for Students and Family members on how to navigate instructional programs and any technological platform.