Updated 8/17/2020
COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus. Chesapeake Montessori School promotes health practices of handwashing, sanitizing, social distancing, and mask-wearing, but none of these completely eliminate the risk of infection. The younger the children, the more challenging it is to keep them separated. We cannot guarantee that your child will not be exposed or become ill with COVID-19, despite our best efforts. We need to work as a school community to help people stay healthy.
The following practices are in place and will continue to be in the foreseeable future:
- Sick children may not come to school or before/aftercare. If anyone in the household is experiencing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home until the sickness is resolved. If your child has seasonal allergies, please be sure to inform your child’s teacher of the allergies and symptoms before your child starts school.
- Your child may not attend school if anyone in the household has come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 2 weeks. Each morning upon arrival, families will be asked:
- “Have you or anyone in your family been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours?”
- “Have you given your child any medication to reduce or suppress fever this morning?”
- “Are you or your child experiencing any signs/symptoms of COVID-19?”
- If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” the child will not be allowed to attend school that day.
- Parents must report a positive COVID-19 diagnosis of an enrolled student of family member to CMS.
- Children ages 3 and older must exit their car, wearing a mask and will keep the mask in place until they are settled at their workspace in their classroom.
- Children (ages 3 and older) must come to school with a clean/new mask every day. Please send your child with a clean/new back-up mask if their primary mask becomes dirty/soiled/etc.
- ALL children must arrive to school with clean bodies and clean clothes daily.
- In the event your child’s mask becomes soiled or unusable, CMS has disposable child masks on hand.
- If your child comes to school without a mask, we will provide a disposable mask (with name and date) for the child and the administration will keep a log. After the fifth occurrence of a child arriving to school without a mask, families will be charged for the cost of the disposable mask.
- Adults may not enter the building unless they are escorting an infant or toddler. All persons entering must wear a mask, including children, faculty, and staff.
- Children are expected to wash their hands upon entering the classroom, before and after eating and using the bathroom. Children will be asked to wash their hands at other times during the day or if they touch their mouth or nose. Depending on the age of the child, the teacher might supervise the children’s use of hand sanitizer.
- Please do not send hand sanitizer in your child’s school bag. It is not allowed by the Department of Social Services unless under the guidance of an adult.
- All classrooms are sanitized a minimum of twice daily. This includes all furniture, shelving, and materials.
- Plexiglass dividers are in place for larger classroom tables. Children will still be able to talk, see each other and enjoy each other’s company, while we meet the mandatory criteria for school operation.
- Parents, Faculty and Staff will be notified, through email and possibly phone calls, in the event we have a positive case of COVID-19 in school. CMS will follow recommendations from the Virginia Health Department. This might mean closing certain classrooms or the entire school for a two-week period (or longer).
- CMS acknowledges that social distancing is difficult and unnatural for young children. CMS plans to approach COVID-19 mitigation from a holistic view, to include social/emotional as well as the physical well-being of the children.
For more detail on our health plan to mitigate COVID-19, please refer to the CMS Health Plan.
