Update to 3ft distancing per CDC / CA Department of Health

COVID Update: Continuing to Monitor and Adapt our Policies

With new guidance from the CDC and CA Dept of Public Health, we will be adjusting our physical distancing norms and policy from 6 ft to 3 ft, when appropriate and necessary, both indoors and outdoors.

This shift is good for our students, according to our Medical Advisor, Dr. John Swanson. We know our students need a lot of attention and connection right now, and this adjustment will certainly help.

As we look ahead with this new policy in place, we will continue to proceed cautiously moving forward and keep the safety and well-being of our people at the forefront of our minds. This shift will enable us to teach our students more effectively and deliver on our learner outcomes.

COVID Safety Precautions Facilities Update

Safety Precautions

• In order to ensure we are mitigating the risk of COVID-19, we will continue to enforce TEA’s COVID policies including, but not limited to daily health screening, social distancing, and mask-wearing. We appreciate every family’s support in re-enforcing these policies with your child so we can keep learning in-person accessible to as many individuals as possible.
• Here’s a summary of our continued efforts to do our best to keep everyone safe:

Protocols, Policies and Procedures

• Daily Health Screening for all families, faculty and staff
• Temperature checks upon arrival for all students, faculty and staff
• Students interact primarily with their grade and/or grade band cohorts
• Physical distancing policies and procedures on campus and indoors (6ft spacing of desks, tables, chairs)
• Frequent handwashing
• Ongoing consultation with medical experts, county health officials, legal, HR and other experts as needed.

Personnel

• Increased staffing to better accommodate for a variety of parent, learner and safety needs.
• Increased staffing for regular cleaning and maintenance of buildings and daily cleanings of high-touch surfaces.
• Facilities Upgrades
• Updated air filtration systems and units for indoor learning. We have purchased and installed 19 IQ Air Filtration Systems
• Increased airflow as per expert recommendation
• 6 ft. spacing between students/desks as much as possible

Programming Adjustments

• Providing a variety of programming options for students, families and staff to meet as many people as possible where they are.

Facilities Recommendations and Actions

• In addition, we have upgraded our indoor spaces based on expert recommendations to maximize clean airflow and mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Here is some information taken from our HVAC expert analysis and recommendations.
• Note: The first number for capacity recommendations are for HVAC systems, air quality and air flow. They do not take into account our physical distancing protocols, which in two cases are actually more limiting in terms of capacity for each building space. See exact numbers below in parenthesis.

Building 1

• Our expert analysis recommended the maximum number of 160 students at sitting/standing activity level and the maximum number of students at higher activity level to be 80 people
• Due to physical distancing seating arrangements, TEA will have 35-40 people max.
• Additional strategies we are taking to reduce risk include:
  • Open the roll-up door when the outside air temperature is great enough where space temperature is comfortable. We attribute the airflow to be an increase of 2 outside air ACH which equates to an estimated reduction of risk by 80%.
  • Weekly deep cleaning. Daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
  • Limit capacity to 40 people at any one time.
  • Increase fan speed on the ERV (energy recovery ventilator) to decrease risk by 50% as outside air ACH (air changes per hour) is increased.
  • Purchased and installed IQ Air Filtration Units with HyperHEPA filtration to reduce risk by an estimated 75% from original airflow conditions indicated in the report.

Early Childhood Development (Taking smallest classroom size of 493 square feet)

• Our expert analysis recommended the maximum number of 15 students at sitting/standing activity level
• Due to physical distancing seating arrangements, TEA will have 10-12 students per classroom
• Additional strategies we are taking to reduce risk include:
  • Open doors and windows when weather permits.
  • Weekly deep cleaning. Daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
  • Limit capacity to 10-12 students at any one time.
  • Increase outside airflow with the addition of two inline electric duct heaters at the louver locations.
  • Purchased and installed IQ Air Filtration Units (one per classroom) with HyperHEPA filtration to reduce risk by an estimated 75% from original airflow conditions indicated in the report.

Modulars (East Side of Campus)

• Our expert analysis recommended the maximum number of 40 students per modular.
• Due to physical distancing seating arrangements, TEA will have 20-23 students per modular.
• Additional strategies we are taking to reduce risk include:
  • Open doors and windows when weather permits.
  • Weekly deep cleaning. Daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
  • Limit capacity to 23 per modular at any one time.
  • Increase outside air damper position as much as possible while maintaining acceptable indoor air temperature.
  • Purchased and installed IQ Air Filtration Units with HyperHEPA filtration (one per classroom space) to reduce risk by an estimated 75% from original airflow conditions indicated in the report.

Learning Cottages (West Side of Campus)

• Our expert analysis recommended the maximum number of 8 people at sitting/standing activity level
• Due to physical distancing seating arrangements, TEA will have 7 students per cottage
• Additional strategies we are taking to reduce risk include:
  • Frequent / regular cleaning.
  • Limit the capacity of students inside at any one time to 7.
  • Open doors and windows when weather permits.
  • Purchased and installed IQ Air Filtration Units with HyperHEPA filtration (one per classroom space) to reduce risk by an estimated 75% from original
    airflow conditions indicated in the report.

Important Logistics Updates: Week of 10/12 - 10/16

Dear CommuniTEA,

We are 4 weeks into the school year, and it has been awesome to reconnect with our students. Our teachers are engaging with them daily and have started spending some time with them in person outdoors. BYOC (bring your own camp chair) school is in full swing!Important Logistics for the Next Cycle, Starting Monday, October 12, 2020

Check out key information below regarding daily and weekly grade level schedules for our next cycle. Also, with a couple weeks of on campus instruction under our belt, we have made some iterations to our daily processes, specifically regarding traffic flow and drop-off and pick-up locations and times. Please review this updated information below and let us know if you have any questions.Weekly Grade Level “On Campus” Schedule*
*Note: Grade levels not listed will be conducting virtual learning from home.


Daily Grade Level Schedules

PK & Elementary School (PK-5) will be 5 days in person. See drop off / pick up location and times below.

• If your K-2 student is learning from home, we would like to introduce you to Ana Remis who is the newest member of our TEAm. Ana will be supporting our K-2 virtual learners with live instruction throughout the week. She has already reached out to those who have been learning virtually thus far but if you are curious to learn more about what this would look like for your child, please contact Debrah at darriola-jacobson@tea-mail.org and Ana at aremis@tahoeexpeditionacademy.org.
• If your 3-5 student is learning from home, please contact Debrah at darriola-jacobson@tea-mail.org for more information about how we can support your virtual learner with live instruction from Debrah and our enrichment team throughout the week.

Middle and High School (6-12) will follow this hybrid schedule. See drop off / pick up location and times below.

• If the student will be learning from home, we have teachers scheduled to support virtual classrooms throughout the day.
  • Middle School students will follow THIS schedule and all zoom links will be added to their normal weekly agendas in Google Classroom.
  • High School students will follow THIS schedule and all zoom links will be added to their normal weekly agendas in Google Classroom.

Drop Off & Pick Up Locations and Times*
*Note: 9-10th grade students are now being dropped at Main Circle, while High School students who drive themselves and 11th and 12th graders should check in at Station 2 before parking.

AQI & Poor Air Quality Procedures Update
We are good for Monday. School is on for in person instruction for designated classes. As we continue to evaluate the efficacy of our procedures regarding AQI, we have slightly shifted our protocols to best accommodate the ongoing fluctuations.

Procedure for determining whether to cancel in-person classes as a result of poor air quality

• If the consensus AQI forecast is above 100*, we will close the campus and operate at TEA@Home. We will monitor various weather quality forecasting sites and will do our best to make the call by 5PM the day prior.
• If the AQI forecasts are mixed, we may choose to postpone or HOLD the determination until 6:30am.
• *The 100 limit has been determined in consultation with our medical advisor. And we are currently using the following three sites for forecasting and real time:
  • IQ Air
  • Truckee Fire Station
  • Purple Air 

Procedure for determining whether to cancel after-school activities or to call an early dismissal

• If the real time AQI in the Truckee area increases to between 100-150 during the school day, activities will be modified to reduce exertion, particularly sensitive groups. Parents may choose to pick up their children early, but we will maintain regularly scheduled classes and outdoor activities.
• If the real time AQI exceeds 150, we will reduce exertion and cancel after school activities and may dismiss classes early if logistically possible. Parents will be notified with a Smart Alert (text message) in either case.

Procedure for employees sensitive to high AQI if AQI increases to 101-150 range and school continues in session.

• Employees sensitive to high AQI would go indoors or go home, as necessary as soon as coverage is arranged for that employee’s responsibilities.

Parents and Students Key Info for Campus Safety: Week of 9/28 - 10/2

Dear CommuniTEA,

We can’t wait to see everyone in-person this week!

Please note this first full week on campus will follow a different schedule to allow for smaller cohorts to norm in-person procedures.

Drop off will be between 8:20-8:30 and pick-up will be between 2:50-3:00 pm. We are a green light for tomorrow in terms of AQI! Yay!

All-School Schedule for 9/28 – 10/2
Monday 9/28: Pre-K, K-2, 9-12 on campus / 3-5, 6-8 virtual.
Tuesday 9/29: Pre-K, 3-5, 6-8 on campus / K-2, 9-12 virtual.
Wednesday 9/30: Pre-K, K-2, 9-12 on campus / 3-5, 6-8 virtual.
Thursday 10/1: Pre-K, 3-5, 6-8 on campus / K-2, 9-12 virtual.
Friday 10/2: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5 on campus / 6-12 virtual

All-School Schedule After Fall Break
Mondays: Pre-K, K-5, 9-12 on campus / 6-8 virtual.
Tuesdays: Pre-K, K-5, 6-8 on campus / 9-12 virtual.
Wednesdays: Pre-K, K-5, 6-8, 9-12 on campus.
Thursdays: Pre-K, K-5, 3-5, 9-12 on campus / 6-8 virtual.
Fridays: Pre-K, K-5, 6-8 on campus / 9-12 virtual.

On Campus Norms
We are following the Three W’s every day: Wear a Mask, Wash Your Hands and Watch Your Distance. Students and staff may take off masks ONLY when stationary outside in a socially distanced format. Otherwise, masks are worn at all times.

Parent Help
Parents can help us by remaining in their vehicles while on campus. Should parents need to speak with crew leaders, admin or staff, then please contact us via phone, email, etc.

Also, parents can help us by helping children prepare for being on campus by ensuring they have their double-layered face masks and hand sanitizer with them (and bring extra if necessary), and that they have practice wearing their face masks and following social distancing guidelines of maintaining 6 feet of distance from others.

Check In / Check Out Stations
We have three check in / check out stations to facilitate safe check in / out and traffic flow. Please drop off and pick up by your child’s grade assigned Station – indicated below. Station and classroom locations are shown on the Campus Map.

Station #1 at Main Circle left of Building One
Grades: 3-5th, 8th & 11-12th grades – IMPORTANT – Students who drive themselves must park and walk over to Check In Station #1 for check in.
Athletics: Pick up location for when on campus.
Station #2 at School Office (past field on left through the roundabout)
Grades: Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 9th & 10th
Clubs: Pick up location for when on campus.
Station #3 at West Side of Campus (past field and all the way to the far back circle)
Grades: PreK, 6th & 7th

Check In / Check Out Instructions
1. ParentSquare Health Survey: Each school day prior to arrival parents (on behalf of their child/ren), faculty and staff are required to complete the ParentSquare COVID-19 Health Survey. Please ensure the ParentSquare App is downloaded on your smartphone and you are logged into your account. There is a banner at the bottom of the page and/or you can click on your name / child to access the survey.

2. Check In: Arriving parents and students please follow these instructions, which is posted at each station for clarity.

Step 1. Pull Forward to Check In Station. All Parties are to Remain in Vehicle.
Step 2. Staff Confirms You Have Completed COVID-19 Survey on ParentSquare
Step 3. Student Temperature Check by Staff
Step 4. Students with Passing Temperature Exit Vehicle Wearing Mask, Bring all Belongings

3. Late Check In: Late arrivals are required to check in at the school office, near Station #2. Please remain in your vehicle, and call the school office at (530) 546-5253. Check in staff will check in your child at your vehicle.

4. Check Out: Please remain in your vehicle during pickup and at all times when on campus. Pick up your child at the same location where you dropped off. Ultimately, this may require you to conduct drop off and pick ups in more than one location, if you have more than one child enrolled. We apologize for this inconvenience.

AQI Policy and “Poor Air Quality Day” Notifications
From speaking directly to our medical advisor, we plan to keep our AQI threshold at 100, as he confirmed and agreed that being outdoors for sensitive groups is harmful to one’s health. We continue to work to ready indoor spaces to go inside if/when necessary. We are not there yet. If the AQI is predicted to be over 100, then we will move to TEA@Home for everyone.

Starting next week, we will notify parents by 3pm the day before ONLY IF WE NEED TO CANCEL SCHOOL for a “Poor Air Quality Day.” No news means we will continue in person instruction as planned, just like on our Snow Days.

8.31 Update: New COVID-19 Guidelines Released By Gov. Newsom

In case you did not hear, Gov. Newsom outlined a new set of criteria and platform for determining if/when schools and businesses can reopen.

State / County Status Website Here
Here is the industry guidance for schools.

We are steadfast in our commitment to offer in-person instruction as soon as we are permitted. And some good news is that once we are back in person, this new guidance doesn’t change much for our day to day plans and operations. Unfortunately, this announcement does potentially change when we are able to return to in-person instruction.

We are currently in Tier Purple. Once we move to Tier Red and stay there for two weeks, then we can reopen in person classes with modifications (which will be the same we have outlined to date).

They update the tiers weekly on Tuesday. We are staying optimistic that as soon as tomorrow we could move to Red from Purple. In which case the earliest we would open would be two weeks after, which would be 9/15/20 for PK and 9/21/20 for K-12.

We are so sorry to have to share these changes. Believe us, when we heard the CA Governor announce them on Friday, we were crushed, as we were hoping for some certainty and predictability.

Good news, our current outdoor schooling plans and ability to adapt quickly will remain intact. We appreciate you and will give you an update next week on where we stand.

As a reminder, please note during our first week of in-person instruction for all K-12 students, regardless of when that happens, there will be a week-long staggered start for K-12 students that focuses on norming in-person and on-campus social distancing protocols. Here is that anticipated schedule. Note these would be 8:30 – 3PM on-campus days.

Week 1 On-Campus Planned Schedule For All Students

Monday = PK, K-2, 9-12

Tuesday = PK, 3-5, 6-8

Wednesday = PK, K-2, 9-12

Thursday = PK, 3-5, 6-8

Friday = PK, K-5

After our first week of on-campus instruction and norming, we will move to a 5 day per week schedule for Pre-K through 5th-Grade, and a hybrid schedule for MS and HS students. Here is that anticipated schedule, again with normal 8:30 – 3PM hours.

Week 2+ On-Campus Planned Schedule For All Students

Monday = PK, K-5, 9-12

Tuesday = PK, K-5, 6-8

Wednesday = PK, K-5, 6-8, 9-12

Thursday = PK, K-5, 3-5, 9-12

Friday = PK, K-5, 6-8

Plans for TEA@Home Through 9/18 for K-12 Remain Intact

As of today, Wednesday August 19th, Placer County is off of the state’s watchlist. If Placer County remains off of the watchlist for 14 consecutive days, schools would be permitted to conduct in-person instruction. However, out of necessity to base our school’s opening plans on certainty, we remain committed to our reopening plan communicated on August 6th, which has us in TEA@Home for the first 9 days of school (through 9/18) for our K-12 students. Our first 4 days of school will be focused on norms which is best done over a digital format as it enables face to face communication and active discussion with our students.

Here is an excerpt from our August 6th communication of our Reopening Plan for reference:

“We believe the best and right thing to do is for us to commit to TEA@Home through September 18th while planning to continue in a digital format through the end of the month. After September 18th, once Placer County has been off the State Watchlist for 14 consecutive days (per state mandate), we will start in person classes for all students the following week, with K thru 5th-Grade having the choice to participate in 5-days per week in-person social distance school, and 6th-12th grades in a hybrid model with 3 days per week in-person and 2 days per week digital.”

As many of you know, Placer County has been off and on the watchlist multiple times in the past few months, and TEA@Home is the only certainty we can plan around for the first two weeks of school. The earliest we will open for in person classes is the week of 9/21, if we are permitted to do so at that time.

As a reminder, please note during our first week of in-person instruction for all K-12 students, regardless of when that happens, there will be a week-long staggered start for K-12 students that focuses on norming in-person and on-campus social distancing protocols. Here is that anticipated schedule. Note these would be 8:30 – 3PM on-campus days.

Week 1 On-Campus Planned Schedule For All Students
– Monday = PK, K-2, 9-12
– Tuesday = PK, 3-5, 6-8
– Wednesday = PK, K-2, 9-12
– Thursday = PK, 3-5, 6-8
– Friday = PK, K-5

After our first week of on-campus instruction and norming, we will move to a 5 day per week schedule for Pre-K through 5th-Grade, and a hybrid schedule for MS and HS students. Here is that anticipated schedule, again with normal 8:30 – 3PM hours.

Week 2+ On-Campus Planned Schedule For All Students
– Monday = PK, K-5, 9-12
– Tuesday = PK, K-5, 6-8
– Wednesday = PK, K-5, 6-8, 9-12
– Thursday = PK, K-5, 3-5, 9-12
– Friday = PK, K-5, 6-8

We are currently discussing what is possible for Pre-K. There is greater flexibility in curriculum and logistics planning for our littlest ones, possibly allowing us to pivot to in-person instruction before 9/21. We are working on that now and will update our Pre-K families asap.

COVID-19 Prevention Planning Live Q&A

On August 12th, the TEA Leadership hosted a live Q&A in response to the information we shared regarding our COVID-19 Prevention Planning. Parents pre-submitted questions and the leadership team responded on a Zoom call, with parents able to ask follow up questions via Zoom’s chat function. You can review a recording of the event here.

20/21 School Year To Start as TEA@Home

Important Update Regarding COVID-19 Scenario Planning + Parent Survey

RE: Governor Newsom’s Order to Close (Most) Schools in California

TEA Virtual State of the School