2021-2022 HTS Covid Protocols: CLICK HERE

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Thanks to the cooperation and work of all of our staff, students, parents, and families, our school successfully completed a year of in-person learning in the midst of the pandemic, and we are looking forward to the gifts and blessings this new school year will bring.  

With the coronavirus pandemic still with us, we remain ever aware of our responsibility to protect our children and members of our community.  As we approached this year we continued to work with our Health Commissioner, Dave Covell, and the Lorain County Health Department as well as our group from University Hospitals, as we did last year. We are all aware of how dangerous this virus can be, and our thoughts and prayers are with all who have experienced its effects either personally or with loved ones. 

While Lorain County has been categorized as an area of substantial spread, our health department clarified that in fact cases are still low compared to what we experienced last year. Based on data from Lorain County Health Department, this past week there were 15 cases in our zip code compared to 400 a week in the fall of 2020. The data continues to support that cases are still coming from adults that are unvaccinated (98%) and a very small number of kids are testing positive. We are aware of recommendations made by entities casting a wide net over a varied population. It is our belief that decisions should be made on the local level.

Based on our meeting this past week the recommendation to keep masking optional remains our stance. It is strongly recommended that those who have not been vaccinated wear masks. If your child is vaccine eligible we encourage you to make that choice. If this is not right for your child we again, strongly recommend that they wear a mask to school. The quarantine protocol will look similar to last year if your child is not wearing a mask and is not vaccinated. Students will have the option to take a Covid test for an earlier return to school but a mask will be required for the duration of the quarantine period. There will be no remote learning option this school year. Please reference the chart below for detailed guidance.

We know that we can’t eliminate risk but will continue to mitigate it by:

Physical Distancing

• We will continue to maintain signage in the school dictating the flow of traffic and encouraging distance.

• We purchased additional desks and tables in our primary grades to limit the number of students at tables.

• We will keep excess furniture out of grades 4-8 to allow for maximum spacing of students. 

• Our primary grades will again have teachers switch classes and students will remain in their given homerooms.

• We have purchased several additional lunch tables for spacing of students and will utilize the outdoor areas as well when weather permits. 

• Our morning arrival will also continue to utilize both doors to limit too many kids at a given door but entry time will change from 7:05 back to 7:15

• We will maintain our end of day dismissal process. We know that it is not always convenient to turn right but it is a necessary safety measure and allows us to facilitate dismissal in a timely manner.

Sanitizing

• We will continue to monitor sanitizer throughout the building as well as encourage hand washing when applicable in the day. Additional sanitizing areas have been added throughout the school building.

• Our maintenance staff will follow the detailed cleaning schedule we used last year which not only prevented the spread of Covid but also other illnesses in the building.

• We will continue to monitor the HVAC systems school-wide.

• Surfaces will be frequently cleaned with extra attention given to high-touch areas such as railings, door handles, and restrooms.

• Desks will be disinfected in between every switch in grades 4-8.

• Water fountains will be turned back on however we continue to encourage the use of personal water bottles during the school day utilizing our bottle fillers.

Community  Support

• The success of the school year is dependent on the buy-in and overall support of the school community.

• We will ask you to monitor your children and if they are sick ask to please keep them at home. School will be here when we return.- This is one of the most important things you can do!

• We are at a 99% vaccination rate at the staff level but will continue to have our staff monitor conditions and execute the same caution we are asking for our students.

As a reminder, plans are “at this moment” and we will continue to re-evaluate based on evolving conditions, data about the status of the pandemic, and recommendations from public health authorities and the local community. We hope you know that we love your kids as if they were our own and that is why we continue to put the time and research into constructing this plan to keep them safe and ensure we are providing the best atmosphere to foster a faith focused learning environment.