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Community Requirements
Maintaining Community Health and Safety
Together, we all must do our part to help keep the Fenn community healthy and safe and the campus open for in-person instruction, learning, and community-building. Here are the actions Fenn will require to help maintain the personal health and wellness of all community members:
Student Cohorts.
The use of cohorts to limit the interaction between students and faculty will be the most significant adjustment to the Fenn experience. All Fenn boys are being assigned to cohorts with which they will remain for the entire school day. They will vary in size based on division, grade, and number of students to disperse and in most cases will include approximately 16 students. Each cohort will be assigned to a specific classroom (and each student to an assigned seat), and the majority of the cohort’s classes will take place there, with faculty coming to them.
One exception is morning advisory for larger cohorts, which will divide into two groups and meet with two separate advisors (one in the cohort classroom; the other in another classroom designated for the advisor group). The cohort will then come back together after advisory. Boys will also move as a cohort to some Arts classes – e.g. Wood Shop – that cannot be accommodated well within a cohort classroom.
*Upper and Middle School Math: In order to maintain the purity of cohorts and differing levels of math instruction, seventh and eighth grade math classes will largely be offered online from cohort classrooms. At least once a week, however, boys in these grades will meet with their math teacher in-person.
Physical Distancing.
Six feet of distance will be required between all students, faculty, and staff. Every Fenn classroom and meeting space was analyzed to determine the number of people each could hold after ensuring this distance between individuals, and extensive renovations were made to classrooms. Walls came down between smaller classrooms to create larger ones, and shelves, counter spaces, and larger teacher desks were removed. Seminar and conference tables were also replaced by individual student tables or desks, where necessary.
6 ft.
Masks.
Students must come to school each day with at least two masks – one to wear, plus extras in a plastic bag in their backpack. We also suggest including an additional plastic bag for soiled masks. (See page 18 for a list of required school supplies.) Masks must be worn at all times when indoors, and they must cover the mouth and nose, fit snugly, and have two layers of fabric, if handmade. Neck gaiters and bandanas are not allowed. Masks must also be consistent with Fenn’s dress code and not bear inappropriate messages or images (See Addendum for Revised Dress Code). They must be washed daily or exchanged for a clean mask, and emergency disposable masks will be provided by Fenn in case of damage to student masks. Clear masks will also be available, if needed.
Exceptions to Fenn’s mask policy may be made due to medical necessity or disability, and families who wish to discuss exceptions should contact their division head(s).
Outdoor Classrooms.
We have erected approximately eight large tents and multiple canopies to create open air classrooms and meeting spaces. Six feet of distance will be required between individuals within these outdoor spaces, but boys will be able to enjoy periodic, supervised mask breaks. Classes will also be welcome to use other outdoor campus locations (on North Campus, etc.), as many do outside of a pandemic.
Personal Hygiene.
Boys will be required to wash their hands for 20 seconds, with frequency, throughout the day – after arriving at school; before and after eating lunch or snacks or touching shared objects (which we have worked to minimize); after using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing or blowing one’s nose; and before leaving school for the day. Hand sanitizer will also be readily available around campus.
Pathways and Traffic Flow.
Boys will be expected to apply the training they will receive on the pathways they should follow and the building entrances and exits they should use when traveling to and from classrooms, outside for recess and sports, to Extended Day and pick-up, to restrooms, etc. Restrooms will be assigned to specific cohorts and to students OR faculty/staff, and capacity restrictions will be imposed to ensure physical distancing. Campus signage will provide important guidance.
