Marin Waldorf School Supplemental Handbook
2021-2022
ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK This handbook is a supplement to the Marin Waldorf School Parent Handbook, with instructions and policies specific to the 2021-2022 school year, including operating hours, drop-off and pickup procedures, field trip and volunteer requirements, and our full health and safety procedures, outlined by health coordinator Cammi Bell, RN, MS. All protocols and practices described in this handbook supersede procedures outlined in the Parent Handbook. As a reminder, our health and safety guidelines are continuously updated to align with guidance provided to schools by the Marin County Office of Education, Marin County Health and Human Services, the state of California, and the Centers for Disease Control. Please bookmark this page! The 2021-2022 Supplemental Handbook will be updated as practices and protocols change over the course of the year. For more information about our school’s dress code, discipline policy, communications policy, and organizational structure, among other essential information, we encourage you to review the Marin Waldorf School Parent Handbook.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM Early childhood classrooms (Buttercup, Sunflower, Hollyhock, Manzanita, and Morning Glory) will open for in-person instruction on September 8, 2021. Marin Waldorf School will continue to offer the same rhythmic Early Childhood (EC) program as in prior years, with the following modifications: ●
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Class sizes have been capped at a smaller size: 18 students per kindergarten room and 16 students per preschool room. To accommodate smaller class sizes, a fifth early childhood classroom, Manzanita, was added in 2020-2021, and will continue to operate through 2021-2022. The Manzanita cohort is mixed-aged to allow siblings of different grade levels to attend school in the same classroom. Each class/cohort has dedicated outdoor space near their classroom and children will spend as much time outdoors as possible during the school day. Dedicated indoor spaces are available, as needed, as well as dedicated bathrooms for each class/cohort. There will be no mixing of students in EC cohorts indoors during the regular school day (before 1pm). Children may play with other cohorts outdoors during free play. Per County health recommendations, face coverings will be used for the majority of the school day in all settings, with frequent mask breaks planned throughout the day. Teachers will wear facial coverings throughout the school day. Teachers will support children and parents with creative strategies and shared language between home and school regarding safety practices (e.g. facial coverings, physical distancing). All faculty and staff are required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or to receive weekly testing. Vaccination against COVID-19 is required for all substitute teachers and oncampus parent volunteers. When resting/napping, children will remove their face covering and be physically distanced. Each child's mat and bedding will be stored separately. Hand-washing will be encouraged and practiced, in addition to using hand sanitizer, during the regular school day, and always before eating and after using the bathroom. Aftercare is available by contract only, with no drop-in option. Children enrolled in the aftercare program will be a fixed cohort. Mid-morning snacks will be prepared in accordance with best practices. Children will eat all meals outdoors. Parents will drop off and pick up children in the breezeway/curbside at the school’s main entrance. Parents are not allowed on campus during the regular school day. Preschool, kindergarten, and grades have staggered start times, which will reduce mixing between students at dropoff and pickup. In the case of a positive case of COVID in one of our school’s cohorts, a cohort closure may be ordered by our health coordinator in conjunction with Marin public health.
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2021 GRADES PROGRAM Marin Waldorf School will continue to offer a rich, experiential, and project-based curriculum of integrated academic, arts, outdoor education, and movement throughout the year, with the following modifications for 2021-2022 school year. ● ● ●
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Each grade will be a fixed cohort. Cohorts will be allowed to use shared outdoor spaces during recess and lunch recess. In some select cases (e.g. 7th-8th orchestra class), class cohorts will be allowed to mix under the supervision of our administrative team and health coordinator. In addition to our well-ventilated indoor classrooms, select subject classes will continue to be held in our outdoor classroom areas, spread across our 11-acre campus. Outdoor classrooms all include stools, desks, shade, and chalkboards for instruction. Hand-washing will be encouraged and practiced, in addition to using hand sanitizer, during the regular school day, and always before eating and after using the bathroom. Per County health recommendations, face coverings will be used for the majority of the school day in all settings, indoors and outdoors, with planned mask breaks throughout the day. Teachers will wear facial coverings throughout the school day. Vaccination is required for all faculty/staff, except when they have a medical or religious exemption. Vaccination is required for all substitute teachers and on-campus parent volunteers. All off-campus field trips requiring transportation to and from campus are subject to review and approval by the school nurse and administrative team, with the exception of hikes to surrounding open space, which is accessible on foot. Plays, performances, and assemblies are subject to review and approval by the school nurse and administrative team Aftercare for grades 1-8 will be offered again this fall. The aftercare program will follow all health directives and procedures as the regular school day. Students will eat snack and lunch outdoors. Individual classes enter and exit the building through designated entrances on Idylberry, Appleberry, Danberry, and Elderberry to reduce mixing cohorts. Siblings will be allowed to use the same entrance and exit. Please see below for full details. Quarantine of individuals in close contact to a positive case may be required depending upon COVID-19 immunization status. If a member of one of our school’s cohorts tests positive for COVID-19, we will work with our county’s public health department to determine next steps. A temporary cohort closure may be ordered by our health coordinator and Marin County’s public health department. In the case of a cohort closure, teachers will provide appropriate learning material to their class, at their discretion.
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MARIN WALDORF SCHOOL
CAMPUS PROCEDURES 2021-2022 Updated August 2021
I. OPERATING HOURS 1. INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS A. Early Childhood Buttercup and Sunflower Preschool 8:30am–12:45pm Hollyhock, Morning Glory, and Manzanita Kindergarten 8:15am—1pm B. Grades 1-8 8:00am–3:15pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:00am–2:15pm Thursday
2. AFTERCARE A. Early Childhood Aftercare Program The early childhood aftercare program is available by contract only. Space is limited in the program to meet childcare licensing requirements and health/safety guidelines. There are two pickup options: 3pm and 5:20pm. B. Grades Aftercare Program The grades aftercare program is operating for 2021-2022 and is available by contract only until 5:20pm every day school is in session except the last day of school before winter break and the last day of the 2021-2022 school year. C. Music Classes After-school music classes with private teachers will resume this fall, coordinated by our aftercare/music teachers.
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II. FRONT OFFICE & CAMPUS VISITORS 1. Office Hours The school’s front office is open 8am to 3:30pm Monday-Friday every day that school is in session. We encourage parents to minimize in-person office visits. You may reach us at the following telephone number and email addresses. Address: 755 Idylberry Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 Phone: 415-479-8190 Robin Boynosky, Office Manager: office@marinwaldorf.org Julie Meade, Registrar: registrar@marinwaldorf.org Attendance: attendance@marinwaldorf.org
2. Parents and Visitors Currently, all non-essential visitors, including parents/guardians and students from other schools, are not allowed to enter campus while school is in session. We encourage parents to minimize in-person office visits. Parent volunteers may be asked to attend field trips or special events, at the discretion of the class teacher, the school nurse, and the administration. (Please see VI. FIELD TRIPS, FESTIVALS, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS for more information.) All parents must get fingerprinted and show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before they may volunteer on campus.
3. Essential Visitors Maintenance, cleaning, and groundskeepers may be allowed on campus during the school day only in emergencies or to perform routine services in which they will not have contact with students or teachers. When coming to campus, all visitors must adhere to the following protocols: A. Sign-in Log All essential visitors to campus must sign in and sign out in the front office. B. Safety Protocols All essential visitors to the school must practice hand hygiene per campus guidelines and wear a facial covering at all times.
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4. Outside Contractors External contractors serving our facilities and grounds will be allowed on campus during the school day to perform routine services. All contractors must follow the protocols outlined above.
III. DROP-OFF & PICK-UP To promote physical distancing between families and avoid crowding on campus, we will use all four entrances to our campus this fall.
1. Cohort Entrances/Exits A. Early Childhood Students in our five early childhood classes (Buttercup, Sunflower, Manzanita, Morning Glory, and Hollyhock) will enter and exit at the main entrance on Idylberry Road. Parents may park in the school parking lot or along the neighboring streets and walk their child down to school, or they may drop off directly at the curb. B. Grades 1-8 The drop-off window for all grades students is 8:00am to 8:10am. The pickup window is 3:15-3:25pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The pickup window is 2:15-2:25pm on Thursday. Please be on time. Grades students will enter/exit campus at the following locations: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
First grade: Main entrance through Idylberry Road parking lot Second grade: Northeast service road through Idylberry Road parking lot Third grade: Elderberry Road entrance Fourth grade: Danberry Road entrance Fifth grade: Appleberry Road entrance Sixth grade: Danberry Road entrance Seventh grade: Elderberry Road entrance Eighth grade: Appleberry Road entrance
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Siblings Siblings in different grades may use the same entrance/exit. (Please note: This accommodation is intended for grades 1-8 only. Families with a student in early childhood and the grades should continue to use separate entrances.) In that case, an older sibling should use their younger siblings’ entrance/exit. Please communicate your children’s pickup and dropoff plan to your class teacher and the front office. You may locate your child/children’s entrance on the map below.
2. Neighborhood Our school is located in a quiet residential neighborhood. Please be respectful of our school’s neighbors by not blocking driveways and driving carefully when dropping off and picking up your students from your designated entrance/exit. Always use crosswalks to cross the street.
3. Parent Expectations Please wear a mask and maintain physical distance at all times when dropping off and picking up your child. Please do not congregate on the sidewalks.
4. Carpools We encourage parents to find carpools within their child’s existing cohort. If you choose to carpool with a family in another school cohort, please make every effort to make the carpool a fixed cohort to allow contact tracing. All students and parents sharing a car should wear Page 7 Marin Waldorf School 2021 Back to School Handbook
appropriate facial coverings at all times. We encourage you to also open windows for ventilation.
5. Late Arrivals It is essential for students to enter campus with their cohort at the designated time (please see Ib. Instructional Hours) to maintain effective safety protocols and accurate attendance, which is vital to contact tracing. If you are unexpectedly unable to arrive on time, please follow the procedures outlined below. Early Childhood If you must drop off your child after the official drop-off window, please call the front office to let us know when you will arrive. When you arrive at school, please enter via the Idylberry Road parking lot and park in the red zone. Do not get out of your car. Please do not block the loading zone, as this is used for emergency vehicles. A member of the office staff will meet you at the curb and take your child to class. Grades 1-8 If you must drop off your child after the official drop-off window, please call the front office to let us know when you will arrive. Please enter via the Idylberry Road parking lot and park in the red zone. Do not get out of your car. Please do not block the loading zone, as this is used for emergency vehicles. Your child should come directly to the front office. A member of the front office staff will take your child to class.
6. Early Pickup If you are planning to pick up your child before the designated dismissal time, please 1) let your child’s class teacher know, and 2) call or email the front office. You will pick up your child at the designated time at the school’s main entrance in the parking lot on Idylberry Road. When it is time to pick up, you may park in the red zone in the Idylberry Road parking lot and wait in your car until the office staff lets you know that your child is ready to meet you. Please do not block the loading zone, as this is used for emergency vehicles.
7. Late Pickup If you are late to pick up your child at dismissal, please call the front office right away. When you arrive, please come directly to the school’s front office, where your child will be asked to wait until their parent or designated contact arrives. There is a $1/minute charge for late pickups. For after-school programs, please see
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8. Illness at School If your child becomes sick at school and needs to be picked up before dismissal, our health coordinator will provide detailed instructions for pickup from the nurse’s office, in the portables. We expect that parents be available to pick up sick children during the school day within 30 minutes of receiving a call from the school nurse. (Please see IV. ABSENCES, below, for more information on when to stay home and when to come to school.
IV. POOR AIR QUALITY DAYS For the 2021-2022 school year, we will continue to follow our school’s policy for fire-related closures: If the AQI is below 100, we will operate without restrictions. If the AQI is between 100 and 149, we will remain open but restrict rigorous activity. If the AQI is 150 or above, we will close campus for the day. We will let you know no later than 7am if school is closed for the day due to poor air quality. We will base our daily policies on the 6am reading in San Rafael from AirNow, the EPA’s air quality website, which all Marin schools use to determine policies and closures.
IV. ABSENCES 1. Reporting Absences Please report an absence to the office as soon as possible and no later than 8:30am by telephone or email at attendance@marinwaldorf.org. If your child exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, please share that information with staff. All health-related information will be kept confidential. (Please see the Health and Safety Handbook: Monitoring of COVID-19 Symptoms and Notification of Absences.)
2. Stay Home When Sick In accordance with the school policy, children with contagious diseases, fevers, streaming noses, nausea, diarrhea, etc., need to stay home until fully recovered (usually one full day free of symptoms). Sick children will be sent home. Please notify Cammi Bell, health coordinator, if your child has been diagnosed with a contagious disease, including strep throat, pink eye, and Page 9 Marin Waldorf School 2021 Back to School Handbook
hand, foot, and mouth, or if your child or a household member has been directed to get a test for COVID-19.
3. When to Stay Home and When to Consult a Doctor We will be following the Marin County COVID-19 Safety - Decision Tree for Schools. (Below – please click to enlarge.) Decision Tree: Unvaccinated
Decision Tree: Vaccinated
Students should be assessed by their parents or caregiver for signs and symptoms of COVID before coming to school. Please notify Cammi Bell, health coordinator, and consult with a healthcare provider if your child has any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath / difficulty breathing, loss of smell or taste, fever ≥100.4° F or chills, sore throat or diarrhea. Asymptomatic siblings & household contacts may attend school regardless of vaccination status.
VI. FIELD TRIPS, FESTIVALS, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS 1. Field Trips and Hiking For day trips, which are subject to approval by the administration and health coordinator, the following requirements must be met: ● All chaperones and drivers must be fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks from their final dose of vaccine). ● All participants must wear masks at all times unless eating or drinking in accordance with universal masking for schools. ● All chaperones must complete a live scan (fingerprinting) 2 weeks prior to the trip Page 10 Marin Waldorf School 2021 Back to School Handbook
● For overnight trips, which are subject to approval by the administration and health coordinator, the following requirements must be met. ● Teachers, students, drivers and chaperones must test negative for COVID with a school provided Binax test on the day of departure. ● All household members of students will need to refrain from high risk activities for 5 days prior to departure. ● All sleeping arrangements must be in an open air environment (ie, no shared tents) ● There is no masking requirement (since they have been COVID tested) ● All chaperones and drivers must be fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks from their final dose of vaccine). ● All chaperones must have completed a live scan (fingerprinting) 2 weeks prior to trip
2. Assemblies, Class Plays, and Festivals All assemblies, class plays, community coffees, festivals, and other special events are subject to review and approval by the school nurse and the administrative team.
3. Parent Evenings Regular participation in parent evenings is essential to the healthy functioning of our cohorts. Parent evenings will be a combination of in-person and on Zoom. All participants are expected to wear an appropriate facial covering. Back to School Night will be held in person this year.
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2021 HEALTH AND SAFETY SUPPLEMENTAL HANDBOOK
Dear MWS Community, We are grateful to be preparing to reopen our campus this fall to our students. The COVID-19 Return to School Committee has developed this Health and Safety Plan to guide our reopening process so that we can ensure that our students, faculty, and staff can return to school in the safest way possible. As a small school with a strong commitment to outdoor education, we are uniquely situated to meet this challenge and to offer our students an exceptional learning experience that is safe during this unusual time. We expect to comply fully with the guidance from the Marin County Department of Health, the State of California, the Centers for Disease Control, American School Nurse Association and the guidance of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This handbook was based on the most up-to-date information released by the county, with resource documents linked below (these resources will be updated each time new guidance is released and the handbook is updated). Our committee is intimately familiar with these guidelines, and we are working to implement them in a way that does not interfere with the educational experience of our students. Please be aware as you read through these policies that they were formed with all current clinical evidence and guidance from public health officials available to us. If and when we receive direction from the Health Department that their recommendations have changed, we will act accordingly. We will keep the lines of communication open with you and all the faculty and staff so that everyone will be aware and informed. For any questions or concerns regarding COVID-19 related issues, please contact the health coordinator at cammibell@marinwaldorf.org We look forward to seeing you all safely on campus. Cammi Bell, RN, MS Health Coordinator Marin Waldorf School
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Introduction General School-Wide Health & Safety Plans Marin Waldorf School will follow the County of Marin requirements for reopening schools, and will meet or exceed these expectations in the way best suited to teaching our students in our buildings. We are committed to teaching a full-day, five-day-a-week schedule. Teachers will implement the use of ventilated indoor classrooms as well as outdoor classrooms.
Alignment with State Guidelines In the “Comprehensive School Resource Document,” the County has outlined a 32 Points Guidance document that outlines the essential elements required for schools to reopen. (We will add a link with Marin Waldorf School’s “32 Points Guidelines” as soon as our plan is finalized.)
Recognized Medical Authorities For purposes of deciding on school policy, practice, and protective measures, Marin Waldorf School will rely primarily on information from the Marin County Department of Health, the State of California, and the Centers for Disease Control. While we remain informed of emerging evidence from other sources, these are the medical authorities to which we will refer when information about best practices conflicts.
Community-Wide Practices Community Expectations We expect that families will follow the Marin County Health Department guidance for best practices related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and that parents and guardians will have regular conversations with children around these protocols, practice them at home, and emphasize the importance of following teacher directions related to health and hygiene at school. We hope these practices will be an opportunity for students to feel empowered in a positive way to care for their own health and the health of the community. As a school, we see it as a profoundly social act to take precautions to protect the health of the most vulnerable among us. We believe in the concept of Community Mitigation and that we as a community can have an impact on the spread of COVID among us. Lack of compliance with school rules related to health will be dealt with first through conversation and correction in the moment; we fully expect that this will resolve most issues. Continued challenges with following protocols will require a conversation between teachers Page 13 Marin Waldorf School 2021 Back to School Handbook
and parents to support the student in meeting expectations. Serious violations of policy on the part of students or families, or acts that deliberately put the health of others in danger, may result in student suspension or dismissal.
Monitoring of COVID-19 Symptoms and Notification of Absences As part of our mandate for reopening, students are asked to be assessed each morning before school by their parents or caregiver for the following signs and symptoms of COVID and to report to the school IMMEDIATELY if: ● The student has had any symptoms of COVID-19 within the past 14 days o symptoms include temperature, runny nose, sneezing, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, cough, fatigue, headache, loss of taste or smell IMPORTANT NOTE: If your child is going to be absent for any reason we respectfully request that you notify the school immediately. It is extremely important that we know when there has been a COVID-19 exposure within our school and we therefore need to be notified of any absence immediately so we can be completely certain we are following county guidelines for cohort notification and cohort closure purposes.
Disclosure The school requires as part of its health and safety policies that families promptly report all COVID-19-related symptoms and COVID-19 test results (positive or negative) to the school. This includes not only enrolled students but also siblings, parents, and anyone who resides in the home with the student or with whom the student has had prolonged contact. There are comprehensive guidelines for when a student or staff member comes into close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive (defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes). In those cases, students and families will be referred to their health care providers for further follow-up and guidance, and we will report the exposure to the Health Department for further risk assessment. Please know that the confidentiality will be strictly adhered to unless there is a specific public health benefit in disclosing the identity of the positive person and we have been instructed to do so by the Health Department. You can find those guidelines in our Site-Specific School Protection Plan.
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School Day Practices Key Protective Measures There are several protective measures that we can take to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in public settings. These are: ● Wearing protective face masks in all settings, indoors and outdoors ● Frequent handwashing and hand sanitizing ● Being outside or in an amply ventilated space as much as possible
Protective Face Masks All faculty, staff, caregivers, family members, students, and siblings over the age of 2 must wear approved facial coverings when they are on campus unless they are eating, taking a supervised and planned break from their facial covering, or performing supervised and planned vigorous exercise. All students are required to bring a mask or facial covering with them each day, wash it at the end of every day if they are going to reuse it, and have a plastic bag to place the facial covering in when it is not in use. Please send your child with an extra mask each day in case their facial covering gets soiled. While facial coverings take some getting used to, we have found that children adapt to their facial covering rather easily. We will ensure that the students get regular breaks from wearing facial coverings and capitalize on outside instruction as much as possible for safe “breaks” while also ensuring the general safety and well being of our students and faculty. All other students are free to wear a face covering of their choosing as long as it follows the following guidelines: ● Does not have a ventilation valve. ● Covers the nose, mouth and chin fully. ● Fits well enough that the child does not have to readjust it throughout the day
Frequent Hand-Washing and Hand-Sanitizing Frequent handwashing plays a very important role in the maintenance of a safe community, even before we were confronted with this current virus. We have set guidelines for handwashing which will allow for students to develop routines within their day. The schedule is for students to wash hands before eating, after using the bathroom, and after coughing, sneezing or touching their faces. Hand sanitizer may be used at other times if there is no running water or plumbing available.
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We will continue to be guided by our commitment to a nature-based approach and land stewardship. We have an open campus that will allow us to expand beyond the classroom to provide our students meaningful engagement and connection to nature. Outdoor classroom spaces allow our entire school to learn outdoors in flexible configurations that meet the students’ needs. In some cases, holding class in a highly ventilated indoor area with all windows and exterior doors open may meet this measure. These cases will be used judiciously and at the discretion of the teacher.
Class Groupings Each classroom/grade level will be a stable cohort of students throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Limited mixing of cohorts is allowable and will be permitted after evaluation by administration and the Health Coordinator.
Students who show symptoms while at school Teachers will monitor students throughout the day for any signs of possible illness. If a student displays signs of illness, the school nurse will be notified and the student will be taken to the Wellness Center for evaluation and the caregiver will be immediately notified to pick up the child. If the child is suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms, the student will be put in the isolation area of the wellness center under the supervision of the school nurse until the parent/caregiver can pick him or her up. Caregivers are asked to plan their daily activities in a way that will allow them to prioritize the pickup of a sick child. The expectation is that children will be picked up within 30 minutes of a phone call.
Exceptions for Chronic Conditions Healthy students and staff with chronic conditions such as well-controlled asthma or allergy symptoms (no fever) that cause coughing and clear runny nose may remain in school if they communicate that to the school nurse at the beginning of the school year.
Other Measures in the Classroom All classes will conduct a combination of outdoor and indoor education throughout the year, even in weather that may be less than optimal due to temperature or mild precipitation. It is essential that every student come to school dressed appropriately for a variety of weather. Parents will be asked to pick up or bring appropriate clothing for students unprepared for outdoor learning. Teachers will minimize planned activities requiring close physical contact between multiple students. When the teacher elects for group activities with the potential to generate increased respiratory droplets and aerosols, they will be conducted outside utilizing the key protective measures of COVID transmission. Page 16 Marin Waldorf School 2021 Back to School Handbook
Additional Considerations Social Emotional Support Waldorf education has deep healing potential, and we are more committed to this work now than ever. Our goal is to ensure that the school environment is as safe as possible for students and faculty/staff. Students will be monitored for social and emotional concerns by their parents and teachers and all issues in this regard will be directed to the student’s teacher and to the school director or school nurse as needed. Families and staff are encouraged to also practice self-awareness of stress and emotional needs, and to check in with one another to promote a feeling of awareness around the potential pitfalls of stress.
Changes to Plan All of these policies and practices are subject to revision as circumstances and national and state guidance change. Additionally, we recognize that some issues are not addressed here. The school will continue to modify and refine this plan and will inform families of substantive changes to our Health and Safety Plan through the weekly school newsletter.
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