DSHA Community Health Measures | 2021-22

Goodness & Kindness of Jesus, the Savior | Titus 3:4

Our religious theme for the year is to recognize the goodness and kindness of Jesus, the Savior in one another as sisters and brothers made in the image and likeness of God. As we continue to navigate the challenge that is COVID-19, our faith calls us to be the goodness and kindness of Jesus to one another. This is especially important in the coming year as it relates to our COVID-19 mitigation strategies. We are called to respect and support our sisters and brothers. 
 
Our goal is to keep our community safe and that requires the commitment of everyone. As such we are requiring all students and families to acknowledge and agree to abide by the health and safety expectations and measures being put into place during this time. 

2021-22 Back-to-School Community Health Measures

The health and safety of the community remains a high priority at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School. The following COVID protocols will be implemented for the start of the school year. Additional updates will be forthcoming as necessary. 

Current Context | August 2021
  • All students and employees at DSHA are vaccine eligible. 
  • Current vaccination/immunity levels among students and employees at DSHA is near 80%. 
  • Milwaukee County transmission levels have fluctuated between low, moderate, and substantial in recent weeks. 
  • The Delta variant is quite contagious, is more likely to impact younger people, and has shown more substantial health risks to unvaccinated individuals. 

Stay-at-Home Guidelines

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  • Self-monitoring and personal responsibility:

    Self-monitoring and personal responsibility are vital to keeping everyone safe. 

  • Attendance expectations and policy:

    DSHA has revised our sick and attendance policies to support girls staying home when they are sick. 
    • It is imperative that a student who experiences symptoms of illness, especially symptoms associated with coronavirus, stay home. 
    • Parents/guardians are essential partners in keeping all students, faculty, and staff safe by enforcing our stricter sick and attendance policies. 
    • Our faculty and staff will also be required to stay home if they are experiencing illness, especially any symptoms related to coronavirus. 
    • Our school nurse will work with you to set an appropriate return date based on your symptoms, any medical evaluation and vaccination status. 

  • Symptom monitoring:

    DSHA students will be asked to self-monitor for illness daily prior to arriving at school. Click here to view Daily Self-Monitoring Tool.
    • If the student is sick with COVID-19-like symptoms or other infectious illness they must remain home. Parents are instructed to keep their daughters at home if they are ill.
    • Any single symptom below with an asterisk or presenting with two or more non-asterisk symptoms from the list, the student should stay home from school, or the student will be sent home from school. for possible COVID-19. They should be evaluated.   
    COVID-19 Symptoms:
    *Cough (above baseline), *Shortness of breath/trouble breathing, *new loss of taste and smell, *taken medicine to lower temperature, sore throat, unusual fatigue, nausea, vomiting, runny nose or congestion, headache, muscle or body aches, fever of 100.4 or chills, or have taken fever reducing medications, diarrhea.

  • If student is symptomatic:

    If the student is symptomatic:
    • Please call the school attendance office. The school nurse will return your call and evaluate your student’s symptoms through a brief interview.
    • Remember that there are many causes for any of COVID-19-like symptoms. The school nurse will evaluate the student’s risk for COVID-19 and may recommend testing. Students’ should also seek guidance from their personal healthcare providers.
    • Students presenting with vomiting, diarrhea or fever-alone or together-will need to be at home. They may return in 24 hours and when the symptom is resolved and has no fever without use of fever reducing medications per communicable illness guidelines for schools. 
    • Any health information collected will be kept confidential consistent with applicable state and federal laws. 

  • Stay-at-home learning for those affected by COVID-19 isolation or quarantines:

    Web cameras will facilitate stay-at-home learning for those affected by COVID-19 isolation or quarantines.

    • DSHA is committed to in person learning this year but will evaluate on an individual student basis the accommodation of virtual learning if the student is affected by COVID quarantines, isolation or treatments or other documented health issues. 
    • If the illness requires a student to be bedridden, they should take care to do that, and the day will be considered an absence.
    • It may take 24 hours to accommodate. 

  • There will be NO opt-out or fully online learning option:

    DSHA will be fully in person and there will be no opt out option.  
    If there are extenuating circumstances, DSHA administration will discuss those concerns with the parents.  

  • Parent programming and visitors:

    Parents and visitors are welcome at school events. Please do not enter if you are on quarantine, isolation, have COVID-19 like symptoms (that are not your baseline), have had a fever in the past 24 hours, have recently been exposed to someone who has or is suspected of COVID-19, or you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days regardless of your vaccination status.  

    Visitors must check in to the Main Office.  

Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines

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  • Transmission context:

    Someone who is sick with COVID-19 can spread it to others from two days before they show any symptoms until a few days after they recover. Not everyone with COVID-19 will get sick. Those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but never had symptoms (asymptomatic cases), may still be able to spread it to others. The DELTA variant is a more contagious variant, and a small percentage of vaccinated individuals have experienced a second COVID infection of the DELTA variant.  

  • Instructions for vaccinated and unvaccinated, symptomatic or asymptomatic positive COVID-19 cases:

    Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, symptomatic or asymptomatic should stay home. Do not go to school, school events, work, sports, extracurriculars or public areas. 
    • You will need to isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or from the positive test day whichever applies. The first symptom date or positive test date is counted as day zero.  
    • Notify the student’s healthcare provider of their positive results.
    • Notify the school attendance office of their absence.
    • Notify the school nurse of their positive test. A brief interview will be done, and school contact tracing will begin You will receive guidance and a return to school date from the school nurse. 
    • The positive individual should separate themselves as much as possible and should stay in a specific room, away from others in your home. They should use a separate bathroom if available. They should also wear a mask indoors if they cannot maintain separation from others. 
    • Do not share personal household items like drinking glasses, towels or bedding.
    • Postpone all non-essential appointments until the isolation period is complete. 
    • Keep a list of people the student has had contact with from starting 2 days before symptoms started. 
    • Wash hands frequently.
    • Cover mouth and nose with tissue when sneezing or coughing. 

  • Isolation duration:

    If you tested positive for COVID-19 you must meet these criteria before your isolation is over: 
    • At least 10-days have passed since your positive test, or you first had symptoms. 
    • You have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without using medication that reduces fevers (examples; Acetaminophen/Tylenol, Ibuprofen/Advil/Motrin, Aspirin, Excedrin, Naproxen/Aleve). 
    • Your symptoms have been improved for at least 24 hours.  
    If you tested positive but never had symptoms (asymptomatic) your isolation is 10-days after your test. You must complete the full 10 days of quarantine after a positive diagnosis, the test date or onset of symptoms counts as day zero. 

  • Definition of "close contact":

    If any of these apply the individual is considered a close contact: 
    • Has had direct physical contact with a positive person (e.g., hug, kiss, handshake.) 
    • Were within 6 feet of that person for more than 15 minutes total in a 24-hour period.
    • Had contact with the infected person’s respiratory secretions (ie, shared a water bottle, drink, food, towels, dirty tissue, or other personal item.) 
    • Stayed overnight for at least 1 night in a household with a positive person.  

  • Instructions for unvaccinated close contact:

    If you are unvaccinated and have had close contact with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 you should be tested and begin self-monitoring and begin quarantine. 
    • Self-monitoring for symptoms and self-quarantine to protect yourself, your family, and the community.
    • You may not attend school, sports, extra curriculars, in-person work, use public transportation, avoid public travel or ride-shares, postpone all non-essential appointments, go out only when absolutely necessary and wear a face mask when around others.  
    • Quarantine may be 14-days, 10-days or 7 days in length. The last day of close contact is counted as day zero.  A 14-day quarantine is the safest option if you’re a close contact, but the quarantine may be shortened to 10-days without extra testing provided that certain criteria are met. It may further be shortened to 7-days in *certain circumstances. Shortened quarantines require continued monitoring for symptoms for 14 days. The 7-day quarantine will require students to be tested (PCR or rapid antigen tests on day 6 or 7) and the test result must be negative. The close contact MUST complete the full quarantine that is identified for them. For both the 7-day and 10-day close contact quarantine the individual must continue to self-monitor and document their symptoms twice daily. 
    • *If the positive individual who exposed the student is a family member the shortened quarantine is not advised. The school nurse and the local health department will guide you in the appropriate length of quarantine to the greater exposure within a household.  
     

  • Instructions for fully vaccinated close contact:

    If the student is fully vaccinated (meaning that at least two weeks from the last dose in the vaccine series has passed) and identified as a close contact they do not need to quarantine. They may continue coming to school as long as they are asymptomatic. 
    • Get tested 3-5 days after close contact with someone with COVID-19 even if you don’t have symptoms.
    • Wear a mask indoors for 14 days after exposure OR until you have your COVID-tests results back and they are negative.
    • Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for a full 14 days from your last contact with the positive case.
    • Isolate and get tested again if you develop any symptoms during the 14 days of self-monitoring. 

  • Instructions for symptomatic fully vaccinated close contact:

    If a vaccinated student meets the criteria of a close contact they need to:  
    • Be tested 3-5 days after exposure.
    • Stay home and isolate until the  test results are back. 
    • Wear a mask indoors for 14 days or until you receive negative test results.
    • Notify healthcare provider and school nurse that they are now symptomatic.
    • Continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days from close contact exposure.
    • See next section on instructions for a symptomatic, fully vaccinated close contact to return to school    

  • Return-to-school criteria for symptomatic fully vaccinated close contact:

    As a symptomatic vaccinated close exposure, they may not attend school until all are met: 
    • Have a negative test 3-5 days after exposure, 
    • Symptoms are improving,
    • Have no fever for 24 hours or longer without a fever reducing medication.  
    ·  OR 
    • Diagnosed with another health issue that is the cause of their symptoms.
    • COVID-19 was ruled out as a cause of their symptoms by their healthcare provider.
    • If they are diagnosed with something other than COVID-19, (i.e., Strep Throat, Influenza, or other) they will need that diagnosis email or faxed to the school nurse, with a safe return to school date. 
    *Please note: some communicable illnesses, though not COVID-19 still have exclusion from school time periods. Students who are experiencing fevers, vomiting and diarrhea should not be at school. Your healthcare provider or school nurse can help you with safe return dates. 

  • Instructions for close contact of COVID-19 positive family member:

    Unvaccinated students with close contact family member instructions | If an unvaccinated student lives with or is exposed to family members who have tested positive, they should: 
    • Stay home from school.
    • Notify the school of their absence and the school nurse of their exposure,
    • Quarantine period: Unvaccinated students will need to quarantine. The full quarantine is 14 days but if certain criteria are met it may be reduced to 10-days. With a household, the close contact quarantine does not begin until the positive case has completed their COVID-10 positive test isolation (10 days) UNLESS strict separation has been kept. Total time away from school would be positive member’s isolation 10 days then then the close contact’s quarantine period begins. The school nurse and the health department will set a return date depending on the individual circumstances. Follow information for close contacts.  
      
    Vaccinated student who is close contact with a family member instruction | If an asymptomatic (without symptoms) vaccinated student is exposed to a positive family member, then the student will need to: 
    • Monitor themselves for a full 14 days for symptoms.   
    • They can attend school if they remain asymptomatic.   
    • They should be tested between day 3-5.   
    • They are expected to wear a mask indoors during the 14 days OR until they have their COVID tests results come back negative.
    • Follow guidance for vaccinated close contact.  

    Note: the positive family member should: 
    • Try and keep the positive family members 6 feet or more away from other family members.
    • Try and give the positive member their own sick room and bathroom if feasible from other family members.
    • The positive family member should wear a mask when around other family members if unable to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.  

     

  • Instructions for no known exposure with COVID-19-like symptoms:

    If an unvaccinated or a vaccinated student has no known exposure and has COVID-19 like symptoms: 
    • The student should be tested for COVID-19, (preferably by a PCR test) OR they should quarantine for 10 days OR have a medical exam and an alternative diagnosis is made and they have COVID ruled out as a possible source of their symptoms. 
    • Stay home and isolate until the test results are back.
    • Return to school criteria: the student must have a negative test and be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications and their symptoms are improved. 
      OR 
    • The student may return to school when school nurse confirms receipt of an alternative diagnosis from a healthcare provider with instructions regarding criteria for safe return and that COVID was ruled out as a cause of the current symptoms. 
    *If an alternative diagnosis is made the student may need to complete the exclusion period for the diagnosis made.   
    **If the COVID-19 test comes back positive, then follow guidance for Positive COVID-19 cases found on this page.

  • Important vocabulary:

    Quarantine | This is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others by staying home, keeping themselves away from others as much as possible and monitoring for symptoms.
    • Since people who were around other sick people are more likely to get sick themselves, quarantine prevents them from accidentally spreading the virus to other people before they realize they are sick. 
    • Quarantine periods can range from 7-days-14 days and are typically 10 days from the last date of exposure with the positive individual.  The date of last exposure is counted as day zero. A shorter 7-day with a negative test (PCR or Antigen) taken on day 6 may be used in some cases.
    • Quarantine days are counted in days and not hours. 
     
    Isolation | This is used to keep people that have or may have COVID-19 away from others by staying home, keeping away from others in the home by isolating in a “sick room and using a sick bathroom” if possible and using masks in times when isolating from others in the home is not possible. This also means staying home and not going to school, work or out for anything unnecessary.  
    • If symptomatic and no testing is done, the 10-day isolation starts from the onset of the symptoms. This date of symptom onset is counted as day zero.  
    • If tests positive, then the 10-day isolation is counted from the onset of symptoms or if asymptomatic from the date of a positive test. These dates are counted as day zero.
    • Isolation is counted in days and not hours.

    Separation |     This is used in school settings by health aides to separate any student or staff member from others on the onset of COVID-19 symptoms or knowledge of a direct exposure until they can leave the building. 
     
    Close Contact: | A person is considered a close contact if any of the following is true. If they: 
    • Were within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes total in a day. 
    • Had physical contact with the person. 
    • Were within 3 feet of a positive case in a classroom setting without a mask for 15 minutes total in a day. 
    • Had direct contact with the respiratory secretions of the person (example: drinking out of positive COVID person’s water bottle).
    • Lives or stayed overnight with the person, even one night. 
       
      Household Contact | A household contact includes anyone who lives, or lived temporarily, with the COVID-19 case patient for at least one night in the same room or household during his or her infectious period. Because of the amount of time and space shared between household contacts, they are at greater risk of infection. Therefore, household contacts have different considerations for quarantine and release from quarantine measures, compared to other close contacts.  

    Face Mask Policy | 2021-22 School Year

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    • Face Mask Requirements | Start of school year:

      DSHA will begin the school year with a requirement that masks must be worn by all students and staff, including both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals through Wednesday, September 1. This will help us set a baseline measure for assessing a positivity rate within the community. Following this initial phase to begin the year, we will move into our 2021-2022 Face Mask Policy which strongly recommends masks for students, staff, or parents who are not fully vaccinated while indoors.

    • Positive culture surrounding personal health decisions:

      DSHA administration, faculty and staff are committed to creating a positive culture where personal health decisions, including the decision to wear or not wear a face covering during school, will be embraced, and welcomed. All members of the DSHA community are expected to respect the health decisions of others.

    • Face masks recommended for unvaccinated individuals:

      Face masks are strongly recommended for students, staff or parents who are not fully vaccinated while indoors. We fully expect that non-vaccinated students and staff, as well as those who are fully vaccinated, may choose to wear a mask during the school day. 

    • Face mask requirements for community-wide gatherings:

      At this time, DSHA requires that masks must be worn by all students and staff, including both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, for full community-wide gatherings, assemblies, and liturgical celebrations where social distancing is not possible. 

      Students should have a mask with them for each school day. 

    • Face mask requirement for short-term periods:

      • DSHA may declare that masks must be worn by all students and staff, including both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, for a period of time when an increase in positive COVID-19 cases occur within our school community.    
      • DSHA will declare a short-term mask requirement if the number of current COVID-19 positive cases reaches a substantial level, 2.5% of our total student and staff population. The short-term mask requirement would end when the confirmed positive COVID-19 cases drop below 1% of the DSHA student and staff population. 
      • DSHA community members will be notified in advance if and when DSHA would begin or end a short-term mask requirement period. 
      • DSHA reserves the right to modify the criteria used to declare a mask requirement period over the course of the year to best protect the health and safety of the community.  

    • Student activities:

      DSHA may require masks for all students regardless of vaccination status for certain activities such as indoor contact sports, chorus, or dances. This will be clearly communicated to participants.  

    • Transportation:

      • Carpooling: Any unvaccinated student carpooling should wear a face covering while inside a vehicle if sitting less than six feet away from a non-family member. 
      • Busing: Students riding the buses must wear a mask while on the bus. Face masks are required for all individuals on school buses and vans per federal order. 

    • Compliance and accommodations:

      Students unable to abide by any of these health or safety requirements should contact the school nurse to discuss possible accommodations. Medical documentation may be required prior to approval of accommodation requests. 

    Physical Distancing at School

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    • Classroom instructional space:

      • Physical distancing at school is one of our layered mitigation strategies.
      • Every instructional space will maintain a minimal space of 3 feet between student’s desks. 
      • The teacher may maintain a 6-foot instructional space between student desks and the instructor. 

    • Non-instructional spaces:

      • While every precaution will be taken for maintaining 3 feet of distance between people in instructional spaces, we may not be able to guarantee that precise distance throughout the entire school day such as the passing time, assemblies or lunch. 
      • Current scientific evidence and ongoing COVID-19 research indicates that being within 6 feet for > 15 minutes in 24 hours is considered close proximity OR within 3 feet in K-12 classrooms for >15 min when unvaccinated and masked.  
      • DSHA may provide an option of three feet distancing during school assemblies and six feet distancing in lunch spaces for interested individuals. 
      • Please reach out to your counselor  if you need accommodations.

    Hand Washing

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    Physical Plant

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    • Cleaning and sanitization:

      DSHA will be cleaned regularly with special attention to most public areas/spaces like bathrooms, hand railings, door handles, etc.: 
      • DSHA will use electrostatic sprayers used to sanitize hard surfaces. This will be used twice daily to clean classroom desks and other hard surfaces. This is in addition to alcohol-based wipes for classrooms.
      • DSHA uses 3M chemicals all of which meet the CDC requirements for killing viruses on hard surfaces. 

    • Classroom spacing:

      • Placement of desks to allow for a minimum of 3 feet of space between student desks in all instructional spaces.  
      • Desks will be facing one way, to the front of the classroom most of the time. 
      • Teachers may use groups as an instructional strategy which will result in time spent in pods or other arrangements.  
      • Teachers reserve the right in his or her classroom to designate teacher-only spaces in the classroom (a “zone of teaching”). 
      • Assigned seating in the classroom with seating charts to assist with contact tracing will be required.

    • Lunch room and procedures:

      • Aladdin Foodservice, DSHA’s food service vendor, is following all COVID-19 guidelines for foodservice safety per CDC guidelines. 
      • Foodservice options will not be limited this year.  
      • Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch to avoid having to stand in any line and to not share food items. 
      • Microwaves will be provided; however, we are encouraging students to bring their own lunch from home that does not require microwaves.
      • Lunch tables will be set up as reasonably close to 3’ but cannot be guaranteed.
      • Vending machines will be operational this year, but students are encouraged to bring their own snacks.    

    • Health room:

      DSHA has established a COVID-19 health room (original health room) and a separate health room for non-COVID-19 symptoms (under the central stairwell in the Commons). 

    • Water fountains:

      Drinking water fountains will be functional and sanitized throughout the day. Students and staff are encouraged to bring water bottles and refill them at the water stations. 

    • Air filtration:

      • Our school is now equipped with a new air filtration system, summer 2021. All instructional spaces are supplied with a bipolar ionization system that mitigates airborne viruses.  
      • We upgraded our HVAC filters to meet or to exceed Merv 13 and replace filters as prescribed by the CDC.

    School Nurse

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    • Personnel and contact info:

      DSHA has a school nurse for the 2021-2022 school year. The administration, i.e., principal and dean of student affairs will also lend support in the absence of any nurse. 

      DSHA School Nurse Patti Hughes can be contacted at HughesP@dsha.info, 414-462-3742 ext. 4357.

       

    • Responsibilities:

      • Assist students who may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms at school. 
      • Provide guidance and education for students exposed to COVID-19 or who test positive. 
      • Provide ongoing education and training for our community on safety measures to mitigate a COVID-19 outbreak at DSHA. 
      • Be the primary point of contact for the City of Milwaukee Health Department (COVID-19 Coordinator). 
      • Manage cases within our building and help make any decisions related to the health and safety of our community. 
      • Reconcile attendance against student-reported symptoms and any students within the established COVID-19 Return to School protocol. 

    Testing

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    • COVID-19 testing:

      • Contact your daughter's health care provider to see if they provide testing or can give you a referral.
      • You can also visit your local health department, local clinic, lab, pharmacy, or hospital website to schedule an appointment.
      • Children’s Wisconsin website: www.childrenswi.org/urgent-care/view
      • State Department of Health Service offers links to testing available in your county: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov.
      • Over-the-counter tests are also available for purchase at most pharmacies. 

      • DSHA is working towards becoming a testing site: 

        NEW this school year: DSHA is working towards becoming a testing site – more information will be coming soon on how to access testing at DSHA. Early testing and detection will help stop the spread of COVID-19 within the school.

        Contact Tracing

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        COVID-19-related communications & Privacy

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        • When a community member tests positive:

          • In the case of a member of our community testing positive for COVID-19, school officials will communicate to the DSHA community depending on the specifics of the situation.     
          • Privacy considerations, as well as the health and safety of the entire school community, will always be respected. 
          • We will make these decisions in consultation with our Medical Task Force.
                       
           

        • Parent eNews & COVID-19 dashboard:

          A COVID-19 Dashboard will be published in each DSHA Parent eNews including our number of cases, exposures and overall percentage.

        For questions, contact:

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        Divine Savior Holy Angels High School

        4257 N. 100th Street Milwaukee, WI 53222 | Phone: (414) 462-3742
        Sponsored by the Sisters of the Divine Savior
        © 2017 Divine Savior Holy Angels High School. All Rights Reserved