FJA's Return to Learn Plan - Frankel Jewish Academy

Dear FJA Community,

Throughout the pandemic, our objective has been to prioritize robust in-person instruction, while maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff, and to return to the typical FJA school days as soon as it could be accomplished safely. Given that emerging national, state and local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements may change in the days, weeks and months ahead, we will be prepared to make adjustments as needed. We will communicate any updates or changes by email, and on this page.

Rabbi Azaryah Cohen

Head of School

*Please be aware that the plans and details outlined in the Return to Learn plan are subject to change as the situation evolves and as we implement additional recommendations and requirements in accordance with local authorities. We will be updating this website and other printed materials as needed.

Important Contacts

Head of School: Rabbi Azaryah Cohen

General Studies Principal: Erika Weiler

Financial, Facilities & Sanitation: Cindy Baker, COO

Director of Advancement: Shana Kantor

Objectives for the 2021-2022 School Year

FJA’s Partnership with Families and Students

Our collective goal is to create the safest and healthiest possible environment for our students as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

Like never before, we must embrace the mandate of “ כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה“ (All of Israel is responsible for one another). The guidelines we have put into place at school are there to allow our students and our faculty to both learn and stay healthy. We are all in this together.

FJA’s faculty and staff will do our very best to ensure that IN school the guidelines we have outlined will be followed and we ask for your partnership that OUT of school your family will also follow best practices in keeping virus spread to a minimum.

Please review the guidelines in this plan with all of your family members.

We must keep in mind the risks associated with COVID-19 for in-person school programs, as well as the challenges of ensuring adherence to updated health and safety guidelines. There is not one, but rather a combination of strategies that, taken together, substantially reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In order for these strategies to be successful:

All FJA faculty, staff, and students will adhere to health and safety policies including:

Staying home when:
- ill or exhibiting any potential COVID-19 symptoms
- following quarantine guidelines and sharing information about COVID-19 exposure with FJA staff
Maintaining physical distancing - whenever possible of at least 3 feet
Wearing a mask that covers the individual’s nose and mouth except when drinking or eating when directed by FJA policy
Practicing good hygiene like washing hands, using hand sanitizer, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow (even when wearing a mask)

Parents and Guardians should support FJA’s policies by:

Encouraging students to adhere to all established school health and safety protocols both inside and outside of school.
Checking their student daily for COVID-19 symptoms and keeping sick students home.
Following quarantine guidelines for vaccinated or unvaccinated students.
Reporting to the school your family's exposure or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Ensuring that health and safety protocols are being followed when the student is not at school, as most of a student’s day is spent outside of the school building.

Health and Safety

Vaccinations

The CDC and other agencies strongly recommend that all eligible students and staff be vaccinated for COVID-19. Beginning last January, we promoted vaccination by providing our faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to receive a vaccination through community and local initiatives. Vaccines continue to be readily available and we estimate that a high percentage of students and staff have been fully immunized.

Information about vaccinations is available on Oakland County's Vaccination website.

Wearing Masks

Physical Distancing

The CDC recommends at least 3 feet of physical distancing between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. Classrooms will be configured to accommodate our pre-pandemic class sizes, and, in nearly all cases, this will provide 3-feet of physical distance between students.
We will encourage the use of outdoor spaces, while the weather permits.

Cleaning & Sanitizing

Hygiene

We will ensure the availability of appropriate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (e.g., soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and tissues) and strategically place supplies in areas where they may be frequently used.
While FJA will have hand sanitizer available for student use, we strongly suggest that students bring their own small supply of hand sanitizer each day.
Practicing good hygiene like washing hands, using hand sanitizer, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow (even when wearing a mask) are important steps that each person can do to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Facility and Ventilation

Quarantine and Close Contact Exposure

WHEN SOMEONE TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 OR ARE SYMPTOMATIC AND ARE AWAITING TEST RESULTS

Students, teachers and staff who test positive for COVID-19, or are symptomatic and are awaiting test results, should isolate, regardless of vaccination status.

Isolate at home for 5 days (day “0” is the day symptoms began or, for those without symptoms, the day the test was taken), AND
If symptoms have improved or no symptoms developed, return to school on day 6.
If you have a fever, stay home until you are fever free for a period of 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
If you are unvaccinated, you must test negative before returning to school.

WHEN SOMEONE IS EXPOSED (CLOSE CONTACT) TO SOMEONE WITH COVID-19 - Quarantine is determined by vaccination status.

ASYMPTOMATIC & UP TO DATE ON VACCINES, or recently positive

NO NEED TO QUARANTINE

Close contacts who have received a booster or had COVID in the last 90 days (must be documented) or completed the primary series within the last 5 months, may remain at school.

If you develop symptoms, get tested & stay home until you receive test results.

The primary series is defined as:

5 years through 17 years of age, 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
18 and older, all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters.

Close contact can remain at school and should:

Wear a mask around others for 10 days.
Test on day 5 if possible.

If you develop symptoms get a test & stay home.

ASYMPTOMATIC & NOT UP TO DATE ON VACCINES

NEED TO QUARANTINE

Close contacts who are not up to date on vaccines must quarantine at home for at least 5 days following exposure. If you are unvaccinated, you must test negative before returning to school.

The following individuals must quarantine:

People who are not vaccinated or have not completed a primary vaccine series.
People who are 18 and older and completed the primary series of recommended vaccine, but have not received a booster shot when eligible.
People who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (completing the primary series) over 2 months ago and have not received a recommended booster shot.
Vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals who have not had a documented case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days.

Close contact quarantines at home for at least 5 days following exposure.

Wear a mask for 10 days.
Test on day 5 if possible

If you develop symptoms get a test & stay home.

If you develop symptoms after a close contact, get tested & stay home until you receive test results.

HOUSEHOLD EXPOSURES TO COVID-19

If a member of your household is positive for COVID-19, students, faculty, and staff who are exposed will need to remain home. The duration of quarantine will depend on the nature of the exposure to the household member.

Scenario 1: If you can avoid further close contact, you will quarantine for 5 full days from the date of the last close contact with the household member who has COVID-19 and return on day 6
Scenario 2: If you cannot avoid close contact, you must quarantine for 5 full days from the last day of contact. If close contact is unavoidable, you will need to count 5 full days from when the household member with COVID-19 ends home isolation (minimum of 5 days + 5 days = return to school on day 11).

Under no circumstances will FJA allow someone with COVID-19

to return in fewer than 5 full days.

Visitors

On-Campus Experience

Daily Schedules: We will return to our pre-pandemic daily schedule, including 60/90 minute class periods. The school day will begin at 8:30 am and end at 3:15 pm with optional X-Block on Monday-Thursday 3:15 - 3:45 pm. Students may enter the building as early as 8:15 am.
Town Hall Assemblies and other all-school activities where students gather will resume, although some may be staged by grade level or outdoors.
Sports, Theater, and School clubs will resume.
Lunch: We will again offer a lunch period during the day. Students will be encouraged to eat their lunch outdoors whenever possible. During inclement weather, students will be asked to maintain physical distancing in the JCC interior space.
Absences/Remote Learning: Given our emphasis on robust in-person programs, we will discontinue the synchronous remote learning options utilized during 2020-2021.
- Students who are absent from school for 3-days or more, for any documented medical reason, and who are well enough to stay abreast of schoolwork, will work with the FJA Principals to create a learning plan for the duration of their illness.
- Extended absences from the classroom (due to illness, travel restrictions, quarantine) will be managed by the Principals on a case-by-case basis to ensure the continuation of student learning.
Field Trips, Extended Class Trips, and Shabbatonim: Circumstance permitting, we hope to resume Shabbatonim, local, national, and international trips this year as planned. When traveling, FJA students and staff will abide by all COVID-related protocols.
Important in-person events like New Student Orientation, the Welcome Back BBQ, Shadow visits, as well as Performing Arts concerts and performances, will take place in-person. These may be scheduled or staged in a way that lessens crowding and limits the potential for contact-based spread of illness.

COVID-19 Positive Cases

Questions?

Everyone's situation is different and you may have very

specific questions about how this plan affects your FJA student.

Please feel free to contact us - we are here to help.