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Return to Campus

Return to Campus 2021–2022

LJCDS is committed to offering an exceptional educational experience that fulfills our mission of preparing individuals for a lifetime of intellectual exploration, personal growth and social responsibility. The LJCDS team is looking forward to welcoming students, parents, guardians and guests to the 2021–2022 academic year. 

The health, safety and well-being of the LJCDS community are our highest priority. For COVID-19, the science is clear: Vaccination is the leading prevention strategy to protect individuals from COVID-19 and end the pandemic. It is also evident that ventilation within indoor spaces is the leading prevention of spreading the disease on campus. 

LJCDS will continue to follow the San Diego County Health orders for educational institutions and will evaluate and update our policies as we are allowed and for the safety of our community. Below are updated operating procedures as of July 15, 2021. 
 

COVID-19 Safety Pillars

List of 3 items.

  • Risk Mitigation


    • Cleaning, sanitation and disinfection
    • Face coverings
    • Physical distancing
    • CO2 monitoring

  • Viral Detection


    • Symptomatic testing
    • Asymptomatic testing
    • Symptom checking
    • County surveillance

  • Intervention


    • Case isolation
    • Contact tracing
    • Exposure notification
    • Molecular sequencing
      (UCSD Excite Lab)

Academics

The LJCDS program will be delivered in person. We value the in-person experience and believe it is vital for the optimal growth and development of our students. Full remote accommodations will not be available in 2021–2022 to ensure the educational experience is equitable and engaging for all students. If it can be done safely, all classes, activities and other dimensions of our program will be conducted in person. 

Students who test positive for COVID-19 or those with prolonged illness or significant injuries should contact their division head to assess specific accommodations.
 

Vaccination


Requirement
LJCDS will not require vaccinations for students, faculty and staff. However, we encourage all community members to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible to allow us to resume as much normalcy for our community as possible. Please note that there may be specific situations where a vaccine is required to participate in specific activities or travel.
 
Vaccination Submission 

List of 2 items.

  • Protocols for Vaccinated Individuals During the School Day

    The protocols for fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff who have submitted their vaccination documentation are as follows:
      
    • Mask is required in all indoor classrooms where formal academic course activities are being conducted. (Currently required by the County Health Order.)
    • Mask is not required when inside, alone or in spaces with people who are fully vaccinated. 
    • Mask is not required outdoors. While not required, we support anyone who is fully vaccinated and wishes to continue wearing a mask. 
    • Quarantine is not required following a known COVID-19 exposure as long as individuals are asymptomatic. 
    • Fully vaccinated individuals should report and get tested if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

  • Protocols for Non-Vaccinated Individuals During the School Day

    The protocols for students, faculty and staff who have not been vaccinated or who have not submitted vaccination documentation are as follows: 
     
    • Mask is required indoors at all times.
    • Mask is not required outdoors. 
    • Faculty, staff and students are required to be tested every three weeks while on campus.
    • Must report if experiencing symptoms or exposure to COVID-19
    • Close contacts must quarantine for 14 days after the last date the case was present at school while infectious.  
    • Practice physical distancing to protect themselves and others. 
       

Health Screening

Students, faculty, staff and visitors are strongly encouraged to self-monitor symptoms and refrain from coming to campus or attending in-person campus events or activities when not feeling well. 

Temperature checks will not be conducted, however, students, faculty and staff must fill out the health questionnaire on SchoolPass every morning before arriving on campus. Please note: More details to come for new families. 
 
Symptomatic Individuals Regardless of Vaccination Status
All community members who develop any of the symptoms below (unrelated to a chronic condition), should not come on campus. Questions about your health screening should be discussed with the school nurse, Jan Capon. Individuals may return to campus if they have been symptom-free for 48 hours and have a negative PCR test.
 
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Runny nose or new sinus congestion

  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue
  • New gastrointestinal symptoms
  • New loss of taste or smell

Positive Case Communication

If there is a positive case on campus and the individual was on campus during their infectious period, LJCDS will notify all faculty/staff and the divisions or grade levels that are impacted. Our COVID-19 team will reach out to individuals who are considered close contacts. 

All visitors to campus who develop symptoms that occur within 48 hours of their visit or if they have a positive test within a week of their visit, must report this to the school as soon as possible.
 

Physical Distancing and Occupancy

  • Normal occupancy will return in most classrooms and meeting spaces with appropriate ventilation (open windows and doors) and CO2 monitoring to ensure levels do not exceed 600 ppm. 
  • In every setting, greater physical distancing is safer.  
  • Mask is required for all individuals participating in large indoor gatherings.
  • In addition to wearing facial coverings, unvaccinated individuals must practice physical distancing to protect themselves and others.
     

ECC and Lower School

Additional restrictions for the Early Childhood Center and Lower School may be put in place until we learn more about the availability of vaccinations for our youngest students.
 

Parents and Guardians On Campus

  • Parents/guardians are welcome in outdoor spaces during drop-off and pickup. 
  • Mask is not required outdoors. 
  • Please self-monitor symptoms and refrain from coming to campus when not feeling well.
  • Restrooms are available on the first floor of the Jacobs Library. Mask is required indoors. 
  • Parents/guardians who volunteer on campus must show proof of vaccination and follow the protocols above for vaccinated individuals during the school day or present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (within one week of being on campus) and follow protocols for unvaccinated individuals. 
     

Visitors On Campus After the School Day

  • Nonessential visitors will not have access to the campus. Only individuals invited by the school will be allowed on campus. 
  • Visitors are welcome on campus in outdoor spaces.  
  • Access to indoor venues must be pre-approved by a faculty or staff member.  
  • Mask is not required for outdoor events unless the density of attendees warrants masks as determined by the event coordinator through consultation with the COVID-19 team. 
  • Smith Gymnasium may be considered an outdoor venue for specific events due to its open-air configuration as determined by the event coordinator in consultation with the COVID-19 team.  
  • All visitors to campus who develop symptoms that occur within 48 hours of their visit or if they have a positive test within a week of their visit, must report this to the school as soon as possible.

Other COVID-19 Updates

List of 6 items.

  • Cleaning

    Cleaning measures will remain in place, including daytime and evening cleaning, sanitation and disinfection. LJCDS uses UV sanitation and electrostatic disinfection (from Earthsafe Chemical Alternatives). Our cleaning protocols also include adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing to validate cleaning methods.

  • Cohorts

    Cohorts will not be implemented at this time, but students will be separated by grades when possible.

  • COVID-19 Testing Cycle

    The time interval for surveillance testing may fluctuate depending on the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community.

  • Lockers

    Outdoor lockers will be used this year. Students will be assigned lockers at the start of school. 

  • Lunch

    Lunch will return to pre-COVID operations. No pre-ordering of lunches. 

  • Student Trips

    Some student trips may confront travel or other pandemic-related circumstances that could prevent them from occurring in the 2021–2022 academic year. More information to come by division. 

COVID-19 Team

List of 2 items.

  • Internal Team

    • Gary Krahn, head of school
    • Jan Capon, school nurse 
    • Christian Evans, athletic trainer  
    • Christine Mitchell, head athletic trainer
    • Kelly Kennedy, director of human resources
    • David Sigal, CFO 
    • Tiffany Truong, director of marketing and communications
    • Kevin Worth, senior director of operations
     

  • Board Committee

    • Karen Deschaine (committee chair) trustee, partner at Cooley LLP
    • Sandra Coufal, M.D., trustee, internal medicine physician and biotech venture capitalist 
    • Bob Kain, trustee, CEO and co-founder of LunaPBC 
    • James Kelly, trustee, former finance executive
    • Susan Tousi, trustee, senior vice president of product development at Illumina 
    • Mark Minasian, CEO of Kellermeyer Bergensons Services
    • Bob Mischler, senior vice president, strategy and technology operations of Acadia Pharmaceuticals
    • Josh Schimmer, M.D., senior managing director of Evercore ISI
    • Roger Mills, M.D., principal at Vincere Consulting LLC

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

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