CHeS Communicable Disease Policy – Nov. 25, 2022
CHeS is committed to improving the health & safety of our students and workers and is therefore implementing the following post-covid guidelines. Our guidelines are based on BC’s Communicable Disease update, Aug. 25, 2022 and Bonny Henry’s most recent Communicable Disease Update, Nov. 2022.
The most recent recommendations include:
1. Vaccination: Vaccination has been recommended by the province as a way to prevent disease. Families at CHeS are free to make informed decisions about this choice and CHeS will support each family’s personal preference.
2. Stay Home If Sick: Please do not attend face to face meetings with students or staff when you are sick. Stay home and take care of yourself.
3. Personal Space: Staff and students should be encouraged to respect others personal space (the distance from which a person feels comfortable being next to another person).
4. Clean surfaces Often: Regular cleaning and disinfection can help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Cleaning of frequently touched surfaces should occur in line with regular practices and when visibly dirty.
5. Regular Hand Washing: Rigorous hand washing with plain soap and water or using an effective hand sanitizer reduces the spread of illness. Everyone should practice diligent hand hygiene.
6. Respiratory Etiquette: CHeS will teach and reinforce good respiratory etiquette practices among students & staff, including:• Cough or sneeze into their elbow or a tissue.
- Throw away used tissues and immediately perform hand hygiene.
- Refrain from touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Refrain from sharing any food, drinks, unwashed utensils, cigarettes, or vaping devices.
7. Health Awareness: A health check is encouraged. Everyone should regularly be checking to ensure they (or their child) are not experiencing symptoms of illness (including but not limited to COVID-19 symptoms) that would limit their ability to participate fully in regular activities involving others or the public.
8. If You Are Sick, Follow the BCCDC Guidelines: The B.C. Self-Assessment Tool provides more information on whether you should get a test for COVID-19. Those unsure or concerned about their symptoms should connect with a health care provider or call 8-1- 1. If you test positive for COVID-19 you should follow the guidance on the BCCDC website as to how long they should self-isolate. CHeS does not require a health care provider note (e.g., a doctor’s note) to confirm the health status of any individual.
• Staff, children, or other persons can attend in-person meetings if their symptoms are consistent with a previously diagnosed health condition (e.g., seasonal allergies) or symptoms have improved enough to where they feel well enough to return to regular activities and their fever has resolved without the use of fever- reducing medication (e.g., ibuprofen, acetaminophen). Information specific to COVID-19 is available from BCCDC.
• If you become ill during a meeting, you should go home immediately and not resume meeting until your symptoms have improved.
9. Supporting Students with Disabilities/Diverse Abilities and/or Receiving Health Services: Staff and those providing services to students with medical complexity, immune suppression, receiving direct or delegated care, or with disabilities and diverse abilities who are in close proximity to a student should follow routine infection controlpractices and care plans for the child, if applicable
10. Mask and Face Coverings: The decision to wear a mask is based on individual preference. The choice of staff and students to choose whether they practice additional personal prevention measures should be respected. Information on non-medical masks is available from BCCDC.
2020-21
Anyone working face to face with CHeS students agrees to the following Safety Plan. Please email the school with your compliance:
Services for regular students: accounts@estreams.ca
Services for special ed. students or students with diverse abilities: specialed.accounts@estreams.ca
Based on new public health guidance from the Ministry of Education, WorkSafeBC, and the provincial health officer, Christian Homelearners eStreams has outlined a set of COVID-19 health and safety protocols described below to help limit potential exposure to infection as our families, service providers, and third-party instructors return to in-person activities. These protocols will be updated as public health guidance is updated by provincial authorities.
The provincial health officer and the BC Centre for Disease Control have issued the following guidance:
- A person confirmed by public health as a case of COVID-19; or
- A person confirmed by public health as a close contact of a confirmed case or outbreaks of COVID-19; or
- A person who has travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days
- Anyone who has had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 10 days must self-isolate at home. Symptoms include fever, chills, loss of sense of smell or taste, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, low appetite, extreme fatigue or tiredness, congestion or runny nose, body ache, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and headache.
Therefore, all CHeS contracted service providers or third-party instructors must avoid contact with our families under these circumstances and likewise all families must cancel sessions if they fall into any of the 4 situations mentioned above. We recommend continuing sessions online if at all appropriate to do so during quarantine timing.
If a parent is engaging a service to support their child’s learning plan where CHeS is not paying for the service, the parent is responsible for ensuring their personal health and safety and that of their child.
For paid services, or third-party instruction, meeting remotely is highly recommended by our province, however we at CHeS understand how valuable in-person time is for many of our students. Therefore we respect and support in-person sessions in both regulated and unregulated environments.
*Recently the Province outlined more detail regarding in-person interactions. Most schools meet in group settings and therefore the following Checklist here was provided to help regulate contact and minimize infection. As a DL school we are already at home and therefore only a fraction of these new regulations apply to our settings. Applicable regulations have been added to our plan below.
Regulated Environments: For paid services in regulated environments (rec-centre, business/office location, etc...) the service provider/third-party should already have an up-to-date safety plan they are working under. CHeS requests confirmation through our CRC process. See here.
Unregulated Environments: For meeting in the home or other informal locations, please submit to the following health and safety guidelines while meeting.
- Communication Plan #1: Pray for Health and Safety
- Communication Plan #2: Get permission from each other before meeting in-person.
- Limit the number of people meeting together
- Avoid close face-to-face contact whenever possible
- Wash or sanitize your hands often
- Clean surfaces often
- Practice safe distancing of 2 m or more. Do not crowd at any time.
- Stick to the outdoors whenever possible
- If needed (when social distancing isn’t possible) wear a mask in indoor spaces.
- Ensure that the use of masks does not reduce or replace practicing physical distancing and other prevention measures
- If meeting for a music class do so according to the applicable British Columbia Music Educators’ Association and the Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia Guidance for Music Classes. Generally our students do not meet in a class setting but are individually meeting with an instructor therefore if the need for closer proximity than 2 m is necessary and masks cannot be worn due to singing, the instructor should bring a transparent barrier to teach behind. Avoid physical contact with students as much as possible.
- Communication Plan #3: Contact the Principal if any health or safety concerns arise during sessions (877-777-1547 ext. 12)
Lastly, everyone should monitor Public Health and Safety Guidelines as they are subject to change. The following websites will be helpful for this purpose and CHeS will update this safety plan if directives from the province change:
BC Back to School Plan Health and Safety Measures
BC Public Health Guidelines
COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools
BC Health and Safety Checklist
Stay safe!
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies
CHeS Principal, Holly Mitchell and Team
Latest update: Feb. 21, 2021