Covid-19 Policy
Roots Academy
Roots Academy Health and Safety Measures and Policies 2022
Updated : 10/5/2021
The DOH has adjusted the preschool student quarantine guidelines as of Oct 1, 2021. We have spoken to the
St. Johns Co Health Dept and want to share that information with you so that you understand the new guidelines for Roots Academy should your child be a close contact of a positive COVID individual.
Department of Health has updated their emergency rule (64DER21-15) to include student quarantines and preschool students were added on Oct 1 to the guidelines.
Student Quarantine: (3) (a) Parents or legal guardians of students who are known to have been in direct contact with an individual who received a positive diagnostic test of COVID-19 may choose one of the following options:
a: Allow the student to attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property, without restrictions or disparate treatment, so long as the student remains asymptomatic; or
b: Quarantine the student for a period of time not to exceed seven days from the date of the last direct contact with an individual that is positive for COVID-19.
c: As a private school, Roots Academy has the discretion based on symptoms in the possible exposure group to require a quarantine for the exposed group.
Based on this new ruling, you have a choice whether to quarantine your child or not, if they have no symptoms and based on spread of symptoms in the exposure group.
2. Parents are responsible for daily health screenings of their student, before coming to school. This includes taking their temperature. Student “health checks” will be performed in the classroom should any students show illness symptoms. A fever of 99.3 or greater should be reported to the school office and student remain at home. A temp of 99.3 or higher has been the first indicator of our last 7 positive COVID cases in students. Screening also includes checking for any of the following symptoms. Students or any family members with any of these symptoms, the student must remain at home until the cause is determined
*Chills
*Cough
*Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
*Congestion or runny nose
*Sore throat
*Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
*Headache
*Loss of taste or smell
*Fatigue
*Muscle or body aches
*Rash
Face Masks: As of Oct 5th, face masks will be optional inside the school. We will still limit parents from entering the classrooms at this time. This is based off of information on decrease of cases in our community per the St. Johns Co Health Dept as well as the level of vaccinated/immune staff at Roots Academy.
Classes: It is our goal to keep our students and teachers in “family” classes. This allows us to monitor where everyone has been should we have a positive case of Covid. This also allows for the same teachers to work with students throughout the day. We will work diligently to not combine or move children to other rooms as well as staff.
Tuition: Our tuition policy states that tuition is due upon registration if a child is in attendance or out for sick, holiday, vacation, inclement weather or school closure. Full time students receive two weeks at half price tuition each school year from August-August. two weeks written notice (forms are located at the front office) must be submitted for tuition discount.
Tuition will be due should a student need to quarantine at home for Covid precautions. This is for both self-quarantine due to outside exposure or due to guidance from Dept of Health for us to quarantine a class. This past year we have offered discounts to help families should a class have to quarantine but we can no longer financially offer them with the increase in costs to run the school. As a private school tuition is due to continue to pay staff and maintain the school so that once the child is ready to return to school, we have teachers in place to provide care. Full time students are welcome to use vacation time if they choose. If you have any tuition questions during the school year, please reach out to Wendy Whitlow, at wendy@rootschurch.tv so that I can personally discuss tuition one on one with families.
Timetable for return to school for illness symptoms depends on:
Contacting the school office of absence due to illness in a timely manner with information to determine on a case-by-case basis as well as any other precautions we should implement for health of other staff and students.
Positive or probable case of COVID -19 and have symptoms, may return after at least 10 days have passed since first appeared, AND at least 24 hours have passed since last fever (99.3) without the use of fever reducing medication, AND symptoms have improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath). Dr. note and/or negative COVID test will be required to return/attend with any illness symptoms.
Positive test for COVID-19 but no symptoms throughout their infection may return after at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive test. If anyone in the household is awaiting test results or is showing any symptoms, student must remain home until family member has negative test results or completes quarantine timeline, contacting school timely for case-by-case determination is very important.
In the event of a positive or probable case of COVID-19 in our school we will immediately notify the classes families via email and will follow up with recommendations from the Florida Department of Health, and, if necessary, the need to quarantine a group of individuals. Individual information will be kept confidential.
If tested is requested by the school for your child to return due to symptoms we will now accept a rapid test performed at a Dr office or approved location, this excludes at home test. Email all questions and test results before returning to wendy@rootschurch.tv for us to clear your child to return to school.