Covid-19 Precautions

Our Approach

Throughout the pandemic, our approach to teaching and learning has been guided by our steadfast commitments to health and safety, academic progress, and community and belonging. All students in kindergarten through twelfth grade attend in-person learning on our campus five days a week.

We remain committed to ensuring the academic progress of our students, and we continue to focus on making sure that students are progressing toward important academic benchmarks as they establish their learning routines.

We protect to the greatest extent possible the health and safety of our community members through careful attention to recommended health and safety guidelines from state and local agencies, and through consultation with medical experts.

It is especially important to us that we not only meet our students’ intellectual needs, but also nurture their social and emotional connections with others. Authentic human relationships foster the abiding sense of community and belonging that is integral to a Hewitt education.

Vaccines

Face Coverings

Rapid Testing

Nurse's Office

Our nurse’s office continues to develop policies, protocols, and procedures for safe in-person learning based on guidelines from the CDC and state and local departments of health. Our health and safety policies are built upon the procedures that have worked well in past years, and will be amended as new guidance is issued and as we monitor the status of the pandemic. We will continue to keep our community members (students, parents, guardians, and employees) informed about new or evolving guidelines.

If a student develops symptoms during the school day, they are sent home immediately. Students who are ill and awaiting pick-up are monitored by one of the nurses or a designated staff member. All families have backup plans for picking up their student should primary caregivers be unavailable. Our nurses provide families with referrals for follow-up treatment and testing resources. An ill staff member is sent home immediately and referred to their health care provider for evaluation.

Hewitt’s vaccination requirement extends to all visitors to the school buildings. Visitors are screened upon arrival at school and have the choice to wear a face covering.

Illness Prevention

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

We continue to follow enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures throughout our campus. Guided by recommendations and guidelines from the CDC and state and local health departments, our maintenance team cleans and disinfects our facilities on a regular schedule, paying special attention to areas used by many individuals and frequently touched surfaces.

We provide handwashing stations with soap, running warm water, and disposable paper towels. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol is available in areas where handwashing is not feasible.

We also provide appropriate cleaning and disinfection supplies to faculty and staff, including disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down before and after use. Drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations are open, and disposable cups are provided.

In 2020, our facilities team completed upgrades to our HVAC systems to improve the air quality throughout our campus. All of our filters were upgraded from MERV 8 to MERV 13 filters for added purification of the air (as recommended by the CDC and New York State Department of Health). In systems with ductwork, we installed the iWave-C, a self-cleaning, bi-polar ionization generator that kills airborne mold, bacteria, and viruses. In those rooms that do not have HVAC systems with ductwork, we installed Hathaspace medical-grade HEPA filters, which remove over 99% of air pollutants like pollen, mold, dust, bacteria, and viruses. This filtering system is powerful and self-adjusting yet quiet enough not to interfere with teaching and learning.