Illness Toolkit

The below emails and others may also be found in your Veracross parent portal under Messages.

Jan. 23, 2022: Managing COVID

Jan. 8, 2022: COVID-19 Mitigation Strategy Adjustments

Jan. 3, 2022: COVID-19 Mitigation Strategy Updates

Nov. 28, 2021: Reminder: Having Symptoms? Please Stay Home

Nov. 5, 2021: Winter Illnesses and COVID-19 Mitigation Strategy Updates

Sept. 20, 2021: Update to COVID Mitigation Strategy

Aug. 11, 2021: 2021-22 COVID Mitigation Strategies

Daily Health Screenings
We ask that every morning, parents check their student for symptoms of cold, flu, or COVID-19. Symptomatic students and employees should not come to school, and if they do, they will be sent home. Symptoms include:

• Runny nose
• Cough
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Sore throat

Upon arrival, all students and employees must take their temperature using Temper-Sure devices. Anyone with a fever above 100F may not remain at school.

Face Coverings

In accordance with guidance from the CDC, our health district, and our school’s medical advisors, we will require all students ages 3 and up, all employees, and all visitors to wear a face covering at all times while indoors in the presence of other people and on buses.

Due to high levels of vaccination in the Upper School and Middle School, students in Grades 5 – 12 may be outdoor mask optional with respectful distance. This will go into effect in the Upper School on Jan. 23 and in the Middle School on Jan. 31.

With a faculty or staff member's permission, students in the Lower School (Pre-School – Grade 4) may remove face coverings outdoors if physical distancing is maintained.

Physical Distancing
Students and faculty will be expected to maintain physical distancing of 3 feet indoors.

Cleaning and Disinfection
A few years ago, the school upgraded its cleaning services by contracting with The Budd Group, a leading facility service company in the country with over 5,000 employees serving many independent schools across the southeast. In 2021-22, The Budd Group will again deploy two additional disinfectant technicians to assist the School with cleaning and disinfection protocols that are safe, environmentally-friendly, and in accordance with CDC recommendations.

Air Quality
Last school year, we worked closely with Southland Energy and Envise to create new protocols to ensure improved air quality and flow in our HVAC systems. These efforts focus on maximizing outside air supply and distribution, increasing particulate filtration, UV light disinfection, and alternative filter technologies where needed.

Handwashing and Hand Sanitizing
Students will continue to wash hands and use hand sanitizer frequently while on campus. Many spaces are equipped with hand sanitizer, and teachers are provided hand sanitizer for use within the classroom and before/after meal times.

Employee Policy
All faculty and staff are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots or submit to weekly PCR testing.

From the Virginia Department of Health website (information retrieved 8/6/21), close contact means: 

• Being within 6 feet of a person who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period*, or
• Having direct exposure to respiratory secretions (e.g., being coughed or sneezed on, sharing a drinking glass or utensils, kissing), or
• Caring for a person who has COVID-19, or
• Living with a person who has COVID-19.

*Note this exception for indoor and outdoor K-12 settings: A student who is within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student is not considered a close contact as long as both students are wearing masks and the school has other prevention strategies in place [which St. Anne's-Belfield does]. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in indoor K-12 settings.

People with COVID-19 can pass the COVID-19 virus to their close contacts starting from 2 days before they become sick (or 2 days before they test positive if they never had symptoms) until it is safe to be around other people (stop isolation).

People who have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 need to stay home and away from others. This is called quarantine.

• There are some exceptions where people are not required to quarantine (stay home)

If your child has been in close contact with COVID-19, follow the below flowchart.

After direct exposure to COVID, vaccinated (and boosted if age 18+) students, faculty, and staff do not need to quarantine so long as they remain masked, distanced, and do not develop symptoms.

• Booster shots. Students age 18+, faculty, and staff are considered unvaccinated if they are booster-eligible, but have not yet received a booster shot. This means they will need to quarantine after direct exposure. Employees without proof of booster shot will also need to submit to weekly testing beginning Jan. 25.

After direct exposure to COVID, unvaccinated (and unboosted if age 18+) students, faculty, and staff must quarantine for 5 days. To return to school, they must have a negative PCR test taken on day 5 or later AND be symptom free. Day 0 is the day the exposure occurred.

• Recently COVID-positive students. Per CDC and VDH guidelines, someone who was positive within the past 90 days is considered not infectious, regardless of vaccination status. After close contact with COVID-19, unvaccinated students may return to school with acceptable proof of a positive test dated within the past 90 days. Parents and students should monitor carefully for symptoms and, if any develop, stay home from school.

Notifying the School

Leave a message on the COVID Hotline ONLY to report positive cases and direct exposure to COVID: 987-2778 (area code 434).

For other sicknesses, late arrivals/early departures, or general questions, please contact your student's divisional office:

Lower School Office

(434) 295-0106 

Email: lvattendance@stab.org

Middle School Office

(434) 296-2848 

Email: lvattendance@stab.org

Upper School Office

(434) 296-2430 

Email: attendance@stab.org

The below flow chart explains what will happen next.

Students who are COVID positive must stay home for 10 days.
Day 0 is considered the day symptoms first began or the day of the positive test, whichever comes first.

Faculty and staff who are COVID positive may come back on day 6 IF they have no symptoms.
Per CDC and VDH guidelines, COVID-positive individuals may return to work on day 6 while remaining masked so long as they are not symptomatic. Faculty and staff will be provided with separate spaces to eat and coverage for classes so that they do not have to unmask around others.

When a member of the School community (student, teacher, or staff member) tests positive for COVID-19, a school nurse will notify employees and families of children who we believe have been directly exposed, followed by an email communication. Additionally, a member of the Blue Ridge Health District may be in contact to check on the potentially exposed family’s health, discuss who they have been around, and ask where they have spent time that could potentially expose others. 

The broader community will be notified of all positive cases via a dashboard in the weekly Belfield Bulletin digest emails, after our nurses have contacted everyone who have been directly exposed.

Keeping our community safe is a partnership that requires employees and students to be diligent within the school, and families to be diligent within the community.

We understand that each travel sport and outside organization may utilize different mitigation strategies. Parents and guardians, please evaluate those strategies and protocols carefully, and consider adjusting your child's participation if you do not think those strategies prioritize your child's health and safety in the fight against COVID-19. Although we are not aware of any instances where St. Anne’s students were exposed to coronavirus from these activities, anyone with potential exposure should ensure they quarantine and follow healthcare recommendations.

We are tracking absenteeism, cases of coronavirus testing, and test results closely to inform our decision to close school or remain open. If the decision is made to close one or both campuses, we will message the phone number we have on record for you.  Please ensure your information is up-to-date in Veracross. 

• BRHD testing sites
• UVA Riverside (2335 Seminole Ln Suite 200, Charlottesville, Va.): (434) 975-7700
• Virginia Department of Health’s statewide testing site locator.
• TestHere site in Charlottesville
• Central Virginia Health Services (2 locations in Albemarle County):
  • Charlottesville (Neighborhood Family Health Centers): 434-227-5624 (offering antibody testing)
  • Southern Albemarle: 434-286-3602 (offering antibody testing)
• Med Express on 29 North (1149 Seminole Train, Charlottesville, Va.): 434-978-3998
• Pediatric Testing Resources:
  • Pediatric Associates: 434-296-9161
  • Piedmont Pediatrics: 434-975-7777
  • UVA Pediatrics: 434-982-3816