The Refuge

Promote social distancing
• Step 1 and 2
o Ensure that student and staff groupings are as static as possible by having the same group of
children stay with the same staff (all day for young children, and as much as possible for older
children).
o Restrict mixing between groups.
o Cancel all field trips, inter-group events, and extracurricular activities (Step 1).
o Limit gatherings, events, and extracurricular activities to those that can maintain social
distancing, support proper hand hygiene, and restrict attendance of those from higher
transmission areas (Step 2; Note: restricting attendance from those in Step 1 areas).
o Restrict nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups at the same
time.
o Space seating/desks to at least six feet apart.
o Turn desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other), or have students sit on
only one side of tables, spaced apart.
o Close communal use spaces such as dining halls and playgrounds if possible; otherwise stagger
use and disinfect in between use.
47
o If a cafeteria or group dining room is typically used, serve meals in classrooms instead. Serve
individually plated meals and hold activities in separate classrooms and ensure the safety of
children with food allergies.
o Stagger arrival and drop-off times or locations, or put in place other protocols to limit close
contact with parents or caregivers as much as possible.
o Create social distance between children on school buses (for example, seating children one
child per seat, every other row) where possible.
• Step 3
o Consider keeping classes together to include the same group of children each day, and consider
keeping the same child care providers with the same group each day.
o Allow minimal mixing between groups. Limit gatherings, events, and extracurricular activities to
those that can maintain social distancing, support proper hand hygiene, and restrict
attendance of those from higher transmission areas (Step 1 or 2 areas).
o Continue to space out seating and bedding (head-to-toe positioning) to six feet apart, if
possible.
o Consider keeping communal use spaces closed, such as game rooms or dining halls, if possible;
if this is not possible, stagger use and disinfect in between uses.
o Consider continuing to plate each child’s meal, to limit the use of shared serving utensils and
ensure the safety of children with food allergies.
o Consider limiting nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups.
Restrict attendance of those from higher transmission areas (Step 1 or 2 areas).
o Consider staggering arrival and drop-off times or locations, or put in place other protocols to
limit close contact with parents or caregivers as much as possible.