Purple Circle COVID-19 Risk Reduction & Communication Guidelines

Last update: 12 November 2021

Summary of key changes, 12 November 2021

  1. COVID-19 vaccines mandatory
  2. Travel guidelines have been revised for the 2021-22 school year

Intention of the document

The Purple Circle COVID-19 Risk Reduction & Communication Guidelines document recognizes that the Purple Circle community includes teachers, staff, and families, all of whom may be affected by one another’s decisions, behaviors, and communications. The document aims to provide clarity around the community’s expectations for family and teacher/staff COVID decision-making and risk-reduction behaviors in and beyond the classroom. Importantly, it describes Purple Circle’s protocol for a COVID-19 case in our community, including procedures related to communication, actions, and closures across various possible scenarios.

This is intended to be a living document and is subject to change as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve over the coming weeks, months, and years.

Risk Reduction Guidelines

Purple Circle School & Classroom Precautions

Children and family members are to arrive at school between 8:30am – 9:00am wearing masks. They will be greeted outdoors by a faculty member, and a standard COVID questionnaire will be asked of families upon arrival. Families are expected to take their child’s temperature every morning, and temperatures will be re-checked upon arrival at school and throughout the day. With an appropriate response to the health questionnaire (see Appendix A), children will join their classroom pods before entering the building together. Little Kids may be escorted to their classroom door by a parent or caregiver, where they will be greeted by a teacher. Children and teachers will change into their indoor shoes and wash hands upon arrival outside their classrooms, and they will wash hands at appropriate times throughout the day. With the exceptions of Late Day and outdoors, classroom pods remain separate from other classrooms.

In light of the highly contagious Delta variant, beginning in September 2021, all Purple Circle staff are strongly encouraged to wear KN-95 or N-95 masks to further reduce the likelihood of asymptomatic disease transmission. Double masking with a clean fabric mask worn over a clean surgical mask is also acceptable. Once all staff are fully vaccinated, estimated by early December 2021, a surgical mask alone will be acceptable. Partially vaccinated staff will undergo PCR COVID testing every Friday until the point at which they are fully vaccinated. Parents and caregivers who enter the school for more than the brief time required for drop-off or pick-up, including during Phase-In, should wear KN-95 or N-95 masks if they are not fully vaccinated.

All areas of our classrooms are designed to allow a limited number of children at any one time to encourage physical distancing. Each child will have their own box of materials and chair, labeled with their name and picture. Materials that are shared will be disinfected before they are redistributed to other children. All children and staff are required to wear masks for both indoor and outdoor activities. Teachers work with children to help support their mask-wearing. Children will not wear masks during meal time and rest time, though children will be physically distanced in these moments where reasonable.

Each classroom has air purifiers and surfaces are wiped down throughout the day. The new location (2697 Broadway) is equipped with an HVAC system. A cleaning company disinfects high-contact surfaces, and each classroom is UV disinfected daily.

Expectations for Precautions Beyond the School

Purple Circle relies on its faculty, staff, and families to follow COVID-safe practices to protect the health and safety of our entire community. As COVID remains a threat across the country, it is important that all members of the Purple Circle community follow CDC and New York State guidance on safe household practices, social gatherings, and travel.

Household Precautions

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals are encouraged to follow all key recommendations on standard COVID precautions to help minimize the risk to individuals and the school. Per the CDC, these include:

While many of these recommendations are waived for vaccinated individuals, it is important to keep in mind that children under 5 years old are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Vaccinated individuals should continue to get tested if experiencing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, or after any known exposure.

Gatherings

Individuals, and particularly unvaccinated individuals, who intend to participate in social gatherings are expected to follow key COVID precautions, including wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and staying home when sick. While most state guidelines around gatherings have been lifted, New York City requires proof of vaccination for a variety of higher risk indoor activities.

Travel & Holidays

With the lift of most domestic and international travel restrictions, it is up to the discretion of programs like Purple Circle to define their own travel and testing policies, with the safety of their members and beneficiaries in mind. Because young children are not eligible for vaccination, Purple Circle has defined the following requirements for returning from travel. Please note that the requirements below are described for travel that takes place when school is in session as well as during the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov), winter break (Dec-Jan), spring break (Mar-Apr), and school year break (Aug-Sept).

School holidays and holiday travel, children

  • Please note that all enrolled children must submit a negative COVID test for return to school following Thanksgiving and winter break. The details of this requirement are presented below.
  • Thanksgiving travel and gatherings with unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status individuals: For Thanksgiving travel and gatherings with individuals who are unvaccinated (including children) or for whom vaccination status is unknown, enrolled children must submit a negative PCR test for return to school. Testing should take place on Sunday, 28 November 2021 at the earliest, or 3-5 days after the most recent potential exposure. Children cannot return to school until the negative test result is available. Parents/caregivers should plan to complete a Google form for each enrolled child in addition to submitting test results to the PC office, preferably by email. The appropriate Google form will be circulated by Class Representatives.
  • Thanksgiving break without travel or gatherings with unvaccinated individuals: Enrolled children who do not travel or participate in gatherings with unvaccinated individuals over the Thanksgiving holiday must submit a PCR or rapid antigen test result for return to school. At-home rapid testing is acceptable; please see Appendix B for options. Testing should take place on Sunday, 28 November 2021. Parents/caregivers should plan to complete a Google form for each enrolled child by 10:00pm on Sunday evening to ensure it is viewed prior to drop off on Monday morning. The appropriate Google form will be circulated by Class Representatives.
  • Winter break: All enrolled children must submit a negative PCR test for return to school. Testing should take place between Thursday, 30 December 2021 and Monday, 3 January 2022. Parents/caregivers should plan to complete a Google form for each enrolled child in addition to submitting test results to the PC office. The appropriate Google form will be circulated by Class Representatives.
  • During the winter holiday period (Nov 2021-Jan 2022), please be especially prepared to pick up your child from school for COVID-19 testing if any symptoms emerge during the course of the school day.
  • Spring break and school year break testing requirements will be revisited in February 2022, in order to reflect what we know about the pandemic at that point in time.

Non-holiday travel, children

  • For families who travel within the United States by car/private vehicle without engaging in potentially high-risk gatherings or activities when school is in session, children may return to school without COVID testing. Children’s symptoms should be monitored for 14 days after returning to New York State. Should a child exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days of return, they are to immediately quarantine and may not return until they receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test. In the event of a positive PCR result, the below protocols will go into effect.
  • For families who travel within the United States by plane, train, bus, or other shared mode of transportation that is not part of their daily commute when school is in session, children must obtain a COVID-19 PCR test after returning to New York State. The test should be obtained 3-5 days after return, and a 7 day quarantine is also recommended. Without testing, enrolled children will need to quarantine at home for 10 days prior to returning to Purple Circle. With documentation of a negative PCR result, children may return to school. Based on scientific research (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/research-news/12560/), children with a documented COVID-19 infection within eight months prior to travel are exempt from testing due to assumed lasting immunity. For all children, symptoms should be monitored for 14 days after return. Should a child exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days of return, they are to immediately quarantine and may not return until they receive an additional negative COVID-19 PCR test. In the event of a positive PCR result, the below protocols will go into effect.
  • For families who travel internationally when school is in session, enrolled children must obtain a COVID-19 PCR test after returning to New York State. The test should be obtained 3-5 days after return, and a 7 day quarantine is strongly recommended. Without testing, enrolled children will need to quarantine at home for 10 days prior to returning to Purple Circle. Please note that the CDC clearly recommends that unvaccinated individuals do not travel internationally at this time.

All travel and holidays, staff
Purple Circle staff should refer to the CDC guidelines for all travel, including school holidays. The CDC testing and quarantine guidelines are requirements for Purple Circle staff and should inform all travel decisions. Requirements for domestic and international travel are available on the CDC website (linked immediately above) and are listed in the charts below. Please note that domestic travel requirements refer to all travel except that by personal vehicle or local commuter transportation.

COVID-19 in Slovenia - COVID-19 Very High - Level 4: COVID-19 Very High - Travel Health Notices | Travelers' Health | CDC

  • Vaccinated staff who travel domestically or internationally when school is in session must monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days after returning to New York State. International travel plans should be discussed with Purple Circle leadership prior to departure, to define any additional precautions around return from a high-risk country.
  • Partially vaccinated staff who travel domestically or internationally should discuss travel plans with Purple Circle leadership prior to departure, to align on testing requirements based on current COVID-19 rates, mode of transportation, and evolving state guidelines. In the event that a staff person needs to obtain a COVID-19 PCR test after returning to New York State, vacation plans must factor PCR test response time so as not to add additional “time off” that extends beyond already scheduled vacation time. For example, a staff member using 10 vacation days must travel, return, and obtain their PCR test and results within the scheduled 10 vacation days. With documentation of a negative PCR result, the staff member may return to school. Symptoms should be monitored for 14 days after return. Should the staff member exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days of return, they are to immediately quarantine and may not return until they receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test. In the event of a positive PCR result, the below protocols will go into effect. NOTE: This bullet will be removed once all Purple Circle staff are fully vaccinated.

Precautions Following Vaccination

(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html)

Individuals—including Purple Circle family members and staff members—who are fully vaccinated (beginning two weeks following one shot for J&J or two weeks following a second shot for Pfizer or Moderna) can refer to the updated CDC and New York State guidelines about safe gatherings, domestic travel, and testing and quarantine recommendations. As vaccine rollout continues and booster recommendations are clarified, even if you are fully vaccinated, we ask that you continue to exercise caution out of respect for the safety of the Purple Circle community. For the time being, young children are not eligible for vaccination. While severe illness remains unlikely in this population, a conservative approach to indoor gatherings and non-essential travel will allow us to continue to prioritize the education, health, and safety of our children.

Testing

Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 is used to identify if a person has an active COVID-19 infection and should take measures to quarantine and isolate from others to disrupt disease transmission. Currently, there are two primary types of diagnostic tests—molecular tests, such as PCR tests, that detect the virus’ genetic material, and antigen tests that detect specific proteins from the virus. Although there is a third type of test, an antibody test, it looks for antibodies created by the body to combat the virus and can only identify whether someone has ever had COVID-19. Because antibodies can take days to weeks to develop after infection and stay in a person’s blood for several weeks or more after recovery, antibody tests are not used to diagnose COVID-19. Therefore, antigen and molecular tests are the most common tests used.

Almost all diagnostic testing for COVID-19 is done using molecular COVID-19 tests. Molecular tests, such as RT-PCR tests, detect genetic material—the RNA—of the coronavirus and are sensitive enough to identify very small amounts of viral RNA very early in the infection, reducing the likelihood for false negatives, including among pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. Whereas molecular tests detect the virus’ genetic material, antigen tests detect specific proteins that are part of the virus. Purple Circle recommends the use of PCR tests following a known exposure, with requirements for staff outlined in the protocols section below.

Antigen tests are particularly useful for identifying a person who is at or near peak infection, but less accurate for identifying pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. As such, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people who show COVID-19 symptoms and test negative with an antigen test to get a molecular test to confirm the results. Nevertheless, positive antigen tests are considered very accurate.

Additional details about antigen and molecular tests are provided in Table 1.

Table 1. Different type of coronavirus tests

Molecular test

Antigen test

How is the sample taken?

Nasopharyngeal (the part of the throat behind the nose), nasal or throat swab (most tests)

Saliva (a few tests)

Nasal or nasopharyngeal swab (most tests)

What does it show?

Diagnoses active coronavirus infection

Diagnoses active coronavirus infection

How long it takes to get results?

Same day (some locations), but up to a week in busy locations

Some may be very fast (15-30 minutes), depending on the test

Is another test needed?

This test is typically highly accurate and usually does not need to be repeated.

Positive results are usually highly accurate, but false positives can happen, especially in areas where very few people have the virus. Negative results may need to be confirmed with a molecular test.

What can’t it do?

Show if you ever had COVID-19 or were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the past.

Although the test is unable to identify whether a person ever had COVID-19, it is more likely to be positive even after infection.

More likely to miss an active COVID-19 infection compared to molecular tests, particularly in the pre-clinical phase and among asymptomatic cases.

COVID-19 Testing Options

There are many ways to receive a COVID-19 test. You may contact your healthcare provider. You may visit the New York State’s COVID-19 Online Assessment or New York City COVID-19 Citywide Information Portal to identify testing options and locations near you. Some testing options are provided below under Appendix B.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 diagnostic test is widely available; a nasal swab, oral swab, or saliva sample may be used; an antigen or molecular test may be used; positive results are highly accurate for both tests, but when COVID-19 symptoms are present, negative results from an antigen test should be confirmed by a PCR test; and results are returned within minutes for rapid tests and returned in about 3-5 days otherwise.

Vaccination

(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html)

COVID-19 vaccination is evolving. The current vaccines are effective and widely available, and the Pfizer vaccine (now called Comirnaty) received full FDA approval for use among individuals aged 16 years and older in August 2021. In addition to preventing COVID-19, the vaccines reduce disease severity for those who are still infected. Vaccines are not yet approved for (or proven effective in) children under 5 years old.

Purple Circle strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination as a key measure to protect individual health, support public health, and expedite the end of the pandemic. Staff is provided time off for their appointments and 2nd day recovery, as needed. They will be provided the same for any recommended booster shots.

As of Friday, 8 October 2021, Purple Circle is updating its COVID-19 guidelines to require full COVID-19 vaccination for all teachers and administrators. Continuity of employment is dependent on compliance with the new requirement. Full vaccination is defined as one shot for J&J or two shots for Pfizer or Moderna, with the possibility of future requirement updates to include boosters. This requirement is linked to the aforementioned full FDA approval for Comirnaty (Pfizer), though the Moderna and J&J vaccines, which have received FDA authorization for emergency use, also fulfill Purple Circle’s requirement. Any unvaccinated staff members are expected to comply with the new requirement by receiving and providing documentation of their first shot no later than Friday, 5 November 2021. Please note that any already vaccinated staff members who have not yet provided vaccine documentation to Purple Circle administration should do so immediately. Going forward, updated documentation must be submitted within five days of receiving any additional vaccine, i.e. following a second dose or booster. Medical exemptions signed by a licensed doctor will be considered. Religious exemptions will be considered alongside demonstration of sincerely held beliefs. Booster shots are encouraged for those eligible but are not required at this time. Additional information about vaccine boosters can be found on the CDC website: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html. Please find relevant resources for accessing the Pfizer vaccine or taking advantage of incentives for the J&J and Moderna vaccines under Appendix B.

As information evolves around safe behaviors among vaccinated individuals, particularly in light of the Delta variant, we expect that Purple Circle community members who have had or will soon receive a vaccine will stay up to date on and continue to respect standard COVID-19 precautions for the sake of the rest of the community.

Protocols for a positive COVID-19 test or exposure in the Purple Circle community

Staff member tests positive

Immediate actions: If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they may not enter the program for a minimum of 10 days following the first on-set of symptoms. In order to return to school, the staff member must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medication, and other COVID symptoms must be improving. Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.

As per the Department of Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention, direct contacts of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must be informed immediately. In the instance that a staff member tests positive, the entire school will be notified by email, and the Department of Health will be contacted for contact tracing purposes. Every effort will be made to keep the identity of the staff member confidential.

Anyone who has had direct exposure must exit the building as soon as possible. Children will remain in the classroom, isolated from the rest of the school community until a parent or caregiver can pick up their child. If the positive case is a teacher in the classroom, the classroom must close for a minimum of 10 days following the last point of contact. The DOH will be notified thereafter for additional guidance.

All staff members with direct contact with a positive case must take a PCR test 5-7 days after last exposure. Families whose children are directly exposed with a positive case are strongly encouraged to test their children with a PCR test 5-7 days after last exposure.

Return to school: Any staff member who tested positive must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medication and other covid symptoms must be improving before returning to school. Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation and return to school.

Staff member has known exposure

Immediate actions: Any staff member who has direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 may not enter the building, or must exit the building immediately upon notification of exposure. They will be excluded from the program for 10 days following their last point of contact with the infected person. All employed staff members and families will be informed of any known direct exposure to COVID-19 while results for a PCR test are pending.

Return to school: The exposed staff member may only return after 10 days of quarantine provided they receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, with the test taken 5-7 days after last exposure. See above (“Staff member tests positive”) for actions if the PCR test result is positive.

Child tests positive

Immediate actions: If a Purple Circle child tests positive for COVID-19, they may not enter the program for a minimum of 10 days following the first on-set of symptoms. In order to return to school, the child must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medication, and other COVID symptoms must be improving. Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.

As per the Department of Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention, direct contacts of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must be informed immediately. In the instance that a child tests positive, the entire school will be notified by email, and the Department of Health will be contacted for contact tracing purposes. Every effort will be made to keep the identity of the child confidential.

Anyone who has had direct exposure must exit the building as soon as possible. Children will remain in the classroom, isolated from the rest of the school community until a parent or caregiver can pick up their child. The classroom must close for a minimum of 10 days following the last point of contact. The DOH will be notified thereafter for additional guidance.

All staff members with direct contact with a positive case must take a PCR test 5-7 days after last exposure. Families whose children are directly exposed with a positive case are strongly encouraged to test their children with a PCR test 5-7 days after last exposure.

Return to school: Any child who tested positive must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medication and other covid symptoms must be improving before returning to school. Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation and return to school.

Late Day: As per DOH guidelines, all Late Day families whose children have had direct contact with the child who tests positive will be notified immediately, and these children must exit the building as soon as possible. They are expected to quarantine and may not return to school for a minimum of 10 days following the last point of contact. It is highly encouraged and recommended that the children receive a PCR test to help inform further actions and communications. If a Late Day child develops symptoms and does not test, Purple Circle will assume the child is positive for COVID-19, and their classroom will close immediately and for a minimum of 10 days following the last point of contact.

Family member tests positive

Immediate actions: A child whose family member tested positive for COVID-19 may not enter the building. They will be excluded from the program for 10 days following their last point of contact with the infected person and are expected to quarantine during this time. All staff members and families will be informed of the child’s known direct exposure to COVID-19 while results for a PCR test are pending.

Return to school: The affected child may only return provided they receive a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, with the test taken 5-7 days after last exposure. See above (“Child tests positive”) for actions if the PCR test result is positive.

Family member has known exposure

(https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/covid/covid-19-understanding-quarantine-and-isolat ion.pdf)

Public health guidelines require unvaccinated people who have been in close contact, defined as within 6 feet for ≥15 minutes, to quarantine for 10 days after their last contact with a person who had COVID-19. This aims to interrupt COVID-19 transmission by separating the movement of people who might have been exposed to COVID-19 during the period between initial exposure and infection to disease diagnosis.

During the quarantine period, there is no expectation that the remaining household members will quarantine; however, if the exposed household member tests positive or develops COVID-19 symptoms, the entire household will need to quarantine. Vaccinated people who have a COVID-19 exposure but remain asymptomatic should be tested 5-7 days after the most recent exposure, wear a mask indoors for 14 days or until receiving a negative test result, and be prepared to isolate at home in the case of a positive test result.

Although a full-household quarantine is not necessary or required after a family member exposure to COVID-19, particularly if the family member is vaccinated, it’s imperative that everyone in the house follow extra safety precautions to reduce potential household transmission. This may include wearing a mask while interacting with the person who was exposed and minimizing physical contact between exposed and unexposed household members. Everyone in the home should monitor for any symptoms.

If a family member of the household is quarantining because of a known exposure to COVID-19, Purple Circle students can continue to attend school if the exposed household member is fully vaccinated, remains asymptomatic, and does not test positive for COVID-19. Upon learning a household member has been exposed to COVID-19, the family should notify Purple Circle to increase teacher awareness and monitoring for the development of COVID-19 symptoms. If the exposed household member develops symptoms or tests positive during their quarantine, Purple Circle should be notified immediately. With a family member who is symptomatic after a known exposure, the enrolled child will need to stay home until the family member and child provide a negative PCR test taken at least 3-5 days following the family member’s most recent exposure. With a family member’s positive test, all household members – including the enrolled child – will likely be considered close contacts and will need to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. See above (“Family member tests positive”) for additional details.

Appendix A: Purple Circle Student Health Screening

  1. Has your child or any household member experienced a fever of 100.4 degrees F or greater, a new cough, or shortness of breath within the past 10 days?
    • No
      • Go to the next question.
    • Yes, a household member.
      • Please speak with school administration for further guidance.
    • Yes, the child.
      • No further screening is needed. The student may not report until they receive a negative PCR test and meet Purple Circle health requirements (i.e. fever-free for 24 hours).
  2. In the past 10 days, has any member of your home, including your child, received a positive result from a COVID-19 PCR test? (not a blood test)
    • No.
      • Go to the next question.
    • Yes.
      • No further screening is needed. The student may not report to school
  3. To the best of your knowledge, in the past 10 days, has your child or a member in your home been in close contact (within 6 feet for at least 10 minutes) with anyone while they had COVID-19?
    • No
      • The student may report to school.
    • Yes
      • Please speak with school administration for further guidance.
  4. Has your child/family or guests in your home traveled internationally or out of state within the last 10 days?
    • No
      • The student may report to school.
    • Yes
      • Please speak with school administration for further guidance.
  5. Have you given your child any fever reducing medicine in the last 24 hours?
    • Yes
      • Go to the next question
  6. Temperature Check:
    • Pass
    • Fail