VILLANOVA CAMPUS REOPENING PLANS

June 23, 2020

This spring, Villanova Preparatory School created a Fall COVID Task Force made up of administrators and faculty members to assess various options for reopening our campus in the fall. We are eager to resume classes on August 19, 2020 and are grateful that our expansive facilities will allow for safe social distancing upon a physical return to school.  The Fall COVID Task Force has been and will continue working with guidelines from the CDC, the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Education, the Ventura County Office of Education, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to ensure the health of our students, families, faculty, and staff; our community’s safety has been and will continue to be Villanova’s number one priority. While the Task Force will continue to meet and plan for this dynamic situation throughout the summer, faculty members are also participating in professional development in order to hone their virtual teaching skills in the event that online or hybrid classes are necessary as Villanova also remains committed to providing educational excellence even though it may look a little different right now. Centered in our core values of truth, unity, and love, Villanova’s plans for fall 2020 aim to offer students the interactive, challenging Catholic college preparatory experience they know and deserve in the safest way possible; we invite you to learn more below.

This framework is based on current guidelines and recommendations.  

The general framework operates on the belief that a normal reopening is not a realistic option, makes the following assumptions, and acknowledges some questions that we are not yet able to answer:

• Classes will resume on August 19, 2020, graduation is scheduled for May 29, 2021, exams for underclassmen will be June 2-4, 2021.
• Athletics are not operating on their normal after school schedule.  CIF has stated that local authorities will determine when it is safe for teams to resume and has issued general guidelines for the resumption of physical activity.  No guidelines have been issued yet by the State or County for team sports.  When the county provides guidance we will communicate our protocol for the resumption of athletics.
• Mass/Assemblies will have to be held in smaller groups or socially distanced outdoors if possible.
• Wildcat Day and other Villanova traditions are postponed to the second semester.  Smaller group events are introduced in the first semester to build community spirit.
• Some international students and high risk day students are unable to return on time and may receive instruction online.
• Villanova will offer an additional program for international students who are unable to return to their home countries over breaks.
• On-campus COVID-19 exposure is likely to lead to a 14 day campus closure for quarantine of exposed individuals and deep cleaning of the campus.

We have developed a tiered system for school operations.  Each tier accounts for different and elevated local restrictions.  We plan to transition between tiers as we consider the well-being of the Villanova community given the local conditions.  All tiers will involve the following requirements and modifications to current school practices as a baseline:

• Students will be socially distancing in the classroom and wearing masks, teachers will be wearing face shields.  All office, maintenance, and kitchen staff are wearing masks in common areas.  
• Social distancing can easily be achieved with our small class sizes.  Some classes may need to be held in different classrooms.
• All faculty are attending professional development this summer to continue to build our online instruction in preparation for the likelihood of temporary closures throughout the year.
• All students will be subject to temperature checks and symptom screenings as they arrive on campus or board the bus.
• All faculty and staff will self-screen for temperature and symptoms before arriving on campus.
• Suspension of the attendance policy to encourage the promotion of a “sick-free” school.  Updated attendance policy will be released later this summer.
• Normal lunch service will proceed through the cafeteria with the line beginning from our current exit and moving one direction exiting out the senior door.  There will be social distancing markings on the floor.  Salads, sandwiches, fruit, soup, and desserts will be individually prepackaged.  Masks will be required while waiting in line, progressing through the cafeteria, and walking to a seating area.  Masks may be removed once students are seated for lunch. 
• Traffic flow in classrooms will be monitored to promote appropriate social distancing.
• Restroom facilities are being converted to touchless systems wherever possible.
• Resident students complete a 14-day quarantine before classes begin. If a resident student returns after the initial 14-day quarantine, their quarantine is completed in a designated location before attending classes and moving into their dorm room.
• Resident facilities are kept open over school breaks to accommodate students that are unable to travel home.
• Starting August 1, all Villanova students are required to complete a symptom tracking journal. Daily tasks include, but are not limited to: daily temperature check, detailing any symptoms or stating no symptoms, and providing an update on visible symptoms of anyone else in the household. More details will be provided in July.  Find the CDC temperature/symptom template here.
• All students, faculty, and staff will be required to complete a COVID-19 test and receive a negative result within 14 days of returning to campus.

The process of reopening also presents a number of challenges that are shared by all tiers.

• Student transportation - bus program.  Current social distancing guidelines limit the number of students that can be in a school bus.  This may necessitate the implementation of a staggered school day to accommodate the arrival of all students.
• Bathroom access throughout the school day.  Most bathrooms are small and not able to realistically accommodate social distancing.  Restroom crowding can be monitored during class periods in a similar fashion to that used during semester exams.  
• Staggered dismissal from classrooms to avoid crowding in hallways - longer breaks between classes to accommodate staggering and disinfecting
• Classrooms to be disinfected between periods. Bathrooms and common areas to be disinfected every two hours.
• Possible establishment of a covered eating area to account for students now unable to eat lunch in the dining room.
• Need for increased hand washing and sanitizing stations.
• Transition plan for moving all classes online if we have to enter a rolling shutdown.
• Moving the lockers to allow for greater space between lockers and limiting access due to crowding concerns.