Coronavirus

Community Expectations

The mission of Marist School is to form the whole person in the image of Christ. We believe that this mission is best fulfilled when we are together, in person, which requires each of us—students, faculty, staff, parents, and volunteers—to stand together to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our goal is for every member of our school community to understand the responsibility we each have for others in our community and that we all have a role to play in providing for the health and safety of our community. It is up to each of us to conscientiously do our part to #ProtectOurNest so that we can be #MaristTogether.

With the well-being of each member of the school community in mind and to provide each of us with greater assurances as to what we can expect from each other, we are asking all families, faculty, and staff to acknowledge the following school community expectations as we return to campus.

We are all in this together, and we will work cooperatively to navigate the known and unknown risks that we continue to face with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our school community expectations have been written in the spirit that we are of one body, but if one part is suffering, we all will suffer. Collectively, we can #ProtectOurNest so that we can be #MaristTogether.

We acknowledge the following community expectations to #ProtectOurNest:

List of 9 items.

Masking
- Individuals are not required but may choose to wear masks while indoors.
- Masks are not required for outdoor activities. Contact tracing may still occur depending on the circumstances.
- When indoors, seating arrangements will allow for at least 3 feet of physical distance between students as practicable.
- Due to the significant decrease in COVID-19 cases, Marist will no longer require masks for large, indoor gatherings (such as Masses and assemblies) except for individuals who must wear masks due to quarantine or isolation.
- Under federal law, masks are required for all passengers and drivers in school-sponsored transportation.
- Individuals who are a determined to be a close contact (per the Decision Tree timeline) may be required to mask while indoors.
*Fully vaccinated means 14 days have passed after the completion of the second dose of two-dose vaccine series or 14 days after single dose vaccine.
Quarantine
Close contact is defined as exposure to an infected individual by being within 6 feet for 15 cumulative minutes over 24 hours except if the close contact occurred in the indoor classroom and both the close contact and the case were students wearing well-fitted masks appropriately and consistently and were at least 3 feet apart.
For individuals older than 18 years, immune is defined as someone who has recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days and/or has completed a full series of any vaccine plus a booster when eligible. For individuals 18 and younger, immune is defined as someone who has recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days and/or has completed a full series of an mRNA vaccine.

Please follow the measures below if you have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected to have COVID-19.

If you are immune, quarantine is not required under the following circumstances:
- You do not have symptoms of COVID-19.
- You submit proof of a positive COVID-19 test result within 90 days of last close contact OR you submit proof of full vaccination status. Documents must be submitted to the clinic by 3 p.m. to be processed the same day, and students must submit documents via SNAP at www.studentehr.com.
- You monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days and wear a mask at all times except when eating or actively participating in athletics for 10 days.
If you are not immune and symptom free, follow the following mitigation measures:
- You monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days.
- You keep six feet of social distancing except in the classroom and when not possible during athletics.
- You wear a mask at all times except when eating or actively participating in athletics.
Quarantine is not required if:
- Close contact occurred in an indoor classroom.
- Both the close contact and the case were students and were wearing well-fitted masks appropriately and consistently and were at least three feet apart.
Quarantine can take place on campus if:
- You agree to on campus daily testing through day five before school and/or school activities.
Quarantine can be shortened to return on day six if:
- You are symptom-free.
- You submit proof of a negative PCR test taken on day five or after. Documents must be submitted to the clinic by 3 p.m. to be processed the same day, and students must submit documents via SNAP at www.studentehr.com.
There will be no charge for testing on campus. Positive test results will only be communicated to the student, parent, and Marist Clinic personnel.

Please reference the Decision Tree for detailed information.
Physical Distancing
- Indoor classrooms
  - Classroom desks will be 3 or more feet apart where possible.
  - Teachers will be 6 feet from students in the classroom.
  - Each class will have and adhere to a seating chart.
- Physical education classes, sports, and extracurricular activities will physically distance as possible.
Ventilation & Facilities
The HVAC systems in each building are well maintained and will maximize the amount of outdoor air to the greatest extent possible for the system.

Facilities:
- Will be cleaned daily
- Disinfectant will be available in each classroom and work space
- Hand sanitizer will be available in each classroom, work space, and commonly used public spaces
Contact Tracing and Notification
- Contact tracing will be done when there is a case of COVID-19 (confirmed by positive COVID-19 test) by clinic nurses and athletic trainers
- Contact tracing will be done as quickly and thoroughly as feasible
  - Information regarding exposure will be determined by interviewing relevant parties, including:
    The individual with COVID-19
    If applicable, parents/guardians (full cooperation and disclosure is expected)
    Teachers and coaches responsible for the individual with COVID-19 (if applicable)
  - Additional information regarding exposure will be obtained from the following:
    Seating charts (if applicable)
    Attendance records
    Security film as available
  - Documentation of immunity via a positive COVID-19 test and/or vaccination status will be reviewed
- All Marist students and employees who had some level of known exposure to COVID-19 will be notified regarding their exposure. Confidentiality of positive cases will be kept at all times.
  - Close contacts and their parents/guardians will be notified of exposure and subsequent steps on documented history of positive COVID-19 test and/or vaccination status.
  - A courtesy email will be sent to teachers and coaches when a case of COVID-19 is identified in the classroom or on the team and the date(s) of exposure will be provided.
  - A courtesy email will be sent to employees if it is believed that the employee may have some level of exposure to COVID-19 but that exposure did not necessitate action beyond monitoring for symptoms and date(s) of exposures will be provided.
Please note that quarantine decisions are non-negotiable. We are doing our best to ensure the safety of our community. In the interest of the Clinic staff’s time, the Marist Clinic will not engage in debates regarding quarantine.

The DeKalb County Board of Health will be informed
- Per public health guidelines, Marist students and employees who have COVID-19 and the Marist students and employees who are their close contacts will be shared with the DeKalb County Board of Health.
- Information shared includes name, date of birth, contact information (of parent/guardians for students), date of first symptom or first positive test, and date of last close contact.
Academics/Make-up Work

We look forward to a return to face-to-face teaching and learning this year. The Marist mission is best realized when students are learning face-to-face which is the reason why virtual learning will no longer be offered. We anticipate that mandated quarantines due to classroom close contact will be minimal. In the event that a student is affected by contact tracing due to close contact and/or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, we will follow the make-up policies in the Parent/Student Handbook (4.1.1). Students are encouraged to communicate with teachers and monitor Google Classroom to stay abreast of make-up work. When the number of days absent is 6 consecutive days or more due to illness or quarantine, an Academic Management Plan (AMP) may be implemented by the Academic Dean to assist students in culling make-up work and negotiating a timeline to complete the make-up work. The AMP is a shared document with the student, teachers, and parents that supports the student’s return to school. As always, we will continually monitor the impact of cases and instances of quarantine in our community and make adjustments as needed.

Recommendations for Quarantined Students
Absences
- If your child is ill, a parent should email attendance@marist.com or call the Attendance Office at (770) 936-2233 before 8:15 a.m.
- When reporting an absence, be sure to include the student's name, grade, a brief reason for absence, and a phone number where the parent may be reached.
- Students may not arrive on campus after 9 a.m. unless they provide a doctor’s note/appointment slip.
- Students and employees who are ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are expected to remain off campus until a negative PCR test result is obtained. This is regardless of vaccination status and recent history of COVID-19. Symptoms of COVID-19 include the following:
Campus Visitors

We look forward to welcoming visitors to campus but ask that they make an appointment with the person or group they are meeting in advance. All visitors are asked to follow the same guidelines as faculty, staff, and students.
Athletics

Athletics will follow all Marist guidelines within the boundaries of their sport. Individual coaches will communicate sport-specific guidelines to their teams.