Health Notice – UPDATED 3/6/2020

Erin Bennett

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Dear Kehillah Families,

We are reaching out to provide a status update on new developments related to coronavirus (Covid-19) and share additional details about the actions we are taking to protect our school community. The health and safety of Kehillah’s students, staff, and families remain our top priorities in this challenging time.

Over the past few weeks, Kehillah’s Crisis Response Team has met daily to monitor developments and updates from health organizations and Bay Area schools. Moreover, we are continuing to follow guidelines recommended by school and health agencies. While the total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. remains relatively small, experts anticipate this number will grow as testing increases and more individuals seek care.

Currently, the key recommendations from public health agencies to prevent the spread of coronavirus emphasize regular, thorough hand washing, and that symptomatic individuals remain home rather than going to work or school. We ask that students who exhibit signs of respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms remain at home. If you or anyone in your household has been exposed to Covid-19, or if your child has signs of respiratory illness, please e-mail (nbennett@kehillah.org) or call (650-213-9600, ext. 131) our Dean of Students, Dr. Nathan Bennett.

Looking ahead to next week, we had originally planned for no classes on Monday, March 9 to give students and staff a day of rest after school trips. We have also decided to cancel school on Tuesday, March 10. This day will allow teachers to plan curriculum and lessons that students can access at home, in the case of a temporary school closure. Additionally, the campus will be deep cleaned and sanitized during this time. (Note: Students should check Schoology for assignments and expectations for Wednesday classes.)

We are taking these additional steps to ensure the safety of our students and staff to help minimize the spread of infectious disease:

• There will be hand sanitation stations at the entrance to the school and in other areas of high traffic on campus.
• Hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes will be in every classroom, at the lunch serving area, and in other common areas.
• The procedure for serving lunch will be modified to prevent the spread of germs.
• Classroom desks and tables will be wiped down in the middle of the school day, in addition to the regular cleaning and sanitization procedures that happen throughout the campus every evening.
• Our custodial staff will continue to focus on regularly cleaning high-contact surfaces such as doorknobs, countertops, and desks.

We will stay in close contact with our local public health department for updates on the situation and take action as needed. Our administration and teachers are also working on how student learning can continue should our school be closed temporarily.

We recognize that circumstances may change and that the school may need to close for additional days. We will continue to assess the overall situation and change our plans as needed. We will send out a status update by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 10. If for some reason we need to close the school for additional days, we will contact you using our emergency notification system (text, phone, and e-mail). Should the situation remain stable, we will continue to update everyone regularly via e-mail over the next few weeks.

We deeply appreciate the patience, support, and resilience in our community as we address these challenges.

Sincerely,

Darren Kleinberg & Patti Carbery