Thriving during the Covid-19 Pandemic (Updated 1.5.2022)

Resuming In-Person Learning:

LLCA’s Journey

Last summer, our administrators worked around the clock to develop a plan for resuming in-person learning and mitigating the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses. Read about the changes that have made it possible for Lindsay Lane Christian Academy students to receive the spiritual, academic, and social support they need to thrive.

When COVID-19 led to school closures in the spring of 2020, parents around the nation and world were worried about how their children’s academic progress and mental health would be impacted by not being physically at school. School administrators and educators, invested in seeing students succeed, had the same concerns as well. During the summer of 2020, Lindsay Lane Christian Academy’s administrators worked with a team of local officials, healthcare professionals and parents preparing a plan that would resume in-person learning as soon as possible for students and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on all three campuses.

After much prayer, reviewing research and recommendations from professional entities like the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics, in-person classes resumed on August 6, 2020.

We’ll always look back on this date and remember how God was faithful to help us achieve what had once seemed impossible. Getting to this point wasn’t easy. It required flexibility and patience on everyone’s part, and it still does, but being able to create a safe educational environment for our community, while continuing to make disciples of Jesus Christ, makes it all worthwhile. Investing in Health and Safety

Close to $100,000.00 in health and safety investments were made at LLCA, where 640 students are enrolled, and additional investments continue to be made. Listed below are some additions that have played an instrumental role in keeping students/staff healthy and maintaining an uninterrupted classroom environment:

· Additional sanitization of high touchpoint areas more frequentland not miss a beat academically.

. 10 Robot cleaning machines to spray a mist that kills viruses including Covid-19

· 12 Electrostatic spraying machines that use hospital-grade disinfectant

· Multiple hand sanitizer stations in hallways, entrances, and cafeterias

· Face Shields/ masks were provided for teachers working closely in classrooms, reception offices, and other areas on campus.

· Touch-less, state-of-the-art infrared thermometers to take body temperatures

· Global Plasma Solutions ionization for HVAC systems at the West Campus

. 65 Air purifiers for classrooms and common areas Implementing New Protocols

To further protect the student body and staff, new protocols were introduced and are still being observed on campus:

Face coverings after 7 months in 2020 became optional. After more than 7 months without the requirement, we have concluded that cases of Covid-19 did not increase without masks.

Temperature checks for all students and staff to confirm they have a temperature below 100 degrees Fahrenheit Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols Self-isolation areas where students who develop any symptoms during the school day can wait for their parents to arrive Socially distanced seating (when applicable) in cafeterias, assemblies, and weekly chapels

Addressing Positive Cases

In an effort to maintain ongoing transparency with families, an email is sent to all staff and every parent designated to receive the communication. Without using specific names of students, classes and teachers are identified as well as the last day they were present on any campus, as well as symptoms experienced when possible.

Based on the latest guidance from the CDC, anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 is required to isolate for a full 5 days from the onset of symptoms, or, if asymptomatic, isolate for 5 days from the date of the positive test. A student who has tested positive for Covid-19 may return to school after five full days as long as the symptoms are resolving and the student has been fever free, without the use of fever-reducing medications, for 24 hours.

If someone in the household tests positive for Covid-19, all family members are required to quarantine for five full days from the last exposure. The only exception to this quarantine period is for individuals who have received the vaccine AND booster. The CDC recommends testing on Day 5 following exposure. A negative test is not required to return to school. However, if any symptoms are present following exposure, the student is not allowed to return to school until the quarantine time, from symptom onset, is complete.

This data aligns with research shared by CDC experts in a recent opinion piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association — a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. The article states that “there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission”.

Researchers from Duke University arrived at the same conclusion as well. According to Sallie Permar, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatrics and immunology at Duke, super spreader situations are unlikely to happen in schools. “The fear that you’d have one infected kid come to school, and then you’d have many other kids and teachers and relatives [at home] get infected — that hasn’t happened (Boyle, 2020).” Creating Experiences and Memories

“Children absolutely need to return to in-school learning for their healthy development and well-being, and so safety in schools and in the community must be a priority.” –American Academy of Pediatrics President, Lee Savio Beers, M.D., FAAP

While physical health is a priority during this season, meeting students’ mental, emotional, and spiritual needs are equally important. Despite school and certain activities looking different this year, God has blessed LLCA with the opportunity to provide meaningful and healthy experiences for its students who have endured so much this past year due to COVID. At school, kids can be kids. As a staff member and parent, there’s nothing like hearing laughter and chatter in the halls between classes, the bustle of lively discussions taking place in the classroom, and shrieks of joy from our youngest Lions running around on the playground. These are the sounds of childhood and innocence. We are planning to continue a normal school year. However, the school’s administrators will continue to ask the Lord for wisdom, analyze data, and seek input from families and staff, as they work to determine the best path forward. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, so whatever 2022-23 brings, we can be confident that God will direct our steps, be with us, and move in the lives of our students.

If you are a prospective parent interested in seeing the safeguards that were mentioned in this article for yourself, or if you have any questions about Lindsay Lane Christian Academy’s in-person education, take a virtual tour at lindsaylanechristianacademy.org or call for an in-person campus tour.