We look forward to students returning to campus for in-person
learning on January 21. The opportunity to have faculty and students together on both the Bloomfield Hills and the Birmingham campus provides families with choice. We will continue to provide the Roeper Home Learning Program (RHLP) as a month-to-month option for all families.
As we prepare for our in-person return, we are excited to share that Roeper was contacted by the Oakland County Health Department with the news that educators are now able to register for COVID-19 vaccines. Teachers on both campuses have begun to reserve time slots to receive the vaccination, and we are optimistic that this medical intervention will increase our community’s health and safety.
As we shared during the summer, Roeper is committed to continually reviewing its health protocols as we monitor changes from the CDC, the Oakland County Health Department, and receive guidance from our medical experts. Below are our most recent adjustments to protocols. Please note, that the School has a standing committee that meets weekly to review and discuss changes and will continue to make adjustments as the health and safety needs of the community warrant change.
Updates to Health Protocols
Beginning January 21 with our return to in-person learning, we will make changes to our current health protocols to bring us in line with the CDC and the Oakland County Health Department.
A. Domestic Travel
Our January all-school two-week quarantine period allowed us to reset our cohorts following a high travel and high-risk period. With students back in the classroom and routines re-established, we will adjust this protocol to be more consistent with Oakland County Health Department. Beginning February 1, community members will no longer need to quarantine when they travel outside the State of Michigan. We ask community members to self-monitor their symptoms and to follow the CDC guidelines. See Appendix A.
B. Quarantine after COVID-19 exposure
CDC continues to endorse quarantine for 14 days and recognizes that any quarantine shorter than 14 days balances reduced burden against a small possibility of spreading the virus. CDC defers to local public health authorities to make the final decisions on length of quarantine. The
School will update our exposure policy to align with Oakland County Health Department
which states:
- Stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19.
- The quarantine period may be reduced from fourteen (14) days to ten (10) days if the below requirements are followed by the exposed individual:
- The individual does not develop symptoms or show clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection during daily symptom monitoring for the 10 days after last exposure; and;
- Daily symptom monitoring continues through day 14 after the last exposure
C. Communication of COVID-19 cases
Positive cases of COVID-19 will only be reported to the community when the case has a direct impact on the health of the community.
D. Face Shields
We will continue to require all faculty and our students on the Birmingham campus to wear face shields. New shields will be provided.
Shuttle, After Care and Before Care
In our effort to tighten cohorts, these programs will continue to be suspended until further notice. As caseloads in the county decrease, the threat level lowers, and community members become vaccinated, we will review this decision.
Basketball
High School basketball teams may begin practices on January 16; however, competitions with other schools are on hold. The School will follow guidance from the CDC, Oakland County Health Department, and the MHSAA with regard to health and hygiene as it begins practices. For more guidance, see Appendix B.
Best,
David H. Feldman
Head of School