The Hillside Handbook includes important details regarding the policies and practices of our school. It includes everything from our attendance policies and transportation to how we handle COVID and distance learning.
Health and Safety Plan: All decision-makers should be mindful that as long as there are cases of COVID-19 in the community, there are no strategies that can completely eliminate transmission risk within a school population. The goal is to reduce the risks of COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible and safely continue school activities.
Depending upon the public health conditions in any county within the Commonwealth, there could be additional actions, orders, or guidance provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and/or the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). Cycling back and forth between less restrictive to more restrictive designations may occur as public health indicators improve or worsen. We will account for changing conditions in our Health and Safety Plan to ensure fluid transition from more to less restrictive conditions as needed. The Hillside School will take the necessary precautions and recommendations from the state, and local governments, CDC, and the PA DOH. The Hillside School realizes the knowledge regarding COVID-19 is constantly changing as new information and treatments become available. These recommendations will be adjusted as needed in order to decrease the risk of exposure for our staff, students, and community. The Hillside Board of Trustees recognize that minor changes to this plan may need to be made by the Head of School or designee. In addition, the Head of School or designee may need to transition the school to distance learning based on the following criteria: (1) inability to adequately and safely staff the building, (2) high risk to the health of the school community, (3) significantly increased number of confirmed/probable cases, (4) updated recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, or (5) the benefits of in-person learning are outweighed by the impact of future state-mandated regulations.
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