COVID-19 Updates & Resources

Beginning Monday, March 14, 2022, Friends’ Central campuses will transition to mask optional both indoors and outdoors in Kindergarten-grade 12. Nursery and Pre-K will not transition to mask optional indoors at this time.

We will continue to have employees and families complete a daily Ruvna health check (see "Health Monitoring, Procedure, and Expectations" for more details about Ruvna), regardless of vaccination status, for the foreseeable future. New families will receive information about Ruvna in a separate communication. Ruvna, which will be sent daily via text to parents/guardians, will ask about possible symptoms, a daily temperature reading, and other pertinent information, such as recent air travel. Students may not come to campus without a completed daily online assessment. We ask that students confirm with a parent or guardian that the Ruvna check has been completed before leaving home. 

Ventilation (open windows and doors, filtration, and ionization), sanitizing hands and surfaces, and distancing will continue to be part of our daily practice.

The single most important measure each of us can take to protect ourselves, along with those on campus, is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are at low risk of symptomatic or severe infection. Over 97% of FCS employees are fully vaccinated. 

Academic plans for supporting students who are COVID positive or who are in grades N-6 and must quarantine due to COVID exposure can be read here. 

98% of FCS employees are fully vaccinated. As of November 1, 2021, over 97% of our eligible students were vaccinated. Vaccinations are underway for newly eligible students. 

Although our vaccine compliance among employees is already above 97%, we are requiring that all employees, contractors, and volunteers who come on campus or are in contact with our students be vaccinated, with the first dose acquired by August 27. An employee who qualifies for a medical or religious exemption will be required to be tested weekly and to submit results to the School. Like all employees, those employees who qualify for a medical or religious exemption will also be required to adhere to strict mitigation measures, including masking and distancing. 

Students in 6th grade and above are eligible for the CDC-approved vaccine and are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Students aged 5-11 are eligible for the CDC-approved vaccine and are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Students qualifying for and receiving exemptions will be required to do the following for the public health of the FCS community: use Ruvna on a daily basis to check for COVID-19 symptoms, complete weekly PCR COVID-19 testing from an approved testing site, and submit results to Health Services.

The single most important measure each of us can take to protect ourselves, along with those on campus, is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are at low risk of symptomatic or severe infection. 

Community members who have chosen not to disclose their vaccine status, must follow procedures for unvaccinated  eligible people.

Beginning Monday, April 18, Friends’ Central campuses will return to indoor masking for all students and colleagues.

Bandanas and gators are not acceptable face masks and will not be allowed at FCS.

We encourage the use of N95, KN95, KF94, or three-ply surgical masks. Cloth masks without a filter or worn alone are discouraged as they are less effective against the Omicron variant. A cloth mask can be worn over a surgical mask. All masks must be worn properly, completely covering the nose and mouth. If community members cannot wear masks consistently and properly, they may be sent home. We have masks available at school, please ask one of the receptionists. 

FCS will use a minimum of 3ft of physical distance as our standard for indoor classes and activities.

Teachers will maximize their use of outdoor spaces. 

Friends’ Central invested in the most effective disinfection processes and equipment modification available and has increased cleaning staff to ensure the safety of spaces for all community members. 

• Each evening, all spaces are sprayed with vital oxide.

• Throughout the day, cleaning staff disinfects frequent touchpoints.

• 87 touchless faucets were installed in all bathrooms and Lower School classrooms.

• Covers have been installed on toilets, and students were instructed to close toilets before flushing and to wash their hands immediately.

• Water fountains are available for touchless bottle filling but otherwise disabled.

• Door knobs were retrofitted for opening with an elbow.

Friends’ Central students and employees will participate in Ruvna, a symptom screening app. Students and employees are required to submit their screening responses before  they are allowed on campus. 

Students will wash their hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol before or immediately upon entering a school building.

Individuals who are self-quarantining or have been diagnosed with a confirmed or probable  case of COVID-19 must communicate their status to FCS Health Services and follow their recommendations. 

Friends’ Central has contracted with Ruvna to provide a health screening and assessment tool to be completed for each child every morning before coming to school. This tool, which will be sent daily via text to parents/guardians, will ask about possible symptoms, a daily temperature reading, and other pertinent information. Students may not come to campus without a completed daily online assessment. We ask that students confirm with a parent or guardian that the Ruvna check has been completed before leaving home. 

FCS is following guidance from the Montgomery County of Health which may be found here.

Testing will be required in the following situations:

• Community members who are symptomatic

• Unvaccinated community members who are eligible for vaccination (ages 12+) and who are not vaccinated must be tested weekly, and their negative tests must be provided to School Nurse Josh VanDyke. 

• Community members who have chosen not to disclose their vaccination status must follow procedures for unvaccinated, eligible people. 

• Vaccinated community members who have been exposed to COVID 19 should seek viral testing 3-5 days following exposure

Symptomatic Student at School 

• Lower School:

  • Teachers will call or text the nurse if a student needs to be evaluated. Nurses may go to the student's location to evaluate the student or ask to have student come to the health office for evaluation.

  • If the nurse determines the student needs to go home, the student will be placed in a room adjacent to the health office to await pick-up. On their arrival to campus, the parent/guardian/caretaker will call the nurse who will escort the student to their vehicle.

• Middle and Upper School:

  • Students will be placed in a room adjacent to the health office to await pick-up. Nurses will remain in their current office while monitoring symptomatic students awaiting the arrival of a parent/guardian/caretaker.

• DOH or county and municipal health departments (CMHDs) employees will notify FCS immediately upon learning that a person with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 was present at the school or a school event while infectious. DOH or CMHD employees will assist the school with contact tracing, risk  assessment, isolation and quarantine recommendations, and other infection control recommendations. 

Similarly, FCS will contact the Montgomery County Health Department if an FCS community member reports a positive test.

Should a student test positive at school, the classroom will be closed until the space has been cleaned and disinfected. 

• They are symptom free
• They remain masked at all school activities and events on days 6-11 after the exposure
• They test daily before coming to school on days 6-11. In the event that they test positive for COVID-19 on one of these days, they follow the steps above for positive cases. If families have difficulty accessing home test kits, the School will assist in providing them. Please contact Health Services.

To increase indoor safety, last year FCS contracted with an engineering firm to assess indoor spaces and recommend best practices. Based on their engineering study, we installed MERV 13 filters and bipolar ionization systems where possible and purchased high-standard air purifiers for all other teaching areas. Throughout the warm months, all doors and windows are open whenever possible. 

We would like to remind you to refer to the latest CDC guidelines around air travel for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, which can be found here. 

The number of students riding on FCS buses may be limited to maintain distancing. Friends’ Central students will be expected to wear masks at all times on buses. 

Students and parents/guardians/caregivers will be required to perform a symptom screening  (Ruvna) prior to arriving at school each day. 

When carpooling, if students are not in the same household or class, masks must be  worn while in the car. FCS bus drivers and passengers will wear face masks while on the bus in accordance with the  PA Secretary of Health's Order Requiring Universal Face Coverings issued July 1, 2020. 

Individuals other than students/drivers, including parents, guardians, or other caregivers, will  not be permitted on the bus unless absolutely necessary (e.g. to assist a student with a disability). They must wear a mask to enter the bus. Windows will remain open, if weather allows, to improve ventilation. Buses will be disinfected after each run and will be cleaned and disinfected daily. Hand sanitizer will be provided on the bus and its use will be promoted.

Lower School will eat outdoors when possible or in classrooms with proper ventilation and distance

Middle School will eat outdoors unless it’s raining

Upper School students will be strongly encouraged to eat outdoors. 

We are excited to partner with SAGE Dining Services® to reintroduce food service for the 2021-2022 school year. SAGE serves independent schools and private colleges throughout North America, focusing on safety, quality service, community, nutrition, education, sustainability, scratch cooking, and local ingredients. All Team Members are extensively trained in food allergy awareness, and the menus provide enough variety to keep everyone happy. Full dining services will begin on the City Avenue campus in September and on the Lower School campus by December.

Students in grades 6-12 and adults will be able to purchase food from the servery area and then eat in the dining hall, Rex Gymnasium, and outdoor spaces, adhering to physical distancing to reduce the possibility of the spread of COVID-19. Breakfast, snacks, lunch, and after-school options will be available daily. Meal plans are not available at this time, but money can be added to students’ accounts. 

When eating, students must sit at least 6 feet apart. Students and employees will wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after eating. FCS will work to create an environment that is as safe as possible from exposure to food allergens, including prohibiting food sharing.

Water bottle filling stations are available. Water fountains are closed.