Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan ARP Act
Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Plan Sage Academy
Covid Mitigation Plan Updates
As MCDPH releases new information regarding COVID-19 that impacts our school, we will provide you with updates. Sage Academy covid mitigation strategies allowed our school to lead reopening efforts last year and to stay open to in-person when many districts remained closed. We are committed to providing a safe in-person learning environment. If you have additional questions regarding school safety, please contact the school office.
Masks
Under Arizona State law (A.R.S. § 15-342.05), Sage Academy cannot require face coverings for students or staff inside our school. Masks will continue to be optional, but are recommended for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals while indoors, during times of substantial or high transmission, per the CDC and Arizona Department of Health Services. You can view the transmission rates in our community on the Maricopa County Department of Public Health dashboard (MCDPH) for schools.
Federal order requires masks on public transportation to include school buses and district vehicles. Face coverings are required on Sage Academy school buses by staff and students.
Vaccinations
Per Arizona State law (A.R.S. § 15-342.05), the school cannot require students, staff or visitors to be vaccinated. For information on vaccines, visit MCDPH’s website.
Positive Cases and Quarantine
When a school or site is notified of a positive case, it will be reported to MCDPH and the student or staff member will need to follow MCDPH home isolation guidance.
Sage Academy will notify the parents of students who are believed to be a close contact and will recommend that the student begin to follow MCDPH’s quarantine guidance. MCDPH released updated quarantine information for vaccinated individuals on July 30, 2021. The decision to isolate and/or quarantine is made by MCDPH, and the district is required by law to exclude students from participating in school for the duration of the isolation or quarantine period.
During this time, teachers will provide the student with work to support their learning at home.
Additional updates may be made in accordance with Arizona Department of Public Health (ADHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Executive Orders issued by Governor Doug Ducey and the decisions made by the school’s Governing Board and Leadership Team.
For the latest updates from Maricopa County Department of Public Health:
Quarantine Guidance for Household and Close Contacts of a Person with COVID-19 Revised – 11 May 2021
Quarantine After COVID-19 Vaccination (Updated: 7/30/21)
At Sage Academy, our top priority is to maintain a safe environment for employees, students, families, and the community.
To support those goals, we have partnered with Concentric by Ginkgo to provide an optional and free pooled testing program.
What is pooled testing?
Pooling can test 25 people using one test. All students in a class, pod, or cohort swab their own noses and place their swabs in a single tube (that’s the pooling step). The samples in that tube are then run as a single sample, using one test. See it in action here.
Why pooled testing? Why should my student participate?
You know the old saying: “knowledge is power.” Tools like pooled testing empower us to make great decisions. Without knowing the specific prevalence of COVID-19 in our school, it’s tough for us to make informed decisions about safeguarding our school community, returning to school, or continuing in-person learning.
Only students with completed consent forms are able to participate in testing. If you do not want your family to participate, your student will not be included in the testing program. Though, we hope you do!
Testing empowers us to make these informed decisions about in-person learning and allows students, teachers, and staff to come to school with peace of mind.
To learn more about pooled testing, read the attached overview of Concentric’s pooled testing program and watch this video from another school using this service.
For more information, visit Concentric by Ginkgo’s website or reach out to Sage Academy Administration.
Click here for step by step instructions on providing consent.