To protect the health and safety of BHSC families, the BHSC staff team has adopted an innovative plan that allows us to maintain the quality of student learning as long as the coronavirus remains a public concern.
Instruction On Campus
In the absence of a stay-at-home order, we will meet in person as much as possible and, in consideration of CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) recommendations, take appropriate precautions.
Charlotte Mason’s recommendation to spend as much time as possible outdoors corresponds well with with the latest findings that outdoor settings are the safest place for social interaction given the current pandemic.
Therefore, in harmony with our education approach, BHSC has adopted the following policies and procedures for protecting students, families, and staff during in-person interactions:
1. Outdoor Learning with Physical Distancing
BHSC assembly, lunch, and some classes and other activities will be held outside whenever possible, especially for younger students. Students and adults will also maintain three feet of physical distancing when outdoors as much as possible. We are thankful for the large, multi-acre church campus that will allow us to spread out and enjoy grassy areas and trees while studying.
2. Indoor Learning with Physical Distancing
For most classes, and for all classes when the weather warrants, we will hold class sessions indoors with three feet physical distancing. On stormy days, dangerously cold days (wind chill at 30 degrees or below), and dangerously hot days (heat index at 100 degrees or above), we will move all classes indoors. On days with a heat index between 90 and 100 degrees, we will exercise caution and play it by ear regarding staying outdoors or going inside.
3. Small Class Groups
For 2021–22, BHSC class enrollment is capped at 10 to 14 students for almost every class, and we are following CDC guidelines for 3 feet of distance between students both indoors and outdoors.
Students will stay with their Form/class cohorts for physically-distanced lunch whether indoors or outdoors.
4. Masks
CDC encourages non-vaccinated individuals to continue wearing masks indoors, but masks will be optional and at parent discretion.
5. Hygiene Habits & Disinfecting
BHSC staff will make it a priority to facilitate frequent and effective hand-washing both for themselves and for BHSC students, and staff will implement and maintain routines for cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.
6. Health Screenings & Campus Suspension
Any students, parents, or staff who are ill or experiencing symptoms of illness, or who have been in recent close contact with a person who is sick, will not be allowed on campus. We will also ask families to conduct a self-screening questionnaire before bringing family members to campus.
In the case that a member of the BHSC community becomes aware of having contracted COVID-19, we will suspend all in-person classes for a two-week quarantine period and will follow our plan for instruction during stay-at-home orders as described below.
7. Considerations for Choir
Since choir singing has turned out to present greater risks and challenges than many other social interactions, we are planning to sing outdoors and with greater physical distancing (6 or more feet between non-siblings) whenever possible.
8. Air Purification
BHSC has acquired HEPA air purifiers and fans to assist with ventilation and air quality as an additional safeguard for indoor classroom learning.
Instruction During Any Stay-at-Home Orders
In the event that new waves of infection call for temporary stay-at-home orders during the academic year, we plan to offer live web-conferencing instruction and/or specially-produced pre-recorded video lessons. All online classes will include some regular live interaction and will be specially prepared by BHSC instructors for their students.
BHSC instructors plan to continue delivering 2021–22 class content at a high level of instruction with or without any stay-at-home orders so that you, as parents, can remain confident that your students are being well-served whether meeting in person or online.
We recognize that not all classes work well with remote instruction. So, in the event of a stay-at-home order, all BHSC classes will be offered online except the following three hands-on classes: Kaleidoscope (Form I), Handicrafts (Forms II through IV), and Art Explorations (Form II). For these three classes, we will plan to offer up to four weeks of make-up classes over holiday breaks and/or in May and June. If stay-at-home time lasts longer than four weeks, or if we are unable to offer make-ups, families enrolled in those three classes will not be billed tuition for those classes during months in which those classes are cancelled without corresponding make-ups. Refunds will be offered to any families who have pre-paid tuition for those classes for those months.
Updated 22 July 2021
