Contact 203-752-2610
Celebrating 110 Years of Excellence in Education
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12

COVID-19 Policies and Protocols 2022-2023

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Hamden Hall is proud to have offered two full years of in-person learning and experiences during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. 

And while COVID-19 is still a concern and something we take very seriously, we are looking to continue the return to normalcy that we embarked upon last year. Our plan is to once again remain flexible and respond accordingly as we move through the school year.

We believe our COVID-19 Task Force and Board of Trustees Health Committee have established protocols and procedures that best mitigate exposure and provide a safe environment for our community members.

COVID-19 Task Force

Hamden Hall Board of Trustees
Robert J. Izzo, Head of School
Benny Arpine, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management
Helen Barnstable, Co-Director of the Upper School
Chris Buckley, Front-End Developer
Lorri Carroll, Director of Lower School
Brian Christman, Director of Middle School
David Doyle, COVID Coordinator/ Director of Athletics
Catelin Fee 2004, Early Childhood Director
John Greenawalt, Upper School Dean of Students
James F. Hunter 1980, Director of Facilities
Janet B. Izzo, Director of Admissions
Keith Kaliszewski 1998, Director of Enrollment Management
Ryan Madden, Director of Technology
Dawn A. Miceli, Director of Advancement
Kimberly Gold Porto 1987, Co-Director of the Upper School
Bruce Rich, Director of Summer Programs
Theresa Valin, School Nurse
Dr. David Riccio 1970, Board of Trustee Health Committee
Dr. Bayo Afolalu, Board of Trustee Health Committee
Dr. Annmarie Golioto, Board of Trustee Health Committee
Mr. Clement Lewin, Ph.D., Board of Trustee Health Committee
Dr. Meena S. Moran, Board of Trustee Health Committee

Health and Safety

List of 9 items.

  • Daily Health Screening

    All employees and students, regardless of vaccination status, are required to complete a daily Ruvna screening certifying that they are symptom free and may safely attend school. Parents should complete the screening for their student. A student or employee should stay home if they have been given medication to reduce a fever or to suppress a cough in the last 24 hours. Please call school nurse Theresa Valin at 203.752.2605 for additional guidance.

    Middle and Upper School students who arrive at school without completing the Ruvna screening will be sent to the Middle and Upper School office until the screening is completed. The Lower School office will provide additional details regarding school arrival for PreSchool - Grade 6.  

    Symptomatic individuals, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, who have been deemed close contacts of Covid-19 confirmed individuals, will be referred for Covid-19 testing. Individuals should contact the Nurse’s Office.

  • Illness at School

    In the case of students or employees presenting to the Nurse’s Office with any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, congestion, runny nose, or loss of taste or smell, the student's parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to promptly pick them up and, in the case of an employee, he or she will be sent home. The student will be separated from the rest of the student body in the School’s isolation room until parent/guardian pick-up. Belongings for students will be brought to the isolation room by the divisional administrative assistant or other designated individual. The parent/guardian will pick up the student at the exterior door of the Nurse’s Office.

    The Nurse’s Office will advise the parent/guardian or employee to obtain a Covid-19 test for the ill individual and may also advise follow-up with a medical provider for evaluation.

    The parent/guardian or employee must inform the Nurse’s Office of any positive Covid-19 diagnosis. The Nurse’s Office will report diagnosed cases of Covid-19 to the Quinnipiack Valley Health Department, as well as to the Covid-19 Coordinator, Division Head, and the Head of School.

    The Nurse’s Office will guide the parent/guardian or employee as to a return-to-school date.


  • Isolation guidelines for individuals who test positive for Covid-19:

    Students and staff who test positive for Covid-19 must be isolated from school for 5 days from the onset of symptoms or 5 days after testing if asymptomatic. Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day of the positive viral test (for people with no Covid-19 symptoms). Students and staff may return on Day 6 if there are no symptoms, or later when the individual is fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms are significantly improved. They will be required to wear a mask for days 6-10.

  • Mask Policy

    Hamden Hall will remain a mask-friendly campus, as it has always been. Everyone is welcome to wear a mask in all settings on campus at all times, and an individual’s choice to wear a mask should be respected. The CT DPH retains the authority to impose a universal mask mandate if there is a local or statewide need due to an outbreak. Hamden Hall also maintains the authority to institute mask wearing due to local conditions.

  • Quarantine/Isolation

    Any individual, regardless of vaccination status, with any of the following symptoms must immediately isolate and report their symptoms to the Nurse’s Office: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, congestion, runny nose, or loss of taste or smell. The individual must be cleared by the Nurse’s Office to return to school.

  • Travel Policy

    Hamden Hall follows CDC and CT Dept. of Public Health Travel guidelines. Prior to travel, families are advised to check state and federal websites for updates.

    Note: Hamden Hall will monitor current conditions around school vacations and may consider a remote week after the breaks.

  • Two Day Consecutive Absence Due to Illness Policy:

    If a student is absent for two consecutive days due to illness, notify the Health Office. The following steps will be required in order for the student to return to campus:

    ● If their primary care physician is consulted, the student may return to campus once their primary care physician provides a clearance note to return to school.

    OR

    ● If the primary care physician is not consulted, the student must take an at-home Covid-19 test and report the results to the Health Office. The student may return to campus once the symptoms have resolved and the student has had a negative at-home Covid-19 test. For any student who tests positive, the Health Office must be notified immediately and the student must remain home per quarantine guidelines. If needed, at-home antigen test kits are available in the Health Office.

  • Vaccination Policy

    All Hamden Hall employees are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, unless granted a medical or religious exemption by the School. Hamden Hall strongly recommends that families vaccinate all eligible students against Covid-19. 

    The school does not require eligible students to be vaccinated as a condition of attendance to the regular academic school day. However, in accordance with athletic league requirements, to be eligible to participate in Hamden Hall’s inter-scholastic athletic program, all Upper School athletes must either be vaccinated OR receive a negative Covid-19 test within 24 hours prior to each contest.

    The nurse's office will keep a record of students’ Covid-19 vaccination information on file. Parents will be required to upload a copy of their child’s vaccination card to our Magnus Health Portal. A student will be considered unvaccinated until the school receives verification.

  • Visitor Policy

    During the school day, parents and visitors are allowed on campus but not in classroom buildings unless it is for a pre-arranged meeting or event. All other individuals who are not students or employees, as well as groups who rent space from Hamden Hall, will be required to adhere to the visitor policy for the safety of the entire community. Upon arrival on the Main Campus, visitors will be required to check-in at the appropriate office. Anyone experiencing Covid-19 symptoms should not come to campus.

Facilities

List of 3 items.

  • Campus Building Systems and HVAC

    All building HVAC systems were serviced this summer. HVAC systems contain MERV-13 filters in the air handlers on all campuses.

  • Health Facilities / Nurse Staffing

    The Health Facility is located in Whitson Hall. Theresa Valin, RN and Claudia Murtagh, RN are our school nurses.
    Students experiencing symptoms of illness will be assessed by the school nurse. If determined that a student is experiencing Covid-19-related symptoms, the individual will be placed in isolation and sent home. Return-to-school guidelines and clearance by a primary care physician must be met before an individual may return to campus. Students and staff who are symptomatic are required to be masked prior to entering the Nurse’s Office.

  • Personal Hygiene and Facility Cleaning

    In general, we will continue with all of the hygiene and cleaning mitigation strategies in place last year. The school’s cleaning service will again clean classrooms and common spaces to the level they were cleaned last year. Faculty and staff should notify the Facilities Department if they feel that an area is not being cleaned adequately.

The School Day

List of 10 items.

  • After-School Programs

    In-person Extended Day and other after-school programs will continue. All Covid-19 protocols apply.

  • Athletic Center and Spectators (subject to change based on CT DPH guidelines and recommendations)

    Spectators will be allowed to attend athletic events.  Masks are optional while spectating indoor or outdoor sports. 

  • Athletics

    Hamden Hall will return to the pre-Covid-19 Middle and Upper School athletic participation requirement.

  • Food Service

    Subject to state and health department guidelines for food service in schools, Hamden Hall will return to a pre-Covid-19 lunch service and will offer both cold and hot lunch options. Grades 1-12 will be able to be served from the hot food line and to choose from several prepared salad options. FLIK employees will continue to follow Covid-19 safety protocols. FLIK will continue delivering lunch to the PreSchool/PreKindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms. Middle and Upper School students will have the option to eat lunch in the dining room or outdoors under the tent. 

    Students who are still required to wear a mask due to a Covid-19 quarantine may be asked to sit outside or at a table with reduced occupancy when feasible.

  • Learning Spaces

    All PreSchool/PreKindergarten - Grade 12 learning spaces will return to full capacity on the main campus and on Davis Street. The Skiff Street Athletic Complex will be used primarily for Middle and Upper School athletics.

  • Performing Arts

    Choral, theater, and instrumental performances and productions are integral to daily student life on campus. We are excited to resume participation for all in the performing arts while being mindful of the health and safety of our student body. 

  • Pick-up/Drop-off

    Additional details about daily pick-up and drop-off of students will be shared by the division heads.

  • Remote Learning

    While our plan is 100 percent in-person learning, we will have our remote learning capability ready. Remote learning and teaching will only be available to those who need to isolate or quarantine due to illness or exposure to Covid-19, upon approval by the School. Although our school technology allows students and faculty to remain connected to their classrooms during specific, short-term situations related to isolation or quarantine, in some cases it may not be the ideal long-term learning environment for students. 

    If a student has an extended absence due to a Covid-19 related quarantine illness or exposure, a parent may request for their child to move to a remote learning plan. Parent requests must be made in writing and be approved by the division director. If approved, the school will put the remote plan in place. The quarantine period is determined by the school.


  • School Trips

    We expect to continue planning and scheduling day field trips and some overnight trips throughout the school year. However, the planning of these trips is contingent on current conditions. All trips will include specific Covid-19 safety procedures and protocols. In addition, participating students must follow Hamden Hall safety policies, as well as the policies of partner organizations.

  • Upper School Athletics

    In accordance with athletic league requirements, to be eligible to participate in Hamden Hall’s inter-scholastic athletic program, all Upper School athletes must either be vaccinated OR receive a negative Covid-19 test within 24 hours prior to each contest. The negative test result must be submitted to the athletic office.

Communication

List of 2 items.

  • COVID-19 Dashboard

    Hamden Hall monitors positive Covid-19 cases and close contacts for our school community among all students, faculty, and staff. In addition, we continue to monitor any potential transmission of the virus both on and off campus. The Hamden Hall Covid-19 Dashboard will be updated at the end of each week and include the number of students and employees who have tested positive. Families should contact COVID coordinator David Doyle or school nurse Theresa Valin if a student tests positive or if you have questions about protocol with regard to Covid-19. You may also contact your student's division head or Mr. Izzo with any questions.

    Division Heads will communicate with families and students to provide divisional information and resources.

    While our preference is to hold most meetings and events in person, depending on current conditions, the School will consider the use of Zoom for some meetings.

    The School will continually assess our operations and protocols and will modify or change procedures as needed.

  • Overview

    Hamden Hall is committed to regular and transparent communication. If you have any questions about the upcoming year, please do not hesitate to contact the appropriate administrator. 

Hamden Hall Country Day School

1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org

About Us

Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.

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