Our Approach to Covid

A personal note and details about our Covid policy.

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We all want to keep our children safe. There have been a number of decisions made by the local school boards recently regarding masks specifically:

The debate around Covid risk mitigation seems to begin and end at masks. I’ve also seen an increased number of people reaching out to us through our Facebook page and website to ask about our approach to masks.

I understand the rise in people reaching out to me as the Delta variant continues to spread. We are all concerned about the risk Covid continues to pose. I am a Dad also. I worry about my daughter’s health and am mindful of my responsibility to our parents and their families.

When I started looking at the suite of buildings we’re located at, I had three options. I selected our suite purposely for its huge double doors, it's large size (it's actually two suites combined), the largely private back area, and the foyer area with the big window that would allow parents to observe the Eagles without coming inside. All of this was with Covid-mitigation in mind.

At the time, I had laid out some important Covid-mitigating tenants that still apply:

  • Outdoor activities: Figure out ways to do activities outdoors

  • Ventilation: Open the big doors for fresh air

  • Limit enrollment: The capacity of this building is well over 30 kids. We have limited enrollment in the first year to only 15.

And, of course, just the maintenance of the environment:

  • Nightly wipe down / cleaning

  • Touchless soap dispensers

  • Availability of hand sanitizer

  • Temperature checks

  • Outdoor seating

So the natural question - Why not masks? The answer comes down to a number of reasons.

  • Human connection - I think it's extremely important that children see nonverbal forms of communication. I, as an adult, have a hard time reading people when they have masks on. For children - they lose some of that human connection that is so integral as a part of growing up.

  • Effectiveness - Over the past month, I have also spoken with a handful of preschool parents, owners, as well as elementary school administrators. I have also connected with a number of Acton Academy owners who were open in-person late last year. Almost universally, they've said that it's common for the day to start with students wearing masks but it becomes less and less common throughout the day. It typically starts at snack / lunch and they became more relaxed about wearing them / loosening them through the afternoon. The adherence to mask wearing must be pretty strong if they are to be effective and that is very challenging to do over the course of a 7-8 hour day.

Then there are other times where masks are just really difficult / impossible:

  • Snacks / Lunch

  • P.E. - it's really difficult to keep them on if you're doing any sort of P.E. activity indoors.

Our biggest tool for fighting Covid remain our Families, the Outdoor and our Environment.

Five key tenants of our Covid policy

  1. Group responsibility

    • We are a tight knit group of families in a microschool

    • The enrollment for our first year is limited to 15 students though the space could occupy 30+ Eagles (students)

    • Collectively, we will work to mitigate risk

    • Vaccination - Our Guide(s) are vaccinated

  2. Common sense

    • Eagle is sick - stay home

    • Guide is sick - stay home; Substitute will come in those days

    • If an Eagle displays symptoms, Guide to inform parents to pick up Eagle

  3. Onus is on adults (parents, guide)

    • Keep sick Eagle at home

    • Maintain clean environment at school

    • Nightly wipe down, cleaning of school

    • Temperature checks

  4. Environment / Outdoors

    • We are a "one-room schoolhouse" with a lot of open and outdoor space

    • We have two big wide double doors that can be left open at all times. This allows fresh air to circulate.

    • Learners can step outside for fresh air any time

    • Outdoor time / activities are an important part of our daily routine

    • Our big outdoor area in the back can be utilized for lunch

    • Air purifier to be running at all times

    • Touchless soap / hand sanitizer dispensers

  5. Individual decisions

    • Eagles can choose to wear a mask

I want to keep Acton Columbus a safe environment. I want to keep all the Eagles enrolled here safe while putting the onus on me and the parents. I think our overall plan is a more effective way of mitigating Covid risk than simply mandating masks. this is a more effective

Varun Bhatia

Head of School, Acton Columbus

Varun Bhatia