COVID-19 Information

School year 2024-25 Protocol

COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire

NYC Campus: See the form here.
NJ Campus: See the form here.

The school no longer requires this questionnaire to be submitted daily. But families and staff should still review these questions before sending their child to school. If answering yes to any question, children and staff should NOT attend school on-site until cleared by the school.

COVID-19 Information for Parents

HudsonWay Immersion School’s commitment to provide an excellent and safe immersion education experience has been at the core of our decision-making and planning throughout the pandemic.

The school follows the guidelines set forth by the states of New York and New Jersey. We are operating on-site five days per week for all students following a near normal daily schedule as we have since September 2020.

Prior Communication

School year 2023-24
School year 2022-23 Protocol - Revision 1
School year 2022-23 Protocol
Summer Camp 2022 Protocol - as of June 25, 2022
Covid protocol - as of Feb 27, 2022
Covid protocol as of Nov 2, 2021.
School policy guidance - as of Aug 17, 2021
Roadmap to reopening - Summer 2021 and beyond
Click to view updated decision trees for NY and NJ for COVID protocol – Updated January, 2021
School policy guidance - as of May 23, 2021
School guidance as of April 12, 2021
Decision trees for NY and NJ for COVID protocol – Updated December 1, 2020
2020 reopening plans - Updated August 25, 2020
Reopening roadmap - July 30, 2020.
March 2020 update on Covid-19 from Sue Ha, Head of school.

Health & Safety Measures for COVID-19

Our Guiding Principles

• We are responsible to protect the physical and mental well-being of our students, faculty and staff
• We are committed to maximizing the effectiveness of the learning experience, whether on-site or remote
• We will adhere to the CDC and state regulations as a minimum, and modify as needed to ensure we protect our community
• We will strive to communicate as much as possible while respecting privacy

We believe we have a shared responsibility to follow guidelines that impact on the safety of our community.

Procedures that have been implemented based on the severity of the pandemic:

1Health & Safety
  • New students must submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test for admission.
  • Screener questionnaire – parents of all students will be required to complete a questionnaire daily prior to coming to school.
  • Social distancing guidelines from the Department of Health will be adhered to.
  • Temperature check – each student will have his/her temperature checked prior to entering the school with a wall mounted touchless temperature sensor.
  • Shoe sanitation – students will be required to sanitize shoes on a sanitation mat in the lobby of the school.
  • Handwashing – students are required to wash hands or use sanitizer prior to entering the classroom each morning and throughout the day.
  • Face coverings: Preschool-7th grade – Students are required to wear a mask while indoors or outdoors. Mask wearing during athletic events will follow state Department of Health guidelines.
  • All staff are required to wear masks.
  • Bathroom usage –there will be limits on the number of students using the bathroom at one time.
  • The only water fountains that can be used are those that accommodate bottles.
  • In the case of inclement weather, the school has sufficient indoor recreational space to accommodate the children even if socially distanced.
2Communication and Access
  • Parents will be asked to drop students off from the car in a caravan (NJ campus) or drop off outside the building (NY campus).
  • Visitors including prospective parents will not be allowed to come on site.
3Schedule
  • A staggered schedule will be provided to minimize groups of parents and students at drop off and pick up.
  • After care – students will need to sign up in advance. Capacity will be limited and divided into cohorts.
4Teaching and Learning
  • Pods – students will stay in small groupings minimizing contact with students outside their pod.
  • Specials teachers – specials will be taught in the homeroom class to minimize mixing of students in spaces as needed.
  • Supplies – each student will be provided with their own set of supplies – scissors, crayons etc. for only their use.
  • Desks – older students will be seated at individual desks spaced apart based on the required social distance rules, and facing the same direction.
  • Staff is trained on procedures for dealing with ill children, mental health considerations and how to stay safe themselves.
5Technology
  • iPads and Chromebooks – each K-7 student will have access to their own device for use either remotely or in class. The school uses cloud-based web-filtering and parental controls to ensure digital safety. Student and parents sign a digital citizenship agreement.
  • Zoom, Google Classroom and other programs will be used.
  • Classrooms with remote students have video conferencing technology available.
6Disinfecting & Cleaning
  • Cleaning throughout the day – cleaning staff are onsite during the day to ensure areas such as bathrooms, and other high-touch areas are continually cleaned and disinfected.
  • Training - cleaning staff are ISSA certified (International Sanitary Supply Association).
  • Electrostatic sprayers – will be used to provide a mist of disinfection over large surface areas as needed.
  • Air filtering – air purifiers with HEPA filters are in each classroom at both campus locations.
  • Touchless stations – installations for touchless temperature checking, faucets, soap, and paper towels dispensers.
7Physical Education
  • Outdoors - Students will be outside whenever possible.
  • No contact - Activities will ensure distancing and avoid contact.
  • No sharing – equipment (balls, etc.) will not be shared, and will be disinfected between class usage.
8Dealing with Sick Children
  • If a child develops COVID-19 symptoms during the school day they will be taken to an isolation room and the parents will be notified. We ask that parents pick up their children within one hour of notification in order to keep our staff and the other students safe, get the child PCR tested and have the child return to school with the negative test result.
  • If a child displays allergy symptoms they will not be required to leave the school as long as documentation from a physician is provided to the school attesting to the allergy.
  • Parents are required to notify the school immediately if their child tests positive for the virus so proper quarantine and tracing procedures can be initiated.
  • COVID-19 symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, headache, fatigue, loss of taste or sense of smell, nausea and vomiting.
  • See the latest school guidance document above for specific quarantine, travel and close contact policies.