COVID

COVID-19 Policies & Procedures

BBCA remains committed to maximizing our students' in-person education while keeping our school community as safe and healthy as possible. We are praying for God’s protection and wisdom so that we may make decisions that may not always please everyone, but will serve our community to the best of our ability.

We have looked to the CDC, Bulloch County Schools, and the State of Georgia for information. We will use discretion where we can and implement rules and guidelines accordingly. We believe our policies must be flexible in responding to new information, and we must be willing to refine our approaches when specific policies are not working. We want to operate smartly, safely, and sensibly while promoting a positive learning environment for our students.

Last year, it was God’s provision and the vigilance of parents that limited the spread of COVID in our school. You, the parents made the difference. Parents held their child(ren) home if there was a cold, a cough, or the sniffles. They got their child tested and did not reintroduce the child until they were sure we were safe. This year we are relying on the same efforts and protection.

If a student contracts COVID: the ill student(s) can return to school and end isolation once the following are met:

10 days out from the start of the symptoms, AND
Fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication, AND
Symptoms have improved.

If a student has direct exposure but it is not yet determined whether the student is infected, students should:

Quarantine for seven days, and get tested after day five. If negative, students may return to school following day seven.
Quarantine for ten days, and if no symptoms have developed, return to school on day 11.
Quarantine for 14 days and then return to school.

If there are any signs of illness, please have the student tested, and only then return after receiving a negative test. Direct exposure may be in the classroom, at home, or at other extracurricular or social activities.

As far as having cold, fever, cough or other symptoms, again we will rely on the vigilance of our parents. Erring on the side of caution served us and will continue to serve us.

At this time:

Masks are optional, but not required.
We will continue to practice prescribed hygiene protocols: frequent hand washing, proper respiratory hygiene, and disinfection of high-touch surfaces.
We ask that families remain diligent in daily monitoring students for symptoms. Please keep your child home if they have any of the following symptoms: fever (100.4 and above), chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, significant headache, nasal congestion or runny nose.
If a student or faculty member tests positive for COVID-19 they must follow the current Georgia DPH guidelines for quarantine.
If a student or faculty member has someone in their household who tests positive for COVID-19 they must follow the current CDC guidelines for quarantine or be cleared by a doctor to return to school.
We will “contact trace” students, where families will be made aware that their child may have been exposed.
Should we see an increase in COVID-19 cases within the school at any point during the year, the Administration will exercise wisdom and may implement the following:

• Limit class to class interaction

• Having students eat lunch in their classrooms.

• Implement a temporary mask mandate while on campus.

• Send a specific class home for a period of time if cases are isolated to specific grades.

• In the event of increased cases across the school, we could enforce a temporary school-wide closure in an effort to stop further spread.