Hunter College is taking unprecedented steps to building a comprehensive plan to support education and critical research both on campus and online. Our strategy is based on the guidance of CUNY and Hunter’s experts, as well as local, state and federal officials.
Anyone coming to campus needs to complete both the Health Screening App and Online Safety Training first.
Hunter College convened a task force to establish high-level guidelines and resources to inform the process of reopening the Hunter College Campus Elementary and High School for in-person instruction per the NYS guidance during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The goal of this document is to ensure a safe and streamlined re-opening of school activities, while mitigating infections and assuring the Hunter College Campus Schools comports with City, State, and Federal Guidelines.
The K-12 in-person instruction restart guide includes:
Based on what is known today regarding the Covid 19 pandemic, we are developing an action plan to safely reopen the Hunter College Campus Schools (HCCS) for in-person learning. This plan will evolve as needed according to guidelines set forth by New York State, the Center for Disease Control and CUNY/Hunter College. Our most important consideration is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and the HCCS community.
In-Person Instruction Plans
HCCS will follow the overall guidance of New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and CUNY.
To ensure equity in education, HCCS has prioritized efforts to return students to in-person instruction at this time. See Academic Plan below for more details by school.
Our plans for in person instruction are based on programming classes at approximately 50% the usual class size or utilizing larger classroom spaces for single class meetings, to meet social distancing parameters at both the 94th street HCCS campus and the Silberman School of Social Work campus on 119th street.
The majority of in-person time is dedicated to our younger students while offering high school students a hybrid of in person and remote class experiences over two days in person and extending remote learning structures to our most independent, upper term students while building towards offering one day a week in person opportunities for juniors and seniors in a phased implementation.
HCCS shall program students in “cohorts and travel classes”, to the extent practicable, to limit potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Cohorts, particularly for younger students, are self-contained, pre-assigned groups of students with reasonable group size limits set forth. Faculty may instruct more than one cohort so long as appropriate physical distancing is maintained, see Academic Plan for further description. The Director shall enact measures to prevent intermingling between cohorts, to the extent possible. The Director shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that cohorts are fixed for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Elementary students in K-6 will return to school 4 days a week at the 94th street campus for full day instruction.
All families will have the opportunity to select a fully remote educational opportunity for their child. Depending on the grade specific circumstances, HCES will offer streaming of on-site classes or may provide remote sections of cohorts; these options depend upon student attendance and teacher availability data that is still being determined.
Elementary students will be broken into smaller classes (approximately 3-4 groups per grade level) in accordance with room capacity limits. Teacher assignments will be achieved by partnering classroom teachers and specialists and creating a team of teachers for each class. Teachers will rotate the supervision of these classes throughout the school day.
Curriculum will center on a project-based learning approach that integrates the subject areas with the emphasis on basic foundational skills.
Curriculum planning will be designed to incorporate instruction in social emotional skill building and will nurture well-being and resilience supports.
Elementary students will remain in their classroom with the exception of outdoor opportunities like lunch and recess.
The Campus Schools administration and faculty will develop schedules to coordinate hall traffic planning to lunch and recess between the schools to minimize number students using hallways, outdoor spaces and common areas at HCCS.
The daily schedule will maximize outdoor opportunities in the 94th street courtyard for the students for recess, classes, lunch and other activities as the weather permits.
High School scheduling for in-person education will be differentiated by age groups, Grades 7-8, Grades 9-10 and Grades 11-12:
All HCHS families will have the opportunity to select a fully remote educational opportunity for their child. Depending on the grade specific circumstances, HCHS will offer streaming of on-site classes or remote sections; these options depend upon student attendance and teacher availability data that is still being determined.
In person education is being programmed to maximize the opportunity to cohort students in grades 7-10. Students in grades 7-10 will be placed in travel classes to the greatest extent possible to minimize exposure and to maintain curricular integrity.
Students in grades 7-8 will return to school two days a week at the 94th street campus, with the potential of scheduling a third day in later stages of implementation.
To minimize exposure risks, 7th grade will attend two days of school with students generally assigned to a single cohort (“travel classes”). They will be the only HS grade on campus during those two days.
To minimize exposure risks, 8th grade will attend two days of school with students generally assigned to a single cohort (“travel classes”) They will be the only HS grade on campus during those two days.
Curriculum focus will be compacted to essential material in all subjects.
Seventh and Eighth grade students will either attend class in large classroom sections that can safely accommodate the full class under physical distancing parameters or will attend adjacent sections divided in half. Class assignments to the larger teaching spaces on the 94th street campus that can accommodate an appropriately socially distanced class meeting, will be made to minimize student movement, but maximize academic needs.
When class sections are sharing two spaces, one group of students will be in a room with the lead subject content teacher, while the other half will follow the teacher’s class via live digital feed under the supervision of assigned faculty members, additional resources from teacher training programs and/or external coverage teachers in an adjacent room.
Class size will be established in accordance with room capacity limits.
The Campus Schools administration and faculty will develop schedules to coordinate hall traffic planning to lunch and breaks between the schools to minimize number students using hallways, outdoor spaces and common areas at HCCS.
Students in grades 9-10 will attend school in person two days a week at the Silberman School of Social Work campus on 119th street, with a possibility of a third day in later stages of implementation.
To minimize exposure risks, 9th grade will attend two days of school with students generally assigned to a single cohort (“travel classes”). They will be the only HS grade on the Silberman campus during those two days.
To minimize exposure risks, 10th grade will attend two days of school with students generally assigned to a single cohort (“travel classes”) They will be the only HS grade on campus during those two days.
Curriculum focus will be compacted to essential material in all subjects.
9th and 10th grade students will either attend class in large classroom sections that can safely accommodate the full class under physical distancing parameters or will attend adjacent sections divided in half. Class assignments to the larger teaching spaces on the 119th street campus that can accommodate an appropriately socially distanced class meeting, will be made to minimize student movement, but maximize academic needs.
When class sections are sharing two spaces, one group of students will be in a room with the lead subject content teacher, while the other half will follow the teacher’s class via live digital feed under the supervision of assigned faculty members, additional resources from teacher training programs and/or external coverage teachers in an adjacent room.
Class size will be established in accordance with room capacity limits.
Students in grades 11-12 will have a hybrid academic experience which is predominantly in a remote learning format with developing opportunities for on campus education and opportunities one day a week following initial reopening implementation.
HCHS remains committed to offering a full range of the elective course offerings for our upper-term students. The expansive collection of electives available to 11th and 12th grade students limits cohort scheduling and benefits from scheduling as consistent remote learning classes.
Following the initial implementation stage, Juniors and Seniors will have on site opportunities for specialized work (labs, assessments, studio arts) requiring in person participation when the K-8 & 9-10 programs are not on site.
Guidance counseling and college advising programs will be conducted largely in a virtual format. During onsite classes, however, each HS campus will also have emergency counseling services staffing available.
Faculty in the sciences and arts will determine which hands-on labs and studio work can be done virtually and which will benefit from scheduling at the Campus Schools or Silberman locations in conjunction with the HS administration, and in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
Weather permitting, use of the open spaces at the schools (Campus School courtyard, Silberman terrace, public parks [if possible]) will be encouraged to maximize student access to fresh air during lunch, activity and break times during the day.
HCCS will adopt a closed-campus policy for students. HCHS will not permit students to leave campus for lunch or during break times.
Students will be able to get lunch from the DOE School Foods Grab and Go program or to bring lunch from home. The DOE school foods Grab and Go lunch program will be brought to the Silberman Campus daily. See FOOD SERVICES section for more information.
HCCS will provide Physical Education in accordance with the New York State adaptation of the Physical Education standards in light of COVID-19, through a combination of in classroom, outdoor, and remote activities, specific to their grade levels. All classroom activities will be reserved for short non-aerobic stretching breaks. All aerobic activities will be spaced 12 feet apart in available outdoor spaces.
Pending further guidance from CUNY and the State, all extracurricular activities will remain in a virtual format.
Elementary parents may, as in previous years, bring their child for supervised care from 8:00-8:20 AM in the courtyard (weather permitting) or in appropriately socially distanced assembly spaces under adult supervision. During this time, HCCS will monitor daily compliance that each child has a completed submission to the symptom check app.
Hawk’s Nest aftercare programs will be available in remote formats only during initial reopening phases.
Students who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, and individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment, shall be provided with a fully remote teaching and learning experience.
Vulnerable students who are participating by in person classes, will be carefully programmed to cohort sections that specifically address the students’ health or IESP plan accommodations. Seating and technology support for hearing assisted students will be provided as per CSE requirements. HCCS, through the special education liaisons in both schools, will work with families to assure full access to accommodations while minimizing exposure risk for students, faculty and staff to the greatest extent possible.
Additional guidance will be forthcoming from CUNY regarding eligibility for a reasonable accommodation for vulnerable populations among faculty and staff. Interim guidance is that employees seeking such an accommodation should complete the reasonable accommodation forms for submission to HR.
The Office of School Health (OSH) has its own protocol for treating asthma. There are currently no nebulizer or suctioning orders this year, and should one be received, it will be addressed in consultation with the parent/guardian and all standards for ventilation and PPE will be met. The DOHMH provides fit tests for the school nurse.
A full range of virtual supports are available for HCCS students through regular services of the School Psychologist and the Guidance Counselors. Each site will be staffed with an in-person counselor while students are in session.
Faculty and staff will attend required pre in-service training conducted remotely on preparedness for talking to students about experiences and ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency. HCCS counseling and K-12 Psychologist will continue to provide ongoing support on developing coping and resilience skills for students, faculty and staff though the counseling newsletters and ongoing wellness initiatives. Faculty and staff will be provided regular reminders of resources available through EAP.
NYC DOH provides school nursing services to the Campus Schools at the 94th street campus. Hunter College and the Campus Schools will ensure that additional school nurse coverage will be available at the Silberman campus while students are in session.
The NYC Office of Food and Nutrition Services will be providing cold Grab and Go meals to all students on campus. They are also making a limited number of individually packaged meals available for remote learning students. Further information can be obtained by contacting the appropriate assistant principal for each school. Hunter College will provide transportation of Grab and Go lunches for HCHS students onsite at 119th street Silberman Campus.
Meals will be scheduled by cohorts with students physically distanced in the outdoor tented areas, indoor communal spaces, or designated classrooms.
Hunter College Elementary School (K-6) is a nut-free school. For Hunter College High School, the medical status os students with food allergies will be reviewed and measures to protect students – such as signage, oversight, and where possible schedule – will be incorporated.
Students shall wash hands or use hand sanitizing stations before and after eating.
Sharing of food and beverage will be discouraged.
Eating areas will be cleaned and disinfected prior to the next group of students arriving for meals.
Students at HCCS access transportation options through the DOE Office of Pupil Transportation (HCES & HCHS) and in some cases, through private bus companies provided through family support. OPT is responsible for providing transit guidance and safety planning from the approved vendor to HCCS which will be made available to participating families.
Consistent with State-issued public transit guidance, the HCCS Director must develop protocols and procedures, which include that individuals must wear acceptable face coverings at all times on school buses, and that individuals should maintain appropriate physical distancing, unless they are members of the same household.
HCCS encourages parents/legal guardians to drop off or walk students to school to reduce density on buses or consider other private transportation options. HCCS is working with Hunter College and the ES and HS parent organizations to assist families in their planning as they consider transportation options.
Space Planning Guidelines
Instructional spaces will be reconfigured with single occupancy furniture to maintain 6 foot distance between students. Layouts will be marked on the floor to facilitate a fast and accurate positioning of furniture. Instructional space layouts shall include a teaching zone that allows faculty to meet physical distancing guidelines. These parameters have been implemented to determine new student capacities for all instructional spaces.
The gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium, library spaces and designated classrooms will be reconfigured with single occupancy furniture to maintain 6 foot distance between students. Existing fixed furniture will be either fitted with plexiglass dividers or with signage indicating non-use where required to maintain 6 foot distance between individuals. These spaces shall be fitted with temporary movable partitions to support cohort use of these spaces. Occupancy signs shall be posted not to exceed 50% maximum capacity of the space.
Faculty and Staff must maintain physical distancing at all times when in lounges. Furniture will be separated by six feet, with a strict limit of one chair per table of less than six feet in length.
Employees may remove masks while eating but must minimize the amount of time that they are unmasked.
Employees must minimize socializing time in common spaces. There are to be no social events until further notice.
Meetings, including faculty meetings, work/research-in-progress meetings, and faculty meetings will continue to be held with the smallest number of in-person participants (under 10) and with a call-in option for those who are not able to attend in person.
In-person meetings that are absolutely essential must adhere to room occupancy limits and social distancing guidelines.
Conference rooms will be limited to a specific number of persons at a time to allow for safe distancing.
General Safety Guidelines
Upon submission of this plan, Hunter will be in the following Stage 1 activities in preparation for the opening of the Hunter College Campus School at 94th Street and Silberman School of Social Work at the 119th Street.
STAGE 1: BUILDING PREPARATION
Restore Building Chiller and Boiler Services
Survey and adjust building temperatures, pre-ventilate, and ensure all systems are operating
Deploy custodial staff to complete a rigorous cleaning and disinfection of the building
Install signage
Reorganize classroom furniture for physical distancing
Order and install HEPA filters in each classroom
Complete the NY Forward Safety Plan
Seek CUNY Review, approval, and affirmation
STAGE 2: MODIFIED IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION
Upon approval by CUNY, ES and HS students will return to designated campus for modified in-person instruction and/or remote learning formats
HCES grades K-6 will return to the 94th street campus 4 days a week for full day instruction in cohort format
HCHS grades 7-8 will return to school 2-3 days a week at the 94th street campus
HCHS grades 9 -10 will attend school in person 2-3 days a week at the Silberman School of Social Work campus on 119th street
HCHS grades 11-12 hybrid plan begins largely remote in the initial implementation phase but moves to incorporate 1 day of in person learning at one of campuses
STAGE 3: ASSEMBLY GATHERINGS & EXTRACURRICULARS
Assembly gatherings and extracurricular activities will open pending applicable state and CUNY guidelines for safe occupancy
STAGE 4: FULL REOPENING (TBD)
Responsible Parties
The Coronavirus Campus Co-Coordinators shall be the Director of Hunter College Campus Schools, Lisa Siegmann and Vice President for Administration, Lori Mazor. The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for developing the plan, affirming to having read and adhere to this guidance, and meeting the standards set forth therein. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison, Executive Director for Human Resources, Galia Galansky, shall be responsible for all monitoring activities.
Face Coverings
The Director, HCCS must maintain protocols and procedures for students, faculty, staff, and other individuals to ensure appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to protect against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus when on school grounds and in school facilities.
Face coverings are to be worn by all individuals at all times.
HCCS Faculty will permit students to remove their face coverings only during meals, instruction and for short breaks so long as they maintain appropriate physical distance while outdoors and when eating. Acceptable face coverings are described in PPE Section.
Physical Distancing
The Director, HCCS shall maintain protocols and procedures for students, faculty, and staff to ensure appropriate physical distancing to protect against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus when on school grounds and in school facilities. Specifically, appropriate physical distancing means six feet of space in all directions between individuals or use of appropriate physical barriers between individuals that do not adversely affect air flow, heating, cooling or ventilation, or otherwise present a health or safety risk. If put in place, physical barriers must be put in place in accordance with United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, and May include strip curtains, cubicle walls, plexiglass or similar materials, or other impermeable divider or partition.
Spaces
To reduce social density, HCCS has considered and assessed additional space that can be repurposed for instruction or other required purposes in support of in-person instruction.
Hunter College has designated the nearby Silberman School of Social Work (116th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue) as the location for grades 9-12 instruction. The HCCS Building (94th Street between Park and Madison Avenues) will be used by K-8 instruction, and limited 11-12 grade specialized classes as space permits. Additionally, tents will be provided, weather permitting, at both the HCCS and Silberman campuses to provide additional opportunities for lunch, classes, recess, or break time in HCCS courtyard or the Silberman terrace.
Screening
The HCCS Director has implemented a process for mandatory health screenings to be submitted via protocol that includes temperature checks of students faculty, staff, and where applicable contractors, vendors, and visitors to identify any individuals who may have COVID-19 or who may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus prior to permission to enter campus. See Health Screening for more details.
Ventilation
HCCS Facilities shall increase ventilation with outdoor air to the greatest extent possible while maintaining health and safety protocols, See Building Operations Section for more details.
Hygiene, Cleaning and Disinfection
HCCS must adhere to and promote hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection guidance set forth by New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HCCS must train all students, faculty, and staff on proper hand and respiratory hygiene. HCCS must maintain logs that include the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection, as well as identifying cleaning and disinfection frequency for each facility and area type and assign responsibility to staff. See Building Operations and Communications Sections for more details.
Contact Tracing
HCCS must notify the state and local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID-19 diagnostic test result by an individual within school facilities or on school grounds, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors. In the case of an individual testing positive, HCCS must develop and maintain plans to support local health departments in tracing all contacts of the individual, in accordance with the protocols, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program. Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state law and regulations. HCCS must cooperate with all state and local health department contact tracing, insolation and quarantine efforts.
Return to In-Person Activities
HCCS must establish protocols and procedures, in consultation with the local health department(s), about the requirements for determining when individuals, particularly students, who screened positive for COVID-19 symptoms can return to the in-person learning environment at school. This return to school protocol shall include, at minimum, documentation from a health care provider following evaluation, negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result, and symptom resolution, if COVID-19 positive, release from isolation. HCCS should refer to the DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID-19 Infection or Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for faculty or staff seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the faculty or staff member had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19.
Phasing and quantity of students, faculty, and staff allowed to return in-person is determined considering factors such as ability to maintain appropriate physical distance, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, local medical capacity, and availability of safe transportation.
Hunter College Campus Schools currently occupied 200,000 square feet at the 94th Street building. Assuming an industry standard average of 100 GSF/person, the campus can accommodate a capacity of 2,000 people. Stage 2 of this plan limits the population of the Hunter College Campus Schools to 50% (1000 people) in grades K-8. The Silberman School will also operate at a maximum of 50% capacity (800 people) in grade 9-12. Classroom occupancies are established by a minimum 6 feet of physical distancing, which is the guiding factor in establishing safe occupancy criteria. Both limitations set a safe physically distanced egress scenario in case of emergency and will be monitored on a per campus basis.
Restrooms shall also have reduced occupancy calculations to 50% of the number of fixtures and occupants will be instructed to maintain physical distance when in restrooms. Sinks should be limited to hand-washing only.
Stage 3 reopening shall be submitted to CUNY Central for review, including a condition-based risk analysis which determined it was safe to enter subject stages, and milestones associated with those stages.
Protocols and procedures for students, faculty, and staff to ensure appropriate physical distancing on school grounds and in school facilities will be implemented.
Occupancy of instructional spaces shall be reduced as required to meet NYS guidelines for social distancing. HCCS will reconfigure existing classroom furniture arrangements to maintain 6 foot spacing between single occupant desks in all directions.
Communal spaces will be reconfigured to meet social distancing guidelines and/or to accommodate specific cohorts during breaks and meals. Occupancy of shared spaces will be limited by the ability to distance appropriately within the space and by wearing masks when not eating and occupied by more than one person.
HCCS shall supply all employees and students with an acceptable face covering, at no-cost to the individual, and have an adequate supply of coverings in case of need for replacement.
Acceptable face coverings, as defined by the NY Department of Health (NYDOH), include but are not limited to cloth (eg. Homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana), surgical masks, and face shield. However, cloth disposable or homemade face coverings are not acceptable for workplace activities that typically require a higher degree of protection for PPE due to the nature of the work (e.g. if working with flammable materials or chemicals, ensure face coverings are flame resistant). For those activities, N95 respirators or other PPE used under existing industry standards should continue to be used, as is defined in accordance with OSHA Standards.
Face coverings are to be worn at all times when on Hunter property and in public areas of the building, including but not limited to the courtyard/plaza, lobby, corridors, elevators, bathrooms, stairwells, research laboratories, shared spaces, and rooms when more than one individual is occupying a space.
Face coverings must be cleaned or replaced after use and may not be shared. Consult CDC guidance for additional information on cloth face coverings and other types of PPE as well as instructions on use and cleaning.
HCCS allows their employees and contractors to use their own acceptable face coverings (e.g. Surgical Masks, N95 respirators, or face shields) but does not require their employees and contractors to supply their own face coverings. In the case where it is necessary for HCCS employees or contractors to wear more protective PPE due to the nature of the work, HCCS will supply it and employees and contractors will be required to use it. HCCS will with all applicable OSHA standards, and expect contractors doing work at Hunter to do so as well. Employees, student, and visitors on the Hunter Campus are required to wear face coverings when interacting with one another and/or other individuals within six feet distance AND without a physical barrier (e.g. plexiglass).
Students will be allowed to briefly remove their face coverings during meals while maintaining proper physical distancing. At the teacher’s discretion and supervision, students may be allowed face covering breaks when they can socially distance.
A full-length face shield is an acceptable alternative to a mask should a parent/guardian provide documentation of their student’s diagnosed contraindication to a face mask by an appropriate health professional.
HCCS has considered the use of alternative face coverings (i.e. transparent around the mouth) and will use them in support of pedagogical goals.
The hours of operation for The Hunter College Campus Schools and Silberman School of Social Work will be posted prominently and stated on the website and will be modified to allow for a staggered start and exit of the building at the beginning and end of the school day.
Occupants entering the building shall enter through the designated primary entrances at 94th Street, Campus Schools building and 119th street at Silberman. Physical distancing shall be maintained at the entry and lobby area, as indicated by signage.
To minimize contact, occupants should physically distance when possible, following signage in each building for designated paths of travel, cuing locations, and using the elevator.
Corridors shall be kept clean, orderly, and clear in compliance with FDNY and NY State law. Only non-flammable materials can be stored in hallways in designated areas. Passageways must be kept totally clear at all times, as not to obstruct emergency personnel and persons evacuating the building. Additionally, corridors shall be kept clear so custodial staff are able to clean, sanitize, and disinfect the floors on a regular basis.
No non-essential visitors or guests will be allowed into buildings until further notice. Vendors and essential visitors are allowed by appointment only to conduct essential repairs or by request to the Director for Public Safety. Request for vendor services or essential visitors should be sent to Joseph Foelsch (jf1128@hunter.cuny.edu). Public Safety will be responsible for informing all endorsements of the code of conduct on campus, maintaining a log of those essential visitors expected to enter the building, and coordinate screening.
Shipping and receiving is operational and arrangements can be made for pick-up and delivery of necessary supplies, limiting contact to the extent possible.
Increased ventilation with outdoor air will be achieved through modifications made to existing mechanical systems at both 94th and 119th street campuses. See restart operations for more details.
Enhanced filtration at all instructional and communal spaces shall be provided by portable air cleaners with HEPA filters.
See Academic Plan for details on instructional space modifications.
Hunter has begun preparations to safely reopen facilities and grounds, such as cleaning and disinfection, and restarting building ventilation, water systems, and other key facilities components. Facilities has ordered materials and supplies in preparation for planned fall capacity.
All interior spaces at the 94th street and 119th Street campuses have been thoroughly cleaned. Existing light fixtures have opened cleaned and dusted. All existing ventilation grilles have been cleaned. All floor finishes have been stripped and a polymer floor finish has been applied and all carpets have been extracted. All furniture and desks were cleaned.
Hunter Facilities Operations has modified buildings’ ventilation systems to maximize the use of outside air and reduce the amount of recirculated air to the extent that we can maintain reasonable building comfort levels. The College will employ enhanced particulate filtering where possible, and portable high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) air filtration units with or without UV-C lights will be installed in all classrooms and communal spaces. The College will run building ventilation 24 hours per day to increase airflow wherever possible.
HCCS and Hunter College custodial staff will be providing cleaning and disinfection services to all classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, libraries, playgrounds, and public spaces on a regular scheduled frequency. Public spaces include, but are not limited to, the entry, exit, stairs, elevators, restrooms, corridors, and shared public spaces.
Cleaningservices include the removal of trash, sweeping, dusting, and mopping. This will be completed at least once per day in the public spaces.
Disinfectionservices include the disinfection of high touch surfaces in public spaces using an EPA approved quaternary cleaner. Services are scheduled multiple times per day up to once an hour in high traffic areas, such as elevators and entrances.
Restrooms will be thoroughly cleaned every 90 minutes. All high touch surfaces, including sinks, faucets, stall handles, toilet bowl seats and door handles will be sprayed with EPA approved quarternary cleaner. Hand dryers will be temporarily disconnected and restrooms will be provided with paper towels.
Custodial assistants and custodial supervisors will log the completion of cleaning and disinfection services. The administrative superintendent responsible for custodial services will review and confirm the accuracy of the log daily. The log will be maintained by Facilities.
Disinfecting wipes or spray disinfectant and paper towels will be provided to all classroom, laboratory and shared spaces. Designated individuals shall be responsible for wiping down surfaces and equipment daily. We encourage each staff member to give frequent attention to decontaminating high touch surfaces (desks, furniture, equipment and tools, cabinet handles, etc.). It is recommended that students wipe down all shared equipment both before and after use.
Hand-washing with soap and water for 20 seconds or use of hand sanitizer immediately upon arrival is mandatory for everyone and frequent hand-washing during the day is strongly encouraged to reduce contact transmission.
Hand sanitizer dispensers will be installed in public areas and in areas deemed to be high touch, such as elevators and door handles. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to use hand sanitizing stations before and after using high-touch facilities.
Water fountain stations will be reconfigured to bottle refilling stations; students, faculty and staff will be encouraged to bring their own water bottles or use disposable cups.
Screening
HCCS will provide students, faculty, staff and essential visitors CUNY’s online COVID Health Screening app, available on its website, for desktop or mobile device, to be completed at home prior to traveling to campus
Families must complete the health screening application for their children each morning before coming to campus, including checking their temperature. If any individual presents a temperature of greater than 100ºF, they should stay home.
The self-certification health application will ask the NYSDOH required questions to allow for safe travel and entry to the campus. Occupants who have successfully completed the online questionnaire will receive a green light to come to campus. This information will be provided to Hunter College Office of Public Safety and Human Resources.
Students, faculty, staff and essential visitors will be required to immediately disclose if and when their responses to the question’s changes, such as they begin to experience symptoms, including during or outside of work hours.
HCCS is currently communicating all federal and state travel advisories and will keep our community updated with the latest information on mandatory quarantines.
The Campus Coronavirus Liaison will provide a daily report to the SVC for institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee.
The HCCS School Nurse, or qualified screener will perform on-site screening,. Screeners will be provided with PPE, including at minimum an acceptable face covering or mask and disposable gloves. They will be responsible for assisting anyone who has not completed the Health Application at home, including essential visitors.
Temperature checks will be the responsibility of individuals completing the health screening application. Temperature checks will be available by qualified screeners for those completing the health screening application on-site. Temperatures will be taken using a no-touch thermometer. Anyone presenting a temperature over 100ºF will be asked to leave campus and advised to get a COVID-19 test. Temperatures will not be recorded.
Testing Protocols
Any individual, including faculty, staff, or visitor, who screens positive for COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed to enter the facility and will be sent home with instructions to contact their healthcare provider for assessment and testing; Information on healthcare and testing resources is available on the school’s website and through the Coronavirus Campus Liaison.
In the event that large-scale testing at the school is needed, Hunter College has designated qualified medical and public health experts to source and arrange for the administering of testing.
Early Warning Signs
At the community level, the Coronavirus Campus Liaison will monitor the critical key metrics developed for the NYS Regional Unpause Dashboard to ensure the prevalence of the disease is low enough to continue operations.
School Health Offices
Any student who is feeling sick during the school day should be directed to the school health office, who will maintain a safe environment for students to receive on-site screening of their symptoms. School health offices shall be provided with appropriate PPE to care for symptomatic individuals.
Isolation
Students presenting with COVID-19 symptoms shall be immediately separated from other students and supervised until their parent/legal guardian or emergency contact can retrieve them from school. Faculty or Staff who develop symptoms while on premises will be directed to leave the premises safely and seek appropriate healthcare. Such individuals will be directed to the school’s website for information on healthcare and testing resources.
To provide a safe haven while such arrangements are being made, an isolation room, adjacent to the school nurse, with access to a private bathroom will be provided at each campus. At 94th Street, the room 107B has been designated. At Silberman, Room 518 has been designated.
Collection
Parents or legal guardians shall be notified to pick up their student with instructions that the student must be seen by a health care provider.
Infected Individuals
The Coronavirus Campus Liaison will remain the central point of contact responsible for receiving and attesting to having reviewed all questionnaires, with such contact also identified as the party for individuals to inform if they later are experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, as noted on the questionnaire. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison shall be prepared to receive notifications from individuals of positive cases and communicate with the Office of Public Safety, Facilities and EHS, to initiate the respective cleaning and disinfection procedures.
Should an individual who has been on campus test positive for COVID-19, they should notify the Coronavirus Campus Liaison. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison must immediately notify the state and local health departments about the case if test results are positive for COVID-19. They will also notify the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee.
The Coronavirus Campus Liaison shall refer to the NYS DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID- 19 Infection our Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for employees seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the employee has had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 and follows them explicitly.
The return to learning protocol will include at minimum documentation from a healthcare provider evaluation, negative COVID-19 testing, symptom resolution, or if COVID-19 positive, release from isolation.
Exposed Individuals
Individuals who were exposed to the COVID-19 virus must complete quarantine having not developed symptoms before returning to in-person learning. Discharge from quarantine and return to school will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.
Contact Tracing
The Coronavirus Campus Liaison must notify the state and local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID- 19 test result by any student, employee or visitor at their facility.
In the case of any student, employee or essential visitor testing positive, the Coronavirus Campus Liaison will report this status to the state and local health department as required to trace all contacts in the workplace, and the state and local health department must be notified of all individuals who entered the site dating back to 48 hours before the employee or visitor first experienced COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive, whichever is earlier. Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state law and regulations.
Individuals who have come into close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19, will be alerted via tracing, tracking or other mechanism, and are required to self-report to their employer at the time of alert and shall follow the protocol referenced above.
HCCS will communicate with students, parents/legal guardians, faculty and staff through email and the COVID-19 website. Updates will be posted regularly, and all are encouraged to visit the website to access planning, training, and health and safety management resources.
A robust signage program has been developed for students, faculty, staff and visitors to communicate instructions on-site for physical distancing, PPE, personal hygiene, and safe practices. Additional public service announcements will be posted on digital screens throughout the campus and via existing PA systems.
The School’s Focus on Spring Plan shall be conspicuously posted at the school at the Public Safety desk and on the school’s website for faculty, staff, students, and parents/legal guardians to access.
While every effort will be made to keep the campus safe, Hunter College is prepared to act and communicate quickly in the event of large-spread community contagion that necessitates a rapid shutdown of the campus.
All communications will happen in close coordination with CUNY and state and local agencies, led by the Director’s email communication with faculty, parents/guardians, students and staff informing the details of the shutdown and impact to instructional plans and building operations.
In the case of an emergency, Hunter would trigger the CUNY Alert and HCCS SMS systems to send messages to all registered users at their preferred mobile and/or email addresses. Returning and new employees and students will be reminded to update their contact information. Alerts and Updates to the Focus on Spring Plan will be featured in a high-profile banner on every page of the Hunter College website with links to more details, including timely messages, necessary information and resources, from the Director to faculty, students, parents/guardians, and staff.
Hunter staff will share information with respective essential visitors and service providers.
Should any member of the HCCS community, including vendors and essential visitors, fail to receive any outreach and arrive on campus, public safety officers will guide them to the safest departure possible.
Operational Activity
Hunter College will follow thresholds set by CUNY, NYSDOH, and the CDC and will work in close communication to understand what community and local metrics trigger closure and shutdown.
Closure triggers
In the event an individual is confirmed to have COVID-19, Human Resources will notify Public Safety, Facilities, and Environmental Health and Safety. Public Safety will secure their space and Facilities, in consultation with EHS, will arrange disinfection using a third-party specialist. Upon completion of disinfection, Facilities will notify Public Safety and Human Resources that the area has been disinfected and prepared for occupancy.
While HCCS’s intention is to move forward and bring more activity back to campus over time, HCCS will also be prepared to reverse the reopening if the situation dictates. In collaboration with Hunter College and CUNY, the reopening committees will monitor a range of internal and external criteria when assessing whether a ramp down or closure of campuses is required.
External monitoring criteria will include:
Federal, New York State, and New York City regulatory guidelines and mandates
Infection/health system status at the local, state, regional and nation-wide level
Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion including PPE, health system capacity, testing and tracing;
Compliance of greater public with COVID-19 protocols (e.g., group gatherings, social distancing)
Reclosing status of neighboring schools;
Internal monitoring criteria will include:
Spread of infection on campus via data reported by Campus Coronavirus Liaisons – metrics on current caseload, new flu-like symptoms, spread.
Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion on campus, including school health system capacity, PPE resources, Testing & tracing resources.
Campus internal monitoring will be informed by the requirement for students to self- diagnose/report symptoms and faculty/staff to complete the daily screening questionnaire.
HCCS will monitor health conditions using the criteria above and look for warning signs that infection may be increasing.
HCCS shall reference the above CDC decision tree and develop the following closure and ramp down plans
With a confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, the campus will consider a short suspension of areas in which the positive occupant was present along with select building and facility closure to clean and disinfect. HCCS will notify Human Resources who will also contact the NYS Contact Tracer Initiative in consultation with local/State officials.
Ramp-down activities will align with the level of community spread, with minimal or moderate spread requiring higher levels of cleaning and potential closure.
Extended closure will be determined based on substantial community spread, defined by CDC as large scale immunity transmission, healthcare staffing significantly impacted, multiple cases within communal settings.
HCCS will only close buildings/areas within its particular campus if the suspected exposure or positive findings that occur reflect confidence in a low level of risk to the wider campus community to allow for deep-cleaning and disinfection of buildings, premises or grounds. This will be coupled with notifications to potentially impacted students, faculty and staff, and the ramp down measures being applied:including COVID testing referrals to City testing sites and tracing of members of the campus community, moving classes to remote learning, asking employees to work remotely, for the short duration of such limited closures.
Should there be a return of substantial community transmission, the campus community –students, faculty and staff– shall act as if they have been exposed: staying home and monitoring for symptoms. This would require a ramp down or shutdown of campus buildings to ensure HCCS does its part to protect the most vulnerable members of the community. Such decisions will be made in consultation with Hunter/CUNY and local/State officials.
The ramp down response to the local and community health situation within the campus, a community or the City as a whole, will be made following the governance process set out in Part 1, Section B, of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening. Final decisions on shutting down particular buildings/areas within campuses, individual campuses, or multiple campuses, as appropriate, will be made by the CUNY in consultation with local/State authorities.
The reopening plan for the CUNY campuses proposes four stages, moving from a soft reopening to full operations as described in the Phasing Section of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening.
HCCS will be ready to deploy distance learning modalities with as few employees on campus as possible, to instruct only those who have been designated as essential staff to report to work, and to transition to distance working for all non- essential staff. This will include readiness to deploy targeted distance learning modalities if necessary due to targeted shutdowns of particular buildings/areas impacted by COVID-19.
HCCS will have effective approval processes to enable staff to request supervisor approval for telecommuting, in accordance with campus telecommuting policies. HCCS supervisors will maintain structures and channels that will enable employees to do their jobs remotely, and to ensure that all hardware and software is fully functional. Supervisors will implement remote check-in plans, and all employees will receive details about their work schedules and other expectations of job performance for the duration of the arrangement.
Essential employees have remained on campus throughout the NYS Pause and NY Forward reopening phases. These employees have been provided with PPE specific to their line of work. Such determinations have been made by Hunter’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety under the applicable State, CUNY, and City guidance. All employees receiving masks and gloves have been trained in donning and doffing and communication has been given by their supervisors to follow physical distancing guidelines and observe hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting protocols.
Human Resources has managed notification and contact tracing for anyone reporting suspicion of COVID-19 exposure or a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The college has followed protocols for shutting down the building, or portions of the building as needed, for deep cleaning and safe reopening.
Beginning on June 29th, Essential Employees have been asked to complete an online health screening prior to arriving on campus and will have access to the College’s Safety Template. Essential workers will receive equitable treatment in the protections afforded to faculty, staff, and students.
