RSGC's Health & Safety Plan

Screening and adherence to health and safety guidelines are a shared responsibility. Reducing the risk of exposure and spread of COVID-19 and other seasonal illnesses requires diligence on a daily basis. Parents/guardians of students will be required to attest each day that their son(s) are not experiencing symptoms of illness consistent with COVID-19. Employees will also need to self-screen.

We are using the app MyMedBot for pre-screening and ask parents to complete this every morning, even if their son(s) is at home. No adult or student will be admitted onto campus without daily pre-screening.

The Government of Canada has implemented technology in Ontario through a free app COVID Alert to inform the public about their potential exposure to COVID-19. RSGC strongly encourages the use of this technology by any member of our community who brings a smartphone to school as an effective and efficient means of identifying increased risk of exposure and contact tracing.

Supply Teachers:

Any person who does not have access to MyMedBot such as Supply teachers will answer all prescreening questions in a google form. This form will be kept for a minimum of 30 days. The Supply teacher will be instructed to contact the school nurse if they develop symptoms or test positive14 days following attendance at RSGC.

Aramark staff and Angus staff will be responsible for prescreening any outside companies/ workers who may enter the school for any reason. Both Aramark and Angus will keep records of interactions this person has and make sure they pass screening before they enter into any building. Screening requirements will be reviewed by the school nurse to make sure they also adhere to RSGC's pre screening process. Outside workers will be instructed to contact the Angus or Aramark person they worked with while at school.

Any person who exhibits symptoms of illness during the school day is to report to the School Nurse for assessment.

The School’s Registered Nurse will assess the individual and determine the most appropriate course of action to care for the individual. If symptoms of illness are consistent with COVID-19, the Nurse will ensure the individual is cared for in an isolated sick room.

If the individual is a student, the Nurse will contact the parent or guardian to pick up the student immediately, (within 45 minutes). Any student that is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will be sent home and all family members present at school will also be sent home: this includes the siblings of the student and any parent who works at RSGC. The Nurse will advise the parent or guardian of the student to contact their medical practitioner for consultation of a suspected case of COVID-19. If the individual is an adult, the Nurse will assist in ensuring the adult is picked up/sent home immediately and will be instructed to contact his/her medical practitioner for consultation of a suspected case of COVID-19.

As required by local health authorities, the Nurse will report any suspected case of COVID-19 to Toronto Public Health and ensure appropriate class records and cohort documentation is provided for purposes of contact tracing.

Any member of the community who experiences symptoms of illness will be expected to follow direction from a medical practitioner and be symptom free of illness (without the use of medication) for a minimum of 24 hours. Please contact the Health Centre for further instructions on returning to school after recovering from general illness.

Any member of the community who tests positive for COVID-19 is to isolate, rest and recover, and not to return to campus until cleared to do so by a medical professional and Toronto Public Health. RSGC will follow guidance and instruction from Toronto Public Health and follow their lead in informing the school community accordingly.

Returning to school from an absence due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will require medical clearance and guidance from Toronto Public Health. Please contact the Health Centre for further instruction on returning to school after recovering from COVID-19.

Only students and employees will be allowed on campus. Regretfully, we will not be able to welcome visitors, including parents and guardians, into our buildings.

Prior to returning to campus, students will be advised of designated entry points to the school, hallways, corridors and stairways, and designated washroom facilities. The use of designated areas is important to reduce the number of contacts in a given area and will be important for contact tracing if needed. Staggered start times will also manage the number of people in a given area at any one time.

Physical distancing of two metres will be maintained in all classrooms during the school day. Smaller class sizes, cohorting of students and classroom redesign have all been implemented to ensure there is space available to maintain physical distancing. No large group gatherings will be held. All cohorts have their own entrances into and exits from their classroom areas.

Increased housekeeping staff will be available during the day for ongoing surface cleaning in each of our buildings. Housekeeping staff will be trained in the best disinfection protocols and safety methods to help prevent the transmission of viruses. Electrostatic sprayers will allow for rapid sanitization of classrooms during the day. All of our buildings will have a thorough deep cleaning after school hours each day.

We are now requiring that all staff and students wear a 3-ply mask. Students in Grades 3 to 6 may wear a well-fitting, 3-ply cloth mask or a pediatric-sized 3-layer disposable mask; while students in Grades 7 to 12 must have a 3-layer disposable mask. Cloth masks may only be worn layered with disposable masks.

Please note for cloth masks, two layers should be a tightly woven material fabric such as cotton or linen and the third middle layer should be a filter-type fabric such as non-woven polypropylene fabric.

When worn properly, a face mask must cover both the mouth and nose.

Medical grade face masks are mandatory for all staff and faculty on campus. Masks and eye protection (face shield and goggles) will be provided by the school for all faculty and staff on campus. Any student or staff member who chooses to wear a face shield in addition to the required face mask is encouraged to do so. Please note, face shields are not to be used as a replacement for a face mask. 

All classrooms on campus are equipped with a stock of protective supplies for daily use including: single use gloves, alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations, tissues and single use disinfectant wipes.

All classrooms are also supplied with an emergency containment ‘kit’ to be used in case of illness, where exposure to COVID-19 is a possibility. Items in the emergency kit include; medical-grade face masks, single use gloves, eye protection/face shield, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, a gown, disinfectant cleaning supplies and waste disposal bags.

Specialized training for faculty and staff regarding proper use of personal protective equipment and emergency kit supplies will occur prior to the start of school.