COVID-19 Policies
Future COVID-19 Policies
Beginning in September 2024, our COVID-19 policies will be changing. We will no longer require masking, but will encourage those who choose to mask to continue to do so. We will still have vaccination requirements, air filtration, and expect members to do what they can to minimize exposure by staying home when they feel ill. The COVID-19 Policy that is currently in effect can be read below. |
2023/2024 COVID-19 Policies
Honoring our commitment to a safe and vibrant learning space, PHS’s approach to COVID-19 is cautious, science-minded, and informed by the needs of our most vulnerable members. We are making every effort to ensure that our mix of online and onsite courses are safe and accessible for all of us. When we are indoors together, those efforts include vaccination, masking, and air filtration. |
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for In-Person Classes & EventsIn order to be onsite while PHS is in session, all individuals must be vaccinated against COVID-19. (Exceptions will be made to accommodate health conditions that preclude vaccination.) We require a signed affidavit of vaccination status or medically necessary exemption for each community member intending to be onsite in any capacity. |
Mask Policy for In-Person Classes & Events
Signs at the building entrance, in the classrooms, and in the common areas will inform visitors (and remind community members) of our masking policy. Members and instructors supply their own masks. However, if you arrive and realize you’ve forgotten or lost your mask or your mask becomes damaged or soiled while at PHS, we do have a small number of masks (including child-sized ones) available at the entrance and the Onsite Volunteer Station. These supplies are maintained through donations from co-op members. Any community members may remind others about these policies or ask an Onsite Volunteer to intercede if someone is not following them. As everyone present has agreed to this policy, a simple reminder should do the trick! |
VentilationIn an effort to reduce germs in the air, we will have Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in all classrooms that are in use, as well as a portable HEPA filter in the Fellowship Hall. Faith UMC will set its HVAC system to circulate air continuously through its filters. Windows may be opened for fresh air, even during colder weather. (Everyone is responsible for ensuring that all windows are closed and locked at the end of the day.) |
CleaningEveryone is encouraged to wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms and at the entrance to our space. Paper towels and general-purpose cleaners will also be available in all classrooms. Students should assist with wiping down surfaces (tabletops, chairs, counters, doorknobs, etc.) before and after class. |
Minimizing ExposureWhat to Do If Someone Has COVID-19, Symptoms of COVID-19, or a Recent Exposure to COVID-19Stay home if you feel ill or have any COVID-like symptoms, including but not limited to cough, fever, muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, congestion, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or loss of taste or smell. If an individual is sick and suspects they have COVID-19 or tests positive, that individual must be fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and on Day 11 based on the CDC Isolation Calculator <link> before returning to PHS or any PHS-sponsored in-person event. If an individual learns that they have likely been exposed to COVID-19, we ask that they keep their mask on at all times while at PHS for 5 days after exposure. This unfortunately means making alternative plans for lunch. If you or your student tests positive for COVID-19, let our co-op’s Leadership Team know via an email to PlanetHomeschoolMN@gmail.com. One of our co-op’s lead volunteers will make a general forum post that a member of our community has tested positive. If you are comfortable doing so and have the energy, also notify your contacts at PHS (your instructors, classmates, etc.) directly. |
Handling Individual Class CancellationsWhile unplanned cancellations have always been a possibility, COVID-19 means that there is a higher likelihood that an instructor will need to cancel classes due to illness or a family emergency. Please have a plan for when that happens!
|
Classroom Policies for In-Person ClassesInstructors may set stricter policies for their own classrooms. |
Questions?If you have any questions or concerns about these policies, you can reach our co-op’s lead volunteers at PlanetHomeschoolMN@gmail.com. |
These policy decisions honor the preferences of the majority of our members as well as guidance from epidemiologists and other public health experts in an effort to ensure PHS not only survives but continues to thrive. Our community is what it is because of the compassion, generosity, and respect extended to each other by members, lead volunteers, and instructors, not just in ordinary times but in extraordinarily challenging ones: so, thank you! |
Options for comfortable well-fitting masksInclusion in the following list does not imply an endorsement by PHS volunteers.
The difference between an ASTM Level 1 procedure mask and an ASTM Level 2 surgical mask is the resistance to fluid spray, not filtration. An ASTM Level 2 surgical mask will resist a spray at arterial pressure (120 mm Hg) and a Level 3 will resist 160 mg Hg, while a Level 1 procedure mask will only resist a spray at venous pressure (80 mm Hg). |
More Information About Masks
|
More Information About Air Filtration
|
COVID-19 guidance from the CDC:
|