2022 – 23 COVID-19 GUIDELINES

• I live with someone with COVID-19, but I cannot be separated from them. How do we manage quarantine in this situation?
• What should I do if I have ongoing exposure to COVID-19 from someone I live with?
• What should I do if multiple people I live with test positive for COVID-19 at different times?
• I had COVID-19 and completed isolation. Do I have to quarantine or get tested if someone I live with gets COVID-19 shortly after I complete isolation?

The answers to the questions above  can be found on the link below: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html#anchor_1642600273484

• No school exists in a vacuum. We are subject to the decisions by the government (Governor, Departments of Education and Public Health), by our accrediting agency (ISACS), and by our parental organization (Maharishi International University). We also consider the input of our constituent groups: parents, guardians, students, faculty, staff, and Board of Directors. Our pledge is to stay transparent, work together with all constituents, and move forward to keep our students and faculty/staff healthy and safe while providing a strong learning experience for our students.

We request the parent to send an email to the Central Office @ centraloffice@maharishischool.org andwith cc to both your child’s teacher and the Division Director. 

Parents, guardians, and interested parties are encouraged to access this page for updated information and school policies. If you have questions or comments related to COVID-19 policies, please contact your Division Director.

• COVID-19 Information: For local information about COVID-19, contact the Jefferson County Health Center’s COVID Clinic at 641-469-4180.  

• COVID 19 Information from CDC.gov

Multi-layered preventative measures will be employed to mitigate the spread of the virus. Teachers will discuss these protocols regularly with students. In addition to staying home when sick, the following guidelines will be implemented. 

• Face Coverings
• Hand Washing/Hand Sanitizer
• Temperature checks

This is a flexible plan; all the following procedures and policies are subject to change based on updated recommendations.

Visitors must make appointments in advance with a specific person or department. They are required to check in the Central Office upon arrival. Visitors are also required to sanitize their hands and wear a mask while in the school building.

COVID-19 Protection and Procedures

Because of the changing nature of the pandemic, the school and dorm policies and practices around COVID-19 require great adaptability. While we outline our current dorm approach to handling COVID-19 below, our policies naturally change based on the guidelines and recommendations of national and local health agencies. Foremost in our strategy is our own vigilant monitoring of community spread within the school or town of Fairfield.

COVID-19 TESTING: NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS:

1. BEFORE YOU ARRIVE: We strongly encourage a COVID-19 test in your home country and communication of the result to the school on a date close to your  departure.

2. Upon arrival at the dorm in Iowa, each student will be tested for COVID-19 (rapid test).

   1. If a student tests negative upon arrival, the student will remain in the dorm.  We will administer the second COVID test on day 4 post arrival. Students will be required to wear masks in the dorm and within school buildings while we await test results for our new and returning (traveling) students.  Travel holds a higher risk of contagion;  we plan  to remain vigilant and protected during and after those travel periods.

   2. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, dorm staff will immediately inform parents and begin our care and recovery program based on guidelines from local medical advisors. This includes moving the student to temporary housing to receive the care of an adult supervisor until the student tests negative by a rapid test.  The school will pay for all temporary housing and care expenses.

COVID-19 Dorm Rules:

While COVID-19 remains a pandemic and when community transmission is high, students and Residential Life staff are required to follow these rules outside the dorm:

1. wear a mask when entering any building (school, stores, restaurants, etc);

2. maintain social distance from other people– both inside buildings and outside;

3. not enter any vehicle except those driven by Residential Life staff or by a member of the community who is approved by the Residential Life staff and who agrees to abide by established protocols (i.e. masks worn by everyone)

4. not enter any friend’s or teacher’s home without approval by the Residential Life staff and an agreement to abide by established protocols (i.e. everyone wears masks inside the home and maintains a safe distance outside).

Upon return to the dorm from any outside activity, students and Residential Life staff are encouraged to sanitize their hands using the “Clean Station” inside the dorm entrance. We also encourage and remind students and Residential Life staff  to frequently wash their hands and avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with their hands.

In general, we do not require dorm residents to wear masks inside the dorm or to maintain social distance in this home environment, although individual students may follow these behaviors inside the dorm if desired. If community transmission is high, we will require masks in the dorm.

In the event that a student or Residential Life staff member develops symptoms that might indicate COVID-19 infection, we will administer a rapid test to the student or staff. The care protocols described above will start if there is a positive test result. If the rapid test result is negative, ongoing rapid testing and/or PCR testing is available to all residents while infectious illness symptoms are present.  Safety and health remain our highest priorities for everyone in the dorm.  Tests will be at no charge to any student or staff member.  The school will notify all parents of a positive case of COVID-19 in the dorm.