Health and safety - Lakeside School

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tudent health and safety is a top priority at Lakeside School.

This webpage serves as a family resource on health and safety at the school, with an emphasis on navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community health status and COVID-19 monitoring

Feb. 2: If your child is sick, please keep them at home. Teachers and advisors have been noticing an increase in students coming to school who have tested negative for COVID but are clearly sick. Keeping everyone safe is a community effort — every person’s actions make a difference. Students who are sick should stay home, rest, and wait until they are healthy before they return to school. All teachers are committed to work with students who have to miss class, and will support them in catching up once they return.

All Lakeside students and employees must take a rapid antigen test before returning to campus after midwinter break (Feb. 20-24). Tests should be administered the day before returning to campus for the resumption of classes.

Dec. 12: Please consider following the latest guidance from Washington state public health officials, which advises wearing masks indoors due to the recent surge in viral respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and COVID-19. To protect against both acquiring and spreading those infections to others, officials recommend wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask in indoor public spaces.

Dec. 9: Need a refresher on what to do if you learn you were a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19? Review these guidelines from the CDC. Close contact to COVID-19 occurs when you are within six feet of someone who is showing symptoms of COVID-19, for at least 15 minutes, or an infected person who shows no symptoms but later tests positive for the coronavirus.

Nov. 17: After consultation with Lakeside’s Medical Advisory Board, we have decided that we will not require students or employees to receive the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster. However, similar to the flu vaccine, we strongly recommend that community members receive this booster because the best way to protect against COVID is to stay up-to-date on vaccines.

What to do if your student tests positive for COVID-19

Health and safety updates

Goals
Decision-making

Goals

Our primary goals are informed by our mission and values of academic excellence, equity and inclusion, ethical behavior, and global engagement.

Ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and employees.
Offer our full educational program. In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment, some aspects of programs may look different, but students will continue to receive the hallmarks of a Lakeside education: rigorous academics; teaching by excellent, dedicated faculty, staff, and coaches; and strong and responsive student support.
Support students’ social-emotional development and health by adapting and strengthening practices and programs that build community and wellness, and by partnering with parents and guardians.

These goals guide us in the preparations we are making for the academic year. In all areas, we are following the requirements of the Washington State Department of Health for K-12 private and public schools, following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and taking counsel from Lakeside’s Medical Advisory Board.

Decision-making

Lakeside’s Medical Advisory Board operates as a committee of the Board of Trustees and meets regularly to advise administrators and to review and give counsel on policies related to health and safety.

2022-2023 Medical Advisory Board members are:

Dr. Sarah Barton, Chair. Obstetrics and Gynecology P'18 '20 '20
Dr. Mike Dudas, Pediatrics P'16 '18
Dr. Stacy Globerman, Family Medicine P'23
Dr. Sarah Hipps, Anesthesiology P'20 '22
Dr. David Koh, Pediatrics ’81, P'13 '15 '23
Dr. Janine Maenza, Infectious Disease P'18
Dr. Connie Mao, Obstetrics and Gynecology P'13 '15 '18
Dr. Catie O’Farrell, Family Medicine P'13
Dr. Heidi Rogers, Family Medicine P'18 '21
Dr. Lili Sacks, Internal Medicine P'15
Dr. Jen Shen ’95, Family Medicine P'27
Dr. Kris Sherwood, Family Medicine, Global Health
Dr. April S. Stempien-Otero, Cardiology P'21
Dr. Surabhi Vora, Pediatric Infectious Disease P'23 '27
Artemios “Tim” Panos ’85, Board of Trustees chair P'22 '24 '24
Sean O'Donnell ’90, Board of Trustees vice chair P'25 '27

Family checklist

Lakeside will work with parents and guardians to ensure that students are healthy and safe.

Review the expectations for students and families on this page and talk about what the information means for your family.
Read updates from the school when they are released.
Get a COVID-19 vaccine booster when eligible.
Update your student's vaccination status once fully vaccinated. Find instructions here.
Watch for information on COVID-19 testing.
Contact Lakeside’s family support program if your family needs assistance with masks or antigen tests.

Health and safety expectations for Lakeside students and families

All members of the Lakeside community have a shared responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students and families must commit, in collaboration with the school, to the following health and safety procedures:

	Comply with federal, state, and local orders. All families and employees are expected to follow directives from national, state, and local authorities to maintain their own health and safety during this pandemic. These include Washington State Department of Public Health, Public Health - Seattle & King County, and the CDC Guide on Protecting Yourself and Others.
	Get vaccinated when eligible. At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, 99% of our students and adults are vaccinated and 96% are fully boosted. The COVID-19 vaccine and booster is required for Lakeside employees and eligible students without a medical or religious exemption. Getting vaccinated is the biggest thing we can do to keep all our students safe. We want to thank every person for following this requirement and uploading student vaccination records in a timely fashion. Find more about booster eligibility on the CDC's website. All visitors to campus – including parents and guardians, alumni, and prospective families – should be vaccinated and fully boosted, with religious and medical exemptions accepted. Visitors may be asked to show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated visitors are asked to antigen test before coming to campus and may be asked to show proof of a negative test result. Off-campus events need to follow guidelines set by the venue.
	Get tested. Lakeside uses a combination of surveillance testing and diagnostic testing using rapid antigen tests. Lakeside School will provide free antigen tests for the following individuals and situations: Students and adults who are participating in school-sponsored overnight trips or large student activities (outdoor trips, prom, etc.) may be required to test before participation. Families will be notified in advance. Any student or employee who develops symptoms of COVID-19 while on campus. Any student or employee who needs a negative antigen test to return to campus after a positive COVID-19 test result. Employees who are immunocompromised or living with unvaccinated or immunocompromised people. Anyone who tests positive for COVID must notify Lakeside as soon as possible. Learn what to expect in the article, "What to do if your student tests positive for COVID-19."
	Contact Lakeside if your student tests positive for COVID-19. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, a parent/guardian must notify the school as soon as possible. Please send a picture of the antigen test result or the PCR test result to the school at healthandsafety@lakesideschool.org. Their information will remain confidential.
	Stay home if sick. Students and employees showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 must not come to school and must get tested. Parents/guardians must keep them at home and away from others and contact the student's medical provider. If a student tests positive but feels well enough to do schoolwork, the school will work with the student and family so they can engage in classwork. Students who are sick with COVID or other illnesses should focus on resting and regaining their health. If a student is on campus and develops COVID-like symptoms during the day, they will be sent to a private space on campus and evaluated by a trained Lakeside employee. The student will have their temperature taken, given a KN-95 mask, and isolated in a separate room and given an antigen test if they show two or more signs of possible infection. Lakeside will contact the family to pick up their student.
	Keep medical information up to date. All medical forms must be updated with family and emergency contacts and current medical forms. Log into Magnus Health to see your student’s required forms.
	Consider wearing a mask. In alignment with current Washington state and King County public health guidance, Lakeside School is mask-optional indoors, outdoors, and on buses. There may be times when students are asked wear a mask and we ask students to comply with these requests. Surgical masks will be available for students on these occasions; it is suggested that all students bring a mask to school. Contact Lakeside’s family support program if your student needs assistance with masks. Protocols around masking during athletics are updated as needed and communicated by Lakeside Athletics.
	Take personal precautions . Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds — especially after being in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Be aware of physical distancing and maintain a physical space of three feet or more to the degree possible. When possible, eat outside or in a location that allows for physical distancing.
	Avoid unnecessary travel. Families should be careful of air travel — especially over school breaks. Please follow guidelines from the CDC and the Washington State Department of Health.

Lakeside students will need to follow health and safety procedures. Faculty and staff will be working with students in developmentally appropriate ways to help them understand the importance of the protocols and make sure they feel comfortable and confident in what they need to do.

Cleaning protocol

Lakeside’s facilities team performs routine cleaning during the day and deep cleaning and sanitizing during evening hours. The team also provides cleaning and sanitizing supplies to faculty and staff to help them keep their areas safe, including hand sanitizer, soap, disinfecting wipes, additional hand washing stations, and gloves.

Student and family support

Supporting students’ social-emotional development and health is a priority at Lakeside. Lakeside’s student and family support program is equipped and prepared to respond to the needs of our students and families.

All of our faculty and staff are committed to tracking student progress and wellbeing to ensure that all students receive the attention, support, and care they need.

If you have any questions about student or family support, please reach out to Director of Student and Family Support Jamie Asaka, Head of Upper School Student Support Tasha Campbell Chang, or Head of Middle School Student Support Meg Wolfe through studentsupport@lakesideschool.org.