Yes! YVCS is returning to campus on August 19. Students pre-12th grade will be on campus all day, 5 days a week in full compliance with state and local health department guidelines. Many of the large public schools surrounding YVCS are up to five times our population even when they are at 50% capacity. Please know that YVCS intends to do everything possible to continue with on campus/in-person learning.

At this time, there is not a state-mandated or county-mandated quarantine when traveling to other states. For international travel, there are CDC FOREIGN COUNTRY TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Families or staff must notify YVCS of any international travel. When considering any type of travel, please review this CDC TRAVEL INFORMATION.

You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes
You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
You had direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed them)
You shared eating or drinking utensils
They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

Parents will take the temperature of each student and ask about specific symptoms and recent exposure. There is no symptom or set of symptoms that only occur in children diagnosed with COVID-19. Symptoms we will be assessing include:
Fever
Sore throat
New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students with chronic allergic/ asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain 
Recent loss of taste or smell
New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever 

Questions also will be asked about recent exposure to a confirmed case and travel. A Google form will be used to enter this information and submit it to school. The form will provide guidance on how to proceed if your student has symptoms or recent exposure. Staff members must also complete a self-certification screening before arriving to school.

No. Students and staff awaiting test results must self-quarantine at home and are not allowed at school, even if asymptomatic.

There is some overlap between common seasonal allergy symptoms and some of the symptoms that have been reported by people with COVID-19 such as headache, sneezing or cough. It is important to take into account whether an individual’s symptoms are compatible with their usual symptoms and timing for allergy in that person.

If the student was in close contact with a positive case, the student must not attend school, and must be quarantined for 14 days from the last/most recent contact with the person. The parent/guardian should contact their physician for guidance on testing and monitor the student for symptoms. The student must not return to school until CDC CRITERIA have been met.

The summaries of our plans are on our website in the PDFs. You may read about some of the differences to expect from a “normal” day at school. Plenty of things about in-person learning will look very familiar, including five full days a week.

Yes! We fully respect that some families will need to start with us remotely. We’ve made revisions based on further research and your feedback in our spring surveys.

In a recent school wide survey, 72% of respondents preferred face coverings/masks to be optional in the classroom. The original recommendation from the YVCS task force is to require face coverings/masks at arrival, departure, and during transition areas. If allowable, we will make masks optional in the classroom while children are seated at their desks, which will be separated by 6ft or as much as allowed in the spaces.

You likely have seen that this is being litigated across the country. In the meantime, face coverings/masks during the school day will remain a part of our health plan for students and staff alike. At this time, students will bring their own [appropriate, please] face coverings/masks from home. However, we have a large inventory in each office for visitors or in case a student forgets. Hang in there with us. Remember: this is temporary. As parents, our child(ren) will follow our attitude and our lead. We’ll get through this.

It would be irresponsible to say anything except “maybe, it’s possible.” At this point it is our plan is to employ Distance Learning if required. The Guidance of the CA Department of Public Health currently states extreme measures of entire school districts shutting down if 25% or more of our population were to contract COVID-19. 

While waiting for the waiver, our plan is to offer on-campus childcare during the school day for enrolled students. Our teachers will be in the classrooms as they conduct distance instruction from the classroom. Distance learning will be made available to children not in school and those in childcare will be doing distance learning from the classroom. This enables us to fulfill the intention for in person experience responsibly according to the CoVid 19 protocol that is allowed by the Health Department.

We already are witnessing the release of plans from area public schools, many of which are not allowing time on campus for students. It is our strong preference and the preference of nearly 90% of the responses in a recent school-wide survey. The reboot of in-person school will take extra time and effort by our entire staff, but we believe it is generally the best option for our youth. We can and will outwork other schools. So even in a mandated shut-down, we have plans in place to adjust and adapt quickly for seamless transitions.

Tuition for remote learning is the same as for in-person learning. YVCS does not realize a savings in a remote learning environment. Moreover, YVCS has spent considerable [non-budgeted] money in preparation for the upcoming school year. Tuition is an annual obligation; the Board of Directors sets the tuition rates yearly and does not offer a per diem rate. This allows the Board to expect what is known as “planned revenue.” Based on the planned revenue, the Board creates an annual budget according to which it pays its operating expenses, such as payroll, utilities, vendor contracts, and more. During the mandatory school closure, the Board continued to pay its employees and continued to honor its other financial obligations. And most importantly, YVCS continued to provide education for all students through distance learning. That is the intent for the 2020-2021 school year as well – if YVCS is forced to transition to remote instruction, it not only will continue to honor its financial obligations but its pedagogical ones, too.

Simply said, tuition will not be reduced. Other Christian schools in our network, locally and nationally, have adopted similar or identical policies. YVCS will continue to provide the same excellence in instruction in a remote setting that it has for 48 years in person. It is important to remember that our strong preference is on campus and in-person learning. In the event of a statewide mandated school campus shut-down, every school will be in the same boat. The woeful failure of remote learning at schools across America was on full display last spring and likely will continue in the fall if remote learning is the only option. Conversely, YVCS will Go Beyond in this arena and provide clear advantages and opportunities to rise above and move ahead. Our pledge to you? The same excellence-driven YVCS you’ve counted on so many times will remain arm-in-arm with you in your home. Our admissions office has never been busier in July than it is now. The risk of “losing a spot” at YVCS for the future is worthy of consideration. Most importantly, a Christ-centered and Biblically-rooted education never has been more important as it is now, when our youth are immersed in negativity and secular agendas. As academia takes a harsher stand against the truths of the Bible, YVCS will press on with purpose and courageous leadership. There’s nothing more important than having our child(ren) in front of Godly men and women every day upholding Biblical truth, igniting academic growth, and inspiring courageous leadership. Lastly, we are providing record-tuition assistance for the coming school year. Before anyone would leave YVCS, we hope that finances would not be the deciding factor. Let’s keep the team together and intact. On the other side of this, we’ll be stronger than ever.

We are following the guidance of the California State Board of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and the Contra Costa County's COVID-19 page. We are in frequent communication with each of these organizations and remain hopeful that our students can participate in as many activities as possible under the guidelines. Certainly we acknowledge that events and activities will look different than usual in the short term, but we will exercise creativity to offer as many experiences to our students as possible. 

Yes, we believe this is possible. We plan to responsibly offer as many programs, ASSET classes, and activities as allowed.

Yes, that is possible. That’s one of the [many] amazing and unique aspects of our plan. You have likely seen or heard of very rigid plans from other schools. At YVCS, students will be able to easily and fluidly adapt to these transitions. This is yet one more way in which YVCS is a leader in these uncertain times, even though it requires extra work for the school. All we ask is that you reach out to the principal in advance if you would like to pursue a customized plan. For everyone involved, we appreciate advanced notification.

Similar to above, we would greatly appreciate some lead time to prepare for your child’s return. Please notify your teacher and the Office Admin at least three days in advance as you prepare for this change.

Please reach out to your building principal to discuss the arrangements that YVCS will have in place so that you are able to effectively and intelligently make this decision for your child. For review, we fully understand that not all families will be comfortable with the plans we have in place--thus the reason for our remote learning platform.

The guidance from the state allows for screening to be conducted at home. We believe this will maximize our instructional time while at school rather than having students line up at the door for a temperature check and symptom screening. It's important to stay at home when sick, and screening at home allows parents to check in with their children regarding symptoms and temperature, before arriving on campus with other students. This also limits the number of additional people on campus that would be picking up children with symptoms or fevers at the start of the school day, and minimizes the disruption to a parent's schedule. As a Christian school and based on past experience, we also believe that our community is highly responsible and attentive. YVCS will soon provide an easy screening/reporting step for parents (and staff) to perform at home, which must be done in the morning before school. If a student arrives at school with a missing status, YVCS will issue a screening on campus. However, repeated offenses will result in the student’s ineligibility to be on campus and require a parent to come and pick up their child(ren). This will quickly become a part of our morning routine as we cooperate together.

We can’t ensure people are truthful, but we can continue to advise and implore parents and employees that the best pathway to health and wellness for the whole community is to take the appropriate time each morning before you come to campus to honestly and accurately complete a health screening. We will be reminding parents and employees about the critical importance of this protocol frequently. It is vitally important for public health that employees and students stay home when sick or when they are known to be exposed to someone who is confirmed COVID-19 positive and are within the incubation period set by the CDC. The YVCS community is known for being highly responsible. 

For all grades, please contact our Office Administrator, Ari Navarette by phone at 925.798.3131 or by email at ADMIN@YVCSCHOOL.ORG. Our staff will work with the family and the Contra Costa County Health Department, and will follow cleaning and disinfecting procedures. Additionally, we will communicate with the YVCS community when there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 by a student, employee, or visitor who has been on campus. All the while, we will comply with HIPAA and FERPA requirements where applicable. 

The student/staff member must not attend school and must self-isolate at home (Self-isolation means staying at home in a specific room away from other people and pets, and using a separate bathroom, if possible.)

Isolation may be discontinued under the following conditions:

At least 10 days have passed since symptom onset

At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications

Other symptoms have improved

For Asymptomatic individuals who test positive for COVID-19, the CDC now advises that such individuals may discontinue their isolation and other precautions 10 days after their first positive COVID-19 test. If an asymptomatic individual becomes symptomatic, he or she is advised to follow the guidelines above for individuals with symptoms.

Upon return to school, the student/staff must undergo a symptom screen with Office Administrator.

The YVCS health team will undergo contact tracing training. The school will notify all close contacts, defined as being within 6 feet of the positive person for more than 15 minutes. The close contacts will need to quarantine for 14 days and follow CDC'S QUARANTINE GUIDELINES. In collaboration with the Contra Costa County Health Department, others will be notified with a low risk letter, along with other communication tools.

We need to know soon! A survey is coming your way, so please keep an eye out for it. You will have an opportunity to select in-person learning, remote learning, or let us know if you are not returning to YVCS. Within the survey, you will also be required to sign a waiver, which is a common protocol in many schools across America.