While recommentation from public health experts may continue to change as we learn to live with COVID-19, one constant that will not change is Kamehameha’s commitment to the health and safety of our campus community.
Guiding Principle 3 ("We will follow Enterprise Health and Safety Requirements.") underscores the importance and health and safety protocols, policy and practice.
We recognize the guidance on COVID-19 continues to evolve and our health and safety approaches must be flexible and may need to shift quickly to ensure we can incorporate any new best practices into our school environments. Our goal remains to mitigate risk of exposure to COVID-19, while also returning normalcy to our campus community. Our safety protocols have always been informed by guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) and will continue to do so. The approach in managing the response to COVID-19 has shifted to one of personal kuleana, where individuals are empowered to make choices that best reflect the care they have for one another and their campus community.
Current Safety Protocols
The measures below reflect the latest practice recommendations. We will continue to revise and adapt measures as new recommendations are made and guidelines need to shift given the situation.
LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 23, 2022 | ||
| SAFETY MEASURES | CURRENT GUIDELINES | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
Face coverings
| Face masks are no longer required to be worn on-campus, but are strongly encouraged when COVID-19 Community Levels are at medium or high levels. If certain conditions were to arise such as outbreaks or high absenteeism, our campus may mandate universal indoor masking or targeted indoor masking when appropriate to do so. Masks should be worn and are required when students visit a health room, as is recommended by the CDC. If students do not have a mask, one will be provided. | Masks are recommended if in a large group or close contact is sustained over a long period of time. KS recommends wearing an N-95 or KN-95 face masks. |
| Stay Home if Ill | Kamehameha Schools has developed specific guidelines for returning to school and what should happen if symptoms develop, including when testing should be conducted. | If your child has experienced any symptom(s) of COVID-19 for 1-3 days, a doctor’s note, negative COVID-19 antigen test collected at a provider or test center after the onset of symptom(s), OR two home test kits collected within 24 hours and a attestation form, must be provided to your child’s health room prior to your child’s return to school or school activities (including athletics); a doctor’s note continues to be required for return following 4 or more days of illness. Documents should be loaded to the student's Electronic Health Record. See specific return to school procedures on our Symptoms and Testing page. |
| Isolation and Quarantine | Hawaiʻi Department of Health guidelines for isolation and quarantine must continue to be followed. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to isolate for a 5-day period in accordance with DOH guidelines. This includes remaining out of high-risk extracurricular activities (where masking is not possible) for a period of 10 days. | Please continue using the COVID-19 Reporting Form to report positive cases. Household close contacts no longer need to be reported. |
| Vaccinations | We continue to encourage all KS staff, students, and their ʻohana to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, as the leading public health strategy and the best way to stay and keep others safe. You can find a vaccination location at HawaiiCOVID19.com/vaccine. Student Athletes and Coaches | Update your vaccination record with any booster information or load your card on your electronic health record via the Moʻomōʻali Olakino app in your ʻOhana Portal. Find vaccination information at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine/ |
| Testing | Testing (or a Doctor’s note) will continue to be required for students returning to school after COVID like symptoms. Testing may be required for certain activities, events, or school-sponsored travel based on the conditions at that time and the nature of the activity. | Home testing kits may be provided for voluntary use on a targeted basis based on outbreaks, high-risk activities and availability. We encourage our community to access local community testing sites as needed and take advantage of free testing resources provided by the federal government or your insurance plans. While twice-a-week testing in lieu of vaccination is no longer required, screening testing is strongly recommended for all students-athletes and staff, regardless of vaccination status. |
Hygiene and Hand Washing
| Increased hand washing, proper face covering protocols, coughing/sneezing into tissues or your elbow, not touching your face are all examples of good preventive hygiene and respiratory etiquette and are encouraged. Hand sanitizer continues to be provided around campus.
| Students and staff are encouraged to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throw used tissue in the trash and hands washed immediately with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Sanitizer is readily available around campus. |
Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting
| Classrooms and common areas will be appropriately cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected as directed by guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently touched surfaces are sanitized daily at the end of the day. Cleaning protocols are informed with CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidelines. | Non-chemical Enozo Sprayers are available in classrooms for students who would like to sanitize their desks. The Enozo sprayer energizes tap water to kill 99.9% of bacteria without the use of toxic chemicals or leaving residue. |
Ventilation
| The Hawaiʻi Campus does utilize a high volume air conditioning system (HVAC) with UV light filters in addition to normal filters in the system. The use of ventilation systems improves Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) by reducing bacteria, viruses and mold that either grow or pass through the air handling systems.
| To address additional concerns of COVID-19, our system utilizes a MERV-13 filter, which is even more effective in catching particles (up to 90% of particles in the air - the highest standard for filtration). Our HVAC system also introduces 25% of fresh air into the indoor environment. |
Bus Transportation
| Bus transportation will return to normal procedures. While face masks are no longer required, they are recommended when commuting. | Bus riders should continue to have their bus passes on them at all times and to scan in and out of the bus.
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Food Services
| Food service will return to normal procedures and seating density, though students should continue to take precautions to allow for distancing when possible.
| Whenever possible, it is best to eat outdoors. |
Health Rooms and Behavioral Health Services
| Our health services staff will continue to support and care for students and provide families with health related and COVID-19 guidance when appropriate.
| Isolation rooms will be utilized for any student or adult who displays COVID-19 symptoms while on campus. Additional information on procedures being used can be found below in the Should COVID-19 Symptoms Develop section.
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Should COVID-19 Symptoms* Develop
If a student develops COVID-19 symptoms while at school, the school health rooms will have a designated area for isolation and care will be administered by Health Services staff. The Health Services staff will contact the parents/guardians to pick up the child as soon as possible, within 2 hours of the phone call. If no parent response is received after 2 hours an emergency contact will be called.
Please see the COVID-19 student exposures: What you need to know page for more information on Kamehameha Schools' procedures in the event of a positive case.
*COVID symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Please note COVID-19 symptoms and the student return to school process after being ill may need to be adjusted over time to reflect any new federal or state guidance.
KSH does cooperate with local health officials on any reporting requirements for confirmed COVID-19 cases that meet or exceed a set threshold.
Additional Sources and Guidance:
All three of our KS K-12 campuses and Kawaiaha‘o Plaza are using aqueous ozone to supplement the routine cleaning and sanitizing that already occurs at KS work sites throughout the workday. KS will also continue to clean and sanitize using additional EPA approved commercial products as part of its daily cleaning process after the work/school day ends.
Enozo Pro’s Aqueous Ozone cleaning solution has been through testing and has been proven to reduce 99.9% of Human Coronavirus in 30 seconds.
All three of our KS K-12 campuses and Kawaiaha‘o Plaza are using Aqueous Ozone to supplement the routine cleaning and sanitizing that already occurs at KS work sites throughout the workday. KS will also continue to clean and sanitize using additional EPA approved commercial products as part of its daily cleaning process after the work/school day ends.
Ozonated water isn’t new. It is a common cleaning and disinfecting solution that has been used since the late 1800s and was FDA cleared in 1996. KS has reviewed the effectiveness of Aqueous Ozone at eliminating the Coronavirus and other microorganisms such as E. Coli, Staph A. and Salmonella and we feel confident that this technology will support safely returning to school and work.
We also recognize that during these challenging times we will be cleaning and sanitizing surfaces more frequently in the presence of kumu and haumāna. Because of this, we need to ensure our staff and students are not exposed to harmful chemicals which sometimes require a dwell time (“the amount of time that a sanitizer or disinfectant must be in contact with the surface, and remain wet, in order to achieve the product’s advertised kill rate”) before wiping down. With Aqueous Ozone there are no harsh synthetic chemicals or fragrances added, it leaves no residue, and it takes only 30 seconds to clean and sanitize a surface. Therefore, in addition to Aqueous Ozone’s effectiveness eliminating microorganisms including the coronavirus, it is also a safe and easy to use solution for our KS schools and worksites.
Stanford University; University of Wisconsin; University of Michigan; Honolulu International Airport; ‘Iolani School, Clinton National Airport; Sports Center of Richmond (SCOR); University of Toronto; Toronto Pearson International Airport; Middle Tennessee State University; Aetna Home Offices; Florida Hospital System; Yavapai County Facilities and Parks and Rec Department; Horizon House CCRC; Clarke County School District Athens, GA; Norco College; Wesley Hotel UK; QHotels Four and Five Star Hotel Group UK
The Aqueous Ozone data and efficacy information is provided in this PDF and you can also refer to these sites for additional information: https://enozo.com, Ozone in Water Treatment and Ozone History.
Please contact the COVID-19 Response Team with questions anytime at COVID19HELP@ksbe.edu.
