Last Updated: August 1, 2023

Face Masks

San Domenico recommends masking while community transmission rates are high. Masking is currently not required on campus.

Masking may be required in specific cases of exposure. Please see the COVID-19 Exposure policy below for details.

Vaccination Requirements

San Domenico highly recommends every student and employee keep current with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. All students ages five and older are currently eligible for a vaccine booster.

Employees
San Domenico strongly recommends a completed series of COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees.

Volunteers
San Domenico strongly recommends a completed series of COVID-19 vaccinations for all volunteers.

Students
San Domenico requires a completed series of COVID-19 vaccinations for all Boarding Students, or any Day Student who spends an overnight in the dormitories.

San Domenico strongly recommends a completed series of COVID-19 vaccinations for all Day Students.
 
There may be additional situations in which COVID-19 vaccinations are required, such as when the School partners with third-parties for off-campus field trips. This information will be communicated to families in advance.

To verify a medical waiver for COVID-19 vaccination, please contact healthservices@sandomenico.org. 

COVID-19 Exposure

At Home
If a student lives with a household member who tests positive for COVID-19, the family must inform San Domenico School by contacting healthservices@sandomenico.org. 

If an employee lives with a household member who tests positive for COVID-19, the employee must inform San Domenico School by contacting hr@sandomenico.org. 

The student or employee may continue to come to school if they are symptom free and test negative. They must wear a mask while indoors on campus for ten days.

At School
Lower School: For every identified positive case in Grades K-5, email notifications will be sent to all parents/guardians/employees in the affected classroom.

Middle and Upper School: For every identified positive case in Grades 6-12, email notifications will be sent to all known close contacts. If school transmission of more than two positive cases is identified in Grades 6-12—or if more than five percent of the entire grade is positive, regardless of transmission source—email notifications will be sent to all families/employees in the affected grade.

Overnight Field Trips: If a single positive case is identified on an overnight field trip (at any grade level), an email notification will be sent to all field trip attendees.

Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases

All positive cases of COVID-19 should be reported to San Domenico School by emailing healthservices@sandomenico.org.

Quarantine

Students
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine at home for at least five full days.

Students may return to campus after Day 5, if symptoms are improving and they are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication).

Upon return to campus, students on campus must mask indoors until Day 11.

A negative test is not required to return to school after Day 5, unless the student is unable to mask until Day 11, including for sports in which masking is not recommended (e.g., water polo, swimming).

Employees
If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine at home for at least five full days.

Employees may return on Day 6, if symptom-free and provide proof of a negative test.  Upon return, employees must mask indoors through Day 10.

If an employee is still positive on Day 6, they must stay home until Day 10. No test is required to return on Day 10.

When to Stay Home

If students, faculty, or staff have the following symptoms, they must stay home from school:

• Fever of 100.4 or more
• Chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Diarrhea 

Students and employees may return to school once symptoms have improved and student is fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications,

We thank you for your continued support and diligence in keeping San Domenico safe and open for our students, faculty, and staff members. 

With the health and safety of our community of utmost importance, our COVID-19 Response Teams have met regularly throughout the pandemic, working with experts in the following organizations:

• Marin County Office of Education (MCOE)
• Marin County Public Health (MPH)
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
• The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
• Space planning consultant, Michael Tauber Architecture
• HVAC consultants, Lefler Engineering and Ongaro & Sons HVAC Division
• California School Nurses Association
• National Association of School Nurses

We have also consulted with several experienced local physicians including current and past San Domenico parents who have graciously shared their considerable expertise with our team:

In addition, we have been on daily and weekly webinars and conference calls with local, regional, and national education and infectious disease experts to keep abreast of the latest research.

Select resources include the following (click through to read more):

Safety protocols and campus modifications have helped us mitigate risk since returning to campus in the fall of 2020. The following are still in place in order to keep our community healthy.

San Domenico monitors air quality in conjunction with the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE), the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, and local law and fire departments. MCOE provides School Air Quality Outdoor Activity Recommendations that guide our actions, based on current AQI levels.

Depending on the air quality on campus, steps are taken to ensure the safety of all students, faculty, and staff. This may include closed classroom doors, reduced recess and athletics events, N95 masking, and more. If any of these steps were to occur, families will be notified. For students with documented respiratory issues, our Health Services team reviews action plans and acts accordingly.

Families who have particular concerns for the health of their children due to pre-existing conditions should contact Health Services at nurse@sandomenico.org as soon as possible, so we can work with your family to address your concerns and provide support.

San Domenico’s infirmary was expanded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with additional protocols in place to care for COVID-19 patients and all other needs.

The infirmary continues to accommodate students, faculty, and staff who require medical care for a wide range of symptoms during the school day. Distinct entrances and waiting areas are used for those who may be exhibiting COVID-19 (or other contagious illness) symptoms.

Day students exhibiting symptoms of possible contagious illness are isolated in a discreet location in the infirmary until they are picked up by their parent/guardian.

Boarding students and resident faculty who show signs of contagious illness are quarantined and cared for by our healthcare professionals. The health services building is fully equipped with sleeping rooms, bathrooms/showers, kitchen, daytime waiting room, and separate sleeping room for an adult supervisor.

Across all school levels, while on campus, San Domenico supervises students attentively, tracks daily attendance, and upholds a range of behavioral expectations that contribute to health and safety. We also expect all students, parents, staff, and faculty to partner with us, both on and off campus, to do your part in support of our collective health and safety.

 

As has been the case since the pandemic began, Boarding Students and Resident Faculty will continue to live in the dorms, their on-campus home. Significant protocols will continue to be in place to protect the boarding community as well as the broader SD community.

With our commitment to educating the whole child, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of teaching and learning and a core part of our program. As we resume school, we recognize the complex and varying ways in which our community members are experiencing this pandemic, including a range of emotions related to stress, anxiety, trauma, loss, and isolation. We will continue to assess our SEL program, approaches and support structures to enhance our students’ well-being.

Support Resources

Through program features such as Lower School Responsive Classroom, Middle School Advisory Program, and our Upper School Mentoring Program, we will continue to promote supportive adult-student relationships to ensure that every student has a caring adult in the community who checks in with them regularly and to whom they can reach out as needed. Now more than ever, we strive for all students to feel a sense of belonging and connection to our SD community.

Contact

Families are encouraged to reach out to our Student Support and Wellness team with any concerns related to their child’s mental health or learning support needs.

CONTACTS

For a full directory of Student Support staff, visit: www.sandomenico.org/StudentSupport

Athletics and Physical Education

Athletics and physical education are a critical part of school life at SD and we are thrilled that we were able to return to a full slate of competitive sports during the 2021-22 school year. We continue to adhere to health and safety protocols for athletics as defined by the Marin County Health and Human Services and Marin County Office of Education.

We continue to support our students to get outdoors, experience the physical and emotional benefits of exercise, work with our stellar coaches, and enjoy the interpersonal growth that comes with our athletic program and philosophy.

Clubs

Clubs for Middle and Upper School students are an integral part of the SD experience. These co-curricular offerings will continue under all learning scenarios, though the format may vary as health directives shift.

Visual and Performing Arts

The arts are a critical means of expression, particularly valuable during this unstable time in the world. While the mode of instruction varies depending on the health directives in place at any given time, we continue to provide a rich array of opportunities for our artists to continue learning, growing, and creating. Students currently participate in our full program of visual, digital, music, and performing arts classes and performances including school plays, gallery showings, and concerts. The Virtuoso Program has returned to live performances open to the public, and musical productions are in full swing.

Meals

Meals are served outside as much as possible, with tented eating areas providing shelter from rain and sun.

Overnight and Field Trips

All students that attend overnight field trips will need to be fully vaccinated with the COVID vaccine series. Some field trips may also require a negative covid test before attending.

San Domenico has invested over $2.0M in safety measures to mitigate risk in light of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Response Teams

Thank you to the many individuals who have contributed to our back to school planning in the time of COVID-19.

Strategic Financial Response Team

Cecily Stock ’77, M.A., J.D., Head of School
Pablo Bizjack, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, dad to Jillian (10th) and Parker ’20
Richie Goldman, Board Chair, dad to Ava (11th)
Anna Heidinger, Director of Advancement
Jennie Nash, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Kimberly Pinkson, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Liz Revenko ’87, Trustee, Finance Committee Member
Gregory Rivers, Trustee, Finance Committee Member, dad to Braelyn (4th) and Abigail (2nd)
Glenn Snyder, Former SD Board Chair, dad to Grey ’20
David Wise, Chief Financial Officer

COVID-19 Response Team Committee

Kali Baird, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Claire Bukata, Associate Director of Middle School & Math Department Co-Chair
Shari Byrnes, Administrative Assistant to Director of Lower and Middle School
John Campbell, Construction Project Manager
Mark Churchill, Athletic Director
Jason Clarke, Director of Information Technology
Jennifer Cronan Flinn, Director of Design, Engineering, and Educational Technology
Rob DeNunzio, Director of Music and Music Conservatory
Shelley Flint, Director of Sustainability
Tracy Froehlich, Director of Human Resources
Anna Heidinger, Director of Advancement
Kathy Laughlin M.F.T., Director of Counseling
Natasha McKeown ’87, Director of International Scholars and HyFlex Learning
Molly Morris, Executive Assistant to the Head of School
Jimena Motta, Administrative Assistant to Asst. HOS for Student Life
Jennie Nash, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Jose Padilla, Director of Facilities
LeaAnne Parlette, Lower and Middle School Director
Nick Vidinsky, Director of Marketing and Communications
Kate Reeser, Assistant Head of School for Academics & Director of Upper School
Lisa Richter L.C.S.W., Lower School Counselor
Carrie Robley, Assistant Head of School for Student Life
Krista Alborg, Health Care Administrator
Erica Smith, Director of Dance and Theatre Arts
Cecily Stock ’77, M.A., J.D., Head of School
Karlyn Strand, Librarian
Amanda Tredinnick MS ’01, Upper School Dean of Students
David Wise, Chief Financial Officer