In partnership with a team of healthcare advisers and campus administrators, the COVID Response Team is composed of Head Athletic Trainer Pete Dewar, Lower School Nurse Anna Gretchen, Middle and Upper School Nurse Megan Turner and a part-time contact tracer, who are all certified in COVID contact tracing by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We have and will continue to follow the guidance and guidelines set forth by the Georgia Department of Public Health, the CDC, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure that our campus remains as safe and healthy as possible.

Should your child show signs of illness at home, please keep the child home, notify your division head and division nurse, and consult your family physician before sending the child back to school (see our Returning to Work/School guidelines). Should your child show signs of illness at school, the child should report immediately to the clinic, where one of our nurses will provide assistance and determine the appropriate course of action.

In most cases, siblings may remain in school. Quarantine is recommended after a direct exposure to a COVID-positive individual. If a sibling has not been in direct contact with the individual who has tested positive, the sibling does not need to follow the same guidelines. Please report the case to the appropriate division head and division nurse; they will review these protocols with your family during contact tracing.

We will not send community-wide communications regarding a positive test result. Our COVID Response Team works closely with the Department of Public Health to identify risk and report all Pace community cases of COVID-19. Faculty, staff, students and families will be notified of possible exposure to illness and/or cases of COVID-19 as needed.

To ensure the health and safety of the entire school community, all positive cases of COVID-19 should be reported to the school. Positive cases in students or parents should be reported to the student’s division head and division nurse. Faculty and staff should report positive cases to their respective department head. An internal reporting structure has been put in place to ensure confidentiality. 

We ask that all faculty, staff and students remain at home while COVID-19 test results are pending.* Even if you feel well and/or have no known exposures, the unpredictable nature of COVID and prevalence of asymptomatic cases can lead to unnecessary risk to others on campus should the test result positive. 

*Athletics Screenings: We conduct regular COVID screenings of our student-athletes in higher risk sports. These screenings provide a snapshot in time of the health status of our teams to ensure we can continue competing safely. Students tested regularly as part of athletics screenings do not need to remain home while these tests are being processed unless directed to do so by the COVID Response Team.

In general, if there is a single case of COVID-19 within a classroom and everyone in the class has been wearing masks correctly, the entire class does not automatically need to be quarantined. However, the COVID Response Team will evaluate all cases individually and determine if there were classroom contacts who, although masked, may have been exposed.

The COVID Response Team ensures that everyone returns to campus once they have met the proper guidelines for return. Please keep in mind that the guidelines for quarantine and isolation are different. Also, please remember that not all students absent from school are absent due to COVID-19.

We are aware of the changes detailed by the CDC. In order to shorten quarantine, there is a lengthy list of recommendations that must be followed. We are unable to meet these requirements in a school setting, so we will continue to recommend a 10-day quarantine period.  As the CDC and other institutions suggest new protocols, we will continue to review and, if necessary, adjust Pace policies to maintain the safety of our campus.

Cloth masks are appropriate and should cover both your nose and mouth. Please make sure that masks are comfortable but fit snuggly and do not slip off the face. Please note that masks with respirators are not allowed.

Yes. Students are required to wear masks unless they are actively eating or drinking. This includes recess and PE. If your child has a serious health condition, check with your doctor to determine if masking is appropriate and communicate that information to the appropriate division head. We recommend having multiple masks available should a student’s go missing or become uncomfortable during the day.

Face coverings may be removed while eating or drinking but should be worn at all other times.

Middle and Upper School students are asked to bring their own laptops or tablets to school each day to help us minimize the sharing of technological devices. Devices should be taken home at the end of each day. Mac-compatible devices are preferred, but our network accommodates all types of devices, including Chromebooks. If you need assistance with a device, please email computerguys@paceacademy.org.

Our primary focus must be the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Therefore, parents, grandparents and friends may not have lunch on campus until further notice. 

At this time, on-campus visitors are limited to essential workers and those with appointments. We evaluate this policy on a month-to-month basis and communicate with parent volunteers as appropriate. All drop-offs and visitors with appointments must register at the Castle. No visitors should enter any other building other than the Castle. Visitors will undergo a temperature and health check upon arrival.

We do our best to both maintain social distance and create community. We cannot promise social distances at all times; it just isn’t practical. However, we can and do limit students’ exposure to others outside their respective class/grade level. In addition, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, all students, faculty and staff are required to wear face coverings.

We ask that families refrain from speculating on situations related to Pace, other Pace families and COVID-19. Because the school cannot control what happens off campus, we trust that every Pace family will ensure that its members follow school protocols. Rather than policing others’ behavior and stoking hysteria, please focus on your family’s health and safety, and please refrain from speculating, spreading misinformation and publishing social media posts related to Pace and COVID-19. If you have a specific concern, please contact your division head. 

We understand that uncertainty and anxiety may come with attending school in person. While we continue to do our best to ensure the health and safety of the students in our care, we recognize that we cannot know the specific health and wellness challenges each of our families face. We know that it is impossible for us to meet the needs of every student; in this situation, there is no one-size-fits-all plan. 

Therefore, we support parents who choose to keep their children home, and we have invested heavily in technology in an effort to create an equitable experience for those learning remotely. We ask that families work in concert with their physicians to determine whether a child attends school in person.

We strongly encourage, but do not require, flu vaccinations for the entire family. In an effort to reduce the strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to protect yourself and those around you from the flu.

The school has paused all student travel, including grade-level overnight retreats, Lower School field trips and Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tours. We ask that families act as good global citizens and prioritize the health and safety of the Pace community when planning leisure time.

However, we understand that travel may be necessary. If traveling domestically, we ask that Pace families continue to follow Pace protocols while away, exercising good judgement and practicing healthy habits. Wear masks, social distance and wash your hands. Avoid parties and public gatherings, restaurants and groups larger than 10. 

If a student travels internationally at any point during the remainder of the school year, the student must take the virtual-learning option for 10 days following the trip, regardless of whether he or she has had a negative COVID test. Students quarantining may not participate in sports, arts or other in-person activities.

Attending school in person serves as an attestation that a family has followed our guidelines, is not exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and has not come in contact with a COVID-positive individual or anyone exhibiting symptoms.

Please reach out to us! You may contact your division head or our Covid Response Team. We will be happy to try to clarify or answer any questions you have. We are all in this together.