LOCAL COVID VACCINE INFORMATION:
LOCAL COVID RESOURCES
Helpful Links:
- Missouri Covid Immunization Info, visit www.mostopsCovid.com
- Platte County Health Department Info: Official Website (plattecountyhealthdept.com)
- Covid Vaccine (mo.gov)
- Operation Safe is scheduling appointments now for upcoming clinics for ALL Missouri residents. The clinic is located on the Cerner Headquarters campus in North Kansas City. Appointments are required.
- COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES: Missouri to open next vaccine tier Monday (kmbc.com)
LOCAL COVID RESOURCES
Helpful Links:
Park Hill Christian Church, Disciples of Christ
Worship Reopening Plan
We are open for in person and on-line Sunday Worship!
PURPOSE: The goal of the worship reopening plan is for all who wish to return to
worshiping in person in the PHCC sanctuary to do so in a manner that ensures their personal
safety and the safety of others while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
THEOLOGICAL GROUNDING: The second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39) is for
Christians to love their neighbors as they do themselves, so ensuring the safety and health of
others remains at the core of who we are as Christians. Christians are urged to follow Christi’s
example of sacrificing his own comfort for the benefit of others (Philippians 2:1-11). Christians
are urged to limit their own freedom to benefit others (1 Corinthians 10:23-33}. Christ teaches
loving care for the most vulnerable (“at risk”) in society (Matthew 25:31-46).
“AT RISK” PEOPLE:
The elderly (CDC states the at risk group is people 65+ years)
Those with auto-immune challenges
Those with underlying health conditions (asthma, lung issues, etc.)
Persons of color
Those with no health insurance
Low-income people
1. Social Distancing (goal is 6 feet of distance between people)
Stickers will be placed on pews indicating where individuals, couples or families may sit.
2. Masks will be worn by everyone present
If someone does not have a mask, masks will be provided. When people are leading
worship, such as elders praying at communion, vocalists singing, or the minister
preaching, they will not wear masks, but when they are not doing these tasks, masks will
be worn.
3. Limiting Surface Contact
No bulletins will be used. Bibles and hymnals have been removed from pew racks.
Envelopes, pens, pencils and art table art supplies have all been removed from the
sanctuary.
4. Singing
Congregants are asked not to sing during the worship service. Research studies have
shown that singing sends droplets from the mouth twice as far as talking. Masks do not
prevent the spread of water droplets from the mouth when a person sings.
5. Communion
Single-use communion kits containing juice and wafer will be placed at each spot marked
for people to sit. No plates will be passed for communion and no one will go up to the
altar to receive the elements. Congregants may bring their own communion elements
from home but should not share them beyond their family unit.
6. Offering
An offering plate will be placed at the entrance to the sanctuary to receive offerings.
Church members are reminded to make use of online giving options.
7. Hand Sanitizers
Hand sanitizers will be made available at the entrance to the sanctuary.
8. Dismissal
Congregants will be dismissed by section and asked to remain six feet from congregants
outside their family unit. Congregants will be asked not to linger in narthex but may talk
outside the building where they can keep a six feet distance from one another.
9. Nursery and Sunday School
For the foreseeable future, the nursery will not be open and Sunday School will not be
held in person
PURPOSE: The goal of the worship reopening plan is for all who wish to return to
worshiping in person in the PHCC sanctuary to do so in a manner that ensures their personal
safety and the safety of others while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
THEOLOGICAL GROUNDING: The second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39) is for
Christians to love their neighbors as they do themselves, so ensuring the safety and health of
others remains at the core of who we are as Christians. Christians are urged to follow Christi’s
example of sacrificing his own comfort for the benefit of others (Philippians 2:1-11). Christians
are urged to limit their own freedom to benefit others (1 Corinthians 10:23-33}. Christ teaches
loving care for the most vulnerable (“at risk”) in society (Matthew 25:31-46).
“AT RISK” PEOPLE:
The elderly (CDC states the at risk group is people 65+ years)
Those with auto-immune challenges
Those with underlying health conditions (asthma, lung issues, etc.)
Persons of color
Those with no health insurance
Low-income people
1. Social Distancing (goal is 6 feet of distance between people)
Stickers will be placed on pews indicating where individuals, couples or families may sit.
2. Masks will be worn by everyone present
If someone does not have a mask, masks will be provided. When people are leading
worship, such as elders praying at communion, vocalists singing, or the minister
preaching, they will not wear masks, but when they are not doing these tasks, masks will
be worn.
3. Limiting Surface Contact
No bulletins will be used. Bibles and hymnals have been removed from pew racks.
Envelopes, pens, pencils and art table art supplies have all been removed from the
sanctuary.
4. Singing
Congregants are asked not to sing during the worship service. Research studies have
shown that singing sends droplets from the mouth twice as far as talking. Masks do not
prevent the spread of water droplets from the mouth when a person sings.
5. Communion
Single-use communion kits containing juice and wafer will be placed at each spot marked
for people to sit. No plates will be passed for communion and no one will go up to the
altar to receive the elements. Congregants may bring their own communion elements
from home but should not share them beyond their family unit.
6. Offering
An offering plate will be placed at the entrance to the sanctuary to receive offerings.
Church members are reminded to make use of online giving options.
7. Hand Sanitizers
Hand sanitizers will be made available at the entrance to the sanctuary.
8. Dismissal
Congregants will be dismissed by section and asked to remain six feet from congregants
outside their family unit. Congregants will be asked not to linger in narthex but may talk
outside the building where they can keep a six feet distance from one another.
9. Nursery and Sunday School
For the foreseeable future, the nursery will not be open and Sunday School will not be
held in person
Merry Moments Preschool COVID-19 Precautions:
HEALTH & SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
We are taking every precaution we can to try to keep our students and our staff safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate all you are doing to help us in our efforts to protect our community.
Screening for Symptoms:
Students and staff must stay home if sick. We will give families and staff members a card with these symptoms, so our Merry Moments family can screen for illness before coming to school and work each day:
• Fever (According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a fever is 100.4 F or greater.)
• Cough
• Rash
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Lack of appetite
• Loss of taste or smell
All members of our Merry Moments family will follow these guidelines to screen for symptoms of COVID-19, and must stay home if ill.
Exposure to COVID-19:
If students or staff members feel healthy but have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19, they need to stay home and monitor their health until 14 days after their last exposure. Families should notify their child's teacher, and that teacher will notify the church supervisors of the exposure.
Physical Distancing:
We will take steps to promote physical distancing, although we cannot keep everyone six feet apart.
• Staggering the use of common spaces, including the gym, playground and other areas
• Rearranging furniture and equipment to move students farther apart
• Modifying passing periods
• Changing arrival and dismissal procedures
Masks:
Everyone is required to wear a mask. We will have exceptions for students with medical issues that affect their breathing or their ability to remove the mask. We will allow structured mask breaks during the day, making sure that students and staff are physically distanced when they take the breaks.
Handwashing:
Throughout the day, we will encourage hand washing, and we will also supply hand sanitizer in every classroom. Students and staff members must wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after meals and recess.
Cleaning:
We are increasing our cleaning, including sanitizing surfaces at least twice a day. Wipes and spray bottles with disinfectant will be in every classroom.
Transportation:
Students will be picked up and dropped off in the car rider line and parents will not enter the building until further notice. If a student needs to be picked up early, parents/guardians will contact the teacher and the student will be picked up in the office.
Outside Food:
We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. Students will need to provide their own snack each day from home until further notice.
Sharing Supplies:
Each student will have their own school supplies for their own personal use.
Water:
We are asking students and staff members to please come to school and work with a water bottle, if possible. Students and staff members can fill from water provided by Merry Moments.
Will we be allowed to use clear face shields instead of face masks?
A face shield cannot replace a mask, but students and staff may wear one over their mask. Students and staff may only wear a face shield without a mask when they are physically distanced. A teacher might choose this option when physically distanced at the front of a classroom, but they would need a mask when they get near students.
Will staff and students' temperatures be taken each day as they enter the building?
Yes. Student temperatures will be taken before they enter the building.
HOW WE WILL RESPOND IF SOMEONE HAS COVID-19 SYMPTOMS:
Notifications about Cases:
As we work to keep students and staff safe during this pandemic, we will share as much information as possible with you, while still following legal and ethical privacy rules. We will notify the entire school if there is a positive case. For family members, if we find out that your child was directly in contact at school with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or someone whose medical provider diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you. We will ask everyone who is directly exposed to stay at home for 14 days.
Each year, we see several students and staff with symptoms of things like allergies and illnesses like strep and bronchitis. During this pandemic, we are evaluating them, and sometimes we are sending them home and even encouraging them to get tested for COVID-19.
While privacy laws keep us from sharing each of these cases with you, please take precautions as if everyone has COVID-19, including you and your family. Please use the list of symptoms we gave you to screen before coming to school, and please stay home if you know you or your child have been exposed to COVID-19.
Assessing Symptoms:
The teacher will use her best judgement to evaluate the person’s symptoms. Even if a student or staff member's fever does not reach the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of 100.4 F, they might send the student or staff member home after considering all symptoms.
Medical Care:
The teacher will recommend the person with symptoms follow up with a licensed medical provider or the health department.
Cleaning:
We will block off the areas the student or staff member has been until someone can clean and disinfect them.
If a Student or Staff Member Gets a COVID-19 Diagnosis:
If a student or staff member has a positive COVID-19 test or a healthcare provider diagnoses presumptive COVID-19, we will follow these guidelines:
• If your child has been in direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or whose medical provider
diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you.
• We will work with our local health departments to determine what precautions we must take and whether we
need to close.
• The person’s family members should self-quarantine for 14 days after the last day of exposure.
In Case COVID-19 Spreads in Our Community:
If your child has been in direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or whose medical provider diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you. If there is community spread of COVID-19 within a school, we will work directly with local health department officials to complete contact tracing and inform those who have had close contact with a sick student or staff member. We will follow public health guidelines and recommendations to determine whether to close a school or cancel activities.
RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER ILLNESS:
If Merry Moments Sends a Student or Staff Member Home:
If Merry Moments sends a student or staff member home with COVID-19-like symptoms, they will use these guidelines to decide about the student or staff member’s return to school:
• Must be fever-free a minimum of 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or
ibuprofen
• Must have an improvement in COVID-19-like symptoms
• Might be asked to bring medical clearance to return to school signed by their licensed health care provider
If a Student or Staff Member Gets Diagnosed with COVID-19:
If a student or staff member has a positive COVID-19 test or gets a diagnosis of presumptive COVID-19 from their health care provider, we will follow these guidelines to decide about the return to school:
• Must be fever-free a minimum of 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or
ibuprofen AND
• Must have an improvement in COVID-19-like symptoms AND
• Must stay home at least 10 days after symptoms first appear OR until receiving two negative COVID-19 tests
completed 24 hours apart
• Might be asked to provide documentation from a licensed health care provider stating clearance to return to
school
If you tested positive but have no symptoms, you still have to follow these guidelines.
We are taking every precaution we can to try to keep our students and our staff safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate all you are doing to help us in our efforts to protect our community.
Screening for Symptoms:
Students and staff must stay home if sick. We will give families and staff members a card with these symptoms, so our Merry Moments family can screen for illness before coming to school and work each day:
• Fever (According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a fever is 100.4 F or greater.)
• Cough
• Rash
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Lack of appetite
• Loss of taste or smell
All members of our Merry Moments family will follow these guidelines to screen for symptoms of COVID-19, and must stay home if ill.
Exposure to COVID-19:
If students or staff members feel healthy but have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19, they need to stay home and monitor their health until 14 days after their last exposure. Families should notify their child's teacher, and that teacher will notify the church supervisors of the exposure.
Physical Distancing:
We will take steps to promote physical distancing, although we cannot keep everyone six feet apart.
• Staggering the use of common spaces, including the gym, playground and other areas
• Rearranging furniture and equipment to move students farther apart
• Modifying passing periods
• Changing arrival and dismissal procedures
Masks:
Everyone is required to wear a mask. We will have exceptions for students with medical issues that affect their breathing or their ability to remove the mask. We will allow structured mask breaks during the day, making sure that students and staff are physically distanced when they take the breaks.
Handwashing:
Throughout the day, we will encourage hand washing, and we will also supply hand sanitizer in every classroom. Students and staff members must wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after meals and recess.
Cleaning:
We are increasing our cleaning, including sanitizing surfaces at least twice a day. Wipes and spray bottles with disinfectant will be in every classroom.
Transportation:
Students will be picked up and dropped off in the car rider line and parents will not enter the building until further notice. If a student needs to be picked up early, parents/guardians will contact the teacher and the student will be picked up in the office.
Outside Food:
We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. Students will need to provide their own snack each day from home until further notice.
Sharing Supplies:
Each student will have their own school supplies for their own personal use.
Water:
We are asking students and staff members to please come to school and work with a water bottle, if possible. Students and staff members can fill from water provided by Merry Moments.
Will we be allowed to use clear face shields instead of face masks?
A face shield cannot replace a mask, but students and staff may wear one over their mask. Students and staff may only wear a face shield without a mask when they are physically distanced. A teacher might choose this option when physically distanced at the front of a classroom, but they would need a mask when they get near students.
Will staff and students' temperatures be taken each day as they enter the building?
Yes. Student temperatures will be taken before they enter the building.
HOW WE WILL RESPOND IF SOMEONE HAS COVID-19 SYMPTOMS:
Notifications about Cases:
As we work to keep students and staff safe during this pandemic, we will share as much information as possible with you, while still following legal and ethical privacy rules. We will notify the entire school if there is a positive case. For family members, if we find out that your child was directly in contact at school with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or someone whose medical provider diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you. We will ask everyone who is directly exposed to stay at home for 14 days.
Each year, we see several students and staff with symptoms of things like allergies and illnesses like strep and bronchitis. During this pandemic, we are evaluating them, and sometimes we are sending them home and even encouraging them to get tested for COVID-19.
While privacy laws keep us from sharing each of these cases with you, please take precautions as if everyone has COVID-19, including you and your family. Please use the list of symptoms we gave you to screen before coming to school, and please stay home if you know you or your child have been exposed to COVID-19.
Assessing Symptoms:
The teacher will use her best judgement to evaluate the person’s symptoms. Even if a student or staff member's fever does not reach the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of 100.4 F, they might send the student or staff member home after considering all symptoms.
Medical Care:
The teacher will recommend the person with symptoms follow up with a licensed medical provider or the health department.
Cleaning:
We will block off the areas the student or staff member has been until someone can clean and disinfect them.
If a Student or Staff Member Gets a COVID-19 Diagnosis:
If a student or staff member has a positive COVID-19 test or a healthcare provider diagnoses presumptive COVID-19, we will follow these guidelines:
• If your child has been in direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or whose medical provider
diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you.
• We will work with our local health departments to determine what precautions we must take and whether we
need to close.
• The person’s family members should self-quarantine for 14 days after the last day of exposure.
In Case COVID-19 Spreads in Our Community:
If your child has been in direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or whose medical provider diagnosed them with a presumed case of COVID-19, we will contact you. If there is community spread of COVID-19 within a school, we will work directly with local health department officials to complete contact tracing and inform those who have had close contact with a sick student or staff member. We will follow public health guidelines and recommendations to determine whether to close a school or cancel activities.
RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER ILLNESS:
If Merry Moments Sends a Student or Staff Member Home:
If Merry Moments sends a student or staff member home with COVID-19-like symptoms, they will use these guidelines to decide about the student or staff member’s return to school:
• Must be fever-free a minimum of 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or
ibuprofen
• Must have an improvement in COVID-19-like symptoms
• Might be asked to bring medical clearance to return to school signed by their licensed health care provider
If a Student or Staff Member Gets Diagnosed with COVID-19:
If a student or staff member has a positive COVID-19 test or gets a diagnosis of presumptive COVID-19 from their health care provider, we will follow these guidelines to decide about the return to school:
• Must be fever-free a minimum of 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or
ibuprofen AND
• Must have an improvement in COVID-19-like symptoms AND
• Must stay home at least 10 days after symptoms first appear OR until receiving two negative COVID-19 tests
completed 24 hours apart
• Might be asked to provide documentation from a licensed health care provider stating clearance to return to
school
If you tested positive but have no symptoms, you still have to follow these guidelines.