Safe at School 

With the government’s new focus on vaccinating childcare workers and educators, it’s no surprise that California schools are starting to reopen! However, it’s easier said than done - the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has developed a framework to support schools as they decide when and how to implement in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year. Once a school has developed a comprehensive Safety Plan that is accepted by the CDPH and the LA County Department of Public Health (LACDPH), all protocols and procedures need to be implemented so the students can safely return to school. 


Whether or not you have school-aged children, we have all experienced the struggles associated with working from home! Whether you’re 6 or 60, you’ve likely experienced Zoom or screen fatigue and a learning curve as you’ve navigated working from home. There may have been moments in the past year when you’ve wondered if things will ever go back to “normal” or felt restlessness from being stuck inside for too long. Most significantly, we are all missing someone! This past year has definitely been a struggle for adults, but as studies show, it’s been especially tough on children and we may not realize the impact of the pandemic for years. 


According to an NBC article, “It’s all taken an unthinkable toll on children — a social, emotional and academic ordeal so extreme that some advocates and experts warn its repercussions could rival those of a hurricane or other disaster.” This is particularly drastic among younger children who “are not getting the cognitive and social stimulation that they would normally get outside their home,” according to Dr. Michelle Aguilar. Providers have noted delays in speech and language as well as trouble sharing and being in groups. Older children are also facing these challenges, indicated by a nationwide increase in mental-health-related visits to the emergency room. Furthermore, national testing shows that “the average student in grades 3-8 who took a math assessment this fall scored 5 to 10 percentile points behind students who took the same test last year, with Black, Hispanic and poor students falling even further behind.” Though there are risks associated with returning to in-person learning, it’s safe to say that it’s a goal we’re all striving for!


The CDPH has made this goal significantly more attainable by thinking through the safety guidelines and precautions for going back to school. You can see the full checklist for Berkeley Hall and any other school that is open (in-person, hybrid, or remote) on their website. Some of the items on the checklist are: 
  • Stable Group Structures: These groups do almost everything together and limit contact with non-members. This makes it easier for contact tracing and reduces the risk of exposure. 
  • Entrance and Movement: Making sure that there isn’t contact between classes and places where students would naturally congregate otherwise (hallways, for example). 
  • Face Covering Protocol
  • Health Screening: COVID testing for faculty, staff, students, and community plus education of other self-monitoring techniques to keep everyone healthy. 
  • Healthy Hygiene Practices: Extra hand washing and hand sanitizing stations. Disinfecting and cleaning practices employed by the school.  
  • Contact Tracing Protocol 
  • Physical Distancing: How much space can be kept between students, based on the space available to the school, and ensuring fresh air circulation. 

An anomaly in Los Angeles, Berkeley Hall sits on 66 mountain-top acres in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains. Our outdoor spaces, including several playgrounds, amphitheater, large football and baseball fields, an outdoor pool, and tennis courts, along with small class sizes with a low student-to-teacher ratio, allow us all to be on campus and remain physically distanced, spread out in our oversized classrooms (many with loft space) on our expansive campus. As a result, we have safely opened our school for every child in Nursery through 6th grade (with Junior High coming soon) to be on campus for full-time instruction with no hybrid, week-on/week-off schedules. Here are some ways Berkeley Hall is able to ensure our students are safe at school: 
  • Every classroom on campus has an outdoor facing exit/entrance, which allows students to completely avoid hallways. 
  • Thanks to our incredible 66-acre campus and the beautiful California weather, we are able to teach many of our classes outside! 
  • Classrooms are spacious, have high ceilings, and plenty of windows, which are kept open to promote air circulation. 
  • Classes are separated into small cohorts of teachers and students who spend most of their time together on campus, reducing contact with people outside the group. To keep these stable group structures separated, specialists are able to Zoom in to teach classes. 


  • Outdoor hand washing stations have been added across campus, and students are reminded regularly to wash their hands. 
  • Where possible, students are each given their own resources so they can reduce contact with shared equipment — when this is not possible, students are required to wash their hands before and after using the materials, which are disinfected between each class. 
  • Drop-off windows are assigned for each grade level, so students can remain spread out and have plenty of space on circle drive. Upon arrival, students apply hand sanitizer and have their temperatures checked before entering the school. 



  • Berkeley Hall brings a testing provider to campus every Wednesday to provide regular testing for students, faculty, and staff. Faculty and staff are required to be tested every week. 
  • Everyone is educated on how to correctly wear a mask, and required to wear one when on campus — students are reminded regularly to keep their mask over their nose and mouth. 
  • Additional coverings have been added across campus to make outdoor learning more comfortable. 
  • Stickers and spray-painted paw prints are utilized across campus so students can easily see what it means to stand 6 feet apart. 


These are just some of the ways that Berkeley Hall has gone above and beyond to make sure students are safe at school. We are fortunate to have such a large campus that allows our students to have the space they need to stay safe while learning! Our students are incredibly thankful to be back with their friends at school, and we’re so happy to have them.  

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Located in Los Angeles, CA, Berkeley Hall School is a private, coeducational school for students in preschool through grade 8. Rigorous academics in a supportive atmosphere and grounded character development allow students to become fearless scholars and conscientious citizens - gain a love of learning, leadership with social responsibility, creativity with moral integrity, and self-esteem with compassion for others and the environment.