Facilities & Operations

MBS will provide deeper, more frequent cleaning and disinfecting throughout campus, with a focus on high-touch surfaces and shared equipment. Students will be asked to assume personal responsibility for their spaces.

Key efforts:

• Classrooms will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected by our cleaning service at least once a day.

• Students may be asked to wipe down tables/desks and plexiglass partitions at the start of each class. Wipes will be provided in each classroom.

• High-touch surfaces (e.g., light switches, railings, door handles, faucets) will be covered with antimicrobial disinfectant tape that protects against germs and bacteria for three months. In addition, these surfaces will be cleaned throughout the day by the cleaning service.

• In science classes, where students are handling lab equipment and other shared materials, students will wear nitrile gloves.

• If lunch is eaten in the classrooms, students will wipe down the desks both before and after their lunch.

• Shared computer equipment (e.g., keyboard, mouse) will be cleaned with wipes by students at the end of each class.

• Water fountains/stations will continue to be sanitized regularly; we will cover/disable mouth dispensers so that only the bottle-filling option is available.

Our goal is to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by supplying the cleanest and highest quality air possible throughout campus. 

Key Efforts:

• High efficiency HVAC systems are in place in all buildings 
• Ducts in all buildings will be thoroughly cleaned prior to the start of school
• Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization Air Purification Systems and UV-C systems installed in all buildings will scrub the air and dramatically reduce the viral load in the air

The broad design will be for students to eat in small groups rather than in a large, open space. To achieve this, students will eat with their advisory in the classroom until restrictions loosen. The advisory will be the only group that students are with while not wearing their masks, which will facilitate contact tracing in the event that a student tests positive for COVID-19. As restrictions loosen, we will look to move breakfast and lunch to a few centralized locations.

• All advisories will be assigned to an appropriate space that will allow for this.

• Lunches will be boxed in disposable containers and delivered to students’ Advisory classrooms or a nearby centralized pickup location at the beginning of each lunch shift. Lunches will be clearly labeled with each student’s name.

• Each week, the menu for the following week will be posted. We anticipate that there will be four to five choices each day. Selections will be limited to cold options for the first few weeks of school as we adjust to the new process.

• Students and faculty/staff will make their selections for the following week’s lunches in the lunch ordering app. We will be able to give parents who wish to make these choices for their children access to the app. Each week in Advisory, students will be reminded to go to the app and make their lunch choices for the following week.

• Faculty and staff will pick up their lunches in the dining hall, and they will be able to eat in the dining hall. Tables will be placed at the appropriate distance and there will only be four seats per table.

• Advisors will supervise lunch.

• Students will wipe down their table space both before and after eating lunch.

• Additional waste receptacles will be placed in centralized locations to facilitate lunch clean-up.

• Breakfast will be “grab-and-go” items only. Students will purchase breakfast items in the dining hall and then take them to their advisory rather than eating in the dining hall. Please note that students will not be permitted to eat during class or Study Hall.

Our aim is to use classroom spaces in a way that conforms with the applicable guidelines.

• Desks and tables in the classroom will face in the same direction.

• Wherever possible, seating will be spaced to allow for the recommended social distancing.

• Spaces such as Kirby Chapel, the Boardroom, the Dining Hall, and gyms will be repurposed to serve as additional or alternative classroom spaces, as needed.

• Classes without sufficient space for the number of students will be relocated to an alternate space, or use Plexiglass barriers to ensure social distancing.

• Plexiglass barriers and signage will be installed around campus.

There will be no visitors allowed on campus for the month of September while we adjust to the new operations.

• The Health & Wellness Sub-Committee will develop a visitor protocol with screening questions to be used once it is safe to allow visitors on campus.
• A plexiglass partition will be placed at the reception to protect those receiving deliveries.

The overall goal is to reduce density in all common spaces throughout campus—including but not limited to the library, student center, gyms, and the Math & Science Atrium—to allow for physical distancing.

Moving throughout the School

• All Middle School students and faculty/ staff will enter through Founders Hall for temperature and mask checks.
• All Upper School students will enter through Grant Hall and go left upon entering the building for temperature and mask checks.
• Students who arrive late will sign in at the Upper School office and will have a temperature and mask check when they sign in.
• Wherever possible, stairwells will be one-way. We will have adequate signage to reinforce this.
• Wherever possible, exterior doors will be designated for entrance or exit only.

Use of Common Spaces

• Middle School lockers will be assigned with adequate space in between so that only a fraction of the available lockers will be used.

• We will have capacity limits on common spaces (e.g., library, student center) and classrooms during unstructured time.

• Furniture in common spaces will be cordoned off, rearranged, or removed so that students are seated at the appropriate distance from each other.

• To limit gatherings, during free periods, students will be assigned to designated classrooms for “Study Hall” periods. Classrooms will be monitored by faculty and staff.

Use of Restrooms

• Capacity limits will be determined for the restrooms. If all stalls are occupied, students should wait outside the restroom until someone exits.

• Bathrooms without touchless faucets will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day.

• Disinfectant tape will be used on bathroom door handles.

• There will be signs in the restrooms and throughout campus reminding students about proper handwashing and hygiene.

• Juniors will park in the Senior Lot for the months of September and October so that the shuttle run will not be necessary.
• When used, Morristown-Beard athletic buses will be run at a reduced capacity to allow for appropriate physical distance between riders.
• When used, Morristown-Beard athletic buses will be cleaned twice each day (morning and afternoon).
• Buses contracted through Bel Air will be sufficiently large to allow for social distancing. Students will be expected to wear masks while riding the bus.