COVID Practices
During the global pandemic of COVID and rise of monkeypox, Farm School NYC is committed to the following best practices for maintaining the health and safety of our communities.
When gathering in-person, all attendees (students, facilitators, guest speakers, staff, any and all invited guests) must:
Show a negative COVID test within 2 days upon arrival
Rapid or at-home tests are acceptable
Wear a face covering over their nose and mouth
All students, facilitators, and staff are expected to:
Move with consent and maintain distance from others, honoring the range of comfort levels of those in attendance
Wear N95, KN95, or KF94 masks for maximum protection
FSNYC has a limited supply to share
Regularly wash hands and use hand sanitizer
Only use the designated space(s) for our group
Utilize designated “mask-free” areas for extended breaks, groundings, and nourishment
If a participant (student, facilitator, guest speaker, staff, any and all invited guests) feels ill for any reason, they are expected to stay home.
We may visit a host site open to the public and cannot guarantee everyone on site will follow Farm School’s practice. Honoring what feels best for you, please prioritize your safety by social distancing, wearing your mask, and/or stepping away if you’d like to.
Accessing COVID Tests
Farm School will have a limited number of rapid tests on site. If you’d like support obtaining a test, please find a location below or reach out to Farm School staff.
Citywide students are to email their cohort guide no later than 5PM the day before in-person classes and gatherings to request a rapid test. (For example, by Friday at 5PM for class the following day, Saturday.)
Before joining the group and participating in class, students testing with Farm School are expected to communicate with their cohort guide, retrieve a test, and sit at a safe distance for 15 minutes while waiting for results.
Before participating in public programming, attendees are encouraged to contact their Farm School point person if they’d like to request a test.
Testing access:
Capsule (free tests with health insurance)
iHealth (Antigen Rapid Test)
RN Wellness (Antigen Rapid Test)
Free at-home COVID tests from the federal government.
Testing Positive
In the event a participant tests positive for COVID within 7 days of attending an in-person gathering, they are asked to notify Farm School staff immediately. Farm School staff will notify everyone in attendance that an anonymous attendee has tested positive, and they may have experienced potential risk of exposure.
Additionally, if someone tests positive, they are expected to refrain from attending Farm School programs for at least 10 days in addition to receiving a negative test before joining an in-person gathering.
Sharing Negative COVID Results
Citywide students can email or share their negative COVID test results with their cohort guide upon arriving to class and before joining the group.
Public programming participants can email or share their negative COVID test results with their Farm School point person or any Farm School staff on site.
Self-Assessment Checklist
Before participating in Farm School programming, we recommend a series of reflection questions to ground us in personal and community care:
How am I feeling? How’s my health been?
Have I been in contact with someone who’s recently come down with COVID, monkeypox, or other contagious ailments?
What can I do to prevent the spread of COVID, monkeypox, or other contagious ailments?
Citywide Program Attendance
Student participation is integral to the learning process. While our 70% attendance policy means attending at least 4 out of 6 classes and 70% of each session, we recognize the ever-changing nature of the pandemic and our lives overall. If need be, students are supported in taking time away from the program and can return to complete courses.
Closing
This practice covers the minimum actions we are taking as a community. In addition, each group should discuss COVID practices further as part of our community agreements. We intend to check in with our community regularly so our COVID practice stays aligned with changing circumstances.