YA School Partner COVID-19 Policy

(Updated: January 2022)

Young Audiences’ Teaching Artists are safely back in schools, bringing professional artists to classrooms and auditoriums across the state. In addition to all guidance specific to each school environment, statewide mitigation strategies that are in place, and recommendations provided through Arts Ed NJ’s September Forward Arts Education Guidance, YA has made the following commitments to maintain safety while engaging students and school communities in performances, workshops, long term residencies, and family programming.

Vaccinations

  • All YA teaching artists working in-person are vaccinated and have presented verification of vaccination dates. Upon arrival at school, artist(s) will provide proof of vaccination.

Mitigation Protocols

  • Masks: When performing for student audiences, or while conducting workshops in a classroom, artists will remain masked. All teaching artists will be masked, unless the performance involves aerobic or anaerobic activity (as recognized under E.O. 251).
  • Physical Distancing: If teaching artists remove their masks to perform aerobic or anaerobic activity, they will remain socially distanced from students.
  • Space/Location: YA will discuss classroom or performance space to be used ahead of time, and will attempt to use outdoor spaces as much as possible.
  • Materials & Cleaning: Artists will limit sharing of materials, sanitize materials between uses, and/or create art “kits” for each student.
  • Breaks and Water: Artists will provide frequent rest and water breaks when students are engaged in dance and other physically demanding activities.

Scheduling & Program Format

  • Flexible Scheduling: YA will offer flexibility with scheduling and rescheduling, should a COVID-19 exposure occur, without any cancellation fees.
  • Flexible Formats: If a school requires a change in format, YA will offer hybrid or virtual programming to replace in-person programming when possible.

Prevention

  • Self-Check: Artists will self-check COVID-19 symptoms daily. If COVID-19 symptoms are present, the artist will reschedule that day’s visit to the school, disclose it to YA and to the school.
  • Open Communications: There will be full disclosure between YA, artists and school about exposures, and transmission. If there is an exposure at the school or if the artist experiences an exposure, a reschedule will be put in place to allow for quarantine time.
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