CAC COVID GUIDELINES

AS OF 2/28/22

The Creative Arts Center of Dallas has carefully followed CDC Guidelines as well as recommendations from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins for the past two years. With recent announcements revising federal and county mask mandates, we will no longer be requiring masks indoors at CAC.

Of course, you may continue to wear masks based on your own comfort level and health requirements. We will continue to monitor these guidelines closely and notify you of any changes in the future.

The Creative Arts Center of Dallas (CAC) office is open by appointment only Monday-Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

CAC will be operating at 75% - 100% capacity (depending on classroom and educator comfort). Due to the Delta Variant and in accordance with CDC guidelines, WEARING OF MASKS or FACE SHIELDS WILL BE REQUIRED OF STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, & STAFF WHEN INDOORS. Outdoor classes & activities will NOT require face coverings though social distancing between persons is highly encouraged. There will be no weekly tours, no studio time and no live model labs for the current time.

Signage will be located in each classroom and in common areas further limiting access. Only one person will be able to use the restrooms at a time in the main building; only two people can be allowed in the kitchen at the same time; only two people will be allowed in the glaze room at one time; four people will be allowed in the exhibition area at one time. Floors will be marked so people know where to put their easel or sculpture stand. A site map posted in several locations will help students get to their classes.

Masks will be required by both teachers and students. If a person chooses not to wear a mask, they will be offered one and if they refuse to wear it, they will be asked to leave. Face shields are also permissible and we have a few basic ones for teachers to use. Infrared thermometers may be used by teachers at the beginning of each class.

We will be promoting healthy hygiene practices and will have hand-sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol in every classroom and common area along with disinfectant wipes and spray cleaners. Each department will be instructed to properly clean all surface areas, door knobs and any other frequently touched surfaces before and after each class or workshop. For ceramics, students will be asked to purchase a clay tool kit from CAC. In the case of tools that are shared, they must cleaned before and after each individual use. In mosaic and glass, students will be required to wear gloves to choose glass or mosaic materials. Janitorial help will be doubled from two times per week to four times per week during the summer and we are working with our facility tech and HVAC vendor to ensure proper ventilation.

In order to practice social distancing, tables will be spaced 6-8 ft. apart and clear acrylic barriers will be used as needed, especially in the office to protect staff. For all-day workshops which are usually small, eating in the classroom is fine as long as people are spread at least 10-ft apart. However, food sharing will not be allowed. Non-essential visitors, volunteers and group activities will not be allowed.

The office will be open by appointment only and registrations must be made online or on the phone. There will be no in-person registrations allowed.

Teachers will be required to take attendance and students will be encouraged to contact their teacher or the office if they do not plan to come to class. If for some reason, the student does not call the teacher, the teacher is to notify the office so we can contact the student immediately. For those of you who offer multiple classes per week, there will be no student make-ups from one class to another.

We will ask each teacher to have students sign a printed COVID-19 liability release. Students may take a photo of it for their own records.

Teachers and staff will have proper mandatory training to follow these guidelines and each department will have its own protocols to follow. We will be posting a student version of these guidelines to our web site.

CAC is fortunate in that we can easily trace if a person does become sick with COVID-19. In the event, there is a case of COVID identified, we will notify other students that may have come into contact while maintaining the confidentiality as required by the American with Disabilities Act. The classroom would be shut down immediately and closed off for 24-hours for deep cleaning and disinfecting. Students and teachers would be asked to get tested and quarantine for two-weeks before the class could resume. A sick staff member, teacher or student would not be allowed to return to CAC until they have met CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation which is currently two negative COVID tests following a 72-hour period of no fever.

In order to maintain confidentially and to ensure effective communications, the Executive Director will serve as the person responding to COVID-19 concerns. She will also be the person to monitor state and local health department notices daily about transmission in the area and adjust operations accordingly. CAC will also discourage the use of social media in the school during the summer so as to avoid “normalizing risk” for others.

We will also work to protect staff members who are at higher risk for severe illness by providing options for teleworking from home. We have also implemented flexible sick leave policies and practices