CoVid -19 Protocols & Information

2021-2022

SAINT MARY SCHOOL PLAN FOR COVID-19 - 2021-2022

 

After consultation with medical and public health experts, careful consideration of recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Center for Disease Control and many educational sources which include collaboration with local school districts, while also monitoring the recent increase of CoVid cases in our state and local area, we believe mindful consideration is given of how to balance the risks associated with both COVID-19 with the social, emotional, and academic benefits of a return to a more “normal” school experience. 

 

Effective March 7, 2022 UPDATES (Posted March 7, 2022)

Masks are optional while indoors for all students, faculty, and staff, visitors, and others on the Saint Mary’s School campus, with a few exceptions expressed below.

Mask exceptions and recommendations that will remain in place: 

•  Masks will still need to be worn in school nurses' offices per CDC requirements for healthcare settings (masks will be available there).

• Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 who return to school after five days of isolation (if they are asymptomatic) must wear a mask on days six through ten of the protocol, per CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines.

• Students and staff who participate in school activities in other school locations for athletics must follow any mask requirements in effect at that specific location.  

We strongly recommend the continued use of face masks in indoor public settings when: 

• You are experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms at all, even if mild. Those who become symptomatic should seek a COVID test ASAP as well. 

• You have had a close contact exposure to someone who tested positive.

• You are unvaccinated or are not yet fully vaccinated, to include the booster shot.

• You have underlying health concerns that increase your personal risk factors.

 Please be mindful that there are members of our community who may continue to wear a mask, as we may have members who also choose not to. We ask that all members be respectful of each individual's decision whether to mask or not. It is the Saint Mary's way to be respectful, understanding, and compassionate to each other.

A Note on Policy Changes:

  While we will continue to evaluate our COVID protocols, guidance, and conditions in our community and on our school campus, you can expect further changes as the school year continues to keep our community safe. These guidelines are subject to change as our community's needs change.

JANUARY 2022 IMPORTANT UPDATES (Posted January 14, 2022)

Based on the ongoing spike and ever changing nature of the Covid pandemic, St. Mary School has UPDATED the steps we are taking to keep our school community safe and healthy while maintaining the in-person educational experience we all expect and love. The school faculty and staff have worked diligently to stay ahead of the volatile nature of this disease and keep our community safe and in school. While not always an easy balance to realize, the staff will continue to work to ensure we do everything in our power to maintain a safe, in-person learning environment and continue to be transparent in our efforts to do so. 

 

We have and will continue to adopt best practices set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and cater protocols to the specific nature of our school environment. Additionally, throughout the course of the pandemic, we have convened a Covid Committee consisting of school/parish leadership, faculty and staff, school nurses, community members and parents, some of whom are medical professionals. The Covid committee meets regularly to discuss protocols and seeks to constantly improve our process. 

 

Revised Protocols for January 2 – February 11(Posted January 14, 2022)

As noted in a recent communication to the school community, the following protocols will be in place from January 3- February 11, 2022:

 

No group work in classrooms 

Plexi-glass dividers back in the lunchroom 

Classrooms sanitized daily, either morning or afternoon 

No visitors in the classrooms or school  

Talk from school nurses in the classrooms to promote proper mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing 

Quarantine period for international travel per CDC recommendations 

Consistent and correct mask wearing 

Space desks in classroom into rows with as much spacing between desks as possible. 

Seating charts for each classroom and the lunchroom.  

Middle School will not change classes. 

Maintain social distancing & enforce mask wearing  

 

Test and Stay- School Testing
This year our school will offer diagnostic testing.We will be using BinaxNOW rapid antigen test, this is an important tool for use in testing asymptomatic close contacts. Diagnostic testing is especially important this year, as we head into the cold and flu season. With parental consent we will be able to test students and allow them to stay in school with a negative test result. 

Test and Stay for Close Contacts is the recommended approach to keep as many children in in-person learning environment.  This consists of the rapid antigen testing on Days 1-5, wearing a mask at all times other than eating, and monitoring for symptoms for 10 days.  Of note: fully vaccinated students and those with covid in the past 90 days are exempt from test and stay, however should monitor for symptoms for 10 days and consider testing at day 5.

  

Definition of a close contact: within 3 feet of the covid positive individual while masked in the classroom or within 6 feet when unmasked indoors up to 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or positive test.  Note outdoor exposures are deemed low risk and do not need to quarantine.  Also the test and stay option following an exposure is only for close contacts in the school setting (home close contacts or at non-school activity contacts must quarantine at home for 5 days following the date of exposure prior to returning to school).  All close contacts at the school will be notified via email.  Fully vaccinated individuals should monitor for symptoms for 10 days and recommend testing at day 5 (however this is not a requirement).

 

The following DESE Flow Chart provides a detailed summary for individuals who test positive as well as protocols for close contacts:

https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/flowcharts.pdf 

Routine COVID Pooled Testing to Begin on Wednesday, January 19

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we have been working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to implement a free COVID-19 pooled testing program for students and staff at our school. Pooled testing involves mixing several individuals’ test samples together into one “pool” and then testing the pooled sample for COVID-19. This approach increases the number of individuals that can be tested at one time and allows us to regularly test our school community for COVID-19. 

 

The pooled tests will be performed at least once per week with a shallow nasal swab for all participating students and staff members. If the result of the pool is negative, then all individuals are presumed to not have COVID-19. If the result of the pool is positive, then all individuals in the pool must be retested individually. Because pooled testing does not give individual results, you will only be notified if your child requires follow-up testing. Our school will be providing the Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests for follow-up testing, so that students or staff. In a positive pool can be tested as soon as possible and receive individual results in 15 minutes.

We are requesting each family to participate in this program to help safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community. We chose this additional layer of protection against Covid-19 as a way to help students stay in school and ideally, quarantine less frequently. Students who participate weekly in the program will not have to quarantine as a close contact unless they become symptomatic or test positive for Covid-19. Testing will begin Wednesday, January 19th and take place weekly. To get started, please fill out the consent form with your permission to perform a COVID-19 test and pooled test for your student at Saint Mary School.

   Our staff has been thoroughly trained on how to administer pooled testing as well as the Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests, if needed to test and stay. If you have not done so please sign up to participate in the COVID-19 Pooled Testing Program at our school.

If you have filled out the consent that is all you need to do. This enables us to test for the pool testing and the test and stay program should your child need to use it. If you have already contacted us to exclude your child from the pool testing please note that we will not test.

At Saint Mary School we are extremely grateful to our committed staff and families who continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we navigate through this school year. It takes all of us working together to contain the spread of this virus. We are excited to add pooled testing as another mitigation strategy for our school community, as we continue to work to work together toward the safe return of all students and staff to school. If you have questions regarding the COVID-19 Pooled Testing Program or if you would prefer a paper permission form, please reach out to Magda.harrison@stmarysparish.org.

 

COVID 19 Vaccine Information
While Saint Mary School does not require vaccination of the student body, we provide the following information to parents as they consider vaccination for their children. Covid vaccination plays a critical role in protecting individuals from COVID-19 and its related complications. Please see the CDC’s webpage for further information on the safety of the vaccine in the pediatric population. CDC Vaccines in Children and Teens

Operational Protocols for the 2021-22 School Year for grades K-8 (Posted September, 2021)

 

• Beginning the school year with a requirement that all students, staff, and visitors wear a mask regardless of vaccination status, and frequently re-evaluating in light of updated local and state COVID-19 data along with medical and public health recommendations.
• Masks must be worn on buses per federal transportation mandate. Masks will be removed when eating and drinking, and we will continue our approach from last year where mask breaks will be provided.
• Masks are not required for any outdoor activities.
• A return to typical lunch and recess procedures
• Implementation of strong ventilation in the classroom along with hand hygiene before snacks and lunch.
• Sanitizing surfaces after lunch and in the classrooms after use.
• A return to typical classroom instructional configurations, including desk arrangements for smaller group work; assigned seats when possible.
• Hand sanitizing stations set up throughout the school for student and staff use.
• We expect to hold school events, with masking if the event is indoors. Events that typically have larger audiences may be modified as needed. 
• Visitors/Volunteers Visitors will be allowed in buildings, subject to the mask requirement indoors. Volunteers will also be allowed; given that this is an unusual transition year, it is likely teachers will establish classroom routines before inviting classroom volunteers to come in.

 

Physical Distancing 

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education has removed any mandates regarding physical distancing, and strict physical distancing between students will not be required. The CDC guideline of maintaining at least three feet of distancing where possible will be followed. In order to provide a more normalized school experience, there will be times when distance between students will be less than three feet. This is due to the importance of flexibility for instructional seating arrangements for small group work, the social emotional importance of a more normal lunch experience, and the ability to utilize gymnasiums for physical education and activity. Teachers will be required to maintain seating charts for classroom seating in order to assist if/when contact tracing is necessary. 

 

COVID-19 symptoms 

Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor within their children. If your child is experiencing ANY of the following they should NOT come to school. 

COVID-19 symptoms list: 

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills 

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath 

• New loss of taste or smell 

• Muscle aches or body aches 

• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough) 

• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms 

• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms 

• Headache when in combination with other symptoms 

• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms 

• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

 

Quarantine and Close Contacts 

 

The school will follow the state requirements for quarantining of individuals who test positive or who are deemed to be a close contact of a positive individual, as described in detail at https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/protocols/protocols.pdf. 

 

DEFINITIONS

Exposure

Contact with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a way that increases the likelihood of getting infected with the virus.

Close Contact

Close contacts are someone who was less than 3 feet away from an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. For example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes.

Quarantine

Quarantine is a strategy used to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 apart from others.

Who does not need to quarantine?

If you had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and you are in one of the following groups, you do not need to quarantine.

• You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
• You had confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days (meaning you tested positive using a viral test).

You should wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days from the date of your last close contact with someone with COVID-19 (the date of last close contact is considered day 0). Get tested at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. If you test positive or develop COVID-19 symptoms, isolate from other people and follow recommendations in the Isolation section below. If you tested positive for COVID-19 with a viral test within the previous 90 days and subsequently recovered and remain without COVID-19 symptoms, you do not need to quarantine or get tested after close contact. You should wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days from the date of your last close contact with someone with COVID-19 (the date of last close contact is considered day 0).

Who should quarantine?

If you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine if you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. This includes people who are not vaccinated.

What to do for quarantine

• Stay home and away from other people for at least 5 days (day 0 through day 5) after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19. The date of your exposure is considered day 0. Wear a well-fitting mask when around others at home, if possible.
• For 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19, watch for fever (100.4◦F or greater), cough, shortness of breath, or other COVID-19 symptoms .
• If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive your test results. If you test positive, follow isolation recommendations.
• If you do not develop symptoms, get tested at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
  • If you test negative, you can leave your home, but continue to wear a well-fitting mask when around others at home and in public until 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19.
  • If you test positive, you should isolate for at least 5 days from the date of your positive test (if you do not have symptoms). If you do develop COVID-19 symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days from the date your symptoms began (the date the symptoms started is day 0). Follow recommendations in the isolation section below.
  • If you are unable to get a test 5 days after last close contact with someone with COVID-19, you can leave your home after day 5 if you have been without COVID-19 symptoms throughout the 5-day period. Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after your date of last close contact when around others at home and in public.
  • Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days.
• If possible, stay away from people you live with, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, as well as others outside your home throughout the full 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• If you are unable to quarantine, you should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days when around others at home and in public.
• If you are unable to wear a mask when around others, you should continue to quarantine for 10 days. Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days.
• Do not travel during your 5-day quarantine period. Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact and make sure your test result is negative and you remain without symptoms before traveling. If you don’t get tested, delay travel until 10 days after your last close contact with a person with COVID-19. If you must travel before the 10 days are completed, wear a well-fitting mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel during the 10 days. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during the 10 days.
• Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask, such as restaurants and some gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work until after 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19.

After quarantine

• Watch for symptoms until 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• If you have symptoms, isolate immediately and get tested.

Isolation

Isolation is used to separate people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from those without COVID-19. People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. At home, anyone sick or infected should separate from others, or wear a well-fitting mask when they need to be around others. People in isolation should stay in a specific “sick room” or area and use a separate bathroom if available. Everyone who has presumed or confirmed COVID-19 should stay home and isolate from other people for at least 5 full days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the day of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons). They should wear a mask when around others at home and in public for an additional 5 days. People who are confirmed to have COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 need to isolate regardless of their vaccination status. This includes:

• People who have a positive viral test for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.
• People with symptoms of COVID-19, including people who are awaiting test results or have not been tested. People with symptoms should isolate even if they do not know if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

What to do for isolation

• Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
• Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible.
• Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
• Take steps to improve ventilation at home, if possible.
• Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets.
• Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
• Wear a well-fitting mask when you need to be around other people.

Ending isolation for people who had COVID-19 and had symptoms

If you had COVID-19 and had symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days. To calculate your 5-day isolation period, day 0 is your first day of symptoms. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed. You can leave isolation after 5 full days.

• You can end isolation after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​).
• You should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public for 5 additional days (day 6 through day 10) after the end of your 5-day isolation period. If you are unable to wear a mask when around others, you should continue to isolate for a full 10 days. Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days.
• If you continue to have fever or your other symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, you should wait to end your isolation until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved. Continue to wear a well-fitting mask. Contact your healthcare provider if you have questions.
• Do not travel during your 5-day isolation period. After you end isolation, avoid travel until a full 10 days after your first day of symptoms. If you must travel on days 6-10, wear a well-fitting mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during the 10 days.
• Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask, such as restaurants and some gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work until a full 10 days after your first day of symptoms.

If an individual has access to a test and wants to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period. Collect the test sample only if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation). If your test result is positive, you should continue to isolate until day 10. If your test result is negative,  you can end isolation, but continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10. Follow additional recommendations for masking and restricting travel as described above.

Ending isolation for people who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms

If you test positive for COVID-19 and never develop symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days. Day 0 is the day of your positive viral test (based on the date you were tested) and day 1 is the first full day after the specimen was collected for your positive test. You can leave isolation after 5 full days.

• If you continue to have no symptoms, you can end isolation after at least 5 days.
• You should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10 (day 6 through day 10). If you are unable to wear a mask when around others, you should continue to isolate for 10 days. Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days.
• If you develop symptoms after testing positive, your 5-day isolation period should start over. Day 0 is your first day of symptoms. Follow the recommendations above for ending isolation for people who had COVID-19 and had symptoms.
• Do not travel during your 5-day isolation period. After you end isolation, avoid travel until 10 days after the day of your positive test. If you must travel on days 6-10, wear a well-fitting mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during the 10 days after your positive test.
• Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask, such as restaurants and some gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work until 10 days after the day of your positive test.

If an individual has access to a test and wants to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period. If your test result is positive, you should continue to isolate until day 10. If your test result is negative, you can end isolation, but continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10. Follow additional recommendations for masking and restricting travel described above.

 

 

** ”These requirements are based upon the current recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatricians, the CDC, and local public health officials, due to the documented efficacy of masking to limit risk of transmission of the virus, the emerging concerns regarding the contagiousness of the Delta variant, Omicron, and the finding that vaccinated individuals can unknowingly transmit the virus.”