Bi-County Collaborative parent forum on in-school COVID practices and procedures for the 2021-2022 school year.

2020-2021 School Year Information

2020-2021 PROTOCOLS FOR INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE OR INDIVIDUAL POSITIVE TEST STUDENT OR STAFF TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

1. The student or staff member must remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer calls from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. For most people who have relatively mild illness, they will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 14 days and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever (without the aid of fever-reducing medications) and improvement in other symptoms.

2. The student’s parent/caregiver or the staff member informs the proper school official that the individual has tested positive for COVID-19. The designated BICO COVID-19 school official in turn notifies the District Board of Health.

3. Determine whether the student or staff member was on the premises during the time frame that started two days (48 hours) prior to symptom onset (or testing positive if not symptomatic) until the time of isolation.

• A. If so, promptly close off areas visited by the COVID-19 positive individual until such areas can be cleaned and disinfected, if they have not been cleaned and disinfected already.
• B. Promptly clean and disinfect the student’s or staff member’s classroom and any other facilities (e.g., extracurricular facilities) visited by the individual, if that has not been done already.
• C. Notify the transportation company in order to allow for prompt cleaning and disinfecting of the bus(es) the student or staff member was on, if any, and if not already done.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (e.g., student has self-contained classroom throughout the day):

1. Send a communication to the other families in the student’s class (e.g., cohort) that there has been a positive test without naming the individual student or staff member who tested positive.

2. Communications sent to families/staff should:

• a. Inform families there was a positive test (not the specific individual) in the self-contained classroom.
• b. Explain that since the students are within this cohort and may have been within 6 feet of the person with a positive test, they are considered a “close contact” and therefore should be tested. (In cases where the student may have been in close contact with others outside their cohort, having assigned seating and up-to-date seating charts will help to identify students and staff who will be instructed to be tested: specifically, those who were sitting next to the student, and also others who also had close contact with the student.)
• c. Explain that all close contacts should be tested, and if they test positive they must self-quarantine for 14 days and until 24 hours with no fever and improvement of other symptoms. If they test negative they must also quarantine for 14 days regardless of the negative test result.
• d. Explain that if close contacts choose not to be tested, the student or staff member should remain home in self-quarantine for 14 days.
• e. Remind families and/or staff of the importance of not having contact with higher-risk individuals (e.g., grandparents and those with underlying medical conditions).
• f. Remind families and/or staff of the list of COVID-19 symptoms for which to monitor.

3. If the school is notified of the original COVID-19 positive test in the middle of a school day when the rest of the cohort is in class: a. Be sure these students are wearing masks, including in kindergarten and first grade. Extra masks that may be required will be provided by BICO. Enforce strict physical distancing. Require students to thoroughly wash their hands. b. The school should quickly identify the individuals who may be “close contacts” of the student and notify students’ families and staff members. c. Caregivers of students in the class or other close contacts may pick students up prior to the end of the day. Caregivers must wear a mask/face covering when picking up their student. Students who are close contacts and students with any symptoms cannot ride the school bus to get home. Caregivers and students, as well as staff, should wash their hands upon arriving at home and change their clothes as a precaution. d. Close contacts should not come back to school until they have been in quarantine for 14 days and are COVID-19 symptom free.

4. As feasible, to assist with contact tracing, make a list including phone number and email of any other close contacts the student or staff member had, beginning two days (48 hours) before the onset of symptoms (or positive test if asymptomatic) until the individual was isolated. Instruct those students and/or staff members to get tested according to the same protocol as the student’s cohort above.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL

1. The school should identify the student’s or staff member’s possible “close contacts” based on the assigned seating charts. The review period should begin two days before symptoms appeared (or two days prior to the date of the positive test if there were no symptoms) and include up until the time the student was isolated. Consider students and staff members who were within 6 feet of the individual for 15 minutes in class, on the school bus, or at extracurricular activities.

2. Follow the guidance from the local DPH and other relevant protocols.

3. Close contacts should be tested for COVID-19 at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment.

4. Instruct the student or staff member to isolate while waiting for the results of their test.

5. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead quarantine for 14 days and until asymptomatic.

IF OTHERS IN THE SCHOOL TEST POSITIVE: Perform all steps under the Mass DPH guidance.

IF NO OTHERS IN THE SCHOOL TEST POSITIVE: Guidance includes 14 days of self quarantine. Any area of the school visited by the COVID-19 positive individual must be closed off and/or cleaned and disinfected.

CLOSE CONTACT OF STUDENT OR STAFF TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

1. Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all close contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should be tested.

2. The student or staff member who was in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should be tested at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead quarantine for 14 days and until asymptomatic.

3. Close contacts should isolate at home prior to testing and while awaiting test results. Ability to mask is critical, so if the close contact cannot mask they should not return for 14 days.

4. In order to return to school, close contacts must quarantine at home for 14 days regardless of a negative test result. Because tests performed too early can be falsely negative, ideally the test should be performed no sooner than 4 or 5 days after the last contact with the person who tested positive.

5. IF POSITIVE TEST: The student or staff member should remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 14 days and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.

STUDENT IS SYMPTOMATIC AT HOME

1. Families must monitor students at home each morning for the most common symptoms of COVID-19 (see list on COVID19).

a. IF NO SYMPTOMS:

i. Send student to school.

b. IF ANY SYMPTOM:

i. Do not send the student to school.

ii. Call the school’s point of contact and inform them the student is staying home due to COVID symptoms.

iii. Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all symptomatic individuals in Massachusetts, even those with mild symptoms, should be tested. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead isolate for 10 days after onset of symptoms and until asymptomatic for at least 24 hours.

iv. The student should get tested at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment.

v. Isolate at home until test results are returned.

vi. Proceed as follows according to test results:

1. IF NEGATIVE: Student stays home until asymptomatic for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications).

2. IF POSITIVE: Student should remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.

Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all symptomatic individuals in Massachusetts, even those with mild symptoms, should be tested. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead isolate for 10 days after onset of symptoms and until asymptomatic. Students should get tested at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment.

1. IF NEGATIVE: If the student does not have COVID-19, the student may return to school based upon guidance from their clinician and necessary management of another diagnosis. Students stay home until asymptomatic for 24 hours.

2. IF POSITIVE: Student should remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days after onset of symptoms and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.

IF NO SYMPTOMS: i. If the evaluation shows the student does not have symptoms, send the student to class.

STUDENT IS SYMPTOMATIC AT SCHOOL

1. Although families are the most important first line of defense for monitoring symptoms, teachers will play an important role in referring possible symptomatic students to the school nurse or other medical point of contact.

2. Teacher ensures the student is wearing a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth at all times, when appropriate.

3. Teacher calls the nurse to inform them that they have a possible case.

4. Nurse should evaluate the student for symptoms.

a. IF ANY SYMPTOM:

i. Place the student in the designated medical waiting room. There is no specific capacity limit for the medical waiting room, but all students in the COVID-19 waiting room must be as far apart as possible, and no less than 6 feet. Strict face mask wearing (covering the nose and mouth) at all times for every person in the room must be enforced. Students can work on individual schoolwork or other activities while in the medical waiting room. Contact caregiver for pick-up.

1. IF CAREGIVER CAN PICK UP DURING THE DAY: Student waits to be picked up in the medical waiting room. Caregivers must wear a mask/face covering when picking up their student. Students who are ill may not ride the school bus to get home.

2. IF CAREGIVER CANNOT PICK UP DURING THE DAY: The emergency form will be used for the next available pick up person. If not available the parent/guardian MUST come and pick up their child as this is a potential health risk for all students and staff in the building.

Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all symptomatic individuals in Massachusetts, even those with mild symptoms, should be tested. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until asymptomatic. Students should get tested at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment.

1. IF NEGATIVE: If the student does not have COVID-19, the student may return to school based upon guidance from their clinician and necessary management of another diagnosis. Students stay home until asymptomatic for 24 hours.

2. IF POSITIVE: Student must remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.

STAFF IS SYMPTOMATIC AT HOME

1. Staff should monitor themselves at home each morning for the most common symptoms of COVID-19 (see list on COVID19 questionnaire)

a. IF ANY SYMPTOM:

i. Do not come to work.

ii. Contact your direct supervisor.

iii. Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all symptomatic individuals in Massachusetts, even those with mild symptoms, should be tested. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until asymptomatic.

iv. The staff member should get tested at one of Massachusetts’ test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or an appointment.

v. Isolate at home until test results are returned.

vi. Proceed as follows according to test results:

1. IF NEGATIVE: If the staff member does not have COVID-19, they may return to school based upon guidance from their clinician and necessary management of another diagnosis. Staff member must remain home until asymptomatic for 24 hours.

2. IF POSITIVE: Staff member should remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days after onset of symptoms and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.

STAFF IS SYMPTOMATIC AT SCHOOL

1. As noted above, staff are directed to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.

2. If a staff member suspects any symptoms during the day, they should follow the program’s protocols for placing another adult to cover their class mid-day, if needed, and see the school nurse (or school medical point of contact) to be evaluated for symptoms. IF NO SYMPTOMS OF COVID: The staff member should follow the school’s standard protocols for being excused due to illness.

a. IF ANY SYMPTOM:

Current Massachusetts DPH guidance is that all symptomatic individuals in Massachusetts, even those with mild symptoms, should be tested. An individual who does not wish to be tested should instead isolate for 10 days after onset of symptoms and until asymptomatic for 24 hours. The staff member should get tested at one of Massachusetts’s test sites. Sites may require pre-screening, a referral, and/or appointment. Isolate at home until test results are returned. Proceed as follows according to test results:

1. IF NEGATIVE: Staff member stays home until asymptomatic for 24 hours.

2. IF POSITIVE: Staff member should remain at home (except to get medical care), monitor their symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from the local board of health or Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.