To date, CRB has achieved a vaccine rate of 95% and has had no in-school transmission of COVID 19.

 

Governor Charlie Baker announced that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would end the statewide school mask mandate on Feb. 28. However, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said last Thursday that the city's public schools would continue to enforce a school mask mandate beyond the end of the month. Catholic schools in Boston will lift their mask mandate and stop requiring face coverings once the statewide mandate lifts. In a meeting yesterday, the Boston Public Health Commission recommended that private and charter schools use their own discretion with the vaccine rate being the primary guiding principle.

 

As a Catholic school in Boston, we live in both worlds, and after careful consideration with our health office, have come up with the following Mask Protocol.

 

On January 18, 2021, DESE, EOHHS, and DPH announced an update to the COVID-19 Testing Program for districts and schools. Specifically, districts and schools participating in symptomatic and/or pooled testing may choose to continue those testing strategies and discontinue contact tracing and Test and Stay.

We are discontinuing our test and stay with contact tracing; and are electing to stay with symptomatic testing and add “opt in” test at home antigen testing. Here are the two options:

Diagnostic Testing:

• Symptomatic Testing: (for when individuals present symptoms while at school; individuals should not go to school if experiencing symptoms while at home): Shallow nasal swab samples are collected at school using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test or another approved diagnostic test. We need to have a completed consent form. 

At-home Rapid Antigen Testing:

• At-Home Rapid Testing (to be distributed to participating staff and students, regardless of vaccination status): Shallow nasal swab samples are collected at home.

 

Participation in the At Home Testing: 

In order to receive the “opt in” testing you must first fill out the opt in authorization form as well as have filled out completely the parent student handbook acknowledgement.

Here is the link for participation in the “Opt In” antigen testing.

Opt in Sign Up

Once we have record of you filling out the “Opt in” form your child can pick up at test kit.

Here are the resources for training on how to administer the tests:

• Click here for a full “how to” written guide in various languages
• Click here for a video of an individual self-testing

 

More Details:

• The tests will be shipped to the district for internal distribution, and they are packaged in kits containing two tests per kit.
• At-home antigen test provided: iHealth
• Participating faculty and staff will receive one kit every two weeks so that they can test themselves weekly.
• You  can pick up the at home test on Fridays out of our Health Office.

If you test positive, please let one of the nurses know. When reporting the positive please send a photo of the test that indicates a positive. 

City of Boston Vaccine Sites: https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-health-commission/covid-19-vaccine-boston

City of Boston Testing: https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-health-commission/covid-19-testing-sites

 

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated4
close contacts: Individuals who are asymptomatic and
fully vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Classroom close contacts: An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive
individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the
individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart, is exempt from testing and quarantine
response protocols.

• Bus close contacts: Individuals on buses must be masked according to federal
requirements. As such, individuals who are masked on buses when windows are open are
exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: An individual who
has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of
someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if:
o the exposure occurred within 90 days of the onset of their own illness AND
o the exposed individual is recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms.

Protocol A for individuals who test positive
• Duration: Self-isolation for COVID-19 positive cases is a minimum of 5 days after
symptom onset or after positive PCR or antigen test, if asymptomatic.
• Return to school: After 5 days and once they have:
      o Been without fever for 24 hours (and without taking fever-reducing medications)
      o Experienced improvement in other symptoms.
      o Following the 5-day isolation period, individuals must mask for 5 additional days
         when around others, other than when eating, drinking, or outside.
• Note: Return to school should be based on time and symptom resolution. Testing during
isolation to return to school is not required.

Protocol B* (New Version): Protocol for asymptomatic, unvaccinated individuals
identified as close contacts outside of school settings
• Duration: Quarantine is at least 5 days from the date of exposure
• Return to School: After 5 days, returning on day 6, provided that they:
      o Remain asymptomatic,
      o Adhere to strict mask use, other than when eating, drinking, or outside, and conduct
active monitoring for symptoms through day 10; and,
      o Self-isolate if symptoms develop.

 

• Note: If an individual has symptoms at the time they are designated as a close contact or
within the 5 days following initial exposure, they should follow the protocol for
symptomatic individuals (Protocol C). If an individual tests positive at any time, they
follow the protocol for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 (Protocol A). For all
those exposed, best practice would also include a viral test (antigen or PCR) for COVID19 at day 5 after exposure. An antigen test may be self-administered and does not need to
be proctored or performed by a healthcare professional.

Protocol C for symptomatic individuals: Return to school post-symptoms with optional
test
• Duration: Dependent on symptom resolution
• Return to School: Individuals may return to school after they:
      o Have improvement in symptoms
      o Have been without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing
         medications.

 

It is also recommended that individuals receive a negative PCR or antigen test
result for COVID-19. An antigen test may be self-administered and does not need
to be proctored or performed by a healthcare professional. Note: So long as the
individual is not a close contact, if a medical professional makes an alternative
diagnosis for the COVID-19-like symptoms, the individual may use this
recommendation (e.g., for influenza or strep pharyngitis) in lieu of a PCR test or
antigen test.

• Please note: If an individual has mild symptoms, the individual may be considered for
testing using BinaxNOW, if available.

     o If the result if positive, they should be sent home and follow Protocol A.
     o If the result is negative, they should remain in school.