September 1, 2022
Dear Harborlight Friends,
As we turn the page on a new school year, I want to update you on our COVID protocols.
As we have since March 2020, we will continue to follow Federal and state health
guidelines. The attached memo from Chris Wilson outlines our current COVID
protocols.
We will continue to alert you of any positive cases in your child’s classroom, just as we
do for any other communicable illness such as strep, flu, or hand/foot/mouth.
Some teachers and students will want to wear masks, and we respect that. No one
should feel uncomfortable for making a personal health decision.
We also rely upon you as our first line of defense; while we can deal with COVID in
house, we cannot control what comes to our doorstep. We need you to monitor your
child’s health, and not send them to school if they exhibit symptoms. This is true for
any potentially contagious condition, not just for COVID. In that regard, if you have
medical questions, you should consult your pediatrician.
COVID has not gone away, and we will have to be flexible in dealing with whatever
comes our way. Working together, we can keep our children in school and as healthy as possible.
Be safe,
Paul
September 1, 2022
To: Harborlight Community
From Chris Wilson, Health Care Consultant
Re: COVID Protocols
The Department of Health and DESE have recently updated COVID-19 isolation and exposure guidance for schools. The start of this year will look very different than the previous 2 years. DPH is no longer recommending mask requirements, surveillance testing, or contact tracing. Additionally, the state has ended the test-to-stay program in all schools. The only in-school, mitigation strategy recommended by the state is the testing of symptomatic individuals. We have a large supply of rapid tests at school to test any student or staff that becomes symptomatic during the school day.
Isolation and exposure guidance has also changed and Harborlight will adhere to the following protocols recommended by DPH:
1. Quarantine is no longer required for any individual exposed to COVID. The exposed person should be asymptomatic and masked, if possible, through day 11, to remain at school. Anyone who develops symptoms should be tested immediately and stay home. If your child does have an exposure outside of school, especially and in home exposure, it would be best practice to test then prior to coming to school each day.
2. Children who test positive should remain home for 5 days and mask for an additional 5 days upon return. The day of the positive test or the day symptoms started is day 0. Children who cannot mask (infants and toddlers), must have a negative test on day 6 or later to return to school prior to day 11.
In addition to the state guidelines, we ask that you keep any child with new symptoms, other than a mild runny nose, home for a day until whatever it is declares itself. Please test your child before returning to school.
I will be available at drop off in the morning for questions or concerns. Additionally, if you have an issue after school hours, please email me and Stephanie, as opposed to texting or calling me. I will call you in the morning when I get to school. If you have true emergency, I will try to reach out sooner.