COVID Update: Department of Health Guidelines

Masking  

  • Beginning Monday, your student has the choice of whether or not to wear a mask to school! This recommendation from Public Health is a signal we are currently in a place of overall lower risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to recognize this moment of being able to offer families the choice of masking as a momentous one – almost exactly 2 years from the declaration of the pandemic – and to acknowledge the efforts and sacrifice of families, students and staff during this time.  
  • While masks are no longer required, there will be situations when the use of well-fitting masks will be temporarily recommended (please have your student keep a mask in their backpack): 
    • Mary Poppins Musical: for the upcoming musical performance 3/18-3/20, we are maintaining the requirement that the audience and crew mask for the performance
    • If your student shows signs of illness during the school day, we will ask them to put on a mask before being sent home. The school can offer COVID testing at school, and/or provide rapid tests for home use. 
    • If there are exposure(s) in a classroom, we may ask students and staff in that classroom to mask for a recommended period of time after consulting with Public Health; we will communicate such requests to families in a timely manner. 
  • CYO Sports: starting March 19, masks will be optional for athletes, coaches and spectators for CYO Volleyball. We recommend that everyone always have masks on hand since some schools in our conference will still require masks when competing. We will continue to share CYO updates with you when they become available.

Masks optional is a big shift from the routine our community has grown accustomed to over the past two years. Students, children, and staff will have the choice to wear a mask at school, with the expectation that others’ choices will be respected. Students and families may experience a variety of emotions as we all navigate these changes. The school counselor, Ms. Shaw, is available to support students who are having big feelings about these changes.

Positive COVID Cases/Exposures 

  • A student, child, or staff who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to isolate at home for 5 full days, regardless of vaccination status 
  • NEW: When a student is returning after having COVID (after 5 days of isolation) they must wear a well-fitting high-quality mask (KN95) during days 6-10 UNLESS they test negative on a rapid test; testing beyond day 10 is not necessary 
  • We will continue to communicate to classrooms regarding positive COVID cases 
  • NEW: Regardless of vaccination status, students who are exposed are not required to quarantine 

Signs of Illness  

  • If your student shows any signs of illness they are required to stay home and should be tested for COVID-19 (either PCR or rapid); both methods of testing are available at St. John (email covidresponse@st-johnschool.org to arrange) 
  • A symptomatic student can return to school if they test negative, there is no fever within 24-hours and symptoms have significantly improved 

At this moment where masks are becoming optional, we will continue to employ the other mitigation strategies that have been in place for some time. These include physical distancing to the degree possible, improved ventilation, handwashing and hand sanitizing, and cleaning/disinfecting protocols. For now, we are not making any changes to recess or lunch configurations. 

While we are moving into a new phase of the pandemic, COVID-19 remains with us, and it should be recognized the COVID-19 pandemic response must remain flexible with the possibility for changes that occur at the state and local levels. 

We encourage you to continue to reference our COVID Response page for updated information, and also please do not hesitate to contact us with questions that you may have.