Community Health Update
02.18.22
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KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EMAIL:
- Starting February 28, masks will be optional for all vaccinated students, faculty, and staff; at this time, masks will still be required for all visitors to campus, regardless of vaccination status. This protocol shift is in line with Massachusetts DPH and DESE guidelines.
- With this shift, it is important to note that there will be times throughout the year when we will reinstate the mask requirement for students, faculty, and staff; one of these times will be March 28 through April 1—the week following spring break.
- Our layered approach to testing and monitoring community health will remain the same. We will continue with weekly on-site PCR testing through April as well as providing rapid tests for our community members to take at home every Monday morning. (It's not too late to opt-in to the state program).
- There will be a community Zoom with Head of School Kim Samson on February 23.
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NOTE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL KIM SAMSON |
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Dear Beaver Families,
This week’s Health Update is below, and I look forward to seeing many of you in the Zoom call scheduled for Wednesday, February 23 at 7 p.m.
Beaver has planned for several weeks to align with Massachusetts DPH and DESE to lift the mask mandate on February 28. While we are aware of public school requirements extending the mask mandate until March 15 in the town of Brookline, we are moving forward with this plan. If private schools receive official communication from the Public Health Department of Brookline specifying a requirement to extend the mandate, we will do so. In either case, we are excited to begin seeing full faces and also strengthen our sense of community by supporting all individuals and their families to make the best choices for themselves when it comes to masking or not under any number of circumstances.
In the spirit of our Launch/Test/Refine mindset, we plan to launch and test during the first two weeks of March. After March vacation, we will go back to masks-required for the first week back while we re-establish our community health baseline after an extended break. This requirement gives us the opportunity to assess our testing data from the at-home antigen tests taken Monday, March 28, and the community PCR testing on Wednesday, March 30; hope this will provide the reassurance necessary to move back to a mask optional protocol. Our Covid Team, led by Associate Head of School for Special Projects Zaira Santiago, has met with several medical experts who have been guiding us through the pandemic. They have answered questions and offered advice that has been incorporated in the updated protocols, and it will inform our responses to questions on Wednesday evening’s Community Zoom.
On Tuesday, you will receive a Google Form to add any questions you hope we will address on Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you there.
Best,
Kim Samson
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NEW INFORMATION
COVID-19 CASES AT A GLANCE
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4 new cases
Total new cases since we shared numbers on February 11
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2 cases
Total of the above new cases determined from pool testing and on campus rapid testing
1 MS student;
1 US student;
0 employees*
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3 cases
Total of the above new cases determined from home testing
0 MS students;
2 US students;
1 employee*
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Total cases since the start of school
140 positive cases
(100 student cases; 40 employees*)
1 case is a late report from December; it had not been reported until this week
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*The term "employee" encompasses all BVR faculty/staff
(full-time & part-time) as well as contracted workers.
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Next community pool testing date
Thursday, February 24, 2022
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AN OVERVIEW OF OUR UPDATED MASK PROTOCOLS
This protocol shift is in line with Massachusetts DPH and DESE guidelines
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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY & STAFF
Starting February 28, masks will be optional for all vaccinated students, faculty, and staff.
As mandated by state and/or federal guidelines, masks will be still required for the following individuals and/or in the following scenarios:
- Unvaccinated individuals must be masked at all times while indoors, except while actively eating or drinking.
- After testing positive for COVID, an individual returning to campus after a 5-day quarantine (with a negative antigen test) must remain masked on days 6-10 unless actively eating or drinking.
- Masks must be worn at all times while riding a school bus.
- Individuals must wear a mask when entering our health office.
PLEASE NOTE: MASKS WILL SOMETIMES BE REQUIRED
For the health and safety of our community, and in an ever shifting Covid reality, we recognize there will be times throughout the year when we will have to reinstate the mask mandate for students, faculty, and staff—due to a surge in cases/hospitalizations in our area or following an extended break.
With Spring Break right around the corner—with an uptick in travel and gatherings—we will require masks for the week following spring break (March 28 through April 1). This will allow for multiple rounds of community testing and help us re-establish a healthy community baseline.
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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR VISITORS
For the time being, as we assess how the mask mandate impacts our direct community, we will continue requiring masks for all campus visitors, regardless of vaccination status. This includes parents, alumni, and prospective families.
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I NEED MORE DETAILS
You can read more details—including vaccination requirements, athletics and performances updates, and guidelines for return to school after a positive result—in the updated Covid-19 Protocols on our website.
In addition, join us on Wednesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. to hear more from Head of School Kim Samson and ask your questions (Zoom link to follow).
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