COVID Protocols- Updates
January 12, 2022
Dear Families,
We recently made several significant shifts to our protocols in the recent weeks. Dr. Galdston presented these updates at Monday's School Committee Meeting.
Due to an increase in the number of tests submitted to the lab, we are experiencing later notification of results. Additionally, with more students testing positive, our priority in communicating is to contact families of those testing positive is our primary focus. However, I will continue to update you on the weekly positive results. As we advance, I will notify the Lowell community giving the total number of positive cases in our school due to pool testing and the classrooms where they occurred.
A notable change in our pool testing is beginning this past Monday. We have reduced the size of our pools from a previous 8-10 samples to four or fewer. This makes the follow-up reflex testing much smoother.
Below you will find the Handbook Part II COVID Addendum updated presented to the School Committee on Monday, January 10, 2022.
As always, thank you for your continued feedback and cooperation,
Stacy
Slides from the School Committee Meeting 1/10/22
OVERVIEW
The goal of the Watertown Public Schools is to continue to provide a safe teaching and learning environment for our students and staff. This handbook addendum is designed to provide all members of the Watertown Public Schools Community with the necessary information, guidelines, procedures and policies to safely and effectively participate in the educational program this year. In accordance with the directive from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, all instruction will be in person for the 2021-2022 school year. It is imperative that all families read and review the contents of this addendum.
The protocols will be reevaluated at each of the School Committee meetings, specifically on September 13, October 4, October 18 and November 8, and all subsequent meetings thereafter. Any changes to the protocols will be based on community, county and state metrics including total number of cases, vaccination rates, level of risk, and testing.
All individuals who are eligible for the COVID 19 Vaccine are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, and individuals who are eligible to get a booster are encouraged to get boosted. There are differences in quarantine protocols for vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals, as well as boosted versus those without the booster shot, described in this document. Vaccination and boosters provide a strong defense against severe illness with COVID 19.
SCHOOL-WIDE SAFETY STRATEGIES
Continuing to maintain safe in-person school environments requires a culture of health and safety every step of the way.
Specifically:
● Students, with the assistance of families, must be monitored daily for symptoms, and Staff must monitor themselves for symptoms daily. Staff and students must stay home if feeling unwell. Everyone must do their part to protect others and not come to school if they or anyone in their household are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms or are feeling sick. This applies to all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. Families are encouraged to bring any symptomatic student to the free symptomatic testing site at Lowell West from 8:15-10:30 any school day.
● Masks are among the most important single measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Watertown Public School District is committed to providing a safe environment as schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to public health experts, one of the best ways to stop the spread of coronavirus and to keep members of the school community safe is the use of face masks or face coverings. Therefore, in accordance with current guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Watertown Health Department, the following requirements are in place until further notice. As the pandemic is an evolving situation, this will be reviewed as new guidance becomes available.
o A mask or face covering that covers the nose and mouth must be worn by all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in school buildings, and on school transportation, even when social distancing is observed. Face shields may be worn for additional protection, but they do not replace masks.
o Face masks or face coverings will not be required when appropriate social distancing is enforced:
▪ during mask breaks lasting less than 10 minutes
▪ while eating or drinking
▪ while outdoors
o Exceptions to this policy under certain circumstances, such as for students with medical, behavioral or other challenges who are unable to wear masks, must be approved by the building principal in consultation with the school nurse or local Health Department. A written note from a physician is required for a requested medical exemption. Parents may not excuse their child from the face mask requirement.
o WPS will provide KN95 masks for each teacher, and surgical masks for each student if needed. In addition, the district will supply disposable face coverings for individuals who arrive at a building, or board school transportation, without one.
o If students are in violation of this policy, the building principal will consult with the parent/guardians to determine whether an exception is appropriate. Violations of this policy by staff will be handled in the same manner as other violations of School Committee policy.
o Visitors in violation of this policy will be denied entry to the school/district facility.
● Hand hygiene is critical. Students and staff are required to exercise hand hygiene (handwashing or sanitizing) upon arrival at school, before eating, before putting on and taking off masks, and before dismissal. Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best practice. However, hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can be substituted for handwashing. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up in common areas, hallways, and classrooms.
● Physical distance can reduce the risk of transmission. When feasible, 3 feet of distancing is recommended indoors while masked. Whenever possible, students in classrooms and common spaces in Watertown will be 3 feet apart.
Testing, tracing, isolation, and quarantine. It is important to note that testing, combined with contact tracing and isolation, helps control the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.
The weekly pooled testing program will continue in 2022, PreK-12. All test results, both positive and negative, are reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and to our local Watertown Health Department. Watertown Public Schools conducts contact tracing when a positive case is identified within the WPS community through the school testing program or when the family or Watertown Health Department alerts the school. All district-sponsored pool testing and reflex testing is done through the schools at no additional cost to parents.
COVID SYMPTOMS AND MONITORING
Most common symptoms of COVID-19 and testing requirements
Many symptoms of COVID-19 are the same as the flu or a bad cold and it is important not to assume that symptoms are due to another condition. If any student or staff member is symptomatic, they must STAY HOME pending testing for COVID-19. The collective health of the Watertown Public Schools community relies on individual attention and shared responsibility.
Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their families, and staff should monitor themselves and household members, EVERY MORNING:
❏ Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills (CDC has lowered the temperature from 100.4 to 100.0)
❏ Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
❏ Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
❏ New loss of taste or smell
❏ Sore throat
❏ Headache when in combination with other symptoms
❏ Muscle aches or body aches
❏ Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
❏ Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
❏ Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms
Staff and students who experience COVID-19 symptoms and test negative on on a rapid antigen test, regardless of vaccination status, may return to school if they:
Obtain a negative COVID-19 test, either a PCR or Rapid Antigen test AND
Experience improvement in symptoms AND
Are fever free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medication
If a student or staff member chooses not to be tested for COVID-19, they are presumed to be positive and must be isolated for a minimum of 5 days, regardless of vaccination status. They may return to school on the 6th day following the onset of symptoms, as long as they:
Experience improvement in symptoms AND
Are fever free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medication
POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES
Returning after COVID
Self-isolation for COVID-19 positive cases is a minimum of 5 days - regardless of vaccination status Most people who test positive and have a relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for 5 days. People who test positive can return to school on the 6th day if they:
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID and they are asymptomatic, they may come back on day six. The day they test positive for COVID is day 0. For example, if an individual gets a positive test on Wednesday, you can return on the following Tuesday. See chart below.
If a student or staff member is symptomatic and then they test positive, day 0 is the first day they start to develop symptoms.
If a student or staff member tests positive and develops symptoms AFTER their positive test, day 0 resets to the day they become symptomatic.
A student or staff member CAN ONLY RETURN after 5 days of isolation if they were asymptomatic, OR if they are fever-free and your symptoms are significantly resolving.
If a student or staff member has COVID, they cannot be part of pool testing for 90 days from their positive test, as they may test positive for up to 12 weeks on a PCR test.
A mask must be worn at all times whenever outside of the home for 5 additional days to minimize risk of infecting others. Mask wearing at all times is essential for all students, but especially those returning from isolation. Repeat testing prior to return is not recommended. Return to school is based on time and symptom resolution.During lunch or while eating or drinking, students and staff who are returning from isolation will be required to sit six feet from other individuals through Day 10 from testing positive or from the onset of symptoms.
CLOSE CONTACTS AND QUARANTINES
Contact Tracing. The local Offices of Public Health are the entities in charge of contact tracing, and they are no longer maintaining this effort. School nurses were involved at the outset of the pandemic in an effort to help overwhelmed local public health officials stop the spread of the virus. Two years into this pandemic, a more moderate view of contact tracing has emerged. It is now a public health expectation that those who test positive share this news with anyone with whom they have been in contact.
In an effort to streamline the work and to ensure that nurses are freed up to do the important work of triaging, testing, and all of their related responsibilities, they will use their triage skills to determine when contact tracing is needed. For instance, nurses would likely engage in contact tracing in a classroom with immunocompromised children or multiple positive COVID-19 cases, but not necessarily in a general education setting with no other positive cases and where students are seated three feet apart.
For general guidance, DPH defines close contacts in the school setting as:
Being within less than 3 feet of a positive individual for at least 15 minutes
Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g., being coughed on) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment
Determining close contacts may be challenging in some early childhood and elementary environments due to the active and social nature of young children, and there may be times when several or all students in a classroom could be considered close contacts if there is a positive case. The school administration and school nurses will determine when that may be necessary.
Exposures in the home: Positive COVID-19 cases are considered to be most infectious from two days prior to onset of symptoms (for asymptomatic individuals, two days prior to the date of the positive test) through 2-3 days from onset, and until symptoms are resolved including no fever for 24 hours. When a household member is positive and cannot effectively be isolated from others, exposure is continuous throughout the individual's infectious period. In these situations, the school nurse will confer with the Watertown Health Department to determine the last date of exposure for students and staff members.
Updated Quarantine Protocols for Close Contacts
Effective December 29, 2021, Watertown Public Schools is adopting the CDC recommended quarantine period for anyone who is exposed to COVID-19.
Individuals who have received their booster shot, or are within six months of their second Moderna or Pfizer dose (or within 2 months of the J&J vaccine) do NOT need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.
For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second Moderna or Pfizer dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days.
Test and Stay: Students who are not exempt as defined in the preceding paragraph from quarantine can participate in the Test and Stay Program if they were determined to be a close contact in school. The Test and Stay Protocol lasts 5 days from the date of exposure or notification of exposure. Students who are unvaccinated or beyond six months from their vaccination and have yet to receive a booster shot must participate in the program or they should stay home for a minimum of 5 days. All students in the Test and Stay protocol will be tested using a rapid antigen test for five days, but only when school is in session.
COMMUNICATION
Watertown Public Schools will continue to communicate with staff and families of students who are considered close contacts in school, ensuring that rights to privacy (HIPAA and FERPA) are not violated.
Procedures for Communication:
The school will identify the student’s or staff member’s possible close contacts based on proximity related to class activities
The school will send a communication to the close contacts, without naming the individual student or staff member who tested positive, advising of next steps for quarantining and testing based on vaccination and booster status
A weekly dashboard will be updated on Mondays with numbers of positive cases by school
SCHOOL OPERATIONS
Visitors and Volunteers
There will be limited and restricted access to visitors and volunteers. A list of who will be allowed on school grounds will be communicated to staff and families. Clearly marked directions for deliveries- including- mail will be posted on the Main Entrance door. A phone number will direct visitors to call the Main Office for additional information. Where possible, deliveries will be scheduled to take place outside of the school day.
Entry and Exits:
In order to facilitate safe entrance and exits into our buildings the following protocols must be followed:
o Prior to school beginning, students, teachers, and parents will be trained on proper entry and exit routines
o Utilize multiple entrances to reduce crowding in entryways
o Assigned staff at entries and exits to supervise social distancing and mask-wearing
o All children use hand sanitizer when entering and exiting the building
Air quality
All classrooms, offices and common spaces utilize ventilation strategies to maximize air exchanges, including air purifiers with HEPA filters in each room across all buildings, open windows with screens, and increasing airflow in the existing HVAC systems.
Cleaning and Disinfecting Procedures
The frequency and intensity of cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection routines continues to be a priority. In addition to the daily cleaning tasks outlined in the standard WPS Custodial Manual, all custodians will follow prescribed steps and protocols to ensure that the buildings are being cleaned in a manner that will support and protect the health of all our staff and students. The COVID-19 Custodial Response Plan is to be considered a living document and is subject to change based upon new requirements and guidelines from governing agencies as they are released.
One of the most effective methods for controlling the spread of germs, outside of washing hands with soap and water, is to keep the building areas clean with the proper custodial care program. The WPS cleaning plan was developed in accordance with guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Watertown Health Department. According to CDC guidelines, the regular daily cleaning routine is sufficient to reduce the amount of germs and microorganisms to a safe level. Although already a daily task, increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting will help to further limit the spread of germs and illness.
Personal Hygiene/Handwashing
A plan is in place at each school to promote healthy hygiene practices in each area of the building. All students and staff are expected to practice frequent handwashing or hand sanitizing. Each classroom is equipped with hand sanitizer.
Students and staff should wash their hands or use sanitizer immediately before:
● Leaving home
● Leaving the classroom
● Eating
● Touching shared objects
● Touching their face
● Using the playground/ shared outdoor space
● Leaving school
Students and staff should wash their hands or use sanitizer immediately after:
● Arriving at school
● Finishing lunch
● Touching shared objects
● Taking mask breaks/ touching their mask
● Using the bathroom
● Using the playground/ shared outdoor space
● Coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose
● Arriving at home
Playground Use and Outdoor Tents
Recess breaks will continue to require close adult supervision. Teachers will work with physical education staff to teach students games and activities that can be managed and enjoyed with social distancing in place. Contact sports will not be allowed. Students will also utilize practices for safely removing and storing masks when taking a break.
Outdoor learning tents and/or outdoor spaces will be utilized daily as available and as feasible across the grade levels. A schedule will be in place that all classrooms have access to. Social distancing protocols will be followed during tent use as well.
Student and Staff Bathroom Protocols
Protocols for bathroom use will be clearly defined. Classrooms will be provided with staggered schedules and students will need to follow safety practices that include hand washing and disposal of paper towels in receptacles and not on the floor. Regular supervision and cleaning of bathrooms and high touch point areas will take place consistently throughout the school day.
● Prior to school beginning, student, teachers, and parents will be trained
● Stagger times for certain bathrooms
● Limit number of students in bathrooms to the number of stalls
● Bathroom cleaning protocols
School Nurse’s Office Protocols
To minimize the spread of COVID-19, guidelines for visiting the school nurse’s office have been developed at each individual school. Students who are ill but NOT exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, are injured, need medications, or who otherwise need to access the school nurse will follow specific procedures identified for their particular school. These procedures have been developed by each building-based school nurse, in coordination with their building administrator. School nurses will continue to use Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions when caring for ill students and staff.
Students with Physical Impairments
Special consideration will be given to the following:
● Planning for students who are immunocompromised and/ or medically fragile
● Planning for students who have skin or respiratory conditions
● Assuring adequate space and facilities to maintain the health and safety of students and staff when providing for personal care needs in close proximity
Emergency Evacuation Procedures, Drills, and Lockdowns
Emergency evacuation procedures will be provided and reviewed with students. Signage will be displayed in classrooms. Routes will be defined that follow best practices for minimizing contact and crowds while exiting the classroom and school in an efficient and orderly manner.
o The first priority is the safety of students and staff in the event of an emergency
o Social distancing will be followed to the extent feasible
o Mask-wearing is required to the extent it remains safe to do so
Athletics
Athletes will be required to wear masks when playing indoors. At this time, masks are not required for outdoor sports. Weekly COVID-19 testing remains mandatory for all student athletes.
Bus Procedures
All students regardless of age must wear masks on school transportation buses at all times.
● Students coming off the bus and back onto the bus
▪ Students should be screened by parents/guardians prior to the child getting on the bus and kept at home if feeling ill or any symptoms
▪ Bus drivers will contact their dispatcher if a child appears ill or says they don’t feel well while on the bus. The driver will interrupt the route to bring the students already on the bus to the school immediately and the school will manage the students from that point. The bus will be sanitized completely before being put back into use. A different bus will complete the route that was interrupted.
o NO student may board the bus without a bus pass and/or being on the roster of assigned seats o All students must wear masks at all times with the exception of students who are unable to do so based on disability and/ or medical condition
o Buses will be operated with windows open.
II. Student Safety during Meal Service
Students will wash and/or sanitize their hands before and after consuming meals in the school buildings. Hand sanitizer will be provided for all students and staff in classrooms and at meal pickup locations. All serving lines and designated eating areas will have specific sanitation protocols in place. All food will be served to students using disposable containers and utensils and will be consumed in a designated eating area with distance from other students/staff.
All food service staff will be required to wear a face mask at all times.
Students will be distanced when unmasked during lunches. Additional lunches are scheduled at the elementary and middle school levels, and students will be distanced at the high school level. High School students in grades 11-12 also have the option to eat off campus with parental permission.
Contact Tracing Updates
The local Offices of Public Health are the entities in charge of contact tracing, and they are no longer maintaining this effort. School nurses were involved at the outset of the pandemic in an effort to help overwhelmed local public health officials stop the spread of the virus. Two years into this pandemic, a more moderate view of contact tracing has emerged. It is now a public health expectation that those who test positive share this news with anyone with whom they have been in contact.
In an effort to streamline the work and to ensure that nurses are freed up to do the important work of triaging, testing, and all of their related responsibilities, they will use their triage skills to determine when contact tracing is needed. For instance, nurses would likely engage in contact tracing in a classroom with immunocompromised children or multiple positive COVID-19 cases, but not necessarily in a general education setting with no other positive cases and where students are seated three feet apart.
For general guidance, DPH defines close contacts in the school setting as:
Being within less than 3 feet of a positive individual for at least 15 minutes
Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g., being coughed on) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment
Determining close contacts may be challenging in some early childhood and elementary environments due to the active and social nature of young children, and there may be times when several or all students in a classroom could be considered close contacts if there is a positive case. The school administration and school nurses will determine when that may be necessary.