Health & Safety Protocols

Health and Safety Protocols as of August 5, 2022

INFORMED PREPARATION

Fay's health and safety protocols are based on guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Since August 2020, we have modified our plan periodically to reflect updated guidelines. Our updated protocols reflect both the protection provided by the vaccine and an understanding that not every member of our community is fully vaccinated yet, and they also acknowledge that breakthrough infections are possible. As always, our goal is to limit the spread of infection while preserving the spirit and structure of the Fay experience.

TRAVEL GUIDELINES

Parents of all students must understand and comply with any travel restrictions and quarantine requirements mandated by the state of Massachusetts. These requirements may change at any time, and we will update our website if and as needed. When making travel plans to campus, parents ensure that their travel plans are flexible should there be changes in the guidelines.

VACCINATION

For the 2022-2023 school year, all Fay and ELC employees and students are required to be fully vaccinated or to receive a medical or religious exemption approved by Fay.

Definition of "fully vaccinated"

Individuals are fully vaccinated if they have received the full course of two vaccines. All eligible individuals must be fully vaccinated prior to the start of the academic year.

Booster shots

According to current guidelines, all individuals ages 5 and older are eligible to receive a booster shot. Boosters are not required but are strongly encouraged.

MASKING

As of June 21, 2022, masks are not required, with the following exceptions:

If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, they must remain at home in isolation. They may return on day 6 after a positive test if they are asymptomatic, but they must be cleared by the school nurse, and they must wear a mask for the next five days.
If someone living in your house has tested positive for COVID and you are in contact with them on a daily basis, then you will be required to wear a mask for 10 days after last contact.
If a boarding student is the roommate of someone who has tested positive for COVID, the boarding student will be required to wear a mask for 10 days after last contact.

COHORTS AND PHYSICAL DISTANCING

As of June 21, 2022, students will not be grouped by cohort.

TESTING

Fay will conduct rapid antigen testing of all boarding students when they arrive for the start of school in September. The School will not conduct weekly pooled testing for the 2022-2023 school year.

POSITIVE CASES

Individuals who test positive for COVID will be required to isolate for five days.
Boarders who test positive must leave campus with their Local Emergency Contact within 24 hours. They may return to campus after five days if they are symptom-free, or anytime on days 6-10 as soon as they are fully asymptomatic.
Individuals must be cleared by the school nurse in order to return to campus. Individuals will only be cleared to return after five days of isolation if they are asymptomatic. They will be required to wear a mask on campus at all times for five more days. If symptoms remain after five days, then the individual must isolate until they are symptom-free.

CLOSE CONTACTS AND QUARANTINES

Fay will not conduct contact tracing for the 2022-2023 school year. The School will no longer notify parents if they receive news of a positive case in the class. Parents may notify their child's close contacts if they wish.
A close contact is defined as an individual who has been within three feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period during the two days prior to the onset of illness or a positive test.
Close contacts who are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine. They should monitor for symptoms, and if they become symptomatic they should stay home and get tested. They are required to wear a mask on campus for 10 days after exposure.
Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated (as defined above) must quarantine for 5 days. They may return on day 6 and must wear a mask for the full 10 days after exposure.
Any close contacts (vaccinated or unvaccinated) who become symptomatic should test, and positive cases should isolate for 5 more days.
If an individual is identified as a close contact because of a positive case at home, and the positive case cannot completely isolate at home, then the individual is required to wear a mask on campus for ten days after the date of last contact.
While we do not required health attestations, we remind all families of day students to keep their children home if they are symptomatic or ill. If faculty or staff are concerned about a student’s health, they will send the child to the Health Office for an evaluation.

STUDENT ABSENCES

Any student who is absent from school due to illness of any kind for three or more days is required to provide the school nurse with a doctor's note in order to return. Upon reviewing the specifics of the absence, the school nurse may also require a negative PCR COVID-19 test. Families of day students are required to report their children’s absence at fayschool.org/attendance.

VISITORS

As of June 21, 2022, masks are optional for all visitors to campus.

MONITORING AND RESPONDING

The School will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation locally, nationally, and globally in order to assess the implication of new restrictions and guidelines on student and employee safety, and our boarding students’ ability to leave and return to campus. Plans will be adjusted if and as needed, and the School will continue to update the parent community.