Health & Safety Protocols

Current Health and Safety Protocols

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. 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

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 will expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. Consequently, as of May 11, COVID-19 vaccinations for all Fay and ELC community members will be recommended but no longer required.

MASKING

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.

TESTING

Fay will conduct rapid antigen testing of all boarding students when they arrive for the start of school in September and when they return from any breaks.

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 does not conduct contact tracing, and the School does not 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 are not required to quarantine. They should monitor for symptoms, and if they become symptomatic they should stay home and get tested.
Any close contacts (vaccinated or unvaccinated) who become symptomatic should test, and positive cases should isolate for five 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 require 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

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.