Report positive cases of COVID-19 to your school nurse

In an effort to keep our BPS community as healthy as possible, we ask that students and staff who are ill stay home until feeling better. As a reminder, students should never be sent to school if they have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours. This helps to prevent all illness, not just COVID-19, from being spread among our students and staff. Please encourage good hand hygiene, covering coughs and sneezes, and to not share cups, bottles, utensils, etc. with others. Illness related absences should be reported to the school nurse.

MA DPH COVID-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance for Children and Staff in Child Care, K-12

Masks

There is no general mask requirement for students or staff. Masks are only required: 

• At nurse's request, if an individual is symptomatic in the health office
• When returning to school after testing positive without testing again (see below for guidance)

Positive Cases

If someone tests positive for COVID-19: 

1. Contact the school nurse

2. Those who test positive MUST remain at home for at least 5 days 

• To count days for isolation, Day 0 is the first day of symptoms OR the day the day positive test was taken, whichever is earlier.  

3. Return on day 6*, as long as: 

• they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving, 
• they have been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, and 
• they wear a mask on days 6-10
  • To not wear a mask on days 6-10, a negative test is required
  • NOTE: A negative test is NOT required to return (only to return without wearing a mask)

Exposure

There is no quarantine requirement for anyone who is exposed to COVID-19, regardless of where the exposure occurs, AS LONG AS the individual has no symptoms. 

• A test on day 6 after the exposure is recommended
• If someone exposed to COVID-19 becomes ill, they should NOT go to school and should seek testing