TPS will continue to follow guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Department of Public Health(DPH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC). The most recent updates from August 15, 2022 can be found at
In the most recent updates, the Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools.
As always, we will continue to ask that all students and staff who are not feeling well to stay home. People who have symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea should not report to school. COVID-19 testing is recommended for people with any of the above symptoms as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Staying home when sick can help us lower the risk of spreading infectious illnesses to other people.
Key information from the DESE and DPH most recent updates has been summarized below.
We wish everyone a happy and healthy school year.
Masking:
Masking is no longer required in our schools but is recommended when there is known or suspected exposure to COVID-19. As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, will be supported in that choice. Exposed individuals should wear a well fitted mask around others for 10 days from their last exposure, regardless of vaccination status or history of prior infection. The DPH and DESE do still require masking at all times in healthcare settings, including school nurses’ offices.
Vaccinations:
Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is essential to prevent illness from many different infections. DESE AND DPH strongly recommend that all faculty, staff, and students receive the COVID-19 vaccine primary series and all boosters, as they become eligible for them. Information will be shared regarding equitable access to vaccinations through town-based clinics and accessible information on other opportunity offerings. Throughout this August and September, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is providing many options for free family-friendly COVID-19 vaccination clinics. If you are interested in finding a vaccination clinic, click here.
Testing at School:
The CDC and DPH no longer recommends routine screening testing in K-12 schools. Students or staff who come to school with symptoms or develop symptoms while at school will be asked to wear a mask while in the building and will be sent home and encouraged to get tested.
A rapid antigen test, such as a self-test, is preferred to a PCR test in most situations.
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.
Contact tracing is no longer recommended or required in these settings, but schools or programs must continue to work with their Local Board of Health in the case of outbreaks.
Quarantine & Isolation
Please see the full guidance on Isolation and quarantine guidance for individuals in educational settings. Below are excerpts from the guidance:
Quarantine:
Quarantine due to exposure is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.
Isolation:
Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:
Mitigation Strategies at School:
We will continue to encourage effective hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Hand washing continues to be the #1 mitigation strategy to prevent the spread of germs. We will continue to have hand sanitizer available throughout our schools with supervision. Please help us by teaching and reinforcing your children in covering coughs and sneezes to help keep individuals from getting and spreading infectious illnesses.
TPS will continue to optimize ventilation and maintain improvements to indoor air quality to reduce the risk of contaminants spreading through the air. We will continue to increase outdoor air intake and improve air filtration. For example, safely opening windows and doors, including on school buses and vans, and using portable air purifiers with HEPA filters in all of our buildings. TPS will also continue with increased cleaning of frequently touched surfaces to reduce the risk of germs.
