Nursing Notes

Stay Up to Date on COVID-19 and the Classroom

Covid Cases on the Rise

As we wrap up Thanksgiving festivities and enter the holiday season, it is important to still be cautious of increasing Covid cases in our community and school. The weekly covid rates in our schools continue to increase every week

Through contact tracing, most of these cases were determined to be connected to social gatherings outside of school. As we move forward into the winter and begin to spend more time indoors, open communication and prompt notification of illness continue to be an effective tool in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 inside the school.

Please be sure to sign this consent form for optional in school testing: https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma

We have received MANY questions regarding COVID and exceptions to be made for individual families. Please reference in the information below for many common concerns and questions.

Thanks again for your support during this challenging time. As always, please reach out to your school nurse with any specific questions or concerns.

Stay healthy,

The Nurses of Amesbury Public Schools

What Can I Do to Protect Myself?

- Sign up for optional in school testing

- Communicate with the school if you are a close contact of someone who is positive

- Keep your child home until they receive a negative test result

- Wear a mask

- Get vaccinated

- STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK

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DESE COVID-19 Protocol Flowchart

When Can I Come Back to School?

If there is a confirmed COVID case at home:

-if fully vaccinated: If you are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms, no quarantine is necessary

- If partially vaccinated or unvaccinated: This date will vary depending on many factors including ability to quarantine from the positive family member. Please reference the Board of Health for a return date that will then be communicated with the school

If there is a confirmed COVID case in my class and I am a close contact: May participate in a daily test and stay for 7 days as long as there are no symptoms. If vaccinated, there is no restriction. If you choose not to participate in the test and stay, you must follow the exposure protocol in the first paragraph.

If I am COVID positive: You must quarantine for ten days and return to school on day 11 (the day of positive test or day of symptom onset is considered day ZERO. The ten days of quarantine start the following day, which is considered day 1).

If I am sick with the symptoms listed below: Do not come to school (even with a vaccine). Get a Covid test OR see a doctor and bring in a note with an alternative diagnosis for your symptoms (like strep throat or the flu). Also, you must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Symptoms that require a Covid test include:

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• New loss of taste or smell

• Muscle aches or body aches

• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)

• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms

• Headache when in combination with other symptoms

• 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

*Student must have a documented history of allergies by a medical provider when differentiating between allergy and Covid-19 symptoms.

If I am Exposed Outside of School:

Students who have had an exposure that is NOT in the classroom (on the weekend, private parties, non school based sports etc):

Option 1: 7 DAYS of strict quarantine with release on day 8 IF:

-A test (either PCR or BiNax Now antigen) taken on Day 5 or later is negative; AND

-The individual has not experienced any symptoms up to that point; AND

-The individual conducts active monitoring through Day 14.

Option 2: 10 DAYS of strict quarantine release on Day 11 IF:

-The individual has not experienced any symptoms up to that point; AND

-The individual conducts active monitoring through Day 14.

-No test is necessary under this option.

If an individual develops any symptoms, they must adhere to the full 14 day quarantine even if they have tested negative

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What if my Child is Exposed in the Classroom?

Your child will either need to:

participate in our Test and Stay Program

OR

be kept out of school to quarantine at home (refer to school nurse for exact dates).

If your child is fully vaccinated, they are exempt from further steps.

What Does the Test and Stay Process Look Like?

Your child will come to school per their usual routine (students may still take the bus)
Once seated distanced from each other, the swabbing process will then be explained.

How do we explain it? It’s actually kind of fun. Honestly, we give the children the option for me to swab their noses or we can help them get it done! The swab is rather small - much smaller than their own fingertips. The swab doesn’t have to go very far in their noses - no further than if they were to pick their own noses!

Students will be swabbed using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests after everything has been explained and all questions answered (it only takes a minute or three).
Your child will wait 15 minutes, seated in their designated seats until their tests result negative. This actually gives us time to discuss goals for the day and previous excursions or stories from their evening before!
They then head to their classrooms and resume their regular class activities.
Due to time constraints, we will NOT contact you if your child's test result is negative. We will only contact those that have positive results or like-symptoms of COVID-19. If you have not heard from us, assume your child is NEGATIVE.

Frequently Asked Test and Stay Questions

Question: Can my child still receive their COVID-19 vaccine?

Answer: Unfortunately, no. Yes, the student has been exposed here at school and can participate in school-based activities but should otherwise be quarantining at home. We have spoken to Tina LaCourse with the Department of Public Health and if you're considered a close contact, side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine could mask actual symptoms of the virus if you've been identified as a close contact.

Question: Can my child still take the bus?

Answer: Yes. Your child can still take the bus as long as they abide by DESE/DPH standards. They need to practice social distancing and wear their masks. If they are not able to do so properly, please do not have them ride public transportation/carpool.

Question: Can my child still partake in after school programs?

Answer: Yes. Your child may participate in after school/extracurricular school activities if they participate in the Test & Stay program.

Question: If I consent, will you do pool testing?

Answer: Nope. No pool testing here. We will call you every time your child is considered a close contact and notify you via phone to obtain verbal permission every time. No sneaky random swabbings here.

Question: My child had their second COVID-19 vaccine, are they still considered a close contact?

Answer: If your child has had the second vaccine, they are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second vaccination. From that point on, they would not be considered a close contact. HOWEVER, you still will be notified that your child has been exposed. Because of their vaccination status, your child would not be considered a close contact that would require quarantine and testing. You should still monitor your child at that time, 14 days from the time of their exposure, for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Read below for DESE/DPH definitions of close contacts and exemptions.

Definition of a Close Contact

Per DESE/DPH, Close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual while indoors (not masked), for at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. You are also considered a close contact indoors if the individual has been within 3 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual who was masked, for at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period.

Please note that the at-risk exposure time begins 48 hours prior to symptom onset (or time of positive test if asymptomatic) and continues until the time the COVID-19 positive individual is isolated.

Exempt Close Contacts:

Per DESE/DPH, the following close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols:

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts: Individuals who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Classroom close contacts: An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart, is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Bus close contacts: Individuals on buses must be masked according to federal requirements. As such, individuals who are masked on buses when windows are open are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: An individual who has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if: