The school abides by, to the maximum extent possible, any contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine requirements issued by local, state, and/or federal authorities.
Prior to departing for school, students, employees, and visitors are expected to complete a self-check for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home when sick or following a suspected or known exposure to COVID-19. The school employs a flexible attendance policy to encourage adherence to this policy. Suspected or known cases are reported to the school. Employees or visitors who develop COVID-19 symptoms while at school are required to leave the school’s property immediately. Students who develop COVID-19 symptoms while at school are isolated immediately and the student’s emergency contact is contacted to retrieve the student from the school isolation space as soon as possible. The school monitors the number of COVID-19 cases among students and employees, the number of students and employees in quarantine, and levels of community transmission.
Students and employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 must isolate for a minimum of 10 days (minimum of 20 days if immunocompromised), which means staying at home and away from others. In the event the positive student or employee was in school during their infectious period, the school identifies and quarantines close contacts. In alignment with the updated guidance for schools released by PDPH on March 18, 2022, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will now be contacted by the school to identify their close contacts.
Employees and students who meet one of the following parameters do not need to quarantine following a close contact exposure: (1) individuals who are 18 years or older and have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses, including booster and additional primary doses for some immunocompromised individuals; (2) individuals who are 5 to 17 years old and have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines; and (3) individuals who had COVID-19 within the last 90 days. Employees and students who meet one of the following parameters must quarantine following a close contact exposure: (1) individuals who are 18 years or older and completed the primary series of recommended vaccine but have not yet received a recommended booster shot when eligible; and (2) individuals who are not vaccinated or have not completed a primary vaccine series. Close contacts who are not vaccinated or not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations may end the 10-day quarantine early if they test after Day 5 and receive negative results, then they may return to school after Day 7. Per the PDPH, a close contact is someone who was within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, masked or unmasked.
In alignment with the updated guidance for schools released by PDPH on March 18, 2022, the school has elected to maintain a Test to Stay option for asymptomatic close contacts who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. This means that all exposed students ages five to 11, unvaccinated students ages 12 to 17, and students and employees aged 18 or older who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations can elect to participate in regular testing after close contact exposure in order to stay in school. Parents are given the opportunity to allow their student to complete quarantine at home.
In alignment with the updated guidance for schools released by PDPH on March 18, 2022, all individuals who meet one of the following parameters must participate in Mask to Stay following a close contact exposure: (1) individuals who are 18 years or older and have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses, including booster and additional primary doses for some immunocompromised individuals; (2) individuals who are five to 17 years old and have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines; and (3) individuals who had COVID-19 within the last 90 days. This means that close contacts would mask to stay in school, ideally with rapid or molecular testing within 48 hours and again on or after Day 5. Masking should be maintained for 10 days after exposure or seven days with a negative test on or after Day 5. All close contacts should mask after an exposure, regardless of vaccination status. All close contacts must monitor themselves for fever and cough, shortness of breath and other COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days after their last exposure to someone with COVID-19.
In the event of a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19 outside of school, student and employees are requested to report the exposure to the school so that the school may identify the appropriate quarantine protocol in alignment with PDPH guidelines for schools.
In alignment with the updated guidance for schools released by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (“PDPH”) on January 19, 2022, a random sample of 10 percent of the school’s unvaccinated population, including employees and students (with the consent of their parents/guardians), will be tested weekly. Per the updated guidance, the school also provides screening testing for students who play indoor sports who are 18 or older but not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations or who are 5 to 17 and have not completed a fully primary series of vaccination. The school also offers Test-to-Stay, a testing strategy that allows unvaccinated close contacts to remain in school instead of quarantining by testing every other day for seven days after exposure. In alignment with the updated guidance, employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be provided with rapid tests to use on the fifth and sixth days following the test date or symptom onset date. If both tests return negative results, the employee can end isolation early and return to school on Day 6.