Notre Dame Academy A Catholic school for girls in grades 7 - 12

If a student, faculty, or staff member has COVID-19-like symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, they may return to school after:

• received a negative PCR for COVID-19
• have improvement in symptoms, and have been without a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications
• provide a doctor’s note with an alternative diagnosis (e.g., influenza, strep throat, asthma etc.)

If a student shows signs of illness while at school, the school nurse will place the student in the medical isolation room and notify the parent/guardian. The parent/guardian will be expected to pick the student up within 30 minutes.

COVID-19 Symptoms List

• 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
• 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

Vaccinated individual with a known exposure “Close Contact”

Return to school immediately provided that they:

• Get a PCR test 5 days after exposure
• Wear a mask at all times until you receive a negative result
• Monitor for symptoms of Covid-19 for 14 days following an exposure. If you develop symptoms immediately isolate, get a PCR test and call your primary physician.

 

Unvaccinated individual with known exposure “Close Contacts” can quarantine at home or participate in the Test and Stay Program

 

Quarantine:

• Return to School: After 7 days of quarantine, returning on day 8, provided that they
• Remain asymptomatic throughout
• Receive a PCR Covid-19 test on day 5 or later and receive a negative result. · Submit results to Health Office prior to return
• Conduct active monitoring for symptoms through day 14, and self-isolate if symptoms develop.

 

Test and Stay

Test and stay allows unvaccinated students who have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 while at school to stay in school if the student is not showing symptoms. Instead of needing to quarantine and miss school, these students will take a daily rapid test while they remain in school as long as they are not symptomatic. Students participate in test and stay for at least five days after they have been exposed.

If you would like to take advantage of this program, you must provide advance permission, using this link, for your daughter/s to be tested. We will be unable to administer testing for any student without parental permission in advance. Permission cannot be granted on a day-of basis.

What the Test to Stay Protocol entails:

• Individuals would be tested each morning for five school days following the known exposure, using the BinaxNow test (lower anterior nasal swab)
• Testing would be administered by our school health personnel.
• Once the results are received (generally takes 15 minutes) students/staff would join their class for instruction.
• Close contacts are advised to quarantine on weekends. By testing over a 5 school day period, close contacts would be monitored for the full 7 days outlined in the quarantining guidelines.
• Unvaccinated individuals that do not wish to consent would follow the regular quarantine/testing guidance

Note: If an individual has symptoms at the time they are designated as a close contact or within the 14 days following initial exposure, they follow the protocol for symptomatic individuals. If an individual tests positive at any time, they follow the protocol for individuals who test positive for Covid-19.

Definition Of A Close Contact: Close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within 6 feet of a Covid-19 positive individual while indoors, 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. In general, close contacts should follow the testing and quarantine response protocols. However, certain close contacts are exempted from quarantine response protocols as noted below:

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts: Individuals who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.
• Asymptomatic 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.
• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days.

Everyone, regardless of vaccination status:

• Stay home for 5 days.
• If you have no symptoms after 5 days, you can return to school.
• Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
• If you have any symptoms stay home until symptoms resolve
• Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication (Tylenol, Advil, Motrin)

Consistent with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recent fall mask guidance,students, faculty, and staff, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks while indoors at Notre Dame Academy. As a reminder, masks should:

• Fit snugly to the face, covering both nose and mouth at all times
• Be made of washable cotton or surgical fabric of at least double thickness
• Allow for breathing without restriction
• Worn properly at all times to protect yourself and others
• NOT be neck gaiters and scarves
• Masks will NOT be required while outdoors
• Masks are required for any sports-related activity for student-athletes and coaches when indoors, in alignment with guidance provided by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA)

VISITORS to campus (including parents  and guardians) will be required to wear masks indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status. Families and friends will be welcome to watch our NDA teams compete in outdoor sporting events and not required to wear a mask while outdoors.

Mask Optional Policy:

After October 1^st and if our community has reached at least 80 percent of students and staff fully vaccinated, we will adopt a Mask Optional Policy. Vaccinated students will be allowed to remove their masks while in their classroom. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to always wear masks while indoors.

• Any vaccinated student or adult who would like to wear a mask on campus anytime will be supported in doing so
• All students and employees are also required to wear masks in buses/vans as per federal mandate
• Masks will be required while passing in the hallway and in the lunchroom unless the student is sitting and eating
• Masks will still be required for any sports-related activity for student-athletes and coaches when indoors, in alignment with guidance provided by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA)

 

Vaccination has proven to be a hugely helpful tool in limiting the impact and minimizing the spread of Covid-19. It is critically important that all members of our community become fully vaccinated as soon as they are eligible so we can safely peel back additional layers of our Covid-19 protocols. We ask you to submit documentation to our school nurse as soon as possible:

• Fax a copy to the attention of Deb Vazza, School Nurse at 339-200-3631
• Mail a copy to the Health Office of Notre Dame Academy, 1073 Main Street, Hingham, MA 02043
• Drop of a copy in the main office
• Emailed documentation CANNOT be accepted

In lieu of MyMedBot, this year we ask for your continued support to help protect your family and others from Covid-19  by practicing and promoting everyday healthy habits. Parents are responsible for determining their child’s health status before arriving at school and for keeping their child at home should they present symptoms (see complete list of Covid-19  symptoms below) of any kind.

Covid-19  Symptoms List:

●      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

●      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

DESE and CDC recommend schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. We will follow this recommendation and maintain 3 feet of distance as a general guideline within classrooms and shared spaces.

Lunch: Distancing of at least six feet while eating in the St. Julie Dining Hall will be in place for all students. Weather permitting the option to eating outdoors is encouraged.

Hand hygiene will remain an important public health prevention measure to minimize the spread of not only Covid-19  but flu, colds, and other infectious illnesses. Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best practice. However, hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can be substituted when handwashing is not available. 

We will continue with the thorough cleaning/disinfecting measures that were put in place last year:

• Classrooms and other facilities cleaned and disinfected daily
• Bathrooms cleaned and disinfected daily
• High touchpoints (door handles, railings) disinfected multiple times each day
• Hands-free water bottle filling stations
• Hand sanitizing units at every entry point and classrooms

Visitors to campus (including parents and guardians): Visitors will be required to wear masks indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status. Families and friends will be welcome to watch our NDA teams compete in outdoor sporting events on our campus and are not required to wear a mask while outdoors.

• Masks will still be required for any sports-related activity for student-athletes and coaches when indoors, in alignment with guidance provided by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA)

The main purpose of our HVAC system is to provide adequate ventilation that enhances indoor air quality. The national standard produced by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) is often adopted into state and local building occupancy codes. These codes specify the amounts of fresh air (outside air) that a school needs to provide by natural or mechanical ventilation systems to various areas of the school, predominantly wherever a space is deemed for student use. ASHRAE’s latest recommendations are that controlled ventilation is a primary preventative measure in reducing the risk of spreading the virus (ASHRAE.2020).

Our ventilation (HVAC) systems have been calibrated to provide for the maximum amount of outdoor air circulation in our school building. All HVAC equipment has been inspected and evaluated by certified technicians to ensure proper air flow and functioning. We have expanded our preventative maintenance program to include increased filter changes on air handler units, roof top units and fan coil units. We have also increased our MERV rating on filters from a 9 to a 12 where applicable. In general, air filters with higher MERV ratings remove a higher percentage of airborne contaminants, therefore improving indoor air quality. Our duct work and diffusers are routinely sanitized.

Domestic Travel 

All individuals who travel domestically must obtain and submit a negative PCR test to the Health Office after returning to Massachusetts. Antigen, pool, and home tests will not be accepted. We will accept a rapid molecular ID NOW test. This protocol applies to all overnight travel. This does not apply to per diem travel where return to Massachusetts occurs within the same day. Exemptions to the policy are:

• If an individual has had COVID-19 within the last 90-days, then a test is not required but proof of the positive test is required. If an individual were COVID-19 positive more than 90 days prior to travel, the PCR test is required upon return to Massachusetts. 
• If an individual is fully vaccinated (14 days post-second shot of vaccine), a test is not required. 

International Travel

• Vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who travel internationally will need to follow CDC's updated requirements here. Please submit negative PCR test results to our Health Office.

In accordance with NDA's health protocols, a physician's note if clearance is required for all recovered Covid -19 positive athletes to return to play.  Notes can be submitted to the following:

• Carolyn Rein, Athletic Trainer at crein@ndahingham.com
• Kristen McGill Director of Athletics at kmcgill@ndahingham.com or
• Deb Vazza, School Nurse at dvazza@ndahingham.com

Policy for Unvaccinated student athletes who are determined to be in close contact of a COVID positive individual:

Return to sports: After 7 days of quarantine or Test and Stay,, returning on day 8, provided that they:

• Remain asymptomatic throughout
• Receive a PCR COVID test on day 5 or later and receive a negative result
• Submit results to Health Office prior to return
• Conduct active monitoring for symptoms through day 14, and self-isolate if symptoms develop