COVID-19 Guidelines

Students, faculty, and staff MUST stay home if they feel sick—even if their symptoms are mild and they do not test positive on a rapid test. They should remain at home until they are no longer symptomatic. 

Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 include:

• Fever (100.0 degrees 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
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea 
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) 

Should a student exhibit symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 while at school, they should report to the front office/Office Manager Stephanie Poynter. We will then follow the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's guidance for attending to a symptomatic individual in school.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Commonwealth has relied on expertise from public health and infectious disease experts as we have implemented health and safety protocols. Consistent with that approach, the school strongly recommends that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. We also strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all eligible individuals.

Though the COVID-19 vaccine is not currently required of Commonwealth students, if and when Massachusetts mandates the COVID-19 vaccine among other required immunizations for school-age children, we will be following state law and also requiring vaccination of our students, subject to the medical and religious exemptions recognized by our state. The school will not accept a religious exemption for only the COVID-19 vaccine if families are complying with other state immunization requirements.

In support of recommending that students be vaccinated, we offer the following:

• A fully vaccinated student population is the best way to protect the health of students, employees, and the broader community against COVID-19.
• Guidance from the CDC emphasizes that vaccinations against COVID-19 are safe and effective and offer protections against variants. Vaccines are now widely available.
• This public health approach is consistent with longstanding efforts across the United States to protect students of all ages from a wide range of serious and contagious diseases.

We will track student vaccinations as part of our required back-to-school forms (shared via Magnus Health), and we will ask families to update the student’s vaccine status if it changes later in the year. This information will be maintained confidentially and will only be used to help us to determine what safeguards we will need to have in place as we welcome families back this fall and otherwise update policies throughout the school year. 

Additional guidance may be issued by state and federal agencies throughout the school year, so our policies and protocols may continue to evolve. We will keep our community informed and ask for your continued partnership as we work to emerge from the pandemic. 

All students, faculty, and staff will be required to get an influenza vaccination as well. 

In consultation with our epidemiology experts (Fusion Cell), we will enact a mask-optional policy for all current Commonwealth students, faculty, and staff provided the following conditions are met:

• A 14-day confirmed incidence rate of no more than ~50 per 100,000 in Suffolk County (dashboard here)
• No more than 3 concurrent cases in our building (which corresponds to a 1.5% positivity rate)

This decision is underscored by our community’s 98% vaccination rate and the continuation of other risk-mitigation strategies, including our routine COVID testing program (the required in-school PCR tests once a week and opt-in rapid tests at home each Thursday morning). Should the metrics above shift, we would revert to required masking. 

We will still require masking under certain circumstances, including for all visitors to the building and for anyone returning from COVID-19 isolation (five days post-return). Masks will also be required on any school-provided transportation, including buses to and from any athletic competitions. Students will be required to wear masks in a few of the smaller classrooms, such as for photography and ceramics, and during music rehearsals and performances. We are also considering under what conditions we might return to in-person all-school gatherings, such as for recess and assembly; masks may still be required in those situations, and there may be other spaces in the building where masks will be required as well. Students, faculty, and staff should continue to bring a mask to school, should the need to wear one arise.

The mask-optional policy is just that: optional. We expect many students, faculty, and staff will continue wearing masks, and they will be fully supported in that decision. 

The expectation is that individuals will bring their own masks. We strongly recommend all members of our community have KN95 or similar masks, which provide superior protection. See other recommendations. When masking is required, a handkerchief or bandanna is not sufficient. The school will have a supply of masks for students who lose or forget their own.  

Weekly Safety Check Pooled Testing

We will conduct routine safety check testing (pooled testing) of our entire community, both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, every week. These tests will be administered in coordination with CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) Health, the official testing partner of the state of Massachusetts. CIC Health requires a separate testing consent form, which all parents will need to complete on behalf of every child they have enrolled at Commonwealth. 

Any student, faculty, or staff member unable to participate in any school-administered testing must take an independent PCR or rapid test and report the results to Stephanie Poynter before attending school.

At-Home Rapid Testing Program

In addition to our weekly school-administered pooled tests, beginning the week of February 7, 2022, we are opting into a new at-home testing program where all faculty, staff, and students will be given rapid antigen tests they should take Thursday mornings at home before coming to school, regardless of their vaccination status. 

• About the Test: iHealth is a 15-minute at-home FDA-approved rapid antigen test. Instructions for taking the test can be found in each box, as well as on the Mass.gov website in several languages. 
• Opting In: To participate, families must opt in by completing this online form. By opting in, you will agree to review the training materials for test administration, report positive test results to the school, and administer the tests every Thursday morning before coming to school.
• Getting and Taking the Tests: Every two weeks students, faculty, and staff will receive an iHealth at-home rapid test kit. Each kit contains two individual tests. Students, faculty, and staff will administer one rapid test every Thursday morning before coming to school.
• Reporting Positive Test Results: Anyone who tests positive on an at-home antigen test will inform Commonwealth of the positive result by emailing Stephanie Poynter, our medical point of contact and office manager. In addition, it is strongly recommended that they inform their healthcare professional of the positive result.

If a Commonwealth student or member of their household tests positive for COVID-19, they must contact Stephanie Poynter immediately: spoynter@commschool.org or 617-266-7525. Also see “Response Protocols and Communications.”

Though we benefit from a largely vaccinated population, we are still in a pandemic state, and protecting our community remains critical. Given the seriousness of COVID-19, any member of the community who does not comply with measures aimed at keeping our community healthy may be subject to disciplinary action. 

We require all members of our community to adhere to the guidance on this page, any expectations posted in our school building or shared via email, and any instructions given to self-isolate or quarantine. 

All members of the community will be expected to hold themselves and each other accountable as well, and they should share their concerns with school leadership when they see behavior that jeopardizes the health of others.

Commonwealth consults the following agencies as our official sources of information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic:

• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
• Massachusetts Department of Health
• NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools)
• AISNE (Association of Independent Schools in New England)
• NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council)

We have also engaged the experts at Fusion Cell, a consultancy with deep experience managing infectious disease risk.

In the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case, communications about potential exposures will be sent to community members via email. 

Any individual, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate for a minimum of 5 days, consistent with recommendations from the CDC, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the infectious disease experts consulting the school.   

Discontinuing Home Isolation and Returning to School

Isolation Protocols for Symptomatic Individuals Who Test Positive for COVID-19

• After isolating for 5 days, symptomatic individuals who tested positive may return to school (on day 6) provided they have been fever free (without fever-reducing medication) for at least 24 hours; they are no longer experiencing any coughing, sneezing, or nasal congestion; and any other symptoms have improved. 
• For symptomatic individuals, day 0 is the first day of symptoms or a positive test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. 
• Individuals do not need a negative test result to return to school; note that PCR tests are not recommended for individuals who tested positive within the past 90 days. 
• Students who are isolating but feel well enough to attend classes may do so through Virtual Commonwealth. 

Isolation Protocols for Asymptomatic Individuals Who Test Positive for COVID-19

• After isolating for 5 days, asymptomatic individuals who tested positive may return to school (on day 6) if they remain symptom free. (If symptoms develop, the individual should follow Isolation Protocols for Symptomatic Individuals Who Test Positive for COVID-19, above.) 
• For asymptomatic individuals, day 0 is the first day of a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after the test specimen was collected, whether at home or at school, which includes the school’s weekly safety check pooled test. 
• Individuals do not need a negative test result to return to school; note that PCR tests are not recommended for individuals who tested positive within the past 90 days. 
• Students who are isolating but feel well enough to attend classes may do so through Virtual Commonwealth. 

Should a student, faculty, or staff member—or a member of their household—test positive for COVID-19, they must inform Office Manager Stephanie Poynter immediately (spoynter@commschool.org or 617-266-7525). 

Our expectation and exhortation is that students, faculty, and staff stay home if they feel sick. Should a student develop symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 while at school, they should report to the front office/Office Manager Stephanie Poynter. We will then follow guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for attending to a symptomatic individual in school.

In the event of possible exposure to an individual with a confirmed infection, whether at home or at school, we will follow the testing and quarantine response protocols recommended by the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Our expectation is that, unless the school has granted a special dispensation for a student to attend remotely, all students will attend classes in person. Given the burdens of both teaching and learning in a hybrid classroom, we cannot allow students to be remote for convenience (e.g., to accommodate a doctor’s appointment or to take an earlier train home). Our student attendance policy remains largely as outlined in the Parent-Student Handbook: in general, students should not miss school for reasons other than illness or family emergency. 

Under circumstances when a student is required to quarantine or isolate due to a confirmed COVID-19 infection, or when a student is out sick for more than two days but feels physically well enough to attend classes, we will consider temporarily allowing a student to observe class remotely. Under those circumstances, the family should reach out to Assistant Head of School Rebecca Jackman as soon as possible to coordinate this temporary arrangement, as it will be tailored to the individual student and therefore require substantial logistical planning. In these special instances, the student may listen in on their classes, but there should be no expectation of a fully immersive hybrid learning experience. 

Should state public health conditions reach a point where we feel it is unwise to have the building at full capacity or there is indication of COVID-19 transmission within the building, then we may decide to move to hybrid or fully remote operations for a period.

Snack

Students can pick up their recess snack from a table in the hallway by the elevators. They should then go to their assigned recess classroom for virtual announcements (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) or outside (Tuesdays and Thursdays), weather permitting. (Also see “Recess.”) 

Lunch

Whenever weather permits, students should eat lunch outside on the Commonwealth mall. If eating inside, students may sit in the Cafegymnatorium or any open classroom or communal space, with the exception of the library and computer lab.

• Open windows, required whenever weather permits
• Supplemental HEPA filters in every room, including teachers’ offices and bathrooms: Where or when fresh air is not possible, we rely on the filters and HVAC. They will filter out more than 99.9% of all particles 0.1 micron or larger. This includes virtually all virus-carrying particles, including SARS-CoV-2 particles, which average .125 microns. The HEPA filters in our classrooms will add 6 air changes per hour. 
• Our building’s HVAC system, which brings fresh air into the Cafegymnatorium (7 changes per hour), Annex (5 changes per hour), and lobbies and hallways (1-10 changes per hour, depending on the space)

Public Transportation

Anyone taking public transportation to and from the school should follow public safety guidelines while on board, including wearing a mask at all times, disinfecting hands and surfaces, and practicing social distancing. The MBTA provides crowding information for riders that may be useful in planning your trip.

Bicycling

Anyone riding a bicycle to school is invited to store it for the day in the Annex using the racks provided. Students bringing their bike into the building should enter the building using the garden door to the lower level and exit via the Cafegymnatorium door by the podium. 

All visitors will be expected to wear masks and to follow other health and safety protocols while in our building. (Our mask-optional policy applies only to current students, faculty, and staff.) All visitors are required to check in with the front office to complete a health screening, which may include a rapid antigen test, as well. Those who do not pass the screening will be asked to leave. (Also see “Health Screenings.”)

Starting October 15, 2021, applicants and their families will be welcomed to the building for guided tours and limited day visits, scheduled in advance with our Admissions team. Only students with an application form on file may schedule a visit, and they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.