FROM THE NURSES
Below are some helpful reminders of our current protocol for COVID management
When your child has symptoms of illness:
Please directly communicate with the main office/attendance office and the nurse if your child will be absent and give the reason for the absence. If they have symptoms of illness, they will need to be tested for COVID before returning to school.
ANY symptom, even a mild symptom, should be treated as potential COVID and must have a negative PCR or NAAT test to return to school. Notify the nurse if you need help finding a test site.
Please submit the negative COVID lab result prior to sending your child to school after testing, you may email it directly to the nurse.
If your child tests positive for COVID:
Call or email the nurse.
Let the nurse know when symptoms began and if there are other BASD students in the home.
Your child will have to isolate at home for 10 days; the day that symptoms began is day zero. They can return to school on day 11 if fever-free and if they have an improvement of symptoms. Notify the PCP if you have concerns about their symptoms.
If your child is exposed to COVID outside of the classroom:
Anyone who has been exposed to a person outside of the classroom who tested positive for COVID will need to quarantine away from others for 10 days. They will need to stay home.
If your child develops symptoms, they should be tested.
If your child remains asymptomatic after the exposure they can be tested on day 5 (day zero is the day of exposure) and if negative, can exit quarantine and return on day 8.
If your child is vaccinated, they should wear a mask and monitor for symptoms. They should be tested 3-5 days after exposure or if symptoms develop and isolate until results are back.
If your child is exposed to COVID inside the classroom:
We have had cases of COVID in almost every classroom so far this year, the community incidence rate is very high right now. If students are masked or distanced 3 feet apart in the classroom, there is no need to quarantine a classmate. Sometimes, a friend who sits at lunch beside a student who tests positive for COVID may need to be quarantined as they are unmasked for 20 minutes. However, one way or the other you will get informational emails if the positive case was in class during their contagious period so that you can be cognizant of any symptom development and get your child tested if that happens.
When a household member has COVID:
All members of a household need to quarantine until the infected person’s 10th day then REMAIN in quarantine for another 10 days. If anyone else in the household develops symptoms they should be tested, if household members remain symptom-free they can be tested on the infected person’s day 15 with an exit date of day 18 if negative. Stay in communication with the nurse with any changes.
If for any reason there are special circumstances that you feel need to be considered, please contact the nurse directly to go over these circumstances. The PA Department of Education and the PA Department of Health set the regulations that all schools must follow; the nurses consult with either the Epidemiologist at the Department of Health or our BASD school physician with all concerns.