The Williamsburg Bridge Magnet School

2022 Health & Safety Guidelines

      Vaccination Requirements:

• Vaccination is still required for all visitors entering school buildings
• Vaccination is still required for all DOE employees
• Vaccination is still required for other individuals who work in DOE buildings
• Vaccinations is still required to participate in high-risk extracurricular activities including high-risk PSAL sports

• Daily Health Screener:
  • No longer required to enter school buildings
• Stay home if sick: Students and staff should stay home if they show any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses and get tested for COVID-19.
• Isolate if COVID-19 positive: Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 if they have no symptoms or symptoms are improving. They must wear a mask until day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier.
  • These cases should be reported to their school so they can be reported to the situation room for exposure notifications.
• Get tested if exposed to COVID-19: Students and staff who are exposed to COVID-19 should get tested.
  • These individuals should receive home tests from their school and take two tests, at least 24 hours apart on day 4 and day 5 of their exposure. All exposed individuals should monitor for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days after their exposure. If symptoms begin, they should not attend school and should isolate and get tested for COVID-19 again right away.
• Testing:
  • Starting the first day of school, schools will offer home test kits to those with a potential in-school exposure and those with symptoms.
  • In addition, each staff and student will receive 4 tests per month to take home. These tests can be used by school families for testing due to symptoms, exposures, high-risk activity (such as travel and large gatherings) and can give staff and students immediate results.
  • In-school PCR surveillance testing will not be a part of the 2022-23 school year.
• Situation Room:
  • Schools will be required to report positive cases of COVID-19 to the situation room.
  • The Situation Room will provide schools with standardized communications for their communities and will notify school communities of cases in their schools through daily email and the Daily COVID map.
• Masking- Face coverings are strongly recommended to be worn when indoors. Masks will be made available at the school for all those who need/want them.
  • Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when:
    • Returning to school on the sixth day after testing positive for COVID-19, through day 10 after symptom onset or date of positive test, whichever is earlier, including when traveling on a school bus.
    • Entering the school medical room, nurse’s office, or school-based health center.
    • Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at school.
  • Students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly recommended to wear a mask:
    • When they were exposed to someone with COVID-19, whether the exposure occurred in school or outside of school. The person should wear a mask for 10 days after their last day of exposure and get tested at least 24 hours apart on day 4 and day 5 of their exposure.
    • When they are moderately-to-severely immunocompromised, and masking is recommended by their healthcare provider.
    • In crowded indoor settings
  • Ventilation:
    • 160K+ air purifiers distributed to schools – at least two in every classroom
    • Monitoring ventilation in buildings on a daily basis and perform any required work in a timely manner
    • HVAC upgrades in alignment with CDC guidance, including 110,000 MERV-13 filters installed
  • School Building Cleaning:
    • Routine cleaning of surfaces will be maintained