If the student is vaccinated, there is no need to quarantine, however they should be monitored for symptoms in case new symptoms occur. If the student is NOT vaccinated, HMS follows the CDC Guidance in that they should quarantine for 5 days and isolate immediately upon the onset of symptoms. If they have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days, regardless of vaccination status, they will not need to quarantine.

Please notify the nurse when your child is fully vaccinated, meaning they have received both doses of the vaccine. If you have concerns prior to or after the vaccine has been administered, please feel free to contact the nurse so they can discuss the typical vaccine response with you and what to look for. If your child's symptoms are due to their vaccine response, you will not need to have them quarantined; however if they are displaying any symptoms please contact the nurse to discuss what steps should be taken next in regard to their return to school.

Per CDC- guidelines, in-state travel does not permit a quarantine; however, we ask that if you are attending a family event in-state to please be mindful of symptoms that may occur upon your return. If you feel that your child will be out for an extended period of time, please touch base with your child's teacher to determine if they have a take-home packet prepared

Similar to traveling, you should be aware of your exposure. Some things to consider:

Are the people staying with you vaccinated?

Have they traveled from a place that is known to have a high rate of exposure?

Have they themselves been exposed to COVID within a short time frame from when they came to visit?

Have they themselves had COVID within a recent time frame?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions you may want to get tested and consider isolating until a negative test is received especially depending upon your vaccination status.

Please refer to the COVID Dashboard and the Travel section for the most updated information as of November 2, 2021. This includes information on the CDC Recommendations and HMS Policy

Please see the COVID Dashboard section on Travel for this information as it was updated November 1, 2021

• We understand and appreciate the position of being proactive during a pandemic. We will treat each instance case by case. Anytime a child is absent for the day or a foreseeable block of time please let the main office and nurses office know so they can respond accordingly.

• Whenever a student is going to be absent we ask that the family notify the teacher. If a student's absence is unexpected, we ask that the teacher and main office be notified as soon as possible (and the nurses office if it is medically related). If you know in advance that your child may be out for a few days, rather than just one, we ask that you communicate that at the time of contact. Therefore if you proactively decide to keep your child home to avoid the contact with someone in their class that may be showing symptoms we completely understand. We ask that you notify the main office letting them know your concern, that it is just proactive and that you contact the teacher for any missed work ahead.

• Keeping within the guidelines of NYS, we ask that no child miss more than 10 days of school per school year depending on circumstances involved. We do understand in COVID times that this can be difficult so if there is a specific circumstance, please feel free to reach out to our administrative team or our nursing staff for specific case clarification.

We will be following the NYS quarantine guidelines and will monitor for changes as they develop. We state the "prescribed period of time" because this may change as NYS is continuously developing their response. Our Nursing Staff will let you know if that changes or what the procedure will be at the specific time.

See Testing Tab on the left of the COVID Dashboard for updated information on testing sites nearest you.

Our Town Halls will be aired at 1pm on Friday's once a month and a recording will be uploaded by 7pm that evening. Anyone can access the recording at that time. This information is displayed on our COVID Dashboard at the top left. Access to the recording live on specific days can be found on the top right by clicking the green section above the calendar.

Students and staff with COVID-19 related symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, must remain excluded from school until they are able to provide the following:
-A negative PCR Test AND
-Are no longer displaying any COVID related symptoms AND have been fever free without the use of fever reducing medication/therapies for over 24 hours

At this time we are constantly reviewing the latest guidance as to what we are able to mandate. Currently, it is not mandated however we are continuing to review as updates become available. We strongly encourage the vaccine as it becomes available and approved. We follow State and CDC guidance so that we are aligned with what they are mandating because of implications for enrollment and staffing.

Refer to the drop down under travel.

We have set the classrooms up in such a way that aligns with NYS and the CDC guidance regarding eating within the classroom. Students will spread apart during mealtimes and during times where weather does not allow us to be outside. When needed, there are rooms available where distancing can be increased during these specific times. As often as possible however we will be outside or on porches. Ventilation and airflow circulation has been set up adhering to the latest guidance from the CDC as well.

Students need 6 feet of distancing for inside meals, OR whenever masks are off - i.e. eating, playing music, etc.. NYS DOH

Our teachers do a wonderful job in creating schedules of events to determine who may be in close contact for specific times throughout the day. The likelihood of a blanket 'everyone is exposed' in the 2's program is high, but our CRT reviews every aspect before determining that they are all considered a close contact. With the difficulty in mask efficacy at that age, it can be difficult however to not take a blanket approach depending on the exposure.

The CDC recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people. - NYS Ed, Health and safety guide for 2021-2022