COVID Protocols 2021-2022

Vaccination is the single most effective way to reduce the risk posed by the coronavirus in schools and every faculty member has been fully vaccinated.

• GFA encourages all eligible students to get the vaccine and submit copies of vaccination records to the school nurse (healthoffice@gfacademy.org). 

• A person is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (i.e. their second Pfizer or Moderna dose or their single Johnson & Johnson dose).

If infected, unvaccinated children can still suffer from severe illness and infect other people. Masks will continue to be essential in containing the spread of the virus on campus and keeping vulnerable members of our community safe. 

• Masks are required inside GFA buildings and vehicles, regardless of vaccination status. 

• Masks are not required outdoors.  

• The school recommends that students who are in large crowds outdoors wear a mask if distance cannot be maintained.  

• Students and employees may remove their masks while actively eating or drinking indoors for a limited amount of time. 

• Fully vaccinated faculty may remove their masks during active instruction at the front of the classroom.

• Masks are not required of vaccinated individuals if they are alone in a private indoor space with the door shut (e.g. single restrooms, offices, practice rooms, etc.).

Anyone who experiences COVID-19 symptoms should stay home, contact your health care provider for guidance, and alert GFA's Health Office (healthoffice@gfacademy.org). 

Please use the following questions in your morning screening. If the answer is “yes” to at least one of the these questions, please stay home or keep your child home: 

• Is anyone living in the student’s household being tested for COVID-19 or waiting for test results due to COVID-19 symptoms?

• Does the student have a loss of taste or smell?

• Does the student have a fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea?

• Has the student been given medication to reduce a fever or suppress a cough in the last 24 hours? 

• Has the student been in close contact with any individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

• GFA classrooms and vehicles will allow at least 3 feet of distancing among students when feasible. 

• Students will be asked to maintain distancing during meals and in large gatherings indoors.  

• Wind instruments and singers will require additional distancing (6 feet between students).

• Teachers are encouraged to open windows when possible for increased ventilation or to take students outside if appropriate. 

• HVAC systems have been improved throughout the school. 

• We have increased our air ventilation to allow for more air exchange.

• Filters in our air-handling units have been upgraded to MERV-13 and paired with electrostatic ionization technology to neutralize airborne virus particles.

• Facilities staff will perform routine cleaning and disinfection at the end of the school day.  

• High-touch surfaces including door handles, handrails, keyboards, desks, and tables will be cleaned daily.

• Regular hand washing is required; hand sanitizer is widely available across campus.

• COVID-19 test results (PCR or antigen) are required for all students or employees who present any COVID-19 symptoms. Please contact the health office for guidance.  

• Vaccinated individuals who come into close contact with a COVID-positive person should test for COVID-19 3-5 days after their exposure and wear a mask at all times on campus—including outdoors—even if they don’t present any symptoms. 

GFA will do contact tracing for any student or employee who tests positive for COVID-19. 

Quarantining will continue to play an important role in containing the spread of the virus on campus when members of the community come into contact with the virus.  

• Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to quarantine when they come in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 unless they present COVID-19 symptoms.

• Unvaccinated individuals will be required to quarantine when they come into close contact with a COVID-19 case. The school will determine close contact based on a set of factors such as proximity to COVID-19 case, mask usage, and length of exposure in coordination with guidance from local public health officials.  

What to do if you suspect you may have had a close contact

• Consult with your health care provider. 

• Vaccinated individuals should test for COVID-19 5–7 days after their exposure and wear a mask at all times on campus—including outdoors—even if they don’t present any symptoms. 

• Unvaccinated students should stay home for 14 days after your last contact with the COVID-positive individual, and return to school only when they are symptom-free for more than 24 hours without the aid of medication. They should continue monitoring for symptoms until 14 days after last contact. Close contacts can return to school after day 7 if they submit a negative test result to healthoffice@gfacademy.org. The test must be administered 5 or more days after the last known contact. Athletes may have more stringent requirements before returning to play; please check with the Director of Athletics & Physical Education for guidance (elee@gfacademy.org).  

• Isolation is required for anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

What to do 

• Consult with your health care provider. 

• Isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms. If there are no symptoms, isolate for 10 days after the date of the positive test.

Return to school only when you have been symptom-free for more than 24 hours without the aid of medication. Athletes may have more stringent requirements before returning to play; please check with the Director of Athletics & Physical Education for guidance (elee@gfacademy.org).

• Visitors will be allowed on campus and must wear a mask indoors at all times.  

• Most social gatherings for parents on campus will take place outdoors when possible.  

For vaccinated students and employees, GFA recommends self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. Please isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

For unvaccinated people, GFA does not require quarantining after domestic travel, but GFA asks that you meet the following requirements for travel outside of the following states: CT, NJ, NY, MA, RI, ME, NH, VT, PA, and MD:

• Test for COVID on the day prior to returning to school (antigen or same-day PCR test). 
• Test for COVID 3-5 days after returning from travel 
• Submit all test results to healthoffice@gfacademy.org. 
• Wear masks at all times on campus, except while actively eating or drinking, until a negative test result (from 3-5 days post travel) has been submitted to the school. 
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.
• Isolate and test for COVID if symptoms develop.

Students and employees are not required to quarantine after international travel. However, GFA has the following requirements regardless of vaccination status: 

• Test for COVID on the day prior to returning to school (antigen or same-day PCR test). 
• Test for COVID 3-5 days after arrival.
• Submit all test results to healthoffice@gfacademy.org.
• Wear masks at all times on campus, except while actively eating or drinking, until a negative test result (from 3-5 days post travel) has been submitted to the school. 
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. 
• Isolate and test for COVID if symptoms develop.