COVID Protocols 2021-2022

Vaccination is the most effective way to protect yourself and reduce the impact of COVID-19 on our communities. 

• GFA strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 5 and older and boosters for everyone 12 and older. Please submit copies of vaccination records to the school nurse (healthoffice@gfacademy.org). 

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

• People who received their final dose of Pfizer or Moderna more than 5 months ago or their single dose of J&J more than 2 months ago are encouraged to get a booster shot to avoid having to self-quarantine due to known exposure to a positive case. 

Testing remains an essential precautionary measure to minimize the presence of the virus on campus. GFA is committed to using on-campus testing at critical times of high transmission and for any student or employee with known on-campus exposure to the virus. GFA encourages families to pursue testing options at home or in the many testing facilities that are available in our area.

Please keep the following testing guidelines in mind: 

• People who develop COVID symptoms should test immediately. If the test result is negative, a second test is required 5 days after the onset of symptoms. 

• A positive test result from an antigen test for a symptomatic individual will be treated as a definitive result; subsequent negative test results will not override a positive test result. 

• People should test immediately when they find out that they are a close contact. If their test result is negative, they should be tested again 5–7 days after their last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop.

• People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered, as long as they do not develop new symptoms, do not need to get tested.

Anyone who experiences COVID symptoms, including symptoms that are typical of a common cold, must stay home and alert GFA's Health Office (healthoffice@gfacademy.org). 

• The school reserves the right to require students or employees to go home if they exhibit any COVID symptom in school. 

• Symptomatic individuals must stay home — regardless of their vaccination status or a negative test result. 

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

• Do you (student or employee) have congestion or runny nose, cough, a fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue or body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell?

• Have you (student or employee) taken medication to reduce a fever or suppress a cough in the last 24 hours? 

• Is anyone in your household isolating because they tested positive for COVID-19? 

People infected with COVID often exhibit symptoms that are also diagnostic of other non-contagious illnesses or conditions. People who exhibit COVID symptoms should stay home, alert the school, and contact their health care provider. 

People who have exhibited symptoms can return to school once

• they submit a negative test result to healthoffice@gfacademy.org and their symptoms have been resolved without the aid of medication for 48 hours
  OR 

• the school has received a doctor’s note with an alternative diagnosis.

Effective February 28, 2022, Greens Farms Academy will make indoor masking optional. Certain provisions may be made within each division and will be communicated with families accordingly. It’s reasonable to assume that we’ll be living with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, and as such, we will continue to monitor the incidence of the virus in our community. Please know that in the event that cases surge significantly in the region or on campus, we’ll be prepared to adjust our protocols accordingly. 

Based on new guidance from the CDC, GFA has revised isolation protocols for people who test positive for COVID-19. Everyone who tests positive, regardless of vaccination status must: 

• Stay home for 5 days (day 0 is the day of the test or onset of symptoms)

• If you have no symptoms or your symptoms have resolved after 5 days, you may return to school on day 6

• Continue to wear an N95 mask around others for 5 additional days 

• If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves

The CDC has revised its guidance on quarantining due to close contact to reflect the increased risk of transmission for vaccinated individuals who are less protected from infection due to the passage of time. 

If a household member tests positive for COVID-19, you may return to school if you:

• Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days
• Have no symptoms
• Test on day 5
• Submit proof of a negative antigen test on Day 5 to healthoffice@gfacademy.org. Should you need antigen test kits, reach out to the Health Office.

If a household member tests positive for COVID-19, you may return to school if you:

·         Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days

·         Have no symptoms

·         Test negative on a daily antigen test at home through day 5

·         Submit proof of a negative antigen test on Day 5 to healthoffice@gfacademy.org. Should you need antigen test kits, reach out to the Health Office.

In Middle School only, faculty will offer optional remote learning for students who must stay home due to 

• COVID symptoms,

• a positive COVID test result, or 

• quarantine caused by close contact with a COVID-positive person. 

Visitors must follow the school’s COVID safety protocols, including mask rules and morning screening protocols. Please answer the following questions before coming to campus. If the answer is “yes” to at least one of these questions, please don’t come to campus: 

• Do you have congestion or runny nose, cough, a fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue or body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell?

• Have you taken medication to reduce a fever or suppress a cough in the last 24 hours? 

• Is anyone in your household isolating because they tested positive for COVID-19? 

Please click here for the latest information regarding travel

• 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.  

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