As of April 30, 2021, following CDC recommendations and to ensure the optimal health and safety for our entire community, Brooklyn Friends mandated that ALL colleagues be vaccinated for COVID-19. It is also MANDATORY that ALL students ages 5+ be vaccinated for COVID-19. If you have not already done so, please be sure to upload your child’s proof of vaccination to your Magnus Health portal in the Immunization section (this area allows for multiple uploads so not to worry about replacing existing records). If your child is 5-11, they must have completed their second round of vaccinations by February 23, 2022. If your child is under 5 and not eligible to receive the vaccine, you may disregard any automated emails you receive about this. Students who turn 5 after February 23, must show proof of vaccination within 30 days of their 5th birthday.

Boosters: All eligible students and colleagues must have received their booster shot by February 7, 2022.

ALL visitors will need to show proof of vaccination before being allowed access to any of the Brooklyn Friends School buildings. There will be no exceptions.

There will be absolutely no exceptions to Brooklyn Friends School’s vaccination protocols.

During the school day, students and colleagues will be the primary users of the building. However, there are permissible allowances that will be subject to approval. The following members of the BFS Leadership Team have decision-making responsibility: Head of School, Assistant Head of School, CFOO.

Special note: Students in the Family Center and Preschool will be accompanied to class and picked up by one adult. 

N95/KN95 or KF94 masks will be required indoors at all times by ALL students, colleagues and approved visitors except while eating.

We are pleased to note that BFS has secured an initial supply of KN95 and KF94 masks for our students and colleagues. Brooklyn Friends School will supply an initial mask for all students and colleagues – KN95 masks for colleagues and older students and KF94 for younger students. 

We will observe the comfort and fit of the KF94 masks for our youngest students, and if we need to make a change for them, you will hear about it from your division head.

Beyond our initial supply for your child(ren), if you can not procure N95/KN95 or KF94 masks, please contact us HERE. 

Individuals alone in private offices or classrooms may choose to unmask.

We will no longer do surveillance testing of vaccinated community members, beginning in the first week of February. Instead, we will shift to monitoring for COVID-related symptoms and individual testing as described in the protocols. We will continue our PCR testing cycle for all unvaccinated members (since they are not yet eligible for vaccination)

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Current Testing Schedule:

EVERY WEEK: Brooklyn Friends is conducting COVID-19 testing on campus for all members of our community who are unvaccinated (students 5 and under) and the colleagues who work with those students.

EVERY TWO WEEKS: Brooklyn Friends is conducting COVID-19 testing on campus for everyone, regardless of vaccination status.

During their assigned testing days, students will be sent home with a test kit (Upper School students may conduct their test at school) and will be required to return the completed kit the following morning. At this link, watch an important video filmed by our Health Team showing how to administer the test and fill out the paperwork.

Please note: BFS will only notify those individuals with positive test results.

With regards to communications about test results, BFS will only notify those families who are directly impacted by a positive test if one should occur. Any positive test will cause us to launch comprehensive contact tracing—consistent with current CDC and NYC DOH guidelines. While we will always err on the side of over-communicating information we feel needs to be shared, if your family is directly impacted by a positive test result, you will receive communication from the school.

If a student or colleague has received a positive PCR test from an outside source, the results must be emailed to the Health Team at health@brooklynfriends.org.

Positive Test Protocol: A BFS Community member (student or colleague) who receives a positive COVID-19 test, regardless of vaccination status. 

• 10 day quarantine: Day Zero is either on the day the test was administered or the first day of symptoms.
• Re-test on or after Day 5 with PCR Test
  • If test is negative, individual may return on Day 8 IF they are asymptomatic. 
  • If test is positive, individual may return on Day 11, IF the they are asymptomatic.
  • If you choose not to re-test on day 5, the individual may return on day 11 as long as they are asymptomatic.
    

Exposure to COVID-19: Exposure is defined as indoors, unmasked, for 15+ minutes over a 24 hour period 

VACCINATED (fully vaccinated as defined by the NY Dept. of Health & the Centers for Disease Control)

• If exposed individual is NOT experiencing symptoms
  • Upon arrival to BFS, the exposed individual will receive a rapid test from the BFS Health Team
  • If the rapid test is positive, proceed to positive test protocol above
  • If the rapid test is negative, 
    • individual remains on campus at BFS
    • 3 days after exposure, individual receives another rapid test
• If individual IS experiencing symptoms
  • Begin quarantine, starting with day of exposure (Day Zero).
  • Test on or after day 5 of quarantine (PCR or Rapid test)
    • If test is negative, individual may return to campus on Day 6 if they are asymptomatic
    • If test is positive, individual may return to campus on Day 11 if they are asymptomatic

Exposure to COVID-19: Exposure is defined as indoors, unmasked, for 15+ minutes over a 24 hour period 

UNVACCINATED

• Begin 10 day quarantine starting on the day of exposure (Day Zero)
• Test on or after Day 5 of Quarantine (PCR or Rapid test)
  • If the test is positive, individual may return to campus on Day 11 if they are asymptomatic
  • If the test is negative, individual may return to campus on Day 6 if they are asymptomatic

While the CDC has indicated that individuals who have tested positive for COVID may continue to test positive for up to 90 days, we will continue to include those individuals in our school-wide testing. Individuals will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. 

Accessing Your Results

BFS will alert a family and/or colleague as soon as possible if there is a positive test result. To view test results, please use the following instructions:

1. Go to https://www.accureference.com/
2. Click on LOGIN on the lower left
3. Select PATIENT PORTAL
4. Scroll down and click on View My Results Now
5. Use the authenticate box and answer questions (make sure you click Click here if you do not have an access code
6. If you have any questions and/or are having trouble accessing results, please contact the lab’s customer service at 877-733-4522.

Our group remote learning protocols will be guided by our specific staffing capabilities. As you likely know, there is a national and statewide shortage of substitute teachers at this time. While we will always do our best to keep our classrooms open, there may be times when we will have to go remote due to staffing limitations.

All after school programs are subject to the same policies delineated above.

• They have a fever above 100°F.
• They are exhibiting respiratory symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing) not associated with a previously diagnosed condition (ie. allergies)
• They experience vomiting
• They have diarrhea
• They have a rash
• They have any contagious illness