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 12+ 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 under 12 and not eligible to receive the vaccine, you may disregard any automated emails you receive about this. 

ALL visitors will need to show proof of vaccination before being allowed access to any of the Brooklyn Friends buildings. Those vaccinated outside of New York must show proof of vaccination. There will be no exceptions.

Only students and colleagues will be allowed in school buildings. Exceptions to this rule include:

• • • Students in the Family Center and Preschool will be accompanied to class and picked up by one adult. 
    • Visitors approved by the Head of School or Division Heads.
    • Visitors invited for specific events, such as performances, etc.

Please note: at this time no spectators will be permitted to attend indoor athletic activities. 

• Students who turn 12 during the school year must show proof of vaccination within 30 days of their 12th birthday.

Masks will be required indoors at all times by ALL students and colleagues. 

Please note that only traditional masks that fit snugly over nose and mouth  will be permitted. The following are not permitted:

• • • Masks with valves
    • Scarves, gaiters, bandanas
    • Loose-fitting masks that do not cover nose and mouth

Masking is suggested, but not required outdoors.

Prior to the start of the school year all students and colleagues were required to test negative for COVID-19.

EVERY WEEK: Brooklyn Friends is conducting COVID-19 testing on campus for all members of our community who are unvaccinated (students under 12) 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. 

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.

At this link, watch an important video filmed by our Health Team showing how to administer the test and fill out the paperwork.

Please contact our health services team at health@brooklynfriends.org immediately as soon as you find out that your child was exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. 

The following is based on the most recent CDC guidelines. BFS will adjust policies, as necessary, as guidelines are updated or changed.

Testing Positive

For students 12+ and colleagues (vaccinated) 

• • Individual who is fully vaccinated, who tests positive for  COVID-19, and HAS symptoms (fever, cough, chills, sore throat, etc.):
    • Should quarantine for 10 days from the day symptoms began. They can end quarantine if they are fever-free for 24 hours, or other symptoms are improving. 
  • Individual who is fully vaccinated, that tests positive for  COVID-19, and DOES NOT have any symptoms:
    • are permitted to take a PCR test from their local provider after five (5) days. If they test negative on that PCR test they may submit those results to BFS and wait to receive clearance from the school to return to class following the seventh day of quarantine. 

For students under 12 (not vaccinated) who are exposed to COVID-19

• If all students were wearing well-fitted masks (which is a requirement at BFS), there is no need to quarantine, as per the latest CDC guidelines. 
• A representative from every division, Director of Security, and Health Services colleagues have been trained in Contact Tracing through Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Should a class of unvaccinated or partially unvaccinated students (as is the case of some of our 7th grade classes) need to quarantine because of a positive case. 

• BFS would switch to remote learning 24 hours after the beginning of the quarantine, allowing us to properly—and most respectfully—make the transition to remote instruction.
• Depending on the time of the start of quarantine, the school will do its best to ensure that the first day has asynchronous programming. 
• If the COVID-19 positive student tests negative on day 5, the entire class may return after day 7.
• Please Note: There will be no remote instruction option for Preschool or the Family Center. 

Close Contacts

As per BFS COVID-19 Guidelines, if there is a positive test result in a class/advisory that forces that class/advisory to quarantine, students are permitted to take a PCR test from their local provider after five (5) days. If they test negative on that PCR test they may submit those results to BFS and return to class following the seventh day of quarantine.

Brooklyn Friends School can not confirm or refute whether a test is a “false positive.” We treat positive tests as such and rely on the NewYork City Department of Health to make any determinations. 

• 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