COVID-19 Health Services Page
District COVID-19 Protocols and Guidelines
Please screen your student daily for these symptoms both remotely and in-person:

YOUR CHILD HAS SYMPTOMS AT HOME:
- They must get a test for COVID-19 before returning to school. Per the recommendation of both our local Board of Health and our school physician, please request a PCR or NAAT (molecular) test. Rapid tests are antigen tests which have a higher rate of false negatives so we are requesting molecular tests in order for
your student to return to school. - The alternative is to remain at home in self-isolation for 10 days from symptom onset.
- If they do not get tested and they have a sibling at AWRSD who may potentially be exposed to a positive student, please refrain from sending the sibling to school until the isolation has been completed.
This does not pertain if you have your student tested. - Absences, including remote absences, are to be reported to the main office and must include the reason for the absence.
- Documentation of a negative COVID test must be submitted to your school nurse. If you choose to isolate your child, please notify the school nurse before he/she returns.
** If your student is symptomatic or referred for testing due to being in contact with someone with KNOWN Covid-19 and you cannot get an order for a COVID-19 test, please contact your local board of health to obtain documentation to take to your testing site.
YOUR CHILD HAS SYMPTOMS AT SCHOOL:
- Teachers have been trained in identifying COVID-19 symptoms.
- If a teacher observes a student who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, they will be sent to the nurse’s office immediately for evaluation.
- Symptomatic students will then be placed in a staffed isolation area to await dismissal.
- Please ensure that your student’s emergency contact information is up-to-date and includes at least one other local non-custodial person who is able to pick up your student for dismissal.
- Under no circumstances will a student with a suspected case of COVID-19 be sent home on the bus.
YOUR CHILD HAS HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH A KNOWN POSITIVE COVID-19 CASE:
Updated DPH Guidelines
-
- If you are a close contact your local board of health will call you to notify you. Please contact your school nurse if you suspect your student may be a close contact to someone with a known COVID-19 diagnosis.
- A close contact is defined as being within six feet of the individual for at least 15 minutes total over a 24-hour period while the person was infectious.
TESTING SITES:
- Call your PCP
- Additional testing sites are at www.mass.gov/covid-19-testing.
- Please notify your school nurse before your student returns.
Know what to do when you get your child’s COVID-19 test results:
POSITIVE:
- Remain at home at least 10 days and until symptoms have improved and until student has had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- Answer the call from the contact tracing team (local board of health or Community Tracing Collaborative), they will clear your student to return to school.
- Bring paperwork from your PCP or local Board of Health clearing your student to return to school to your school nurse.
NEGATIVE:
- Your student may return to school when symptoms have improved and if your student has had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- Please send negative test results sent to your school nurse.
If your student has been COVID-19 tested, please check with the school nurse before returning to school regardless of test results.
Know these three critical measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in school:

“mask breaks”, which will occur throughout the day. Exceptions will be made for students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/ face coverings. A medical note in addition to prior approval from an administrator
will be required if your student is unable to wear a mask. Please provide your student with a mask to wear on the way to school and during the school day, and also provide a backup mask in case the mask breaks or becomes soiled. Cloth masks should be washed daily. Please note: gaiters, bandanas and masks with valves that do not have double layers are not allowed due to insufficient studies supporting their effectiveness.


of separation will be required. Your school will likely assign seats or designate cohorts of students to help mitigate the transmission of the virus. Please encourage your student to follow these instructions.

- Students/Staff must quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Massachusetts or produce a negative
COVID-19 PCR test result that has been administered up to 72 hours prior to your arrival in
Massachusetts. - Students/Staff may obtain a test at your own expense after your arrival in Massachusetts,
however, you MUST quarantine until a negative test has been confirmed. - According to the Department of Public Health, testing for children under 10 who are traveling
with an adult from their household is not required, however, AWRSD will require anyone who has
traveled outside the state to provide proof of a negative COVID PCR test, including students under
the age of 10. - Please notify your school nurse if you are planning on leaving the state for travel:
MHS: Bridget Hurley – bhurley@awrsd.org - 978-874-0163
WES: Jessica Heffernan – jheffernan@awrsd.org - 978-874-2043
JRB: Jane Flis – jflis@awrsd.org - 978-827-5750
OMS: Nancy Taylor – ntaylor@awrsd.org - 978-827-1425
OHS: Susan Lofquist – slofquist@awrsd.org - 978-827-5907
What do I do if I have additional questions?
Contact your school nurse, or email COVID19K12ParentInfo@mass.gov
Ashburnham: Nashoba Board of Health http://www.nashoba.org/
Westminster: Board of Health https://www.westminster-ma.gov/board-health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH): https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information
United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html