Mental & Physical Health & Wellness

Students with any symptoms of an infectious illness such as COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and gastrointestinal infections should not attend school and should be tested for COVID-19 if appropriate. Please contact Key’s Health Office to develop a return-to-school plan, which may require testing (rapid/antigen or PCR test).

While PCR testing is still the gold standard, rapid/antigen tests are acceptable. Please test your student while they are symptomatic. Negative rapid antigen results may need to be confirmed with a PCR test. If the test is negative, they may return when symptoms have improved and they are without a fever (less than 100°F) for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.

Students who become ill at school must be picked up within one hour.

Vaccination of all eligible individuals is essential to mitigating the spread of COVID-19. We continue to strongly encourage families of students who are eligible to get vaccinated to do so. If your student is fully vaccinated, please send Nurse Katie Anderson in the Health Office a copy of their vaccination card.

Individuals should wear a mask indoors for ten full days if:

• They have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status. Reminder: Individuals who test positive must contact Key's Health Office and isolate, according to CDC guidelines, for at least five full days.

• There is an individual in their household who has tested positive for COVID-19.

• They have a known exposure to a positive individual. Day 0 is the last date of exposure.

Except for the circumstances listed above, masks are optional for all students, faculty and staff.

Exposure

Exposure is defined as fifteen minutes or more (cumulative in a 24-hour period) within six feet of the infected student when either or both individuals are not wearing masks. 

Isolation

For positive individuals, their isolation timeline should be as follows:

Day 0: Onset of symptoms (or, if asymptomatic, date the positive test was obtained)

Days 1-5: Isolate away from others

Days 6-10: May return to campus/be around others only if wearing a well-fitting mask and symptoms have resolved. Masks do not need to be worn while eating, drinking, sleeping, or being outside.

Quarantine

Asymptomatic persons, regardless of vaccination status, are not required to quarantine following exposure to someone with COVID-19 (even if they were not wearing a mask) but should wear masks for ten full days from the last potential exposure and take a COVID-19 test five to seven full days after exposure, or sooner if they become symptomatic.

In the event of an exposure, all of the following must be adhered to:  

• Daily symptom monitoring continues through Day 10, AND

• Correct and consistent face mask use through Day 10; AND

• Immediate isolation and contact of their healthcare provider and Key’s Health Office if any symptoms develop.

This policy applies to students living within the same household. For example, student A receives a positive COVID-19 test result. Their sibling, student B, can come to school as long as the guidelines are followed.

Should quarantine related to COVID-19 be required, students will be able to Zoom into classes for grades K - 12 starting within 24 hours of the Health Office notifying the Division. Online access will run for the duration of the quarantine period. Key-Wee through Pre-Kindergarten students will be offered asynchronous Seesaw activities and/or off-line activities on a case-by-case basis.

Key will not use synchronous online instruction for other illnesses or absences. Should your student feel sick during the quarantine period, we strongly encourage them to rest and not attend class virtually.

Contact Tracing

Universal contact tracing is no longer recommended in schools and childcare programs.  When a COVID-19 case has been identified in a faculty/staff member or a student, the staff member with COVID-19 or the parents/guardians of the student with COVID-19 are encouraged to notify their own/their student’s close contacts.

The Health Office will contact trace in response to an outbreak. An outbreak is defined as three cases that are epidemiologically linked in one class.

Communication

FIRST & LOWER SCHOOL - Key will notify families when there is a positive case in the class and if there is an outbreak in their student’s class. 

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL - Key will communicate with grades or classes in the event of an outbreak.

Sports teams will be notified when there is a positive case on the team.

Key’s Health Office will offer diagnostic testing for any student, faculty or staff member with symptoms and those who were in close contact with someone with COVID-19. Diagnostic testing will be performed using point-of-care rapid antigen tests. The Maryland Department of Health provides schools with at-home rapid antigen tests. Families may pick up these test kits from the Health Office.

In certain circumstances, Key School may ask students in a grade or class to test for COVID-19 (either daily before coming to school or during the school day) to help reduce transmission. The Key Health Office will ask for parent/guardian permission before testing students during the school day.

According to CDC guidelines, individuals traveling internationally, regardless of vaccination status, should adhere to the following recommendations:

• Get tested with a viral test three to five full days after returning to the United States, and

• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if symptoms develop.