WSM Health and COVID-19 Policies, School Year 2023-24
Wayland School of Music Health and COVID policies and protocols are based on guidelines from the Wayland Public Schools, which in turn are derived from the more recent guidance issued by the state of Massachusetts and the Centers for Disease Control. Please note that we reserve the right to change them as necessary, depending on changing conditions.
Masks:
As a general rule, masks are no longer required, except in specific circumstances outlined below. That said, masks remain an important way to mitigate the spread of repiratory diseases. We support anyone who chooses to wear a mask, and we ask students to respect any requests by faculty to wear a mask during a lesson/class/rehearsal. There are many reasons why people may choose to continue wearing a mask, and we are committed to respecting those choices.
When are masks required?
Masks are required in the following circumstances:
- If your student is presenting symptoms of any respiratory illness, even if he/she has tested negative, and a zoom lesson is not possible, a mask must be worn indoors until the symptoms subside. Teachers may at their discretion choose to end a lesson if a student somes to the building visibly sick, and the lesson will not be made up.
- If your student has been determined to be in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID 19 or ther respiratory illnes, he/she must wear a mask while indoors for a period of five days from the exposure.
- If a WSM faculty member asks your student to wear a mask while in any class or rehearsal, please comply. Please note that some faculty have requested the continued use of masks in their studios because they have specific health concerns of their own. If your teacher is one of these, we will let you know.
Prior to coming to WSM:
If your student presents respiratory illness symptoms before coming to WSM, please request to pivot the lesson to zoom (which can be done at any time), or report an absence. If symptoms subside, please administer a rapid antigen test; then if the results are negative, your student may attend but must wear a mask while indoors.
We appreciate your consideration in not bringing in symptomatic individuals into WSM, especially as we now have the zoom option and you do not need to miss your lesson.
Please be mindful of the fact that students who are sick or getting sick (with any illness) can infect many others, and can also cause considerable impact on faculty - including the loss of several days of professional income. We are always happy to pivot to our dedicated zoom platform. Your teacher's zoom link will be provided on their studio contact sheet.
While at WSM:
If your student presents symptoms while at WSM, we will administer a rapid antigen test. If the test is negative, the student may remain but will be required to wear a mask while indoors. If the test is positive, the student will be placed in an isolation room until they can be picked up by a parent or guardian.
What if my student tests positive for COVID 19?
Current guidance states that one must isolate for at least 5 days from the date of the positive test. Day 0 is either the date of a positive test, or the date when symptoms began, whichever came first. If your student is asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving, and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to WSM on Day 6, but will need to wear a high-quality mask through Day 10 while indoors.
If your student tests negative after Day 5, they no longer need to mask – please provide a copy of the negative test (a photo of the negative test suffices).
If after isolating for five days, your student’s symptoms are subsiding, but they continue to test positive, please consult your physician to determine whether they can return to the program.
What if my student is a close contact with someone who tests positive?
Close contacts are not required to quarantine or isolate. Therefore, as long as your student remains symptom free they may continue to come to the building, but will need to wear a mask.
If a student tests positive and is determined to have been in close contact with other student or staff during their infectious period, we will alert the families of those people, and ask them to be alert for symptoms and conduct a rapid test five days after the possible exposure. All close contacts will be required to wear masks while indoors.