2020-2021 COVID Guidelines 

Quick-Reference Guide

To ensure a healthy and safe school year, the following guidelines must be followed by all PPS families and staff members.  The PPS RN Team is following strict guidelines set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Department of Education and Secondary Education.  Thank you for your help in following these guidelines which are designed to keep the PPS community healthy!

1. If staff or students are ill, they cannot come to school. Please see the symptom list below.
2. All illnesses must be reported to your school nurse. 
3. The school nurse may require a note from a healthcare professional prior to allowing staff or students to return to school depending on symptoms and illness.
4. If you are considered a close contact of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 you must self-quarantine for 14 days. You may not return to school even with a negative test before the 14 day quarantine period is up.  
5. If you travel to any state that is a high-risk state or out of the country, you must follow the state guidance on testing or self quarantining found here.   
6. A student or staff member with a pending COVID test may not return to school unless they have an alternative diagnosis from a healthcare professional or they qualify for a time-based strategy (10-14 days since testing was performed).  
7. Staff or students who are ill will be sent home for immediate dismissal. Please ensure that there is someone on your child’s emergency contact list who can pick them up from school within 30 minutes of notice. 

Below is the full list of symptoms for which children and staff should stay home and consult their primary care physician. 

❏ Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills

❏ Cough (not due to other known cause, such as a chronic cough)

❏ Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

❏ New loss of taste or smell

❏ Sore throat 

❏ Headache when in combination with other symptoms

❏ Muscle aches or body aches (not due to other known cause like exercise)

❏ Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

❏ Fatigue when in combination with other symptoms

❏ Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as  allergies) when in combination with other symptoms