Better Together

Policy
The default learning modality for all students in the 2021-22 school year is in-person. The only allowance for remote learning is for asymptomatic COVID-19 isolations and quarantines (see below). There is a strong focus on building community, ideally in-person when possible within health and safety parameters.

Philosophy
When students and faculty are on campus together, the experience is better for everyone. Numbers strengthen the community, and the energy of active hallways, classrooms, and offices is immeasurable. When students are on campus, they further the best interests of the school, their specific classes, and any teams or clubs to which they belong. Investing in our community by being together is the common good. Simply put, we have learned that we are better when we are together.

Better Together Policies

Remote Learning Policy

Policy
Remote learning will only be available to students who need to miss school due to COVID-related circumstances. Those circumstances are isolation (COVID-19 infection) or quarantine (close-contact exposure to an individual infected with COVID-19). In each of these scenarios, a student’s absence from school will be preplanned for a specific period of time. Arrangements for remote learning will be made on a case-by-case basis with the appropriate Division office.

Sick Policy

Policy
Students are expected to be on-campus and in-person every day. When students are too ill to attend school in person or need to miss school for other reasons, they should report an excused absence and work with their teachers to make up any missed work.

The sick policy has remained the same. If a student is sick for three consecutive days or longer, they must provide a doctor’s note including a diagnosis and plan of care, and also be symptom- and fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. If an athletic trainer, school nurse, or counselor deem a physician referral necessary, written communication from the physician’s office will be required. The student will not be allowed to return to activity without written medical clearance from their physician’s office. The physician or healthcare provider should have no personal or familial relationship to the student. Please refer to the Health & Medical Policies section of the Student Handbook for more information.

Testing Strategy

Pingry relies on individual diagnostic testing for symptomatic and exposed individuals (both PCR and rapid antigen tests are acceptable).

Any community member experiencing COVID-like symptoms will be instructed to test independently. Accepted tests will include over-the-counter at-home rapid antigen tests (also available at The Bear Pause), independent or physician-administered antigen tests, and independent or physician-administered PCR tests.
It is imperative that positive results from a COVID-19 test are reported immediately to contacttracing@pingry.org. Our Contact Tracing Team will continue to contact trace community members who test positive, and remain on hand to provide critical information and assistance as our community members navigate their return to campus.
Students who feel ill or present symptoms during the school day will be sent home with further instructions, consistent with current practice and Pingry’s sick policy. If they are presenting two or more COVID-like symptoms, they will be required to test independently. Additionally, they will be required to provide written proof of their negative test and an alternate medical diagnosis before being permitted back on campus.

Community members seeking to return to campus on Day 6 of their isolation or quarantine will still be required to submit proof of a negative antigen test taken on or after Day 5 of their isolation or quarantine.

Positive Antigen Test

Policy

If a community member tests positive for COVID-19 via an antigen test (at-home or physician administered), Pingry will treat this as a confirmed positive.

Please immediately submit documentation to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org.

Students will begin their isolation with access to remote learning. Pingry recommends immediately contacting your child’s physician to follow up on next steps.

Quarantine and Isolation Timelines

Policy

NOTE: This plan on how to operationalize the shortened isolation and quarantine timelines (per CDC and NJ DOH guidance) has been approved by both the Bernards and Livingston Boards of Health.

Approved options to return to campus from isolation
(i.e., for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19)

Option 1 (without antigen testing): Isolate at home for 10 days (day of positive test is Day 0). Students are also required to have a COVID-19 Clearance Form signed by an appropriate medical professional (MD, DO, PA, APN) on file prior to returning to in-person learning. Please submit COVID-19 Clearance Forms to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org; or,

Option 2 (with antigen testing): Isolate at home for a minimum of 5 days (day of positive test is Day 0). Beginning on Day 6, individuals may return to campus only if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Have been fever-free for at least 72 hours
- Have resolved or significantly improving symptoms
- Do not have a runny nose (i.e., does not impede proper mask use)
- Do not have more than a minimal cough (i.e., does not interrupt work and does not impede proper mask use)
- Submit a negative test result from a rapid antigen test (at home or administered by a physician) taken on or after Day 5 to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org, including full name, date of birth and date of test taken. Students are also required to have a COVID-19 Clearance Form signed by an appropriate medical professional (MD, DO, PA, APN) on file prior to returning to in-person learning. Please submit COVID-19 Clearance Forms to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org.

Approved options to return to campus from quarantine

Option 1 (without antigen testing): Quarantine at home for 10 days (day of close contact is Day 0); or,

Option 2 (with antigen testing): Quarantine at home for a minimum of 5 days (day of close contact is Day 0). Beginning on Day 6, individuals may return to campus if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Remain asymptomatic
- Submit a negative test result from a rapid antigen test (at home or administered by a physician) taken on or after Day 5 to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org, including full name, date of birth and date of test taken.

Option 3: Test to Stay is a modified quarantine protocol to help reduce disruptions to in-person learning for eligible individuals who meet the requirements for quarantine. Test to Stay utilizes serial testing (repeat testing during a window of time) and self-monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 to determine eligibility for in-person learning. Individuals exposed to a person with COVID-19 who remain asymptomatic and meet the criteria for quarantine may return to school immediately after being notified of their need to quarantine provided the following criteria are met:
- Individual remains completely asymptomatic
- Individual submits two negative test results from at-home rapid antigen tests. The first test must be administered, submitted, and approved in advance of the next school day. The second test must be administered, submitted, and approved on Day 5 of their quarantine. Test results should be submitted to the appropriate campus nurse and ContactTracing@pingry.org, including full name, date of birth, and date that the test was taken. Click here for an example.
- Individual wears a mask while on campus for the ten days following their exposure
- Individual may not participate in extracurricular activities until after Day 5 of their quarantine

If your child’s vaccination records are not up to date, uploaded and approved by the time you receive this notification, your child’s quarantine options will remain unchanged until our school nurses approve their vaccination records. This process may take up to one business day.

Visitor Policy

As of Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Pingry will welcome invited guests inside of our buildings, regardless of their vaccination status. Given what we know about our internal caseloads, viral prevalence in the State of New Jersey, Pingry community vaccination coverage, and historical epidemiological data, we have made the determination that the current climate is conducive to make this change.

To classify as an “invited guest”, an individual must receive one of the below:

An individual invitation from a Pingry employee
A group invitation to a Pingry-sponsored event (prior RSVP required)

Upon arrival, visitors must check-in at the following locations on each campus:

Basking Ridge: Clocktower Entrance
Short Hills: Front Entrance
Pottersville: Main Building

Mask Policy

Masks are no longer be mandatory in all spaces on Pingry campuses with the exception of the nurses offices and athletic training rooms, in alignment with the lifting of New Jersey’s mask mandate and continuation of specific federal mask mandates regarding healthcare facilities. Community members returning to campus after a five-day quarantine or isolation will be required to wear a mask until after day ten. We support every family’s decision about masking, but please be aware that faculty and staff will not be able to enforce parental preferences at school. Disposable masks will be provided in mask-required locations.

Vaccine Policy

Policy
2021 - 2022

Vaccination Policy for Students

All vaccine-eligible students must be fully vaccinated within eight weeks of the first COVID-19 vaccination receiving standard approval for use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their age group.
Medical or religious COVID-19 vaccine exemptions will be permitted and honored.
For the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year, students who remain unvaccinated after standard approval is issued for their age group may continue to attend classes at Pingry, but will not be permitted to participate in extracurricular activities.
All participants in overnight trips will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, regardless of age or exemption status.

Vaccination Policy for Employees

All Pingry employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Medical or religious COVID-19 vaccine exemptions will be permitted and honored.

2022 - 2023
Vaccination Policy for Students:

Effective July 1, 2022, as a condition of continued enrollment at Pingry, all vaccine-eligible students must be fully vaccinated within eight weeks of the first COVID-19 vaccination receiving standard approval for use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their age group.
Medical or religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination will continue to be available.
- However, all exemptions will need to be resubmitted and approved annually. Please reach out to healthandsafety@pingry.org if you have questions about exemptions.
The 2021-2022 transitional exemption that allowed students who are eligible for an FDA-approved vaccination, but are not fully vaccinated and do not have a religious or medical exemption, to attend school, but not extra-curricular activities, will not be offered in 2022-2023.

Vaccination Policy for Employees:

There will be no change from 2021-22 COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for employees. Pingry will continue to require all vaccine-eligible employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As of October 11, 2021, all vaccine-eligible Pingry employees are fully vaccinated. As we welcome new employees to our community, our vaccination expectations and timeline will apply.

NOTE: At this time, Pingry requires individuals to be fully vaccinated to participate in extracurricular activities, which means they have received the first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson (not including booster). However, to continue to be exempt from quarantining if identified as a close contact, individuals must be up to date on vaccinations, which means fully vaccinated and up to date on all recommended boosters.