Pingry Better Together 2021-22

As we communicated in the May webinar, we are better together, and it is our goal for our students, faculty and staff to be back in person full-time for the coming school year. Students will be expected to be on-campus, 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.

Remote learning will only be available to students who need to miss school due to COVID-related circumstances (e.g. isolation or quarantine) in which case absences will be preplanned for specific periods of time. Such arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis with the appropriate Division office.

The current expectation is that we will have a full athletic calendar with minimal changes to protocols.

Policy for 2021-22 School Year Campus Visitors
NOTE: In the language below, “proof of vaccination” implies “at least two weeks have passed since the last dose of the vaccine course.”

The below policy outlines several classifications of campus visits and the intentional health and safety measures needed to ensure the safety of our community. These policies are applicable for the month of September and may change as more information becomes available. 

School-Day Invited Guest*
During the school day, a guest to any of Pingry’s campuses who wishes to access a Pingry building must have a curricular or another Pingry specified purpose and an appointment for their presence on campus (guest speakers, outside tradespeople, fine or performing arts professional, job applicants, etc.). While on campus, guests are expected to wear masks while indoors and respect all other health and safety policies. Guests will be required to provide both of the following documents 24 hours in advance of their arrival to campus via this form:

• Proof of vaccination via upload of a hardcopy scan or digital “Vaccine Card.” 

• A lab report demonstrating a negative result from a PCR test administered no earlier than 72 hours prior to their visit to campus. Guests who present an antigen or non-PCR test will be turned away. 

Any guest who does not satisfy the above criteria will not be permitted to enter a Pingry building.

* School volunteer participation on campus is on pause until the end of September. This will be revisited prior to October 1, 2021.

After School/Weekend Guest
Guests who wish to access a Pingry building after 6 pm on weekdays or at any time during the weekend must be invited and on campus for a specific purpose (admissions candidate, PAA, PSPA, etc.). While on campus, guests are expected to wear masks while indoors and respect all other health and safety policies. Guests are expected to provide both of the following documents 24 hours in advance of their arrival to campus via this form:

• Proof of vaccination via upload of a hardcopy scan or digital “Vaccine Card.” 

• A lab report demonstrating a negative result from a PCR test administered no earlier than 72 hours prior to their visit to campus. Guests who present an antigen or non-PCR test will be turned away. 

Any guest who does not satisfy the above criteria will not be permitted to enter a Pingry building. For Pingry run events (Back-to-School nights, etc.), please see below section entitled Pingry Sponsored Events.

Guests Who Remain Outdoors
Guests who remain outdoors will not be required to wear a mask while on campus**. Additionally, they will not be required to submit proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. **This policy is subject to change in the event the New Jersey, Livingston, or Bernards Township Departments of Health alter their guidance and mandate masks be worn outdoors

At the Short Hills Campus, outdoor guests and spectators may access restrooms via the back door. 

Athletics

• During the hours of operation, while Pingry is hosting an outdoor sporting event, spectators may access the restrooms in the Miller A. Bugliari '52 Athletics Center (BAC) via the back door. Guests may access the restrooms in the hallway next to the entrance, all other spaces in the BAC are off-limits. 

• When Pingry is hosting an indoor sporting event, guests will have access to the restrooms adjacent to the athletics hallway. All other spaces will be off-limits. 

• Visiting teams will not use Pingry locker rooms, except for visiting football teams who may use a locker room in the BAC and visiting water polo teams who may use the locker room upstairs from the athletics hallway.

Pingry Sponsored Events

• For outdoor events, guests who remain outdoors will not be required to wear a mask while on campus. Additionally, they will not be required to submit proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. 

• For indoor events, guests will be required to wear a mask at all times and demonstrate proof of vaccination at the point of entry into a Pingry building.

  • Pingry is looking for a digital platform to store this information. Similar to the Docket app currently recommended by the NJ Department of Health

The Short Hills Campus will continue to use both the front and back entrances for drop-off and pick-up. The Basking Ridge Campus will adopt multiple points of entry. Student ID cards will allow them to access their preferred entrance at permitted times throughout the day. Temperature check stations at drop-off will be discontinued.

Students: Once the first COVID-19 vaccination receives standard authorization for use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pingry will require vaccine-eligible students to become fully vaccinated within eight weeks. We expect that there will be a different timeline of standard authorization for each age group (16+, 12-15, 5-11). Religious and/or medical exemptions will be permitted and honored.

Employees: Pingry will require all vaccine-eligible employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2021-22 school year. All vaccine-eligible employees must be fully vaccinated by October 1, 2021. Religious and/or medical exemptions will be permitted and honored.

We encourage families to consult with their health care provider if they have any questions or concerns about the vaccine. 

If your child is vaccinated, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination as communicated at the end of July. This will be used to determine the School's overall vaccination status, identify individuals who will need to continue weekly testing, and to contact trace. You may upload your child's vaccination card directly to your Magnus Health Portal, accessible via the Pingry Parent Portal.

At this point in time, Pingry-issued masks must be properly worn indoors, at all times, regardless of vaccination status. Our masking policy will follow the most up-to-date guidance from the CDC and our state and local departments of health and is subject to change at any time. An individual who does not follow mask protocols will be sent home. Additional follow-up will be handled by the appropriate Dean, if needed.

No. We will no longer require students or faculty to complete the daily, pre-arrival health screening form. If your child is experiencing a temperature of 100℉ or higher or other related symptoms that indicate your child should stay home, please keep them home.

No. We will no longer have temperature checks at the entrance to school. However, as above, if your child is experiencing a temperature of 100℉ or higher or other related symptoms that indicate your child should stay home, please keep them home. In cases where a student must return home, Pingry is only allowed to release that student to an “authorized pick-up individual” as indicated in Veracross. Please be sure to update your pre-approved list in Veracross as instructed.

Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will still need to isolate at home for a minimum of ten days.

The protocol for Quarantines is as follows

    •    Vaccinated individuals are all exempt from contact tracing unless they are symptomatic

    •    For those that are not vaccinated, contact tracing protocols are currently the same as those we had last year (7-day quarantine if contact traced)
. 
*Note that the duration of the quarantine will be dictated by the NJ Department of Health CALI Score at the time of close contact.

NJDOH is looking at adopting the latest CDC guidelines on contact tracing in schools and the above policy may well change, prior to or after the start of school.

Sensors were an important tool to help with the contact tracing process last year. With the changing requirements on contact tracing and social distancing we are currently evaluating the use of sensors for the upcoming academic year. The school will wait to observe the results from the month of re-entry testing (September) before deciding on the requirements for contact tracing sensors.

Based on revised CDC and NJDOH guidelines, individuals will no longer be required to quarantine for seven days after travel anywhere in the United States. For international travel, individuals should follow the CDC's guidelines and recommendations.

Yes we will continue to post and update the dashboard after every testing cycle.

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.

The dress code for the 2021-22 school year can be found here.

We recognize that for students who have been learning remotely during the 2021-21 school year, the transition back to in-person learning in the fall is significant. Additionally, many students continue to navigate and process the many changes and upheaval wrought by the pandemic. In order to address our students' needs, whatever they may be, Pingry's counseling staff will be available throughout the summer to support students and their families.  Faculty and staff will also receive mental health training prior to the start of the 2021-22 school year. Please reach out to a member of the Counseling Department if you have any questions or concerns at any time.

Dr. Alyssa Johns, Assistant Lower School Director of Social and Emotional Wellness

Dr. Julie O'Rourke, Academic and Social-Emotional Specialist

Ms. Maurisa Thomas, Middle and Upper School Counselor

Pingry is working to modify lunch service and will resume pre-COVID norms, for the 2021-22 academic year. Self-serve stations, including make-your-own salads and pasta bars,will be reinstated. Grab-and-go options will continue to exist for those who don't wish to line up for lunch and will be placed at convenient locations. 

At our Basking Ridge Campus, we will move back to primarily using the Engel dining area to serve lunch and we will also utilize outdoor tents to accommodate students and keep them spaced out. Having heard your feedback, we will no longer have pre-packaged hot food, and both dining options will have stations that serve hot food

At our Short Hills Campus, we will move back to primarily using the Chen dining area to serve lunch and will have overflow seating in Corvino Commons to keep students spaced out. We will be serving hot food via serving stations and pre-packaged cold food. 

Yes, we will continue to have assigned seating in classrooms.

Yes, locker rooms will be open and accessible to all individuals next year.

No. Lower School students will continue to have their classes scheduled by homerooms.

Yes, Pingry’s Short Hills Campus plans to continue offering these programs in the fall. Beforecare will be available from 7:00 a.m. to 7:50 a.m., and Aftercare will be available from 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. These times have been extended from prior years to allow greater flexibility for families. Enrichment programs will begin in October and information on those offerings will be available closer to the start date. Additional information can be found on our Beforecare, Aftercare, Enrichment page.