The Fenn School COVID Safety Protocols Plan for 2021-2022

A MES S AG E FROM OU R HEAD MASTER THE FENN SCHOOL COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS | 2021-2022

STAYING VIGILANT STAYING TOGETHER 1

TAB L E O F CON T E N T S

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Navigating an Extended Pandemic

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5

Teaching and Learning This Academic Year

Spotlighting Academics, Athletics, and the Arts

The School Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A Note about Athletics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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A Safe Start to the School Year

A Note about the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

COVID Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Maintaining Community Health and Safety

Community Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Facility Health and Wellness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Family Requirements: School Day Health Attestations

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Managing Community Illnesses

During the School Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Diagnosis with COVID-19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

17 Ensuring Compliance with Protocols

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Dining Services and On-Campus Food

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Student Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures

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Transportation Program

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Extended Day Program

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Communications Resources

34 Questions

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Addendum: Fenn Policies

Community Compact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Dress Code Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Visitor Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL

A Message from Our Head of School Dear Fenn Community, We are pleased to share Fenn’s Reopening Plan of COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-2022 school year, which is a supplement to the 120-page Parent and Student Handbook that all families should have received in the mail.

While we had sincerely hoped that this school year would return to normal for our school community and immerse Fenn students and families in a full-scale Fenn experience, the unwelcome emergence of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and its unfortunate impacts on the largely unvaccinated population have required us to reinstate various important health and safety protocols that will help to keep our community safe and together for in-person learning and teaching as we were last year. At the same time, we will enjoy the return of activities like interscholastic sports and performing arts and certain campus events like Homecoming that we have dearly missed.

DEREK BOONISAR

While this is a dense document, each page contains essential information that we respectfully ask you to review with your Fenn students before they arrive on campus next week. We will do the same during advisor periods and community gatherings in the early days of school to ensure that all students fully understand and are comfortable with the expectations that we have of them.

As we continue to navigate a pandemic that we did not foresee would impact us so significantly for so long, we appreciate that there may be lingering anxiety as our students return to school.

We promise to be mindful of their social and emotional health and wellness and to provide thoughtful and appropriate support as they re-engage as students.

COVID developments and circumstances seem to be ever changing, and our School Leadership Team will continue to closely follow developing guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Centers for

We are hopeful that the coming months will bring a loosening of at least some of the current restrictions as more and more individuals become vaccinated and COVID case counts stabilize or decrease.

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and numerous other leading health and education experts, including consulting pediatricians for the School. We are hopeful that the coming months will bring a loosening of at least some of the current restrictions as more and more individuals become vaccinated and COVID case counts stabilize or decrease. Please know that we will only adjust our protocols if expert guidance and our School Leadership Team and Administrator of Health Services deem that a safe and appropriate course of action.

Although Fenn will meet all applicable safety requirements, there will always remain a risk that students could become infected with COVID-19 at Fenn despite the School’s efforts or the vaccination status of students of eligible age. That risk extends to the families of students and to others with whom students may have contact. These are uncertain times, but we remain committed to our mission of providing our students with an exceptional educational experience and environment, delivered with the community’s health and safety as our guide.

If you have questions about this letter or the plan it introduces, please do not hesitate to contact me or your son’s division head. Thank you.

Sincerely, Derek R. Boonisar Head of School

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A MES S AG E FROM OU R HEAD MASTER

NAVIGATING AN EXTENDED PANDEMIC

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NAVIGATING AN EXTENDED PANDEMIC

Navigating an Extended Pandemic In the wake of a challenging yet successful last school year, a designated COVID Task Force of school leadership, including new Administrator of Health Services, Alison Flanagan, and expert health and safety consultants formed and met weekly throughout the summer. Members focused on analyzing COVID developments and evolving guidance from state and federal government and health authorities and on crafting a plan that would deliver a safe, inperson experience to the Fenn community for the 2021-2022 school year. The plan that unfolds on the following pages is an outcome of that effort, supplemented by participation in weekly meetings with groups including the Concord Board of Health, a team of consulting pediatricians, and colleagues from independent peer schools.

and a 93-97% vaccination rate across Fenn grades 7 through 9. While these numbers provide comfort, Fenn takes very seriously its commitment to keep safe its sizable population of unvaccinated students across grades 4-6, especially with the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19.

The COVID protocols outlined in this document are robust and multi-layered, calling for masking, physical distancing, COVID testing, optimal building ventilation and filtration, and cleaning measures that, taken together, will help to ensure the safe operation of Fenn’s campus. A valuable contributor this school year is also the availability of the COVID vaccine for eligible individuals, to help prevent them from contracting and transmitting the virus or suffering serious illness in the rare instance of a breakthrough infection.

Where we begin the year will likely not be where we end the school year, especially as vaccines become available to our younger student population towards the end of the current calendar year. We will remain hopeful that we will be able to re-introduce campus activities that we still cannot fully enjoy and further open the campus and loosen restrictions that return us ever closer to the Fenn experience we enjoyed before the pandemic began.

For these reasons, the School community is asked to be diligent in following the COVID health and safety protocols highlighted here.

The COVID Task Force will continuously study the developing COVID data, research, and official guidance and carefully consider areas where restrictions could be amended or lifted as the school year progresses. Results from Fenn’s new testing program will also serve as important indicators.

Massachusetts currently ranks among the top three most vaccinated states nationwide, and Fenn itself can boast an approximately 97% vaccination rate among all employees

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NAVIGATING AN EXTENDED PANDEMIC

Teaching and Learning During the 2021-22 Academic Year Fenn will open for full-time, in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, supported by multiple layers of COVID protocols that will help to keep the community healthy and safe on-campus and by the high percentages of vaccinated individuals among our Fenn faculty, staff, and students of eligible age.

contact with their classrooms based on the nature of their lessons, instruction and discussions while a student is out; however, this will be the decision of each faculty member at that time and will not be required by the School.

Fenn’s blended teaching and learning model will continue to enable teachers to engage with students in-person, to provide class materials that can be accessed inperson and online, and to support student interactions in both settings. Since the start of the pandemic, Fenn faculty have benefitted from professional development activities and sharing of best practices among colleagues to enrich their understanding and application of this model, and online learning generally.

Putting the model into practice all of last year also helped them to fine tune their curricula, lessons, and class assignments to be responsive to evolving circumstances and to cater to student needs and interests to enhance overall engagement.

Remote learning will only be available this school year for students who are required to test, isolate, or quarantine due to a COVID exposure or diagnosis or if the campus needs to close at any point due to widespread COVID developments or other circumstances threatening campus safety.

When remote learning is necessary, student advisors will be in contact with impacted students and their families to discuss the synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning that will be available to the students, with guidance and support from John Sharon, Assistant Head of School for the Academic Program and the respective Division Head(s).

Some faculty may be willing to offer Zoom

Questions about the requirements for remote learning and/or the blended teaching and learning model can be directed to John Sharon at jsharon@fenn.org.

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NAVIGATING AN EXTENDED PANDEMIC

A Safe Start to the School Year Fenn will open school officially for the full community on Thursday, September 9 (following New Student Orientation the day prior on Wednesday, September 8) and will require all faculty, staff, and students to participate in re-entry COVID testing during the 24-48 hour period before the first day of school.

New COVID Testing Program for the 2021-2022 School Year Fenn’s new COVID testing program will apply to all students and Fenn employees regardless of their vaccination status and will include: • Re-entry testing (before the school year begins and before the community returns to campus following the winter and March breaks); • Surveillance testing that will rotate weekly among segments of the population (e.g., all of the Lower School one week; all of the Middle School the following week; etc.); and • Assurance testing (as needed or required before departures for school field trips, offcampus sports games, etc.).

Such a multi-pronged testing program adds an important layer of risk mitigation to the COVID protocols that the Fenn School community will be expected to follow this school year. It also supports the School’s commitment to take all appropriate steps to help the community remain healthy and on-campus together for the duration of the school year.

All testing will utilize sensitive rapid antigen anterior nasal swabs that produce highly accurate results, including for the Delta variant of COVID-19. This antigen testing is at no cost to Fenn community members, and results will be processed at Fenn and promptly communicated.

An individual may need to retest in the rare instance that their test comes back as inconclusive or positive for COVID-19. Anyone who is impacted in this way will receive prompt instructions for re-testing from our Administrator of Health Services, Alison Flanagan. She must authorize any return to campus following repeat testing.

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OUR PLAN TO REOPEN THE FENN CAMPUS

A MES S AG E FROM OU R HEAD MASTER

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A M ES SAG E F RO M O U R H E A DM A ST E R

MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Maintaining Community Health and Safety While some previous COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for this school year (e.g., strict student cohorts), there remains a number of critical protocols that must be followed by all Fenn community members to help maintain everyone’s personal health and campus safety. They are, as follows: Universal Indoor Masking

masks will be provided by Fenn in case of damage to student masks.

All students, employees, and campus visitors (See Visitor Policy in the Addendum) must wear masks when indoors regardless of their vaccination status, per the new DESE requirement that calls for universal masking in K-12 schools through at least October 1.

The only exception is when adults are alone in an office, classroom, or work space. Masks, however, are NOT required outside.

Exceptions to Fenn’s mask policy may be made due to medical necessity or disability, and families who wish to discuss exceptions should contact their Division Head(s).

Physical Distancing Faculty, staff, and students must maintain at least three (3) feet of distance between non-family members when indoors, per CDC recommendation. Desks in classrooms and other teaching spaces will be arranged in this manner, measuring three feet apart from seat edge to seat edge. Teachers can be creative with classroom set-up as long as the required distancing is maintained. Students who are seated at tables will also be positioned three (3) feet from one another.

Masks must fit snugly and fully cover the mouth and nose. Only proper two- and three-ply cloth masks and surgical masks will be allowed. Respirator masks with oneway valves, scarves, bandanas or face gaiters should not be worn.

Masks must also be consistent with Fenn’s dress code and not bear inappropriate messages or images (See Addendum section for Fenn’s Revised Dress Code).

Students must come to school each day with at least two masks – one to wear, plus extras in a plastic bag in their backpack. We also suggest including an additional plastic bag for soiled masks.

Seating charts will be created and maintained for all classes at least at the outset of the school year. While students will be able to sit in different seats across those early weeks, each day’s seating configuration will be noted by faculty/staff responsible for each class.

Masks must be washed daily or exchanged for a clean mask, and emergency disposable

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Personal Hygiene

No group work will be allowed indoors in the Lower and Middle Schools at the start of the year to help ensure that this three (3) feet of distance is maintained between students at all times. Upper School students will be allowed to engage in group work indoors due to their high vaccination rates (93-97% vaccinated across eligible grades/students).

Handwashing facilities with soap and water will be readily accessible to the community, and hand sanitizer pumps will be located around campus for community members to freely use. Student use will be encouraged regularly (and most notably before and after lunch and snack).

Outdoor group work will be acceptable for all students and classes, and faculty are encouraged to pursue as much outdoor time as possible. Approximately eight (8) tents will be available outside for class work, lunches, events, etc., as will the expansive Main and North Campuses that offer a bevvy of teaching and learning spaces and opportunities.

Cough and sneeze etiquette will be reviewed regularly by Fenn’s nurse, and individuals on-campus are asked to please refrain from handshakes and hugs at this time.

Campus signage will remind the community of the importance of masking indoors, physical distancing, and hand hygiene, among other subjects.

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Maintaining the health and wellness of Fenn facilities is also a priority: Ensuring Optimal Air Circulation

Frequent Cleaning and Sanitation of Campus Buildings

Again this summer, Fenn engaged Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E) of Newton, Mass. and other HVAC and ventilation contractors to ensure that the School exceeds recommended air exchanges.

n Day porter(s) will clean high-touch

common areas during the school days, wiping down door handles of building entrances and exits, classroom and stairwell doors, and hand railings, and sanitizing restrooms, water fountains designated for the filling of water bottles, etc.

In rooms that utilize window fans and HEPA air filters: Faculty and staff will turn on fans and/ or filters each morning when opening the buildings, and these will remain on at all times during the school day. For spaces with window air conditioning units, these will remain on fan settings that draw in outside air. Faculty and staff will be encouraged to open windows to increase the volume of fresh air within the spaces that they are using. Students are encouraged to dress in layers so that they remain comfortable with the increase in airflow.

n Cleaning supplies will be available in

classrooms and other shared spaces for faculty, staff, and student use as needed and/or preferred. n All classrooms and school spaces will also

be cleaned nightly by the school’s cleaning company, supplementing the periodic cleaning of school spaces that occurs during the school day.

In buildings with central systems:

n All floors will be mopped with sanitizing

floor solutions on a nightly basis.

The central system will exchange air through that building’s HVAC system. Employees will be permitted to open windows for additional airflow into these spaces, even though air conditioning units will then not operate at as high an efficiency and/or cool to the most comfortable temperatures.

In the Gyms: Fenn will utilize large fans and keep doors open in these spaces at all times during the school day. Gym use will not be allowed unless these requirements are followed.

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

FAMILY REQUIREMENTS:

School Day Health Attestations Monitoring and maintaining open lines of communication about the health of all Fenn community members will be critical as we navigate the school year.

Doing so will help to ensure that ill community members remain at home and that Fenn is responsive to any illness that could impact the community. n

Daily health attestations will continue to be required.

Like last year, we will utilize the mobile app MyMedBot to screen for COVID-19 symptoms, exposures, and diagnoses across the Fenn community every school-day morning. (Community members will soon receive an invitation and instructions for the MyMedBot app, to prepare for its use when school reopens.)

COVID-19 Symptoms Fenn community members must monitor for the following COVID-19 symptoms: 4 Fever of 100.0 F or greater; chills 4 Cough 4 Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 4 New or notable fatigue 4 New or notable muscle or body aches; headache 4 New loss of taste or smell 4 Sore throat (when in combination with other symptoms) 4 Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to another known cause such as allergies) 4 Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

If a student, faculty, or staff member is experiencing any of these symptoms:

1.

2.

3.

They should be acknowledged on the MyMedBot health attestation, and the individual should REMAIN AT HOME;

Fenn’s Administrator of Health Services, Alison Flanagan, should be notified at aflanagan@ fenn.org (and any student absence reported via attendance@fenn.org or 978-318-3680 by 9:00 a.m.); and

The individual’s primary care physician should be contacted to determine a plan for assessment and/or testing. Alison Flanagan must be updated on any such plan.

Community members must also stay home if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or been in close contact with someone who has received a positive test result for COVID-19. The Fenn Health Office should be notified of these circumstances immediately.

Students may return to campus with either a negative PCR COVID test or an alternate diagnosis in writing from a health care provider. An individual must be fever free for 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication prior to returning to campus and may return to campus 72 hours after any last episode of vomiting. Alison Flanagan must authorize this return.

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Monitoring Completed Attestations

Our expectation is that all families will complete student attestations prior to morning drop-off. Fenn’s receipt of the attestations will be confirmed as part of the morning attendance process by a team of W.W. Fenn office staff, Alison Flanagan, and auxiliary team member(s). Students therefore can depart from their family vehicles, buses or vans as soon as they arrive on-campus without an in-themoment check of their morning health attestations like last year. Prominent signage will alert families to the need to complete these attestations, if not already submitted at the time of drop-off.

If a student does not have a completed attestation on file, his parent or guardian will be contacted to complete the attestation

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

as soon as possible. If a parent or guardian cannot be reached in a timely fashion, the student will be escorted to the Health Office for a screening by the school nurse. If the student presents with any symptom(s) of concern, a parent or guardian will be required to pick up the student at their earliest convenience. He will remain in isolation in the Portrait Room in the W.W. Fenn building until the parent or guardian arrives.

n Late arrivals required to check in at the W.W. Fenn Main Office.

Late arriving students should proceed immediately to the W.W. Fenn Main Office to check in and have their attendance noted and the receipt of their health attestation confirmed before they can continue to their classroom or other campus location.

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Managing Community Illnesses During the School Day Students who feel ill or who have suffered an injury during the school day will be sent to the Health Office in the W.W. Fenn Building immediately for evaluation. Faculty, staff or peers may also urge a student to go to the Health Office if they have noticed someone who may be ill. n

Ill or injured students will be escorted to the Health Office by adults, and a school nurse will be alerted and ready to meet them. Nursing staff will have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at their disposal to use when interacting with ill students.

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The Lovejoy Portrait Room on the first floor of the W.W. Fenn building will serve as a dedicated examination and isolation room for ill students. Students with injuries will be sent to the standard Health Office examination room.

The external W.W. Fenn Building door nearby to the Portrait Room will be used solely as an entrance to the Health Office (and signage communicates that). Anyone who needs to enter the W.W. Fenn building for other purposes must use the entrance nearest to the Head of School’s office (or at the back of the building). n

Students presenting with symptoms of illness will be individually assessed. If the nurse determines that the symptoms are consistent with those of COVID-19, the student must be sent home. Parents must be ready to pick up their student at any point in the school day, as necessary, or to have a contingency plan in place for another person to do so. Fenn’s Administrator of Health Services, working in concert with the local Public Health Nurse and Board of Health, will assist with follow-up instructions for parents related to the need for any student testing and/or quarantine.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING TRAVEL: The CDC recommends that unvaccinated individuals delay any travel until they are fully vaccinated since travel increases the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. If an unvaccinated individual must travel, it is important to follow CDC’s recommendations for domestic or international travel.

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Diagnosis with COVID-19

• Close contact exemptions from testing and quarantine include the following:

If a student or employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, the school nurse must be notified immediately. She will ensure that the individual has necessary supports in place, and will determine if the person was on campus during the infectious period (i.e., within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms for symptomatic individuals or at the time of the positive test for asymptomatic individuals).

The nurse will notify the Concord Board of Public Health and will begin identifying possible close contacts.

Classroom close contacts: If the individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are spaced at least three (3) feet apart and masked, the close contact does not need to test or quarantine.

Transportation close contacts: Individuals riding on buses or vans with windows open and masks on are not considered close contacts, regardless of vaccination status, and do not need to test and quarantine.

n Self-isolation. The positive individual will

Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: Close contacts who meet this criteria, regardless of vaccination status, are exempt from testing and quarantine.

be required to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days after the onset of symptoms or after a positive PCR test if asymptomatic. He or she may return to campus on day 11 as long as he or she has been without a fever for 72 hours and sees an improvement in other symptoms. It will be necessary to be cleared by the local public health department and in conjunction with Fenn’s nurse before returning to campus.

n

Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine.

• Unvaccinated individuals who are identified as close contacts will need to quarantine for at least 7 days from the date of exposure. They should have a PCR test on day 5 post exposure or later to rule out infection. They may return to school on day 8 provided that they remain symptom free and continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days. If they choose not to test, they can return on day 11 after 10 days of quarantine provided that they are symptom free and continue to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

Close Contacts/Testing/Quarantine

• Close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within six (6) feet of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 indoors for at least 15 minutes over a 24hour period.

• The at-risk exposure time begins 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or at the time of the positive test and until isolation of the positive individual.

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MAINTAINING COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Ensuring Compliance with Protocols Together, we all must do our part to help keep the Fenn community healthy and safe and the campus open for in-person instruction, learning, and community-building.

Fenn School Community Compact

for physical distancing requirements, refusal to maintain personal hygiene including but not limited to hand washing, and failure to respond to redirection in any of these areas are considered student breaches of Fenn’s Parent and Student Handbook and Community Compact under COVID-19 protocols.

Fenn students, families, and faculty and staff are required to review and sign a “Community Compact” that pledges their commitment to follow the health and safety protocols required

by Fenn during the school day. The Compact also calls for responsible behavior and compliance with health official guidance and government orders in Massachusetts leading up to the start of school and outside school hours. (See the Addendum section of this plan for the full Compact.) n

A first violation will prompt a conversation between the student and his Division Head, an official warning, and a call home by the Division Head. A second violation will prompt a similar conversation, warning, and call home, but will also result in the student being sent home for the remainder of the school day. After a third violation, the student will be sent home for a protracted leave determined by the Division Head and Head of School.

Signing the Compact: Parents and guardians can access and sign the Compact by logging into Fenn.myschoolapp.com, where all required school forms are located.

Students will sign a hard copy of the Compact during their initial days oncampus, and Division Heads will review the document with them. We urge parents and guardians to review this reopening plan and the Community Compact with their students before school begins. n

The Division Head will work with each impacted student and family throughout the process to discuss appropriate resolution(s) that will ultimately be at the discretion of the Head of School or his designee. Violations will not carry over from term to term, but behavior patterns will be tracked.

Consequences for Non-Compliance: Because Fenn cares deeply about maintaining the health and safety of the community, there will be consequences for breaches of health and safety protocols. Removal of masks without permission, lack of respect

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

A Note About The School Day A Note about All School Meeting: All School Meeting gatherings are a cornerstone of the Fenn School experience; they, therefore, remain a priority to hold even while Fenn continues to operate under COVID protocols. At this time, divisional meetings will take place on Monday mornings; All School Meetings on Wednesday and Friday mornings; and Flex Block offerings on Thursday mornings. Due to current distancing requirements, the full school will be unable to gather in Ward Hall as is customary for traditional All School Meetings. Instead, creative options such as holding meetings outdoors on Fenn fields, rotating each division into Ward Hall for an All School Meeting while other divisions Zoom into the space, etc. are being discussed and finalized at this time.

Students are welcome to arrive on campus beginning as early as 8:00 a.m. They should be prepared to remain outside, however, unless there is inclement weather that cannot be tolerated even under the eight (8) tents erected around campus. This policy is particularly protective of Fenn’s unvaccinated student population from the Lower and Middle Schools. Students from these divisions will not be escorted to their advisor classrooms until shortly before the 30-minute advisor period begins at 8:15 a.m. to start the school day.

The iLab, Hammett Ory Library, gyms, and other indoor spaces will be unavailable to students before school at the start of the year; however, we expect to phase in their before-school availability as the school year progresses.

Every attempt will be made to get boys outside across the school day as well. Sending boys to school in appropriate weather gear is therefore encouraged, as they will be outside in light rain and cooler temperatures.

A Note about Tutoring: Tutoring services will be available through Fenn’s Learning Support Services Department and offered in 20-, 30-, 40- and 60-minute increments and at rates more comparable to outside support in the surrounding towns. Sessions may be in-person or remote through Zoom to better accommodate various learning styles, and the schedule remains either before school, during school, after school, evenings, and/ or weekends. Families with questions, or who wish to share an interest in tutoring, should contact Dr. Eden Dunckel, Director of Learning Support Services, at edunckel@fenn.org.

If any Fenn family would benefit from assistance securing all-weather gear for a student, such a need should be shared with a student’s advisor or Division Head or any other Fenn faculty or staff member to whom the family feels most comfortable making the request.

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

A Note About Athletics As we prepare to begin the 2021-2022 school year, Fenn plans to return to our full slate of interscholastic team sports that have been a cornerstone of the athletic program at Fenn for decades.

Traditional sports at Fenn include:

Safety Protocols for Athletics:

• Soccer, Football, and Cross Country in the fall;

In Massachusetts, there currently are no formal restrictions on sports practiced and/ or played outdoors. Masks, however, will need to be worn during all indoor practices and games and during transportation to and from games, matches, and meets.

• Basketball, Hockey, and Wrestling in the winter; and • Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis, and Track and Field in the spring.

Some peer schools will be requiring vaccinations and/or testing of athletes against whom they compete, and Fenn will respond accordingly to enable Fenn athletes to participate. Assurance testing as part of Fenn’s new COVID-19 testing program will be used as needed or required to confirm the health of Fenn athletes on game days. Fenn will expect surveillance testing of at least unvaccinated athletes from peer school teams against which it will compete.

For the first time, we also will be offering a non-traditional sport each season, aptly named Outdoor Adventure. This offering will give students the opportunity to enjoy some of the new activities that were introduced during the last school year, including archery, canoeing, and fishing.

Hiking and other outdoor activities will also be available.

Eighth and ninth graders with a strong interest in an outside sport will also have the opportunity to apply for a sports alternative. Those boys who opt for a sports alternative will be expected to depart campus at the start of afternoon sports (at approximately 3:15 p.m.). Families can contact Athletic Director Bob Starensier (at bstarensier@fenn.org) with questions.

Equipment and Clothing: Locker rooms will not be open for the full Fenn community at the start of the school year due to available space and safety considerations. However, Fenn’s Athletic Department will create a plan for locker room use by Fenn sports teams that require specialized equipment.

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

A Note About The Arts The Fenn Arts Department is dedicated to offering a broad curricular experience in the performing and visual arts. Course content, projects, rehearsals, and performances will continue to be adapted to help ensure the health and safety of students and instructors.

Curricular Program n

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Upper School drama project during the winter trimester, and there are plans for a Middle School play in the fall.

Lower School students will continue to experience coursework in art, music, drama, and woodshop, and Middle Schoolers will be assigned six different Arts offerings.

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Eighth graders will be assigned to at least one performing and one visual arts class during the school year, and ninth graders will enjoy woodshop and video production.

• Beginning Band (for students with 0-1 years of experience) • Concert/Marching Band (for students in grades 6-9 with 2 or more years of experience)

Across arts offerings, there will be no sharing of instruments and very limited sharing of costumes, props, computer stations, art supplies, etc. Any items that must be shared will be cleaned between uses.

• Jazz Band (an advanced group for students in grades 6-9 with 2 or more years of experience; requires an audition) • String Ensemble (for students with 2 or more years of experience; limited to violin, viola, cello, and string bass)

Performing Arts Fenn’s Performing Arts faculty are committed to continuing our strong Performing Arts tradition while complying with mandates regarding COVID-19. n

Fenn’s instrumental program will offer the following ensembles this year, and instrumental private lessons will also return to being held on-campus.

Fenn’s Treble Chorus and vocal rehearsals will resume; however, collaborative musicals between Fenn and Nashoba Brooks School remain suspended at this time. The Arts Department does plan to stage a collaborative

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SPOTLIGHTING ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND THE ARTS

Fenn will abide by the following guidelines for all singing and playing of wind instruments:

as they meet safety requirements; Fenn will also have a supply of both available for students who need them.)

• Prioritize outdoors: When practical, singing and playing wind instruments will take place outdoors.

• Physical distance: A minimum three (3) feet of distance will be required between performers indoors and outdoors at the start of the year.

• Masks and bell covers: Masks must be worn at all times indoors per DESE, and Fenn will require that wind instrument players wear slit masks at least at the start of the year. Fenn will also require the use of masks when performing outdoors as an added precaution at this time. The use of bell covers will also be necessary when students are playing wind instruments. These should be Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 filter material or the equivalent. (Students are welcome to use their own slit masks and bell covers, as long

• Cleaning: There will be no sharing of instruments that touch the mouth.

Musicians should also practice good hand hygiene, prevent uncontrolled spit valve release, and follow instrumentspecific cleaning procedures.

• Good ventilation: When singing and wind instrument playing have to occur indoors, a location with good ventilation and filtration will be selected for the activity.

NOTE: While current CDC guidance states that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks or physically distance when singing or playing wind instruments, Fenn will require compliance with the above guidelines at the start of the school year. As the school year progresses, it may be possible to relax the guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals.

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A M ES SAG E F RO M O U R H E A DM A ST E R

CAMPUS SERVICES AND OPERATIONS

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A MES S AG E FROM OU R HEAD MASTER

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C AMP U S S E RV I C E S

Dining Services and On-Campus Food The first priority of the Dining Services team headed by Chef Manager David Ayotte is to feed the community safely with quality foods in quantities that keep boys, faculty, and staff well-fed and happy. Boys with food allergies/ sensitivities and other special dining needs are also accommodated with great care in close partnership with the Health Office.

At the start of the school year while Fenn is following the COVID-19 protocols previously described, the Connolly Dining Hall will be unable to host divisional lunchtime gatherings of boys, faculty, and staff due to space and safety considerations. n

When lunch (or snack) is eaten indoors, Fenn faculty and staff will ensure that students are at a distance of at least three (3) feet from each other and in assigned seats while masks are off.

Open classroom windows will also be required in this setting.

Lunch will follow the same process that the campus utilized at the end of last year (and that Summer Fenn Day Camp also successfully employed this summer).

A Note about Snacks

• Online ordering will not be necessary.

Instead, students, faculty, and staff will proceed through the Dining Hall servery to choose their individually-packaged food items and cutlery. Compliance with masking and physical distancing protocols will be required while community members move through the Dining Hall.

Please note that the Fenn School store will not be open while Fenn operates under COVID-19 protocols, and School Senators will be unable to hold popular pizza and donut sales. All Fenn families should therefore pack a nut-free, non-perishable snack for their son for each school day. The safest snacks are unopened, pre-packaged products that conform to the nut-free list included in this helpful Safe Snack Guide. If any boy forgets a snack, he should notify his advisor or division head, and an appropriate snack will be provided.

• Lunch will then be eaten outside under tents, at picnic tables or anywhere that is comfortable for students, or in classrooms during inclement weather.

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CA MP U S S ERV ICES

A Note about Food Packaging and Sustainability Packaging Fenn’s commitment to sustainability will help to guide Chef Manager Ayotte’s food packaging decisions as Fenn maintains the required single-serve food delivery system.

The Dining Services team will cycle through paper and plastic containers for food items based on availability and provide disposable plastic-wrapped cutlery sets and individual portion dressings and condiments.

• Single-serve beverages will also no longer be offered. Instead, students are urged to bring water bottles for filling at campus water stations.

• Trays will also be used to carry food on good weather days and paper bags

only offered on bad weather days when students may have to navigate school buildings while carrying lunches. Last year, paper bags were the primary means of transporting food.

Composting The Dining Services team will continue to compost its pre-consumer waste and welcome weekly pick-ups by Black Earth Compost, one of New England’s leading full-service compost companies. Collection of student waste (e.g., apple cores, orange peels, etc.) for composting may resume in a designated bin in the Hammett Ory Library later in the fall as we settle into the school year.

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C AMP U S S E RV I C E S

Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures Student drop-off and pick-up will largely return to its pre-pandemic status.

Here are the “rules of the road” for families as Fenn kicks off the new school year: Morning Drop-Off:

Afternoon Pick-up:

As noted earlier in this plan, families can drop off their students in the circle adjacent to the Campus Center as early as 8:00 a.m., always following directions from faculty/staff directing vehicles.

n All student pick-up will take place in the

circle adjacent to the Campus Center; at this time, families are permitted to park their vehicles and walk to the pickup circle to meet their son(s), if this is a necessity.

In the rush of a busy school-day morning, please remember that:

n Boys must be in good health if they

are coming to school. If they are experiencing any symptoms of illness, they must remain home.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays: • Lower and Middle School pick-up will begin at 3:50 p.m., and • Upper School pick-up will take place starting at 4:50 p.m. following sports.

n A health attestation must be

submitted for every student, every school day. Campus signage will remind families of this requirement.

Late Arrivals: Any student who arrives at school after 8:15 a.m. should report to the main office of the W.W. Fenn Building. Front office staff will mark attendance accordingly and confirm receipt of a health attestation before directing the student to his classroom or other appropriate location.

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On Tuesdays, pick-up for all divisions will occur at 12:50 p.m.

Families arriving before these pick-up times may be asked to exit the campus and return at the designated time.

CA MP U S S ERV ICES

n All families receive dashboard cards

color-coded by division and bearing student names, and they should be prominently displayed before families enter campus on Jeff Adams Way. Fenn personnel will use these cards to radio ahead the names of students who should be ready for pick-up. Faculty/staff will have students ready and waiting at the pick-up circle at the main green to get into vehicles to facilitate a safe and efficient pick-up process.

Early Pick-ups: Any student who is leaving campus outside the normal pick-up time must come to the W.W. Fenn building to sign out and then wait in the office to be picked up. Parents or guardians should come to the office to pick up their students. Use of the short-term parking in the drop-off/pick-up area or in the front circle is acceptable when picking up a student who needs to leave campus outside of the normal pick-up time.

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C AMP U S S E RV I C E S

Transportation Program The Fenn-Nashoba Brooks Transportation Program for non-Concord residents is available for the 2021-22 school year but with some modifications at least at the start of the school year. By registering for the transportation program, students and families agree to abide by the following COVID-19 safety rules and regulations. Any student in violation of these rules may be subject to dismissal from the program without refund. n

Parents or guardians must complete a daily health attestation for their student before he boards a bus.

n

Per federal law, students must wear masks at all times, including at bus stops and while riding in vehicles. Back-up masks should be available.

n

Students will be assigned seats at the start of the school year, and they must remain in these seats at all times. Nearby windows will be open for optimal airflow.

n

Students should ride on the vehicle and route they are assigned. If needed (and with permission), they may switch between Early PM and Late PM routes if space is available.

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n

All Bedford Charter drivers will be required to self-attest to their good health each day, and they will wear masks at all times.

n

Families will be responsible for their own transportation if their child wants to have a friend over after school or if they want to travel to a friend’s house after school.

n

If a student misses his assigned bus, he must report this to the adult on duty, and he or she will help the student contact his family to secure a safe ride home. Buses and vans cannot return to campus.

n

No food is allowed on the buses.

CA MP U S S ERV ICES

Concord Bus Transportation

respective schools. NBS students will not have to wait at Fenn for their next bus as in years past.

We are awaiting a final plan from the Concord Transportation Department and will share it once we receive it. The Department does hope to have bus routes established before Labor Day, and these will be posted on its website when ready.

Masks will be required at all times, and hand sanitizer mounted at the front entrance of buses must be used before boarding. Riders will load the back of the bus first and unload from front to back. Family members will sit together, and otherwise there will be one child to a seat. Windows and roof vents will remain open as long as weather cooperates.

Morning drop-off will get Fenn boys to campus between 7:50 and 8:10 a.m., and afternoon pick-up will occur at 3:55 p.m. on all days except Tuesday when pick-up will take place at 12:55 p.m.

Cleaning of the buses will occur after each route, and each bus will also be electrostatically cleaned every night.

Fenn and Nashoba Brooks School (NBS) students will be dropped off at their

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C AMP U S S E RV I C E S

Extended Day Program Fenn will continue to offer this important service to families of students in grades 4 through 7. Upper School students are exempt from Extended Day, and those students awaiting late buses until 5:15 p.m. after sports will be supervised by an adult on duty. n Morning Extended Day will NOT be

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as part of the program, allowing students to complete their homework in a quiet, supervised setting.

available at this time, and students will not be allowed on-campus before 8:00 a.m. The only exceptions are students with scheduled before-school commitments and those arriving on early buses.

n Both Advance Registration and Drop-

in Service are available. Advance registration is required to secure the standard $17 per hour Extended Day rate.

Drop-ins will also be accommodated, at a rate of $22 per hour. Families may register for one or more days of Afternoon Extended Day each week and should expect a near-term follow-up communication that provides instructions and a link to register before school opens for the year.

n Afternoon Extended Day will be offered

every day that school is in session, from dismissal until 6:00 p.m. Extended Day for the 2021-2022 school year will begin on Thursday, September 9 for the first trimester lasting through Tuesday, November 23.

n Students will be expected to follow

the same health and safety protocols at Extended Day as are required of them during the school day, and a trained Health Care Supervisor will be onsite during all Extended Day hours.

n If a student is not picked up at dismissal,

Fenn personnel will escort any student from grades 4 through 7 to Extended Day until a ride home is available. A coach or administrator on duty will stay with any Upper School student who is awaiting pick-up.

n Extended Day activities will be fully

outdoors whenever possible, and students from multiple grades can mix during this after school program.

Requirements for mixing and mingling include three (3) feet of distance between non-family members, masks indoors, and snack (and all other activities, for that matter) outside whenever possible. Study hall will also be offered from 4-5 p.m. on

n The last Extended Day student pick-

up is promptly at 6:00 p.m. in the pick-up circle. A $40 fee per 5-minute increment after 6:00 p.m. will be billed directly to families. At 6:00 p.m., Extended Day staff will immediately begin calling primary parents or guardians or alternate, authorized adults.

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CA MP U S S ERV ICES

Communications Resources Fenn will use various school resources to keep families apprised of community expectations as we operate school under COVID-19 protocols, of community events, and of updates to the school operations we adopt at the start of the school year. These resources include but are not limited to: n Campus Signage. To ensure that our

be sent to FridayFenn@fenn.org for consideration, and the Marketing and Communications team may edit them accordingly while not impacting their primary content and purpose.

community follows all COVID-19 protocols, signage will be visible around campus to remind the community about indoor mask requirements, physical distancing, the importance of hand hygiene, and more.

n MyFenn Academic Portal (Blackbaud)

and Fenn Website. Families will be alerted to the online locations where they will be able to access all up-to-date information about campus policies, protocols, and developments related to COVID-19 and related subjects.

n Weekly Friday Fenn Communication.

Each Friday, the Fenn community can expect to receive the The Friday Fenn newsletter via email. This will include a COVID-19 Health and Wellness section that will feature important updates regarding the virus and the School’s status and health and safety policies. Like previous Friday Fenn communications, it will also share school events and announcements, as well as local community information that may be of interest to the population.

n Emergency Telephone and Text

System. Fenn utilizes an emergency communication system that can reach Fenn community members simultaneously with time-sensitive messages. This system may be employed to deliver any urgent communications about COVID-19 developments, frequently in conjunction with email messages and potentially website notifications.

Submissions to The Friday Fenn will continue to be welcomed until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday for that Friday’s newsletter. All submissions should

Any all-school communications that report a positive case of COVID-19 in the Fenn community or similar developments will maintain strict confidentiality and preserve the privacy of any involved community members.

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C AMP U S S E RV I C E S

Questions The information in this plan will be updated as often as is necessary, and families will be alerted promptly to all important changes. In the meantime, Division Heads are a key resource for questions, as is David Platt, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations, for all manner of questions related to school operations.

Nat Carr

Assistant Head of School for Faculty and Professional Development and Head of Lower School

Kate Wade

Head of Middle School

kwade@fenn.org

Dave Irwin

Head of Upper School

dirwin@fenn.org

David Platt

Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations

dplatt@fenn.org

ncarr@fenn.org

Families may also choose to use the following Fenn contacts for these specific subject areas: Health

Alison Flanagan, RN Administrator of Health Services

aflanagan@fenn.org

Counseling

Dr. Geoff Cohane Consulting Clinical Psychologist

gcohane@fenn.org

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Simone Hutchings, Director of DEI

shutchings@fenn.org

Extended Day

Friddo Gianfriddo, Extended Day Program Coordinator

fgianfriddo@fenn.org

Technology

Jeff LaPlante, Director of Technology

jlaplante@fenn.org

Transportation

Haili Elwood, Transportation Coordinator

helwood@fenn.org

Tutoring

Dr. Eden Dunckel, Director of Learning Support Services

edunckel@fenn.org

Additionally, Head of School Derek Boonisar is always available to families at dboonisar@fenn.org.

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ADDENDUM

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AD D ENDU M

FENN SCHOOL COMMUNITY COMPACT Under COVID-19 Protocols As members of the Fenn School community, we all must do our part to understand and follow the health and safety protocols that the School is requiring as we open for the 2021-2022 school year. These protocols ask us to be equally mindful of the on-campus requirements and of the actions we take and decisions we make outside of school. Both can directly impact our ability to remain healthy and in-person at school.

Circumstances will likely change during the school year that require adjustments to our protocols, and the community will be alerted immediately to such updates. Fenn asks that all students, parents, faculty, and staff remain nimble and responsive to the requests that are made of all of us as we work together to keep everyone in our community safe and the campus open for in-person teaching and learning.

By signing this Compact, I commit - or my student commits - to the following: • I or my student will abide by the protocols outlined in Fenn’s 2021-2022 Reopening Plan when on-campus and by any additional health and safety orders issued by state and/or federal officials when off-campus.

• I agree to complete the MyMedBot Health Attestation each day for my student or myself, if I am an employee. This health attestation will be submitted to Fenn using the MyMedBot app before arrival at school or boarding of a bus or van en route to school.

• I or my student will stay home when unwell and seek direction from a primary care physician regarding potential COVID-19 testing, etc. I will let the Fenn Health Office know immediately of any illness that I am - or my student is - experiencing. If I test positive - or my student tests positive - for COVID-19 or I am or my student is identified as a close contact to a positive individual, I or my student will abide by instructions from a primary care physician, local Board of Health, and Fenn Health Office personnel regarding isolation/quarantine, testing, and requirements of a return to school.

• I or my student will adhere to guidelines mandating three (3) feet of physical distance from non-family members when indoors on the Fenn campus.

• I or my student will wear a proper mask in shared community spaces indoors unless eating or drinking (but meanwhile maintaining three [3] feet of distance from others).

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A DDEN DU M

• I or my student will practice good personal hygiene and adhere to public health protocols such as frequent hand washing and sanitizing and proper cough and sneeze etiquette.

• I or my student will be patient, kind, and respectful towards other Fenn community members as we continue to follow COVID-19 protocols on-campus. If I see - or my student sees - someone who is not following protocols, I or my student will remind them to do so (or ask for help reminding them) in a spirit of cooperation and for the sake of community safety. I or my student will receive reminders with the same spirit, thankful for their support.

• I or my student will be respectful of everyone’s personal space and comfort as we abide by COVID-19 protocols. I or my student will refrain from touching or getting too close to others and from giving or receiving handshakes or hugs until advised that these actions are safe.

• I acknowledge - or my student acknowledges - that there will be consequences for not complying with Fenn’s health and safety protocols. Student consequences will be managed by the respective Division Head (and the Head of School or his designee, as necessary). Fenn will work with each individual child and family, but must put the health and well-being of the community at the forefront of all considerations.

• My student agrees that he will equally follow COVID-19 protocols established for bus or van transportation to and from school.

I or my student have read closely and understand clearly all that is being asked in this Compact and pledge cooperation with it with the signature(s) below:

__________________________________________ ______________________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE

PRINTED NAME

__________________________________________ ______________________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE (IF NEEDED)

PRINTED NAME

__________________________________________ ______________________________________ STUDENT SIGNATURE

PRINTED NAME

__________________________________________ ______________________________________ FACULTY/STAFF SIGNATURE

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PRINTED NAME

AD D E NDU M

Dress Code Policy For as long as Fenn is operating under the health and safety protocols required in the wake of COVID-19, the School’s dress code will be relaxed. This is largely due to the inaccessibility of locker rooms within which boys would change into clothing for sports, etc. during the school day.

Fenn boys should expect to remain in the same outfit for the entire school day, and these outfits should enable them to move freely during sports and other physical activity. Casual and comfortable active wear such as t-shirts and sports or cotton shorts are welcome; however, inappropriate messages and/or slogans on t-shirts (and masks) are unacceptable. Fenn will rely on boys and families to make their best judgments as to the appropriateness of certain t-shirt designs. Fenn personnel will certainly address any issues if a boy comes to school in an outfit that is problematic and shouldn’t be worn again.

Sleepwear of any type is also not allowed, which includes pajama pants popular with the age group of Fenn boys. Flip-flops, slides, and slippers are also unacceptable. Shoe wear should include sneakers or other casual styles that accommodate physical activity, and visible socks must be worn.

The aim for all boys should be to come to school neat and clean, while embracing their own unique styles within the parameters described in this adjusted policy. And since active wear is allowed, boys will not be required to tuck in their shirts as Fenn policy normally dictates.

Fenn personnel will alert boys and families to the School’s return to the formal dress code policy; until then, boys are permitted to wear a more casual style of dress.

Please visit page 55 of the Parent and Student Handbook for 2021-2022 to review Fenn’s Formal Dress Code Policy to which the School will return once certain COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

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Visitor Policy For the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, Fenn is implementing a new Visitor Pass Policy that will include parents, family members, alumni, friends, and vendors from outside the Fenn community. All visitors must 1) complete an electronic Visitor Screening Form attesting to their good health and 2) check in at the Main Office in the W.W. Fenn building to obtain a Visitor’s Pass. Campus signage will communicate these requirements. (Visitors to the Admissions, Advancement, and Business Offices may also be able to secure Visitor Passes at these locations. Personnel in these offices will need to confirm their ability to provide these at the time of the visit.)

Special events are an exception to this policy. Guests will be alerted to and required to follow COVID-19 protocols shared before the events.

While there are currently no statewide gathering limits, masking and physical distancing requirements will be necessary for indoor gatherings.

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