FAQs

Visit https://www.mbs.net/covid-19/who-to-contact for a full list of contacts.

Any information regarding your vaccination status should only be shared with Mrs. Marcato, School Nurse. Please let Mrs. Marcato know once you have been fully vaccinated (i.e., received both shots, if your vaccine requires two doses) by updating your Magnus Health portal with your vaccination card, so that she can exclude you from being contact-traced for the appropriate period of time.

No, not while you are at school. Although this is acceptable in a private setting, the rules for mask-wearing while on campus have not changed. You must wear a mask when in the presence of others, except if you are eating or outside.

All students, faculty and staff will have their temperature taken by a doorway scanner upon arrival each morning.
 

No, at this time, we are not requiring all students to be tested prior to school opening.

Student athletes will be tested once either August 30 or 31, depending on team.

Due to the nature of our electives and course design, students will not be assigned into a pod. But we will utilize the pods during lunch and during athletics to help with contact tracing, since these activities will require students not to have masks on.

All MBS students will arrive at school with a face mask brought from home. All faculty and staff will be required to wear a face covering in classrooms and common spaces. Students must wear masks at all times indoors, except when eating lunch. Masks should be provided by the student; extra masks will be available in the Nurse’s Office in the event of loss or damage to a student’s mask. Students in flagrant violation of the School mask policy may be sent home. Masks must fit properly and must not contain an exhaust valve, no gaiters, no bandanas.  All faculty and staff will be responsible for enforcing proper use of PPE among students.
 

MBS will implement the following standards of care for suspected cases of COVID-19:

• Isolating the student and monitoring temperature and symptoms
• Ensuring pick-up by a parent or emergency contact within one hour
• Having the Nurse’s Office staff escort the ill student to the car (when possible) to limit the number of visitors in the building
   

If a student, faculty member, or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, that student will be asked to isolate at home. Relevant local public health departments will be informed of the positive case and MBS will support their contact tracing efforts in a manner that respects privacy. Contact tracing includes an investigation of direct contacts (peers, teachers, siblings, or any individual seen face-to-face for a minimum of 15 minutes).

MBS is prepared to assist with contact-tracing activities. Each member of the student body has been identified by county, and the MBS Nurse’s Office has contacts in place with the relevant local health departments to receive the latest reports and recommendations.

Families will report positive cases to the Nurse, who will keep a confidential record to track students and coordinate return-to-school dates. Any students, faculty, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for a minimum of 10 days, based on CDC recommendations.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 may only return to campus when the guidelines set out by the CDC and the State of New Jersey have been met. MBS policies will include: 

• Following local health department guidance for exclusion and return to school
• Requiring students wait at least 10 days after first symptoms appeared AND are symptom-free AND have gone 72 hours fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication  
• Note: Those who test positive but show no symptoms must remain home for 10 days following the test
   

If you are identified as a close contact by the School, you should quarantine based on NJDOH guidelines.  The state of NJ does not allow you to return prior to this even with a negative test.  If you remain asymptomatic (no fever or symptoms) you may return after 7 or 14 days.  You are encouraged to get tested if at any point you become symptomatic.  If you test positive, you must remain home for a minimum of 10 days and be fever free and symptom free for 72 hours.

As of now we are not conducting regular, weekly testing of students and staff. 

Our goal is to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by supplying the cleanest and highest quality air possible throughout campus. 

Key Efforts:

• High efficiency HVAC systems are in place in all buildings 
• Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization Air Purification Systems and UV-C systems installed in all buildings will scrub the air and dramatically reduce the viral load in the air
   

The broad design will be for students to eat in small groups rather than in a large, open space. To achieve this, students will eat with their advisory in the classroom until restrictions loosen. The advisory will be the only group that students are with while not wearing their masks, which will facilitate contact tracing in the event that a student tests positive for COVID-19

Our aim is to use classroom spaces in a way that conforms with the applicable guidelines.

• Desks and tables in the classroom will face in the same direction.
• Wherever possible, seating will be spaced to allow for the recommended social distancing.
• Spaces such as Kirby Chapel, the Boardroom, the Dining Hall, and gyms will be repurposed to serve as additional or alternative classroom spaces, as needed.
• Classes without sufficient space for the number of students will be relocated to an alternate space.

Bus service will run after school with a 3:15 departure and the late bus will run as well with a 6:00 departure time. 

Every classroom will have a supply of wipes. 

Yes, we have four large tents and 125 chairs for outdoor use. 

We will have staff members and the security staff in key locations each morning to manage the student traffic flow.

No. MBS is not offering a remote school option this year.

Students are required to wear masks during classes while indoors.

Yes, we have created spaces for outdoor classroom meetings. There will be several tents around campus, as well as outdoor seating areas. We have purchased WiFi hotspots to support student learning in these outdoor classrooms.

Details about the updated community service requirements will come out in late September.

Yes, MBS will be offering music, performing arts, and visual arts classes and programs. Program modifications are being developed to address the health and safety of our community and the details of these changes will be released from the specific departments.

We recognize that co-curricular activities (e.g., clubs, advisory, all-school meetings) and enrichment opportunities are a vital part of the MBS experience. It is our intention to offer our co-curricular activities and enrichment opportunities as planned.

Please refer to page 28 of the Family Handbook for details on the dress code at MBS.

Students who have been approved for testing accommodations through the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) will continue to receive these accommodations. If you have questions about how accommodations are implemented remotely, Upper School families and students are encouraged to connect with the CTL.