The District continues to provide weekly pooled surveillance testing to all Watertown Public Schools students, and as of April 5, 2021, this testing will be mandated for all students who are learning in-person. The School Committee unanimously approved the recommendation contained within the updated COVID-19 Handbook Addendum.
The purpose of this testing protocol is to identify and swiftly isolate asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic students who are COVID-19 positive. This protocol allows exemptions to COVID-19 testing in preschool - grade 12 for those individuals who have a health condition documented by a physician. A child shall be exempted from the requirement for mandatory COVID-19 testing if a nurse practitioner, physician, or physician’s assistant determine that it is not possible due to medical condition(s), disability, tactile sensitivity, or other health or safety factors for the student to participate in COVID-19 testing.
The Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily without proper safety mitigations. The adjustment from 6 to 3 feet requires a more stringent mitigation strategy, which includes mandatory testing for all students in Watertown. The majority of staff members at this time have started their vaccination regimen, and staff will continue to participate in weekly testing until fully vaccinated.
When families select in-person instruction five days a week at a distance of less than six feet, they agree to and understand the health and safety expectations as outlined by the District including but not limited to wearing a mask, participating in COVID-19 universal surveillance pooled testing, and abiding by social distance guidelines.
COVID-19 universal surveillance pooled testing will be completed once a week with a non-invasive anterior nasal swab testing protocol and is mandatory for all students who are learning in-person.
All students who will be returning to full 5-day in-person instruction will be required to fill out the “Commitment to In-Person Learning, COVID Protocols, and Consent for Pooled Testing” form prior to returning to in-person school. This additional safety measure is fully supported by the Watertown Health Department.
If a pool comes back with a positive result, all members who were part of the pool will be offered free individual reflex PCR COVID-19 testing through the District. A family may also choose to take their child to an outside clinic for a follow-up PCR test. A negative result on a PCR test will be required to return to school. Once the positive individual is identified, contract tracing will determine any close contacts that need to be notified. All students in an elementary classroom will be considered a close contact.
It is important to note that testing, combined with vaccinations, contact tracing, and isolation, helps control the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. The availability of in-person instruction and the District's in-person health and safety implementation guidelines will be determined and continually assessed using up-to-date data and guidelines provided by the Watertown Health Department, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
For more information about pool testing, please refer to the following information video.
**If you or a member of your household has tested positive for COVID-19 or is in the process of being tested due to exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and contact the school nurse.
