School Policies

Please note that our illness policy will be enforced uniformly throughout the school. For the health, safety and respect of all community members, we will make no exceptions in being cautious about community health.

• Community members who have a fever or symptoms of illness may not return to school/work until they have been fever-free and symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing agent. 
• Community members must be free from nausea and vomiting for a minimum of 24 hours without the use of medicine prior to returning to school.
• Any community member who has a temperature of 100°F or higher will not be permitted to attend school or enter the school building.
• Any community member complaining of or exhibiting signs or symptoms of illness or communicable disease during the school day will be evaluated by school medical personnel. For students who will need to be sent home, a parent/guardian or designated emergency contact person will be expected to pick the student up within 60 minutes and/or be transported home within 60 minutes.

While we understand that a child’s illness can be extremely inconvenient since many families do not have a stay-at-home parent, every parent must understand that one sick child can cause many other student and faculty illnesses. It is very important that every family have a plan in place for child care in case a student cannot attend school. If you have any questions, feel free to contact School Nurse Amanda Loforte at 718-833-9090 or via e-mail at aloforte@bayridgeprep.org.

All student medical records are processed directly through Magnus Health.
Students may not attend classes or participate in any activities without having their yearly medical forms and updated immunization record submitted in Magnus. There are no exceptions. All students must also enclose a copy of their most recent dental screening with their physical exam form.  Click here to access Magnus Health by logging in to your Veracross Portal.

Student & Employee COVID-19 Vaccination & Testing Requirements

• All faculty and staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

• All eligible students  must be vaccinated OR must undergo weekly testing for COVID-19 until they become vaccinated. 

• All students eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine who wish to participate in after school athletics, theater and activities must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This will add an additional layer of safety as we resume most of our extra-curricular activities.

Submit Student COVID-19 Vaccination Status in Magnus Health
Once an eligible student has completed their COVID-19  vaccination, please share their vaccine card with the school via Magnus Health. The card must first be saved to your device as a picture or PDF file.  To access Magnus Health, parents can log in to their Veracross Portal at bayridgeprep.org/portal, click “Magnus Health” and then follow these steps:

• Click “Complete Now” next to the student’s name

• Answer “Yes” to the first question, “Has your child received the COVID-19 vaccine?”

• Click “Yes, Submit”

• Click “Upload”

• Click “Choose File” and select the vaccine document saved to your device

For assistance with Magnus Health, please contact School Nurse Amanda Loforte at aloforte@bayridgeprep.org

**As of June 13, 2019, New York State no longer allows religious exemptions for vaccinations in public, private or parochial schools. The new law does not impact those students with a medical exemption. Please refer to this attachment from the Department of Health for additional information regarding the new law, the catch-up immunization schedule and answers to frequently asked questions about this law.

These policies are based on local health department regulations, CDC guidance, our experience in school last year and the scientific data available to us. In addition to the policies below, we will continue ventilating classrooms and offices with fresh air and we will maintain the increased sanitization protocols in place inside the school buildings.

Masks Required Indoors

• Masks are required inside all school facilities, on school buses and whenever indoors during a school-sponsored activity. Masks must cover the nose and mouth at all times. When outdoors, masks must be worn if distance can not be maintained and when individuals are participating in activities and sports that involve close contact. The only exception to indoor mask-wearing is when active eating is occurring in a distanced manner.

Daily Health Screening

• All students and employees will receive a text and email each morning with a link to a self-screening that must be completed at home and presented prior to entering the school building.

• All community members are expected to be respectful of everyone else’s health and safety. This means staying home when you are unwell or are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 or another communicable disease. 

Vaccination & Testing Requirements

• All school employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Students age 12+ participating in competitive athletics, theater and after school activities must be fully vaccinated.
• All other students age 12+ must be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.
• Unvaccinated students age 12+ will be required to participate in the school’s on-site weekly COVID-19 testing program.
• Students under the age of 12 will be tested randomly throughout the school year.

Quarantine Requirements

• Unvaccinated individuals who are considered exposed to or a close contact of a person that tests positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 10 days and be tested 3-5 days after the exposure.

• Fully vaccinated individuals who are exposed to a person that tests positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine immediately and may continue attending school in-person. They must monitor for symptoms and get tested 3-4 days after the exposure. If symptoms develop, the vaccinated individual will remain home until test results return. In some situations, such as household exposure where there is continuous exposure, the school may determine an exposure requires a vaccinated person to stay home until test results return or until a quarantine is complete. 

• Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 90 days prior to a new exposure are exempt from quarantine but should monitor for symptoms. Antibody tests will not be used to determine whether an individual can attend school.

Positive COVID-19 Cases

• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days. This applies to both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.

Travel Advisory

• All community members are expected to adhere to current CDC travel advisories, including the guidance for unvaccinated individuals to quarantine and test after travel. Click here to read CDC travel guidance.

Distancing

• Physical distancing in classrooms will be kept to 3 feet between students when possible. During activities that require eating, projecting voice or playing wind instruments, distancing will be kept to 6 feet.

Visitor Policy

• Only students and employees are allowed inside the school buildings as we continue to reduce the number of people our students and staff are exposed to throughout the day. Visitors may enter only by appointment and with approval of a school director.

Tops: Short-sleeve or long-sleeve polo shirts, t-shirts and buttoned down, collared shirts may be worn. All shirts and sweaters should be solid colored and free of any logo. We love school spirit! Bay Ridge Prep shirts such as Tiger Trot shirts, club/team/athletic shirts, etc. are also permitted. Bay Ridge Prep-branded polos and athletic t-shirts, while optional, are available from Lands' End.

Bottoms: Properly fitted dress pants, leggings, corduroy pants or denim pants in khaki, black, navy or gray may be worn. Skirts and Skorts in khaki, black, navy or gray may be worn. These are available from Lands' End or a vendor of your choice.

During warm weather, students may choose to wear shorts in khaki, black, navy or gray.  These are available from Lands' End or a vendor of choice. Crop/Capri pants in khaki, black, navy or gray are also permitted.

Footwear: Sneakers and rubber soled shoes are encouraged daily because our students have active days. For safety reasons, we do not allow flip-flops, open-toed shoes or other footwear that is hazardous while walking up and down stairs.

In lieu of a formal dress code, our intention is that students will come to school dressed ready to learn and be positive representatives of our community. We want to allow room for individual expression while supporting our school values and respecting others within our school. Our expectation is for students to always wear clothing that is neat, respectful to oneself and others, and in good condition.

As we are an academic community, we expect that students’ clothing will always be appropriate to the setting, tasteful, and free of any offensive imagery and/or language. Clothing should also be non-revealing and private areas of the body must be covered at all times. We expect under-garments to be covered, shirts to have straps and/or sleeves, and all attire to be free of intentional rips and tears. For safety reasons, we do not allow flip-flops, open-toed shoes or other footwear that is hazardous while walking up and down stairs.

Finally, items with our school logos are encouraged and always welcome!  We are happy to share school pride. Bay Ridge Prep shirts such as Tiger Trot shirts, club/team/athletic shirts, etc. are always permitted. Bay Ridge Prep polos, athletic t-shirts and spirit gear are all optional and available from our online spirit store and from Lands' End.

We hope this clarifies our goal to support an inclusive environment that is focused, productive, supportive, welcoming, and safe.

In lieu of a formal dress code, our intention is that students will come to school dressed ready to learn and be positive representatives of our community. We want to allow room for individual expression while supporting our school values and respecting others within our school. Our expectation is for students to always wear clothing that is neat, respectful to oneself and others, and in good condition.

As we are an academic community, we expect that students’ clothing will always be appropriate to the setting, tasteful, and free of any offensive imagery and/or language. Clothing should also be non-revealing and private areas of the body must be covered at all times. We expect under-garments to be covered and shirts to have straps and/or sleeves. For safety reasons, we do not allow flip-flops, open-toed shoes or other footwear that is hazardous while walking up and down stairs.

Finally, items with our school logos are encouraged and always welcome!  We are happy to share school pride. Bay Ridge Prep shirts such as Tiger Trot shirts, club/team/athletic shirts, etc. are always permitted. Bay Ridge Prep polos, athletic t-shirts and spirit gear are all optional and available from our online spirit store and from Lands' End.

We hope this clarifies our goal to support an inclusive environment that is focused, productive, supportive, welcoming, and safe.

Students may purchase physical education attire from a vendor of choice, our online spirit store or from Lands' End. Sneakers and comfortable athletic clothing are always required to participate in physical education classes.

If school is closed or delayed due to weather or an emergency, a note is posted on bayridgeprep.org and the school's social media pages.  The information is also sent via text message and e-mail to the school community.  Weather-related notifications are sent out by 6 a.m. on the day in question.

Bay Ridge Prep will always close school if the NYC Dept. of Education closes public schools. On some occasions, Bay Ridge Prep will close school before the DOE makes a decision or even if the DOE keeps public schools open. This usually occurs if it is determined that an impending weather event or another emergency will make conditions inside or near the school unsafe.