The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved the request by the Commissioner of Education to require masks of all individuals in K-12 schools while indoors regardless of vaccination status until at least October 1.
Effectively immediately, Saint John’s High School will adhere to this state mask requirement while individuals are in classrooms and in indoor gathering spaces on campus.
Students, faculty, and staff will be permitted to remove masks while outdoors, in transition times between classes, and while working alone in an office. Students can remove masks while actively eating lunch in either Salem Student Commons or the outdoor tent adjacent to the Commons but should put their masks back on after eating lunch and awaiting dismissal from their lunch block.
Please note that everyone should have a mask to wear and at least one packed as a back-up. Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth, fit snugly against the side of the face (with no gap), have two or more layers of breathable fabric, and be washed regularly if they are reusable. The following are not permitted to be used by students, faculty, staff, or visitors: neck gaiters, bandanas, masks made of mesh, or masks that contain a vent or exhalation valve.
Saint John’s continues to monitor our internal vaccination rate numbers and expect that all students who have been vaccinated upload an image of their vaccination card to the Magnus Health app.
Finally, as stated in our
Pioneers Together: Saint John’s High School Operations Plan 2021-2022, “according to the CDC, ‘vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.’ Therefore we strongly encourage all members of our Saint John’s community to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to help all safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.