December 31, 2021

Dear Gould Students, Parents, and Employees:

On Monday, I drafted communication to you regarding Gould’s updated COVID mitigation plan for our return to school. In the intervening hours between writing my letter and sending it on Tuesday, the CDC changed its protocols on quarantine and isolation for positive cases and close contacts. 

Our COVID team spent much of the day Tuesday digesting the new protocols and crafting an updated plan and response to the new regulations.

On Wednesday, the Maine CDC adopted the national CDC recommendations and our understanding of the rules changed again. 

On Thursday, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) released their updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for schools, which again changed our understanding of the CDC guidelines that we had spent Wednesday pouring over. We also started to hear from families whose children had tested positive for COVID over the past week.

On Friday, after having arrived at what we thought was a reasonable approach to student intake on the 3rd, we received word that at least three employees and an additional six students had tested positive for COVID in the past 24 hours, bringing our week’s total of positive cases to 15. 

While over 97% of our school population has received at least two doses of the vaccine, we are finding that unvaccinated and non-boosted individuals are testing positive at astonishing rates. Each positive case requires multiple layers of action steps; in December, a single positive case resulted in 60 or more “close contacts,” meaning the identification of individuals, follow-up testing, communication home, isolation, and quarantine was intense and time-consuming. Taking into account the newly updated CDC guidelines and DOE SOP, if this week’s 15 cases were to have occurred while in session on campus, our operations would have ground to a halt. 

We need a new plan.

Our COVID response team met again this afternoon and made the following changes:

  • We will shift immediately to all remote learning for the first two weeks of school. Remote classes will commence on Thursday, January 6, and are required for all Gould students regardless of location or status. 
  • The winter term daily schedule will remain as published.
  • During this time, any students residing locally will have the option of participating in athletics and co-curricular activities pending availability of coaching staff, as per mandated isolation and quarantine protocols. 
  • Students will return to campus in shifts:
  • International boarding (dorm) students will return as planned, beginning on Sunday, January 2, 2022.
  • International boarding students will be given an antigen test upon arrival and must participate in the pooled testing scheduled for Monday, January 3 or 6, depending on their arrival date.
  • Domestic boarding students traveling by air will have another week to return to campus. Those who can not change their travel plans may return as scheduled. If adjustments are possible, we ask that students return on the weekend of January 8-9, 2022.
  • Domestic boarding students will be required to return with either a negative PCR or antigen test, and will participate in the scheduled pool testing on Monday, January 10, 2022. 
  • We ask that all students in this category begin a soft quarantine starting seven (7) days prior to their return to campus. This means strict masking in public indoor spaces, avoiding crowds or social gatherings, including indoor public dining. The start date of this soft quarantine is Sunday, January 2, 2022.
  • Domestic boarding students are being asked to return on the weekend of January 15-16, 2022.
  • Domestic boarding students will be required to return with either a negative PCR or antigen test, and will participate in the scheduled pool testing on Monday, January 17, 2022.
  • Any domestic boarding students living in the Bethel area during this time will be required to participate in the weekly pooled testing on January 3, 6, 10, and 13, 2022. Participation in this testing will satisfy the requirement to return with a negative test. 
  • We ask that all students in this category begin a soft quarantine starting seven (7) days prior to their return to campus. This means strict masking in public indoor spaces, avoiding crowds or social gatherings, including indoor public dining. The start date of this soft quarantine is Sunday, January 9, 2022.
  • Day students will return to campus for in-person classes on Tuesday, January 18, if, and only if, the positivity rate among students and employees has decreased enough to allow normal operations. It is impossible to predict what this threshold will look like, and will need to make a judgement call on whether or not to continue remote learning as we approach/complete our test date on the 17th. 
  • Day students will be required to participate in the weekly pooled testing on January 3, 6, 10, and 13, 2022. 
  • We ask that all students in this category begin a soft quarantine starting seven (7) days prior to their return to campus. This means mask wearing in public indoor spaces, avoiding crowds or social gatherings, including indoor public dining. The start date of this soft quarantine is Sunday, January 9, 2022.

We are in the process of updating the COVID page on our website to include information regarding the new CDC and Maine DOE regulations. Please be patient as we post the updates over the weekend. However, here is a quick rundown of the main bullet points you should be aware of:

  • Get your booster shot if you are more than six months past your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and age 16 or older. The new regulations differentiate between boosted and non-boosted individuals when it comes to close contact and quarantine. We expect the booster to be approved for those age 12 and older within the next few days or weeks.
  • If you are a close contact, more than six months past your second dose, and age 18 or older, you will be required to quarantine for five days, with a negative antigen test before returning to school. These close contacts will be required to wear a mask at all times for an additional five days. 
  • Wear a KN95 or surgical mask at all times when indoors. Cloth masks are essentially useless against the Omicron variant. KN95 or surgical masks will be required on campus when students return. We have plenty of surgical masks and a limited number of KN95’s; we strongly encourage students to bring their own supply of masks back to campus when they return.
  • Individuals may return to school after 5 days from a positive test, if and only if …
  • They have properly quarantined themselves, as per CDC guidelines.
  • They are experiencing no symptoms or symptoms have resolved after five (5) days, they can leave their house, but will be required to wear a mask around others for five (5) additional days.
  • If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.
  • They receive a negative result from an antigen test administered by the Gould health center.
  • When an athlete contracts Covid-19, please remember there is a procedure that must be followed before they can return to sports. The 7-day return-to-play progression, supervised by the Athletic Trainer and Health Center staff, that was introduced in December 2020 is still in effect. It can be found on page 10 of Gould’s Covid-19 Policy. This progression is required with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics as an effort to protect the athlete from heart issues related to their contraction of the disease, and will remain in place until it is either rescinded by the AAP or Gould’s professional medical advisors confirm otherwise. 

We recognize that this change in plans will add additional complexity and stress for everyone. After spending a week trying everything we could to bring all students back on time, we finally agreed these changes would be in everyone's best interest. It is not our first choice, but we believe it creates the best chance for our school to protect the health and wellness of our students and employees, while providing the most productive learning opportunity possible.

I am so proud of the employees that have done yeoman’s work to create plans (many), adapt new protocols, and adjust to the ever-shifting landscape of positive cases. These dedicated individuals have worked tirelessly to study the recommended guidelines and implement the best plan to protect your children and their fellow employees. They remain positive and committed to the work, but they are also tired, having sacrificed their entire break, meaning no time with their families or time to recharge.

As you interact with our faculty and staff over the coming days and weeks, please remember to treat them with patience, care, and respect. We are doing our best to navigate an incredibly difficult and complex set of circumstances that was not our making. Your kindness and understanding goes a long way in helping us do the best work we can here with each other and with your children.

By Monday, we will have met with all employees and updated them to the new plan. Starting Monday, your advisor should be your go-to person for any questions or concerns. Please continue to communicate all positive COVID results to Joanna Brown and the Gould Health Center. We will also host a scheduled Head of School Coffee Chat on Wednesday, January 5, at 8:00am. I imagine there will be many parents and many questions to answer on that call. You may pre-register to the meeting here.

With sincere appreciation and hope for a better 2022,
Tao Smith ‘90 P ‘23
Head of School
Please help us:

Gould staff members will follow-up to make sure each family has received this information, as it may involve significant travel plan changes for some.

To help reduce our work load, please complete our 1-question form to acknowledge your receipt of this message, and we will remove your name from the follow-up list.