ISCA Weekly Chair Post
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What's New?

August 19, 2021


COVID And Back-to-School

While we hoped that COVID-19 would mostly be behind us by the start of this school year, it is clear that's not the case and in fact, it may become more complicated with the rates of childhood infections increasing.

Today I share with you some information from NAIS that reports on masking trends in independents schools and some legal advice as it relates to collecting and sharing vaccine status data of your school community.

The data in the chart below shows how school mask policies vary by vaccination status and students vs faculty/staff. One of the takeaways from the chart below is that 10% or less of independent schools have no masking requirements. To view the complete NAIS report, Click Here


On a related but different topic, NAIS legal counsel has provided guidance on how schools should collect and share vaccination status information. Boards should be working with Administration in making sure your school has a policy on this and of course, consulting with your school's own legal counsel is advised. To read the full NAIS legal guidance on this issue, Click Here, but below is an excerpt from the NAIS guidance:

"Share an individual’s vaccination status only on a need-to-know basis. The vaccination status of specific employees or students should not be shared with parents or other third parties and should only be shared with employees when necessary. Where legally permitted, some schools are allowing students to voluntarily share proof of vaccination and go mask-optional. Those circumstances are an example of when it is appropriate to share with classroom teachers a list of students who are permitted to be mask-free."




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October 28-29, 2021
Weekly Chair Post written and compiled by
Bethany Di Napoli, ISCA Executive Director

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