Health Notices and News

In March, 2016, the Massachusetts Legislature passed House bill No. 4056 which outlines the requirements for public schools in the Commonwealth to engage in substance use prevention and education. This legislation mandates that school districts screen students in grades 7 and 9 for substance use every year.

In preparation for the upcoming 2022-23 school year, the Belmont Public Schools Health team and the Belmont Health Department have been reviewing the released guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and collaborating on ways to continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the following changes will take place for the Butler and Wellington COVID test days: Butler will submit their tests on Tuesday May 31, 2022. Wellington will submit their tests on Wednesday June 1, 2022, Please register and label your sample tubes appropriately. If your tube is not labeled and registered ahead of time, it may not be processed due to the increased demand on CIC staff.

Belmont Board of Health, School Committee, and Select Board have all voted to lift Belmont’s mask mandate. Effective Tuesday, March 8, 2022, masking in school will be optional, but there are times when masks are to be worn. As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, including those who face higher risk from COVID-19, will be supported in that choice. DESE and DPH strongly recommend unvaccinated individuals continue to wear masks in school settings.

Thank you to all who have opted-in to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) updated COVID-19 Testing Program. The at-home testing program will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

NOTICE TO ALL BPS FAMILIES PARTICIPATING IN ROUTINE COVID SAFETY CHECKS (pooled testing) Testing WILL take place the week of February 13, 2022 (week before February break). Testing will resume when we return from February break – enjoy your vacation. CIC will no longer staple the directions to the outside of the test kits. Veritas is providing written documentation inside of the test kits. Please refer to this link if you want to reference the BPS written directions.

We are writing to let you know, in accordance with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH), our district is updating our COVID-19 Testing Program, effective February 1, 2022. We are opting into an at-home testing program that will increase testing of our participating students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

We are happy to announce that we are working with VaxinateRx and Healthcare Family Pharmacy to offer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine / booster opportunity to our eligible students ages12 and older on Monday, January 31, 2022, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM at Chenery in the Large Community Room.

The Belmont School Committee approved changes to the isolation guidelines at their meeting on January 11, 2022. Please refer to the link below for a quick reference.

If your student tests positive for COVID, they CANNOT participate in pool testing for 90 days. The consent will be revoked from the CIC database upon a report of a positive result. It will be your responsibility to submit a new consent when the 90-day period has ended. Mark the date of the positive result in your calendar. Due to the process of distributing the kits, your child may receive a test kit before removal from the consent list. Please do not submit a test kit during this time.