What is the protocol if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 on campus? How will I be notified?
If a member of the Gilman community receives positive test results during the school day, they will be evaluated and isolated in the Gilman Health Center while transportation home is being arranged. Please see this information from the Maryland Department of Health and Maryland State Department of Education for the latest quarantine guidelines: Interim K-12 School and Child Care COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidance January 2022. The School Nurses will work with each division to determine close contacts and will email you if your son was in close contact with the positive case. Further information regarding exposure and confirmed case information can be found on the School’s COVID-19 dashboard which will be updated daily.
What happens if someone in my son’s class tests positive for COVID-19?
If someone in your son's class tests positive for COVID-19, we will follow state and local guidelines as noted above. If your son is considered a close contact, you will receive an email from School Nurse Edie Meacham RN with additional information. You are also encouraged to check the School’s COVID-19 dashboard which will be updated daily with exposure and confirmed case information.
What happens if my son tests positive for COVID-19?
If your son tests positive for COVID-19, please notify the Gilman Health Center immediately.
A student who tests positive for COVID-19, or is considered a presumed positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should complete isolation as follows:
- Stay home and isolate for at least five full days from the date of symptom onset, if symptomatic, or the date of the positive test, if no symptoms.
- Day one is considered the first full day after symptoms started in symptomatic persons or the first full day after the student tested positive if asymptomatic (in other words, if he starts feeling sick on Sunday or tests positive on Sunday, day one would be that Monday).
- After day 5, if the student has no symptoms or if symptoms are improved and he has had no fever for at least 24 hours without medication, he may return to school—without taking another test—so long as he wears a KN95 mask (which the school can provide) at school for an additional five days. If the student is unable to wear a KN95 mask, he should remain at home for a full 10 days.
What happens if someone in our household tested positive for COVID-19?
If a family member, including a sibling, has COVID-19 symptoms or is waiting for a test result, the asymptomatic sibling may come to the Health Center between 7:30-8 a.m. for a rapid antigen test. If the test is negative, he can go to class.
If someone in your household tests positive and that person is able to isolate, your son may come to the Health Center between 7:30-8 a.m. for a rapid antigen test. If the test is negative, he can go to class. Testing each morning in the Health Center will continue for five days from the last exposure to the positive case.
What happens if my son is in close contact at school or outside the home with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
- Fully Vaccinated and boosted (if eligible) or has tested positive in the previous 90 days (and completed the appropriate isolation period): These students do not need to quarantine but should get tested on day five, wear a well-fitted mask (preferably a KN95), and monitor closely for symptoms.
- Not Fully Vaccinated or boosted (if eligible): These students should quarantine for five days and monitor closely for symptoms. They should also test on or after day five and can return to school with a negative test, no symptoms, and wear a well-fitted mask (preferably a KN95).
How will you decide if/when to close campus?
A decision to close campus will be based on a number of factors, including public health conditions, the extent to which positive tests affect the number of people able to remain on campus, and our ability to staff on-campus programs.
What can we do to help the School mitigate risk?
A tremendous amount of health and safety protocols have been put in place. That said, we cannot eliminate risk. To help reduce the COVID-19 exposure at school, Gilman asks all families to limit their risk, which includes hosting or attending large gatherings, events (sporting and other), and other activities where social distancing is not possible. Practice and reinforce good hygiene at home.