On February 28, 2022, the State of Connecticut will begin transitioning to the management of COVID-19 in schools from a pandemic emergency response model to a model that aligns with a more standard public health approach to the management and control of respiratory viral diseases.

With the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, low infection rates on our campus and in the Farmington Valley, easy access to testing, a 97% vaccination rate for our AOF community, multiple other mitigation strategies still in place, and our experience successfully navigating this pandemic for almost two years, Avon Old Farms School is well-positioned to adopt this new model of COVID-19 management.  

Beginning Monday, February 28, school districts in the Farmington Valley and Avon Old Farms School will institute a mask-optional policy. There will, of course, be certain situations where masks are still required based on public health guidelines. These situations and all of Avon Old Farms School’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies can be found on the school’s website here. In addition, the COVID Addendum of the Student Handbook has also been updated to reflect the updated guidelines.

In order to support a healthy return from March break in a mask-optional environment, we are asking every student and employee to take an at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen test within 12 hours of returning to school. Details of this requirement can be found here.  

We are excited about this big step in our return to normalcy. The health and safety of our community always remains a priority when making decisions regarding our school’s mitigation strategies against COVID-19. We are bound by federal, state, and local mandates, but the state’s new management of COVID-19 allows us to adopt policies and procedures that make the most sense for our school and our population and to do what is best for the boys.  

Have a happy, healthy March break!

Heather Callaghan
Director of Nursing, RN, BSN