Reopening FAQs

All School

Why is BB&N favoring the Hybrid model to start the year?

Our reopen plan is prioritized by keeping our community members as safe and healthy as possible. This priority is balanced appropriately with maintaining our robust academic program and making sure that students are learning and progressing academically. In addition, we are intent on nourishing connections within our uKnighted community to help ensure the social and emotional well-being of our entire community. We believe, under current circumstances, that the hybrid model is the path that best delivers on these priorities. Our hybrid model is further enhanced by our ability to hold on-campus learning for grades B-6, and to offer Knight School as an additional support for students in grades 7-12.

Is the decision to start school in the hybrid model a final decision?

When do we have to make a final decision about whether we will send our child to on-campus learning?

We appreciate the families who have given us an initial sense of what their decision will be, via the Reopening Survey we sent on August 1st. We plan to share a detailed Remote Learning Plan the week of August 24th. Following the release of that plan, we will follow up with all families to ascertain their decision about hybrid learning (including on-campus instruction) or opting to study entirely remotely.

Is it possible for a family to switch between models of learning during the fall?

Yes, a decision made at the start of the school year will not lock you into that model permanently. While there will be flexibility in these choices, we also ask families as well to be aware of the importance of continuity in your child(ren)’s programming. Too much fluctuation in learning modalities, unless truly necessary, is not in any child’s best interest. For those beginning the year in remote learning mode, we will be requiring a minimum of a month commitment.

What is BB&N’s plan for testing?

What happens if a student or teacher tests positive? How will the community be informed?

In the event of a symptomatic student or adult, or a report of a positive COVID-19 test result, BB&N will follow the Massachusetts guidance in collaboration with the Cambridge Department of Public Health. The full guidance on protocols for responding to COVID-19 scenarios can be found here, More information can be found in the Student Handbook COVID-19 Appendix that will be posted the week of August 17th.

Does the post-August 24 travel ban to restricted states apply if you have a negative COVID-19 test?

BB&N requires all faculty, staff, students and families to comply with the requirements of, and stay updated with any changes to, the Massachusetts Travel Order and Regulated Gatherings, which provide quarantine and other guidance when traveling to certain locations outside of Massachusetts and guidance around events and activities which are prohibited in Massachusetts. The school also requires community members to follow other orders of the Massachusetts Governor and related guidance and will keep the community updated when significant information becomes available.

As of August 17th, students with a negative COVID-19 test within the time guidelines the Massachusetts Travel Order may come to school. If this guidance changes, we will expect families to comply with the updates.

Will parents who send their children in person be required not to travel outside of Massachusetts?

We will require families to follow the Massachusetts Travel Order and Regulated Gatherings, which provide quarantine and other guidance when traveling to certain locations outside of Massachusetts. As of August 17th, there is no guidance in place which would prohibit parents of children in school to refrain from traveling outside of the state. If this guidance changes, we will expect families to comply with the updates.

Can my child wear a face shield instead of a mask?

No, currently a cloth face covering will be required for all students and adults. All students and adults are required to wear mask/face coverings. BB&N will provide each student and adult with two washable face coverings. Students and adults should wear these, or their own, face coverings to school every day. Disposable masks will be available when needed or requested. Medical exceptions requesting alternatives to face coverings will be made on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with the student or adult’s treating physician, the campus nurse, and/or human resources.

All mask/face coverings should cover the nose and mouth, fit comfortably and securely, include more than one layer of fabric (if using a cloth covering), be secured with ties or ear loops, allow for breathing without restriction, and be washable. Mask/face coverings with vents or valves do not meet the current recommendations and will not be allowed.

How will BB&N enforce wearing of face coverings?

Students who are not in compliance with the age-appropriate safety protocols while on campus will be sent home and unable to return to school until a safety plan has been put in place with the family. The safety plan will be created with the teacher, counselor, dean of students and family depending on the campus. Refusal to follow a safety plan could lead to additional consequences, which may include moving a student to the all remote learning platform.

Will there be required quarantine before school?

Will there be temperature checks as students arrive on campus each day?

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) guidance does not currently recommend taking temperatures on campus each day. They do require families and faculty/staff to monitor for a fever of 100.4° or higher as part of their daily symptom check at home. Students or adults who find they have a temperature in this range should not come on campus and follow the process in the handbook for reporting of symptoms.

What is the process for parents to report a child who is experiencing symptoms of being unwell?

Will bathroom faucets, soap dispensers, and paper towel dispensers be touchless?

In a scenario of a class being quarantined due to exposure, would the entire class pivot to online?

If a family opts for all remote learning, how will the student experience compare to those who are participating in on-campus instruction?

While it is impossible to completely duplicate the on-campus experience in the remote-only environment, it is our intent to make both experiences as comparable as possible. We will accomplish this through a balance of synchronous and asynchronous work, “zoom in to live classroom” opportunities, and frequent interactions with teachers, among other strategies. Please look for more information in the detailed Remote Learning Plan that we will share during the week of August 24th.

Have the faculty trained on remote teaching technologies or techniques?

Will there be grades this year?

Do faculty members have the option to teach remotely?

Will any cross-cohort programming take place?

Yes, some on-campus programming—such as affinity groups and wellness or counseling programming—might require the participation of students from more than one cohort. In any such case, cross-cohort programming will take place only outdoors and will include adult supervision, spacing of at least six feet apart, and the mandatory wearing of face coverings. Any exceptions to these four conditions must get prior approval from the Health and Safety Committee. Any faculty members who need to teach across cohorts will observe stringent hand hygiene and remasking protocols.

How will social distancing work during sports?

Are you staying mindful about the amount of screen time for students?

We will continue to be mindful of, and monitor, student screen time. Our faculty has engaged in professional development this summer with a particular focus on asynchronous learning. In the hybrid model, all Lower School students will engage in conventional in-person programming on campus. For the hybrid model at the Middle School, the academic program will not be monopolized by synchronous connections alone. Some activities will take place via videoconference, others will not. There also will be time built into the daily schedule for students to complete work offline, both during their classes as well as E block. Students should connect directly with their teachers with any questions. At the Upper School, students will Zoom two days out of the week, classes each 45 minutes. In all remote, Zoom classes will meet only 3 times a week and most days will end by lunchtime.

Will there be a tuition adjustment if school is remote or hybrid?

No, we are not planning a tuition adjustment for the 2020-2021 year. The majority of the school’s operating costs constitutes the cost of instruction, including faculty and staff salaries, support for technology, and materials for students, which are not reduced in the event of a remote or hybrid model. The school is incurring significant unplanned costs associated with the efforts to open school in September and any potential savings are more than offset by these costs, which include additional technology (e.g., teleconferencing capabilities) facility adjustments, cleaning and sanitizing costs, and upgrading air flow and ventilation systems, among others.

Will eating be done indoors or outdoors?

What are the options for lunch this year?

Students will be provided the option to consume a pre-packaged selection of lunch items or may bring their own lunch to campus, but it must be consumed during lunch. Other food and drink including food deliveries will not be permitted. Lower School and Middle School families who report that their child(ren) have life-threatening allergies will be required to opt in to lunch each day. Upper School families who have allergy concerns regarding food options should contact their campus nurse. Information on ingredients will be available to all students and families.

Students should bring a reusable, labelled, water bottle to school every day. All students will have access to potable water every day.

The sharing of food, utensils, and drinks is prohibited, including treats or other foods brought in for birthday celebrations.

Are buses going to run? Are carpools allowed?

The Daily Transportation to and from school will be available if the school is open in either the Hybrid or All In model. Please find more information and a link to register on the school’s Transportation page.

Carpools are allowed and BB&N expects all students carpooling with other families to practice social distancing, wear masks, and comply with hand hygiene practices as recommended by state guidance and as required by BB&N’s policies.

Will you have the same routes you usually have for buses?

Yes. Additionally, BB&N has planned a number of improvements to our bus routes and service to better support our families. Three buses will be assigned exclusively to the Lower School. These buses—Charlestown/Downtown, Downtown Boston, and Needham/Newton—will go directly to and from the Lower School daily without stopping at the Upper School. This means a later start in the morning and a shorter ride for BB&N students. Buses will depart in the afternoon upon dismissal. In addition, the three Lower School buses will have bus monitors on each bus to ensure students are following all health and safety procedures and to help students move safely on and off the bus and to and from their classrooms each day.

Upper and Middle School buses will also have fewer students and will likely run both in the morning and afternoon. These buses will arrive closer to the start of the school day and depart upon dismissal. Morning buses will depart assigned stops later than last year.

What are guidelines for students who travel to school via public transportation?

With regard to public transport, riders should limit touching frequently touched surfaces such as kiosks, touchscreens, ticket machines, turnstiles, handrails, restroom surfaces, elevator buttons, and benches as much as possible. Wear a mask at all times during transportation. Follow physical distancing guidelines by maximizing space between riders as feasible. Practice hand hygiene (e.g., use hand sanitizer after leaving the transit station or bus stop). Check with local transit authorities for the latest information on changes to services and procedures, especially if additional assistance is required.

How will the cubby/locker situation work? Will kids have to carry everything with them throughout the day?

At the Lower School, students in Grades B-5 will be able to use their cubbies through a systematic approach that practices social distancing. Grade 6 students will be moving with their backpacks from class to class. At the Middle School, students will not be using their cubbies on campus. They will have their backpacks with them throughout the day. At the Upper School, students will not use lockers. They will carry their backpacks with them, and they will have an assigned desk for their free period where they will be able to leave what they don’t need for classes.

Thinking about this time as a dual pandemic, how are faculty being prepared to support students of color around issues of race/racism specifically?

In a year that has been marked with protests for Black Lives and the global impact of Covid-19, we are prepared to confront racism and support our whole community in proactive anti-racism practices. Some action items schoolwide include:

Increased focus on student racial identity development
Determining intentional, deliberate, age-appropriate language to describe race, racism, and additional DEIG concepts
Support for teachers in facilitating developmentally appropriate conversations about race, racism, and anti-racist actions young people can take
Continuing to support BIPOC through Affinity Groups and other programing
Developing avenues for student voice and leadership Building strong relationships
Taking regular emotional temperature checks

We are also continuing to work on supporting LGTBQ+ students. One initiative we are starting is to center LGBTQ+ experiences in history classes, via a partnership with History UnErased.

How will access to bathrooms work?

What provisions are being made to upgrade ventilation systems?

We have performed routine maintenance and inspections on all of our air handling equipment to verify the operation and noted any deficiencies or improvements that we should consider making to increase ventilation within our buildings. Following these inspections, we repaired and replaced any equipment that was not functioning as designed. We also replaced some of our older exhaust fans in key areas such as bathrooms and hallways.

We have made adjustments through our Building Automation System to allow for better air exchange. We were able to accomplish this by adjusting the equipment schedules to run continuously (24/7) instead of a traditional occupied/unoccupied setting. We also have adjusted the outdoor air dampers on air handling equipment to allow for additional outdoor air intake and exhaust.

In addition to increasing the ventilation within our buildings, we’ve also been focused on providing better air filtration. We’ve replaced all air handling unit filters with a MERV 13 (hospital grade) type filter. We are also in the process of installing True HEPA air purifiers in some of our older buildings to supplement the existing HVAC systems.

In addition, we are adjusting the window stops in several locations to allow for a further range of motion, so we can get additional outdoor air into classrooms and offices.

Are you developing a new school calendar, as far as vacation days, etc.?

Lower School

What is a cohort at the Lower School?

What is the advantage for Lower School children to attend in person?

Being in community and moving through our days together has distinct advantages. There is no substitute for in-person instruction when it comes to quality of academic learning for children. Students get to work and play together. And while wearing masks might create some initial challenges in establishing connections, our inherent desire for community and belonging will push us to create new ways of connecting. There will also be ample opportunities when students have mask breaks.

What are some of the differences between in-person learning and remote learning?

Lower School teachers have spent a great deal of time and energy getting the school ready for in-person learning.Therefore, lesson plans will be tailored to in-person learning. Those who opt for remote will have lessons tailored to remote learning. While not an exhaustive list, some of the benefits of in-person learning are the ability for the teacher to give immediate feedback and have the student use that feedback, real-time pivoting from the teacher as it relates to learning, and less need for family support in the learning. All of these examples impact pacing. In addition, the social component should not be overlooked. The climate of the classroom and the personal relationship building that happens in person directly influence student motivation and learning.

Is the pace different for in-person learning compared to remote learning?

Yes, the pace is different for the two models. Some aspects of teaching and learning that impact pace are feedback loops between teacher and student, and pivoting during a lesson based on student response—both verbally and in their independent work. Development plays a very big role in this as well. As for speed, teaching both in-person and online can “cover” the same content. In addition, while both models include student/teacher feedback, the feedback is typically more timely in-person than remote. We put a lot of weight in the student/teacher relationship and do our best to give students what they need. This also plays a key role in the pace of curriculum.

Will students who opt to study entirely remotely be able to be part of all “live” classes?

Lower School students will not be able to Zoom into all of the live classes. Our on-campus lessons are primarily tailored to in-person learning, and those who opt for remote will have lessons tailored to learning from home. However, we are committed to maintaining strong, connected relationships between students who opt for remote and their homeroom peers and teacher(s). In addition, there will be opportunity to Zoom into a class throughout the week, depending on the grade level.

For remote learners, what are some enhancements to the program compared to the Spring 2020 experience?

Enhancements to the B-6 remote program include:

Take-home kits with general materials and, for some grades, specific subject matter
Improved landing page for easier online navigation/wayfinding
1:1 technology for all students
Learning management systems embedded from day one
Consistency in start times and lunch times throughout the Grades
Systematic attention to community building.

Can there be a daily call-in to opt for remote learning?

Under what circumstances would the “Super Hybrid” model at the Lower School be enacted?

For LS, does one faculty member stay with one small cohort continuously, or do faculty rotate?

A homeroom is considered a cohort. Each homeroom will follow the 6-foot distance guidelines.

Grades B-5:

Students are given their own homeroom desk where they and they alone will sit.
Teachers and specialists will come to the students.
Some grades will have breakout spaces where only students in that grade (building) may go for instruction. Furthermore, at all times students will only be in a room with students from their homeroom cohort. Proper sanitizing procedures will take place after sessions in these breakout spaces.

Grade 6:

Grade 6 students will be in the Lehner Center.
Students will be grouped by homeroom.
Students in their homeroom cohorts will travel the building together, socially distanced, to each of their classes. Proper sanitizing procedures will take place after each transition.

Will the cohort have the same primary teacher all the time, or will the main teachers share/rotate?

How will the special classes be conducted?

Can you explain more about the choice of the gymnasium for Grade 2 instruction?

We have carefully considered all of our classroom locations. The state guidance recommends that schools use alternative larger spaces, such as our gymnasium, to actually increase the amount of space and distance. They also recommend creating a cohort within the larger space. The LS gym has the room to accommodate as many as 52 students spaced 6 feet apart. We will be utilizing it to accommodate 12 less students than its capacity—i.e., 40 second graders. This will increase each student’s assigned space even greater than the recommended 6-foot distance. The gym will be divided in half so that students will be in a cohort with only their class of 20. Additionally, each of these classes will be assigned their own breakout space which 10 students can utilize. Scheduling will allow us to minimize the number of students in the space at any given time. Also, we are encouraging the gym door to remain open and we are purchasing a HEPA air scrubber for this space as well.

Do you anticipate using the tents during the cold weather/winter?

Will the 6th grade have matches/games in their athletics program?

Can you say more about how the aftercare cohorts will interact with the regular day cohorts?

For the aftercare program, will the fees be prorated if we have to move to remote learning for an extended amount of time?

Will there be any After School Activities Program (ASAP) classes offered?

How will the dropoff and pickup routine work this year?

Will LS orchestra be held this year?

Will kids be able to play together?

Will the buddy program stay in place?

To begin the year, students will stay within their homeroom cohort. Once we feel students understand the procedures, cross-grade programming might start to occur, Any cross-cohort programming would take place only outdoors, with adult supervision, 6-foot distancing, and mask wearing. Cross-grade programming might also be scheduled during the school day using a remote platform.

How will the Knight Corps be used in the Lower School?

Middle School

Will newly admitted students be able to tour the campus as a group to get acclimated?

How many children will be in each cohort during the hybrid model?

Students will only be in the building with their grade so the maximum number of contacts they could potentially come into contact with is 85 students. However, students will be in class with no more than 55 students over their two days on campus. Students will also be assigned bathrooms, handwashing sinks, and indoor E Block activities in the same cohorts they already have for classes.

What will homework look like in the hybrid model?

Do MS students need to have a MacBook or can other types of laptop be used?

Is there a deadline to buy the MacBook with the discount that the school is giving?

How will in-person classes work if some students need to Zoom in?

Are there going to be sports competitions?

How will sports work if a student is opting to learn remotely during the hybrid model?

Is there going to be a bus back to Sparks Street from the Nicholas Athletic Center?

Will the pickup time change if there is inclement weather and no sports? Where are the students changing for athletics?

The pickup time will not change if there is inclement weather, just the location. We are encouraging students to arrive at school with the clothes they will wear for athletics and will just need to change shoes. That said, we will provide them with a place to change just for MS students at the NAC. We will rotate the students through the space following regulations and safe protocols.